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The North Queensland Cowboys are a National Rugby League team based in Townsville , Queensland Australia . The Cowboys were admitted to the Australian Rugby League first-grade competition in 1995 . They were one of four new teams admitted in season 1995 along with ' South Queensland Crushers ', ' Western Reds ', and the ' Auckland Warriors '. {Link without Title} Their initial team jersey was navy blue with white and grey strips. In 1994 , before their admission into first grade football, a competition to design the team name and logo along with team colours and jersey design was administered. Coming up with the name they run by today 'North Queensland Cowboys'. {Link without Title} The Cowboys home stadium site was occupied by the Willows Sporting Complex. It was transformed into a basic rugby league venue named 'Stockland Stadium' ( 1995 ), and was rebadged ' Dairy Farmers Stadium ' in 1998 . {Link without Title} Within a few years, the Cowboys signed up some talented State players such as Johnathan Thurston , Matt Bowen , Matt Sing , Carl Webb and Luke O'Donnell moving towards their most successful year in their club history surging to a maiden grand final appearance. {Link without Title} HOW IT ALL BEGAN The North Queensland Cowboys entered into the Australian Rugby League premiership in 1995. The competition had been running previously as the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) since 1908 . Sydney suburban teams came and went throughout its history but not until 1982 did we see the first team expansion outside of the Sydney area with the inclusion of a team from the Australian Capital Territory - the ' Canberra Raiders ' as well as the introduction of a southern New South Wales town - ' Illawarra Steelers '. {Link without Title} Moving along in time saw further pressure for expansion in the NSWRL. In 1988 for the very first time two Queensland teams had a crack at the cherry with the inclusions of the ' Brisbane Broncos ' and the Gold Coast-Tweed Giants . At this same time pressure also mounted from an old friend in the north of New South Wales with the return of a Newcastle franchise. Their return was an 86 year wait in the wilderness and this time around the franchise was badged the Newcastle Knights . {Link without Title} After 1988, fair results of the expansions were showing and increasing pressure mounted again for further team inclusions. In 1995, some seven years later we again saw further growth into Queensland with two more teams. The 'South Queensland Crushers' and the 'North Queensland Cowboys'. Also a new face in Western Australia the 'Western Reds'. Along with the competitions first international inclusion - 'Auckland Warriors' from New Zealand . The game took on a national look and with that a new name. The competition ran with twenty teams (the largest scale the competition had ever seen). The new national concept was called the 'Australian Rugby League' (ARL) competition. It may have been some eighty-seven years but with eager anticipation the birth of first-grade Rugby League in North Queensland was born. {Link without Title}
THE YEARS Year 1 – 1995 The birth year for the North Queensland Cowboys may not have been amass of match victories or a cabinet full of trophies. However, it was still the start of something special. The start of a club overflowing with pride. It was the start of a hard road but a road that always lead towards their never say die attitude' and that renowned Queenslander' fighting spirit. The very building blocks necessary for what is now etched in stone and recorded into history books as the birth of a club in North Queensland. From the start it wasn't simply cheers and grins for the Cowboys or its supporters in 1995. Though through the thick and the thin their loyal fans stuck by surrounding them with massive crowd support for every home game. One of the main difficulties the club faced was fighting to win support of northern fans who were following the already strong present Brisbane franchise the ''Brisbane Broncos'' who already had premierships under their belt. The northerners however never gave up in the hope that one day the shoe may just be on the other foot. The first man to run onto the paddock for the Cowboys was captain ' Laurie Spina ' who had returned to his home lands after eight seasons of NSWRL football for southern Sydney clubs. He along with a handful of other major signings were the backbone of the new club. The other backbone signings for the clubs inugural year was Australian and Queensland forward ' Martin Bella ' (Sarina), ' Craig Teitzel ' (Tully), Queensland representative ' Adrian Vowles ', NSW Country Origin representative ' Ian Russell ', ''Illawarra Steelers' ' Dean Schifilliti ' (Ingham), up and coming halfback from ' North Sydney Bears ' ' Jason Martin ', and noteworthy Great Britain Test star ' Jonathan Davies ', though he was unable to arrive until May. Of all the obstacles the North Queensland club faced. Getting northern fans onside, grabbing key Sydney players to move to Townsville, The biggest obstacle surrounding the off-field dramas at the Cowboys was the 'Super League / ARL debate'. Super League made an attempt to kick start a rebel competition which would see the rugby league code split into two competitions. Their interests were targeting the signatures of major named players and clubs from all over Australia and introduce them to a new and exciting methods of rugby league targeting the benefit of the television viewer. Super League may have failed to kick off for season 1996 due to court rulings. But sadly as a result of all the feuding ' Kerry Boustead ' (Queensland representative legend and CEO) left the North Queensland club after only five rounds of competition. {Link without Title} HIGHS
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Year 2 – 1996 Having gone through a tough first year with only the two victories, the second year of the franchise was the hope for further improvement. On the playing field in 1996 a much needed extension to their season victories tally was achieved and finally that all important first win inside Sydney. New players to the club included former Brisbane Bronco Martin Locke, Steve Edmed from Balmain Tigers , Canberra’s Jason Death and Ian Dunemann's brother Andrew from the Gold Coast. Townsville local Josh Hannay (16 years old) made history by being the second-youngest rugby league player to be listed in a starting line up for an Australian Rugby League match. Also another local unearthed was young John Buttigieg who was a bulky strong forward that help bolster the North Queenslands pack size. But yet again rugby league was ingulfed in further off-field dramas as the Super League debate ended up in the courts. Round 1 of the 1996 competition saw the Super League aligned clubs (except Auckland) forfeit their first round matches, the first A-Grade Premiership forfeits since 1909. Under new coach Graeme Lowe, the Cowboys celebrated six victories including their first back-to-back wins over Newcastle Knights and Cronulla Sharks . Also with more wins came improvement on the ladder with the club placing 17th its best place finish. One of the years highlights came from the second last round of the season when the Cowboys finally broke through for its first win in Sydney. The northerners raced to a 16-0 lead over St. George Dragons at Kogarah Oval. The red and white saints army, who were heading for that very seasons Grand Final, made a hard fought comeback but went down to the Cowboys 24-20. The Cowboys also added a further away victory in the Gold Coast defeating the Gold Coast Chargers at Carrara Stadium 24-14. HIGHS
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Year 3 – 1997 In 1997, the Cowboys competed in the new Super League rebel competition. The team was bolsted by signings of Ian Roberts (former Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles , New South Wales and Australia Forward ), Steve Walters (former Canberra Raiders, Queensland and Australian hooker), Owen Cunningham ( Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and Queensland Second Rower) and John Lomax (former Canberra Raider and New Zealand test forward), making the Cowboys firm favourites to be competing for a position in the finals. Unfortunetly, the season did not go to plan with the Cowboys finishing in last position for the second time in three seasons. On the playing field the Cowboys’ fortunes faded quickly winning only five and drawing two of their eighteen games. Things were looking promising at the start to the season after being placed 8th on the ladder after Round 5. With a nail bitting win over the Bulldogs in Sydney things were looking up for the northerners. But with five teams finishing within only a few points of each other at the end of the season, the Cowboys slipped from top of the table contenders to bottom 10th. But some positive spins coming from the Super League ordeal was the major redevelopment work the Cowboys stadium and training facilities received. Improvement’s included construction of the northern and southern grandstands, increasing crowd capacity from 23, 500 to 31, 500 and training infrastructure which was classed as the best in rugby league. Super League also created a new innovation called the World Club Challenge which was played in Australia and England. All ten Australian Super League clubs competed against all twelve European Super League clubs. The European teams were outclassed, winning only 8 of 83 matches, and suffering many heavy defeats. The Cowboys won all three matches at home in Australia, but lost an important match in England therefore missing out on a place in the playoffs to compete for a grand final spot. However the Cowboys did have further success following on from seasons 1995 and 1996 with further victories in Sydney. This time over the Bulldogs at Belmore Oval and the Penrith Panthers at Penrith Park . HIGHS
