North Queensland Cowboys 

Club information
Full name	North Queensland Cowboys Rugby League Football Club
Nickname	Cowboys
Short name	NQL
Colours	Navy Blue   Grey   Gold
Founded	30 November 1992; 32 years ago (30 November 1992)
Website	cowboys.com.au
Current details
Ground	North Queensland Stadium (25,000)
CEO	Jeff Reibel
Chairman	Lewis Ramsay
Coach	Todd Payten
Captain	Reuben Cotter Tom Dearden
Competition	National Rugby League
2025 season	12th
Current season
Uniforms
Home colours Away colours
Records
Premierships	1 (2015)
Runners-up	2 (2005,2017)
Minor premierships	0
Wooden spoons	3 (1995,1997(SL),2000)
Most capped	294 –Johnathan Thurston
Highest try scorer	150 –Kyle Feldt
Highest points scorer	2,182 –Johnathan Thurston

TheNorth Queensland Cowboys is an Australian professionalrugby league football club based inTownsville, the largest city inNorth Queensland. They compete in Australia's premier rugby league competition, theNational Rugby League (NRL).

Since their foundation in 1995, the club has appeared in three grand finals (2005,2015 and2017) winning in 2015, and has reached the finals twelve times. The team's management headquarters and home ground,North Queensland Stadium, currently known as Queensland Country Bank Stadium due to sponsorship rights, are located in the suburb ofSouth Townsville.

The Cowboys were admitted to the premiership for the1995 ARL season. They played in the breakawaySuper League competition in 1997 before continuing to compete in the re-unified NRL competition the following year. After running into financial trouble in 2001, the club was taken over byNews Limited. In 2007, the team was sold by News Limited to the Cowboys Leagues Club.

In 2015, the Cowboys played in the firstall-Queensland grand final, defeating theBrisbane Broncos 17–16 ingolden point to win their first, and to date only, premiership.

With the success of the Broncos in 1988, speculation intensified as to if the NSWRL would admit a new team based in North Queensland. In 1993, the NSWRL announced that North Queensland would enter the competition in 1995, along with three other new sides. One of the major difficulties that faced the club in their early years was attracting followers from the more established Queensland-basedWinfield Cup side, theBrisbane Broncos. This was exacerbated by an initial lack of onfield success and stability. In their first two seasons, the Cowboys had eight different captains and finished last in their inaugural season.

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 includingIan Roberts andSteve 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.

North Queensland's first game of the Super League season, a 24–16 win over new team theAdelaide Rams played on 1 March at Stockland Stadium in front of 17,738 fans was also the first ever game of the Super League's competition.

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 thePenrith 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 theNorth 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 whenPaul Green was selected as Queensland's halfback for game 2 of the1999 State of Origin series.

In the years 2000 through to 2002 the Cowboys continued to struggle with off-field dramas and the struggles of coachesand poor on-field performances. After finishing last in 2000, season 2001 began slowly.Tim Sheens resigned on 25 May and was replaced by his then assistantMurray Hurst. 4 straight losses in the opening rounds of 2002 led to Hurst being replaced early in the 2002 season, by former Illawarra Steelers and Leeds Rhinos coachGraham Murray. Murray stamped his authority and coaching prowess on the club and the NQ Cowboys looked far more competitive towards the end of the 2002 season. 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.

After a slow start to the season that saw them at 13th on the ladder with just one win and five losses, the Cowboys turned it around in the second half of the season to finish with 12 wins and 11 losses and 7th spot, giving the club their first ever top eight appearance.

They upset the 2nd placeCanterbury away from home in the first week of the finals, 30–22, thanks largely to hat-trick heroMatt Sing. The following week the Cowboys defeated their state rivals theBrisbane Broncos at home, 10–0, in perhaps the club's most famous victory.

They ended up falling one game short of the grand final, losing to theSydney Roosters, 19–16.

North Queensland would go one better in 2005, when they reached their first grand final in club history. With the help of new recruitsCarl Webb andJohnathan Thurston, the side finished in 5th spot and with back-to-back finals appearances. They would ultimately lose the grand final to theWests Tigers.

In his first year with the club,Johnathan Thurston won theDally M Medal and made his State of Origin debut forQueensland.

In 2006, the Cowboys started the year with a 6-game winning streak and looked destined for another finals appearance, before ending the season with just 5 wins from 19 games and finishing in 9th position.

The 2007 season saw the Cowboys 3rd finals appearance and their first top 4 finish. They faced theCanterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in Townsville in week 1 of the finals, scraping home by 2 points. The following week, they defeated theNew Zealand Warriors at home by 37 points. They fell one game short of the grand final again, this time losing toManly, 28–6. 2007 saw retirement of club legendPaul Bowman, who took up a coaching role with the team in 2008.

