History of the North Queensland Cowboys

History of the North Queensland Cowboys

The history of the North Queensland Cowboys goes back to 1995 when they were admitted to the [[Australian Rugby League] Premiership.

Contents

1995, 1996: Origins

The Cowboys name and team colours were decided by public competition in 1994. Their initial jersey was navy blue and white, with grey stripes and yellow trim.

One of the major difficulties that faced the club in their early years was attracting followers from the more established Queensland Rugby League side, the Brisbane Broncos. This was exacerbated by an initial lack of onfield success and stability. In their first two seasons, the Cowboys had seven different captains: Laurie Spina, Adrian Vowles, Dean Schifilliti, Jason Martin, Jonathan Davies, Bruce Sinclair, and Paul Galea.

1997: Super League

After much court action in 1995 and 1996, a ten team Super League competition was held in 1997. The Cowboys competed in this competition, and their squad was bolstered by a number of new signings including Ian Roberts and Steve Walters. However, they were unable to improve on the club's results in previous years, and for the second time in three seasons they were to finish the season in last place.

1998, 1999: National Rugby League

In 1998 the Super League and Australian Rugby League competitions merged to form the National Rugby League (NRL). The Cowboys began their first season in this competition strongly, and after six rounds they were in equal first place. Although they fell away later in the season, they were to record the largest come-back to date in an Australian first grade rugby league match, defeating the Penrith Panthers 36-28 after trailing 26-0 at half-time. 1998 also saw the Cowboys record their largest loss to date, being defeated 62-0 by the North Sydney Bears in the last round of the home and away season.

The Cowboys signed their eleventh captain in 1999, Noel Goldthorpe. Paul Bowman was also to serve in that role during the season. Although their on-field performances were not spectacular, continuing high attendance figures saw aggregate attendances exceed one million spectators. This season the Cowboys also provided their first State of Origin representative when Paul Green was selected as Queensland's halfback for game 2 of the 1999 State of Origin series.

2000-2004: Wooden spoon to finalists

In the years 2000 through to 2002 the Cowboys continued to struggle with off-field dramas and poor on-field performances. After finishing last in 2000 and second last the following year, the club was on the brink of collapse, prompting News Limited to take it over.

Four losses at the start of the 2002 season saw coach Tim Sheens sacked and replaced by his assistant Murray Hurst. Although they finished in their highest position to date, coach Hurst was also sacked at early in the 2003 season, and replaced by Graham Murray. The Cowboys spent much of the 2003 season in the top eight with much improved performances from a host of players, including local talents Matt Bowen and Josh Hannay. The 2003 season ended with the Cowboys four points adrift of a top eight play-off position.

More signings were made for 2004, including Travis Norton, Paul Rauhihi and Glenn Morrison. The club's tenth anniversary season began in much the same fashion as in earlier years, and after seven rounds the team had posted only one victory. However, in a remarkable turnaround of form, the Cowboys were able to win 12 of their remaining games and finish in seventh position at the end of the home and away season. For the first time, the Cowboys were part of final eight, and in the mix at business end of the season: the 2004 NRL finals series. Remarkably, the Cowboys' new status in the game afforded them their first free-to-air televised game in their history. Whilst Channel Nine had all but ignored the Townsville-based team, a place in the finals had the public beating the drum for coverage. This provided Channel Nine with a last minute opportuntity to jump on the Cowboys bandwagon, with Nine Commentator Ray "Rabbits" Warren branding the Cowboys as "2004's fairytale team". But for many fans throughout Queensland and in other states, such accolades were all to late from the NRL's chief free-to-air television provider who had failed to deliver coverage of the national competition.

In their first finals match they played a Qualifying Final against the eventual premiers Bulldogs at Telstra Stadium. Against expectation the Cowboys defeated the Bulldogs 30-22. A week later at Dairy Farmers Stadium in Townsville they defeated the Brisbane Broncos 10-0 in a Semi-Final. This was the first time that they had ever defeated the Broncos. The road to the grand final ended for the Cowboys when they were controversially defeated by the Sydney Roosters 19-16. Many fans and media alike were disgruntled at the handling of the final minutes of the elimination game by referee Paul Simpkins, and his refusal to allow the Cowboys to pack a scrum with seconds left on the clock. Suggestions of a Sydney-bias by referee Simpkins have continued to overshadow both his career and what many fans regarded as a classic finals match. Clearly, the NRL was also unhappy with Simpkin's performance as he was not considered for the grand final refereeing duties.With this game in mind many need to remember that the North Queensland Cowboys did not have a full scrum.

After the 2004 season, The North Queensland Cowboys provided their first Australian international representative in Matt Bowen who travelled to Europe with the Kangaroos, playing a match against France.

2005: Grand finalists

The Cowboys followed their success in 2004 by opening their season with nine straight victories. They finished the 2005 season in fifth place, after 14 wins and 10 losses. The team's performance led to six Cowboys being represented in the Queensland State of Origin team: Paul Bowman, Matt Bowen, Ty Williams, Johnathan Thurston, Matt Sing and Carl Webb. Thurston was also rewarded by winning the NRL's best and fairest player award: the Dally M Medal.

In the first week of the finals the Cowboys travelled to Telstra Stadium where they were defeated by Wests Tigers 50-6. They were more successful in their second and third weeks of the finals, in which they defeated the Melbourne Storm 24-16 and Parramatta Eels 29-0 and qualified for the NRL Grand Final for the first time.