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Owen Cunningham – Queensland Tri-Series, Steve Walters – Queensland Tri-Series, Australia Super League Squad, Ian Roberts – NSW Tri-Series, John Lomax – NZ Tri-Series, Tim Sheens (Coach) - NSW Tri-Series (Coach). Year 4 – 1998 Season 1998 finally saw unification between Super League (Australia) and the Australian Rugby League . With that unification saw the birth of a new competition name - the National Rugby League . The Cowboys had a very successful start to the season with a stunning early rounds streak. This streak had them just after six rounds with five victories under their belt. This good start had them sharing equal first place on the championship ladder, a first for the North Queensland Cowboys since their inception. What appeared strange to this early season success was the little addition to the North Queensland Cowboys playing roster from the season beforehand. Three new key players joined the Cowboys lineup including the highly experienced Australian representative Dale Shearer , New Zealand international John Lomax and Fijian wing sensation Noa Nadruku to the club. Despite being the most successful year since their establishment, the Cowboys season soured ending with a disappointing 16th place in the 20-team competition. Injuries were again the major hurdle for the clubs success with nine first-grade players out for stages throughout the season. The biggest highlight for season 1998 was a comeback staged by the Cowboys against the Penrith Panthers in Round 12. The Cowboys were trailing 0-26 at the half-time interval. The North Queenslanders stormed home in the second half winning 36-28. This result was followed by their biggest victory in it’s history with a 40-10 win over Western Suburbs Magpies . But sadly these victories became distant memories when in the last match of the season a record-equalling 0-62 loss was suffered at the hands of the North Sydney Bears . But with all this heartache there was a major moment with the recall of teenager Josh Hannay. After being ineligible to play in season 1996 due to his young age (16), he was finally given permission to be included in the Cowboys squad and ended the highest pointscorer in the club for the season. The Cowboys had further success again away from home. This time over the Adelaide Rams at the Adelaide Oval , another win in Sydney over Parramatta Eels at Parramatta Stadium , and further success over the Penrith side making it 2 from 3 games in Penrith. HIGHS
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Year 5 – 1999 North Queensland Cowboys might not have had a real lot to celebrate in their short history but season 1999 was the year the Cowboys celebrated their 5 year anniversary. Coach Tim Sheens expanded on his playing roster with more notable signings. Noel Goldthorpe, New South Wales Tri Series hero from season 1997, Paul Green from Cronulla Sharks , New South Wales Tri series representative Mathew Ryan and Queensland Tri series representative Centre Geoff Bell. With these new inclusions, much was expected from the Cowboys 5th season. But again the North Queensland team struggled to find rhythm and consistency and season 99' ended with second last place out of 17 teams. The "one Millionth" spectator went through the turnstiles which was a massive achievement for any sporting organisation in only five years. But if the Cowboys were going to continue receiving high gate attendances they were definitely needing to turn around their form. Success on the field for the Cowboys was on a knives edge. The North Queensland club had purchased some high priced players and coaches and the northern fans were almost demanding on field success. After 4 years of little success, the Cowboys again struggled to gain many competition points. However some moments arose that were placed high on the Cowboys mantle. The "local derby" clash against the Brisbane Broncos finally saw the North Queensland Cowboys receive their first competition point against their southern rivals with a hard fought draw. Again it was the highlight of the season attracting a massive crowd. Halfback Paul Green bought further glory to the Cowboys with North Queenslands first State Of Origin representative. The Cowboys added another away scalp with a win against Auckland Warriors which featured the debut of New Zealander Brian Jellick, who went on to make his debut for New Zealand from North Queensland. HIGHS