Johnathan Thurston finished the year with his second Dally M Medal and Matt Bowen was named Dally M Fullback of the Year.

At the start of the 2008 season, the club announced head coachGraham Murray's contract would not be renewed. After only winning three of the first ten games, Murray resigned from his job and the club promoted assistant coachIan Millward to the head coaching role for the rest of the year. During his stint as head coach, the club could only win two more games. Throughout the season the team were decimated by injuries and suspensions as well as off-field issues. In the end, the Cowboys finished 15th on the ladder avoiding the wooden spoon by for and against.

2009 saw the appointment ofNeil Henry as head coach, who had won the Dally M Coach of the Year with theCanberra Raiders the previous year. The club however experienced another disappointing season, finishing 12th with 11 wins and 13 losses. 2009 also sawMatthew Bowen score his 100th try, becoming the first North Queensland player to score 100 tries for the club and the debut of future Australian and New South Wales representative forwardJames Tamou.

The beginning out the 2010 season was marred with the speculation of whetherJohnathan Thurston would renew his contract with the club. Thurston ended up re-signing for another three seasons, however it brought very little success. The club finished 15th and would have received the wooden spoon if not for theMelbourne Storm salary cap scandal. 2010 saw the emergence ofScott Bolton and seeing the test debut ofMatthew Scott.Jason Taumalolo became the Cowboys youngest ever debutant, making his debut against theCanterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in round 24 aged 17 years and 82 days.

After missing the finals for the last 3 seasons the Cowboys underwent a major overhaul of personnel for the 2011 season. Club legendTy Williams retired and they parted ways with club favouritesLuke O'Donnell,Carl Webb andSteve Southern. Their biggest signing for the 2011 season wasQueensland andAustralian representative centreBrent Tate. They also made key recruits in the signings of formerMelbourne Storm andQueensland State of Origin representativeDallas Johnson and premiership winnerGlenn Hall from the English Super League, re-signing a former Cowboy inGavin Cooper and picking up younger, experienced first graders such asAntonio Winterstein.

The Cowboys' new signings had a positive impact on the NRL team, with the Cowboys spending much of the year in the top four before a late slide dropped them to seventh position and giving them their first finals appearance since 2007. That year, they were the most watched NRL club on pay television, and their round four clash with theParramatta Eels was the fourth most-watched sports event in Fox Sport's history.^[1]

2012 saw North Queensland return to the finals after finishing in 5th spot. They faced theBrisbane Broncos in the first week of the finals, winning 33–16, with halfbackMichael Morgan scoring a hat trick. They lost the following week to Manly, in controversial circumstances. Club legendAaron Payne retired at the end of the season, after ten years with the team.

North Queensland again made the finals in 2013, the first time the club had made the finals series three straight years, when they finished in 8th place. After a poor start to the season, the side went on a 6-game winning streak following the sacking of coachNeil Henry. They were eliminated in Week 1 of the finals, after a controversial loss to theCronulla-Sutherland Sharks. Club legendMatthew Bowen played his last season in the NRL, announcing he would be taking up an offer with Super League side, theWigan Warriors. Club stalwartsAshley Graham andDallas Johnson also announced their retirements.

On 1 October 2013, former North Queensland halfbackPaul Green was announced as head coach for the 2014 and 2015 seasons, becoming the first former Cowboys player to coach the club.

The Cowboys started their 2014 season by winning the inauguralNRL Auckland Nines tournament which was held atEden Park inAuckland. After losing key signingLachlan Coote early in the tournament to injury, the Cowboys went on to face theBrisbane Broncos in the final, defeating them 16–7 to claim the trophy and a prize money cheque of $370,000.

After a difficult start to the season and a string of injuries to key players including internationals, the North Queensland club made a late charge to the finals finishing in fifth place and cementing a spot in the finals where they defeated theBrisbane Broncos, 32–20. They then travelled to Sydney to face the 2013 premiers theSydney Roosters in the second week of the finals where they were defeated 31–30.

In 2015, North Queensland experienced their best ever regular season. They had a club record 11 game winning streak and finished with a club record 17 wins. In September,Johnathan Thurston won a record fourthDally M Medal at the Dally M Awards.

On 26 September 2015, North Queensland qualified for their second grand final defeating theMelbourne Storm, 32–12. In theGrand Final, they defeated theBrisbane Broncos, 17–16. Thurston, who won theClive Churchill Medal, kicked the winning field goal ingolden point to win North Queensland's their first ever premiership.