The grand final saw them once more facing the Tigers. Although Matthew Bowen scored the first try of the match, the Tigers were too strong for the Cowboys and won the match 30-16.

2006: From Good to Bad

The Cowboys started off the year by winning 6 straight games. One of the teams they defeated were to become the premiers, the Brisbane Broncos. They then fell into a hole, winning only 5 of the last 19 games, making them finish 9th on the ladder, just missing out of the finals. Much criticism has been directed at coach Murray for not sticking with a stable scrumbase pairing throughout 2006, with a number of players such as Brett Firman and Brent McConnell seen as unable to support the talents of playmaker Johnathan Thurston.

The Cowboys finished the final round of regular season with a convincing win over the Parramatta Eels to give their fans some hope for 2007. Particularly impressive were hooker Aaron Payne and fullback Matthew Bowen, who recaptured some of his magic and regained some much needed form heading into the off season.

Other players who have impressed throughout 2006 include Australian representative player Luke O'Donnell, as well as Carl Webb who struggled for much of the year with injuries. The ever reliable Paul Bowman continued to show the hard fought spirit of the team despite a neck injury that struck him down at the close of the season.

Aaron Payne also capped off a strong year for the club to be named Cowboy of the Year for 2006.

2006 also saw the departure of several key personal, including legendary strength and conditioner Billy Johnstone - to the Gold Coast Titans - and assistant coach Neil Henry accepted a head coaching position with the Canberra Raiders.

The Cowboys announced that tough talking former English Super League coach Ian Millward would replace Henry as Graham Murray's assistant, with Glen Murphy taking over from Johnstone.

After helping the Cowboys through a difficult period, in 2007 News Limited sold the football club to the Cowboys Leagues Club for an undisclosed sum after several months of negotiations, ending News' six-year stint as owner of the Cowboys.[1]

Sponsors

Jersey manufacturers

North Queensland Cowboys home and away jerseys for the 1995 and 1996 seasons.

[2]

Principal sponsors

  • XXXX Castlemaine Perkins (1995-1997)
  • Overflow Discount Stores (1999-2000)
  • CHR Employment Services (2001-2002)
  • Toyota (2003-)

Sleeve sponsors

  • Chill Malanda Flavoured Milk (1995-1996)
  • Kentucky Fried Chicken (1999-2003)
  • Q.L.D Group (2005-2006)
  • Glen Alpine (2007) [3]
  • Harvey Norman (2008-present)

The club was in negotiations with the National Australia Bank as the bank considered becoming a sleeve sponsor, but the bank rejected the offer due to the lack of national exposure.

During the late half of season 2006 the North Queensland Cowboys sponsorship with Q.L.D Group ended and the Cowboys fielded the Heart Foundation on their sleeves for a handful of matches.

Shorts sponsors

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • North Queensland Cowboys History — This is the history of the North Queensland Cowboys.1995, 1996: OriginsThe Cowboys name and team colours were decided by public competition in 1994. Their initial jersey was navy blue and white, with grey stripes and yellow trim. One of the major …   Wikipedia

  • North Queensland Cowboys — Club information Full name North Queensland Cowboys Rugby League Football Club Colours Primary:      Navy …   Wikipedia

  • 2008 North Queensland Cowboys season — The 2008 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 14th season in the club s history. Coached by Graham Murray and captained by Johnathan Thurston, they competed in the National Rugby League s 2008 Telstra Premiership. Part way through the season,… …   Wikipedia

  • 2007 North Queensland Cowboys season — The 2007 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 13th in the club s history. Coached by Graham Murray and captained by Johnathan Thurston, they competed in the National Rugby League s 2007 Telstra Premiership, finishing the regular season in 3rd… …   Wikipedia

  • 2009 North Queensland Cowboys season — The 2009 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 15th season in the club s history. Coached by Neill Henry and captained by Johnathan Thurston, they competed in the National Rugby League s 2009 Telstra Premiership and finished the regular season… …   Wikipedia

  • 1998 North Queensland Cowboys season — The 1998 North Queensland Cowboys season was the fourth in the club s history. Coached by Tim Sheens and captained by Ian Roberts, they competed in the National Rugby League s 1998 Telstra Premiership, finishing 16th (out of 20). The North… …   Wikipedia

  • List of North Queensland Cowboys players — Contents 1 Current Squad 2 Previous Years 2.1 1995 2.2 1996 2.3 1997 …   Wikipedia

  • 2005 North Queensland Cowboys season — The 2005 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 11th in the club s history. Coached by Graham Murray and captained by Travis Norton, they competed in the National Rugby League s 2005 Telstra Premiership and finished 5th (out of 15), reaching the …   Wikipedia

  • 2004 North Queensland Cowboys season — The 2004 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 10th in the club s history. Coached by Graham Murray and captained by Travis Norton, they competed in the National Rugby League s 2004 Telstra Premiership and made the finals for the first time,… …   Wikipedia

  • 1997 North Queensland Cowboys season — The 1997 North Queensland Cowboys season was the third in the club s history. Coached by Tim Sheens and captained by Ian Roberts, they competed in Super League s 1997 Telstra Cup, finishing in last place, but managed to attract an average of… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”