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Paul Green - Queensland State Of Origin Brian Jellick - New Zealand John Lomax - New Zealand . Year 6 – 2000 The Cowboys chances of being a major force in the National Rugby League showed very little signs of improving for another new season. There were some brilliant victories, especially on home soil, but by the end of the season another last place in the NRL gave the Cowboys their 3rd wooden spoon in 6 years. The two victories that rang out in 2000 were over the Northern Eagles 50-10, and St George Illawarra Dragons 50-4. However, supporters remained wondering as the clubs potential was always being shot down whenever they were tested on consistentcy. The calibre of players in Cowboy colours were evident as the club overflowed with representative players. Paul Bowman became the North Queensland Cowboys first home grown Queenslander while Tim Brasher rekindled his rep career becoming only the fifth player to represent New South Wales from Queensland. HIGHS
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Paul Green Queensland State Of Origin Julian O'Neill Queensland State Of Origin Paul Bowman - Queensland State Of Origin Tim Brasher - New South Wales State Of Origin Murray Hurst (Coach) - Tonga World Cup (Coach). Year 7 – 2001 After the long list of disappointing seasons, the Cowboys finally found some form and had some major victories for season 2001. Once again the derby clash with the Brisbane Broncos was another highlight, with the Cowboys losing by only one point. The season low point came from a 0-62 loss to Parramatta away from home. Off field drama again couldn't leave the North Queenslanders alone. This time surrounding the future of coach Tim Sheens . Mid way through season 2001 News Limited took full control of the club and instructed Assistant coach Murray Hurst to take over the reigns and become head coach. Several victories, with new coach Hurst included one over St George Illawarra Dragons who went on to make the Grand-Final, and a last round victory over the Auckland Warriors giving the Cowboys enough competition points to avoid the wooden spoon for a fourth time. But of all the low points the Cowboys had suffered in 2001 there was some light for them at the end of the tunnel. A major achievement was four Cowboy players gaining selection into the Queensland State of Origin squad. These further selections proved the Cowboy players had the ability to become a force into the future. It also meant that the Cowboy rugby league club was finally gaining some credibility. HIGHS
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Paul Bowman - Queensland State Of Origin John Doyle - Queensland State Of Origin John Buttiegig - Queensland State Of Origin Nathan Fein - Queensland State Of Origin Murray Hurst (Coach) - Queensland Assistant (Coach) Glenn Morrisson - New South Wales Country Origin Year 8 - 2002 The season that was being promised as the year of improvement, it once again started with a sour note with four straight losses. New coach Murray Hurst was replaced only after having control as head coach for 17 games at the club. This brought disruption to the club for some rounds after. However, under new head coach Graham Murray the Cowboys finally found it within themselves to put consistency on the field. The club registered 8 wins, including two sets of back to back victories later into the season. Year 2002 ended the Cowboys best ever finish to a season, winning 4 of the last 7 matches. The majority of the North Queensland Cowboys 2002 squad experienced back to back victories in Cowboy colours for the first time. The excitement surrounding the rise of Matt Bowen and Ty Williams was on the lips of every Cowboy fan as they mixed flair and youth together along side of new club signing Matt Sing. Again further success at representative level with two players being selected into the Queensland State of Origin Squad. One of the clubs few remaining 1995 originals Peter Jones retired at the end of 2002, registering 131 matches in first grade, all with the North Queensland Cowboys. HIGHS
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John Buttigieg - Queensland State Of Origin John Doyle - Queensland State Of Origin Graham Murray (Coach) - City Origin Coach Year 9 - 2003 After 8 long years the North Queensland club finally started getting it together. Without a doubt year 2003 was the northerners best season since their inception. Greater consistency, better on field performances resulted in an improved away from home record. New Principle Sponsor Toyota , injected some much needed support into the club strengthening their security moving into the future. With mergers and amalgamations with some of the southern clubs in New South Wales , it was extremely important for the Cowboys administration that a sponsor like Toyota came along. Two major recruits for the Cowboys for season 2003 was the experienced Queensland Forward Kevin Campion to his home lands of North Queensland, and New Zealand Front Rower Paul Rauhihi . Mid way through the Cowboys 9th season the club was positioned in the top eight and kept in touch with the competition leaders all season only narrowly missing out on a semi final spot. A major highlight for the club, was clearly the brilliant return to form of Matt Sing who rekindled his rep career becoming North Queensland's first Australian representative while living in the region since Kerry Boustead in 1978. HIGHS
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Matt Sing - Queensland State Of Origin , Australia Paul Bowman - Queensland State Of Origin Josh Hannay - Queensland State Of Origin Paul Rauhihi - New Zealand . Year 10 – 2004 The first three rounds of season 2004 had Cowboy fans with little to cheer about. A first round loss to Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles at home, followed by two more home losses ( Canberra Raiders , Wests Tigers ) left the club looking very shakey heading into the new season. These three losses first up and then followed by a bye did not see the clubs first win until round five against Cronulla Sharks in Sydney. By round seven, with just one win and five losses, the North Queenslanders were a disappointing 13th place on the competition ladder. Then came another win, this time over the Parramatta Eels , which history can record as a turning point in what was going to be the clubs most successful season to date. By the end of the season, the Cowboys had won twelve games, drawn one (the first ever draw in the NRL since the introduction of the golden point) and lost eleven (first time Cowboys had finished a season with more wins then losses), but more importantly they held seventh position on the ladder and a first ever finals run in the National Rugby League in their history. It was one of the toughest roads the Cowboys had ever been dealt since their inaugural start way back in 1995. Injuries again took key players out of action, including Matt Sing (broken jaw), and Glenn Morrison (broken back). But what surprised all was how the younger players from North Queensland Young Guns stepped up to the top squad to cover such injuries. Players like Shane Tronc and Steve Southern who made solid first grade debuts replacing these key injured players. Their fresh attitude was the backbone in helping the club to go on to their first finals football. Apart from their finals appearance, the club also maintained its ability to produce representative players. This time around the North Queenslanders produced two Australian Internationals in Matt Sing and Matt Bowen . Significantly the 2004 Cowboys had a good away record, another sign of growing success. HIGHS
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Matt Sing - Queensland State Of Origin , Australia . Matt Bowen - Queensland State Of Origin , Australia . Travis Norton - Queensland State Of Origin . Paul Bowman – Queensland State Of Origin . Glenn Morrison – New South Wales Country. Paul Rauhihi – New Zealand . Graham Murray (Coach) - Coached New South Wales City. Finals Football – 2004 The North Queensland Cowboys were handed a (sudden death) Qualifying Final against the Canterbury Bulldogs (eventual Premiership winners) at Telstra Stadium . To the Cowboys it was a history making night, the finals rookies pulling off the upset of the year when they raced to a 16-0 lead before holding on to beat the Bulldogs 30-22. A week later at Dairy Farmers Stadium in Townsville the boys went into another milestone making night. This time a Semi Final where they beat the Brisbane Broncos 10-0. The very first time in their 10 season history defeating their derby rivals. Week three into the finals and the Cowboys were just 80 minutes away from a Grand Final birth. After defeating the Brisbane Broncos , they travelled back to Sydney to meet the Sydney Roosters and came within seconds of winning a grand final berth. Losing the Preliminary final by just 16-19, the Cowboys had come of age in 2004. Year 11 - 2005 The North Queensland Cowboys started season 2005 where they left off the previous season. With new key signings of Johnathan Thurston , Justin Smith and Carl Webb , the North Queenslanders were almost unstoppable at home running all the way to round ten before coming across their first loss at Dairy Farmers Stadium . Along with that great run the Cowboys only suffered two more losses at home for the rest of the entire season. A remarkable run of form for the club. The Cowboys also took a further two steps in having the lead on the competition table. Placed 1st on championship ladder after Round 8. The Cowboys knocked off their previous personal best of Round 6, in 1990. An unprecedented six Cowboys players - Paul Bowman, Matt Bowen , Ty Williams, Johnathan Thurston , Matt Sing and Carl Webb - represented Queensland in the State Of Origin series. The northerners found the second half of the season however, physically tiring. With so many representative players coming from the club it was hard for them to keep their focus. The wheels fell off the apple cart a little losing several matches to opponents they were expected to beat. Nonetheless, the Cowboys finished in fifth position at the end of the season with a 14-10 win-loss record. (Their best season performance ever). Johnathan Thurston won the NRL's Best-and-Fairest player award, the Dally M Medal ahead of favourite and three-time-winner Andrew Johns . Chief Executive Dennis Keeffe announced his resignation from the club on August 10 , and he was replaced by football manager Peter Parr at the end of the season. The focus for the Cowboys now was focusing on their back to back finals playoffs. HIGHS
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Luke O’Donnell – New South Wales City, Australia . Paul Rauhihi - New Zealand . David Faiumu - New Zealand . Matt Sing - Queensland State Of Origin . Matt Bowen - Queensland State Of Origin . Ty Williams - Queensland State Of Origin . Johnathan Thurston - Queensland State Of Origin . Carl Webb - Queensland State Of Origin . Paul Bowman - Queensland State Of Origin . Graham Murray (Coach) - Coached New South Wales City. Finals Football – 2005 In the first week of the finals the North Queensland Cowboys travelled to Telstra Stadium where they faced a massive caning from the Wests Tigers 50-6. The Cowboys were hampered by Strike Forward Carl Webb, suspended for six weeks for punching during the last-round clash over the Melbourne Storm . But Graham Murray's men dusted themselves off and got on with the job at hand. They overcame a verbal sparring over the "grapple tackle" controversy leading up into the game eliminating Melbourne Storm at Aussie Stadium 24-16. Melbourne's second defeat to the northerners in only two weeks. Then in week three of the finals the Cowboys sent Parramatta Eels packing with a first-half display at Telstra Stadium suffocating them with the branding "chokers", booking themselves a place in the grand final for their very first time. The Wests Tigers were the Cowboys opposition and it was a rematch after the first week of the finals and a chance for the North Queensland club to gain some revenge. However, the Wests Tigers proved far to strong winning the 2005 Grand Final by 30 points to 16. Matt Bowen scored the first try of the game for North Queensland, and the first try for a Cowboy in a grand final. But an errant pass from Paul Bowman in his own in-goal area led directly to a Wests Tigers try, and the Cowboys never gained the lead again. The Cowboys gave a late resurgance scoring two tries to Travis Norton and Matt Sing reducing the margin to 24-16, but Josh Hannay, with time running out, missed the rushed conversion, handing the Tigers a remarkable victory. Still after the disappointment abated, the Cowboys had reason to be satisfied with their achievements. For the fourth consecutive season the Cowboys improved their standing on the competition ladder and went a step further second time around in the finals playoffs. Year 12 - 2006 Cowboys coach Graham Murray was appointed the New South Wales Origin coach for the 2006 series on December 11, 2005 following five seasons as the coach of the City Origin team. This followed the appointment of 2005 Blues coach Ricky Stuart to the Australian test team after the resignation of Wayne Bennett as coach on December 9, 2005. Two weeks prior to the start of the 2006 season, Graham Murray signed a two-year extension to his contract, remaining coach of the Cowboys until the end of the 2008 season. The 2006 season has been very successful for the Cowboys as they have won their first six games, including the grand final rematch against the West Tigers and an important victory over their main premiership rival Newcastle (at Newcastles home ground). Notable performances have come from five eighth/ half back Jonathon Thurston who scored 26 points in the season opener against the Brisbane Broncos and shown consistency throughout each round. COACHES
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