On 21 February 2016, the club won their firstWorld Club Challenge and were crowned the world's best club, defeating theLeeds Rhinos 38–4 atHeadingley Rugby Stadium in Leeds, England. The club could not defend its premiership, finishing the2016 NRL season in 4th place and falling one game short of the Grand Final, being eliminated by theCronulla Sharks 32–20 atAllianz Stadium.

In 2017, despite losing co-captainsJohnathan Thurston andMatthew Scott to season-ending injuries, the club qualified for their thirdGrand Final. Although they were just the second side to reach the Grand Final from 8th place, they would lose to theMelbourne Storm, who finished the regular season as minor premiers.

Before the 2018 season began, North Queensland were predicted by many to challenge for the premiership with the return ofMatthew Scott andJohnathan Thurston from injury.^[2] Instead, they struggled to move away from the bottom of the ladder, going on two separate five-game losing streaks throughout the season. With two rounds to play, the club sat in last place. Two wins from their final two games saw them finish in 13th. The 2018 season would be the last for Thurston, who retired after 14 seasons, 294 games and one premiership for the club. In his final match, the Cowboys defeated the Titans 30–26.^[3]

Despite a poor 2018 and the loss of Thurston, many expected the Cowboys to return to the finals in 2019.^[4] What followed was another disappointing year in which the club finished 14th. Club legendsMatthew Scott andScott Bolton were farewelled at the end of the season. Both were members of the club's premiership winning side in 2015 and spent their entire NRL careers at the club.^[5][6] The club also played its final game atWillows Sports Complex, defeating theCanterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 15–8.^[7]

Following two poor seasons in which they missed the finals, North Queensland looked to rebuild ahead of the2020 NRL season. Their marquee signing wasAustralian andQueensland representativeValentine Holmes, who had spent 2019 playing for theNew York Jets in theNFL. Holmes, aTownsville junior, signed a six-year deal with the club.^[8]

On 20 July 2020, after just three wins from their first 10 games, Paul Green announced his resignation from the club, with assistant coachJosh Hannay named as the interim head coach.^[9] On 4 September 2020,Todd Payten, a former assistant coach at the club, was announced as North Queensland's head coach on a three-year deal, starting in 2021.^[10]

Under Payten, the Cowboys endured another disappointing season, finishing 15th with seven wins.^[11]

In 2022, the club returned to the finals series after four seasons, finishing the regular season in third and equalling a club record of 17 regular season wins.^[12] They ultimately fell just one game short of theGrand Final, with Todd Payten later named theDally M Coach of the Year.^[13]

North Queensland started the 2023 NRL season poorly which saw the club only winning three of their opening ten games. In round 12, the club suffered one of their worst defeats losing 66–18 against the Wests Tigers. In round 18, North Queensland recorded the third biggest victory in Australian rugby league history defeating the Wests Tigers 74–0. It was also the largest victory of the NRL era.^[14]North Queensland would finish the 2023 NRL season in 11th place and miss the finals. In the final round of the season, the club had the chance to make the finals if they were able to beat Penrith but the North Queensland side came up short losing 44–12.^[15]In the2024 NRL season, North Queensland would finish 5th on the table and qualify for the finals. After defeating Newcastle in the elimination final, the clubs season would be ended the following week by Cronulla in the semi-final.^[16]In the2025 NRL season, North Queensland endured a difficult campaign finishing 12th on the table where they managed to record only nine wins all year.^[17]

Opponent	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Win %
Titans	35	22	0	13	62.86
Dragons	40	23	0	17	57.50
Knights	47	25	0	22	53.19
Raiders	51	26	0	25	50.98
Tigers	48	24	0	24	50.00
Rabbitohs	42	20	1	21	47.62
Panthers	50	23	1	26	46.00
Eels	49	22	1	26	44.90
Warriors	49	22	0	27	44.90
Bulldogs	47	21	0	26	44.68
Sea Eagles	38	15	0	23	39.47
Dolphins	6	2	0	4	33.33
Sharks	61	20	0	41	32.79
Broncos	64	20	2	42	31.25
Roosters	46	14	0	32	30.34
Storm	47	13	0	34	27.66

Since 1995, the Cowboys have supplied numerous players to state and international representative sides.

In 2004, the Cowboys conducted a poll asking fans to vote on the best players to have worn Cowboy colours. After polling had finished the club released the overall best team to celebrate the team's 10th anniversary.

In 2015, the Cowboys celebrated their 20th anniversary and named a 20-year team at their anniversary dinner. The team was selected from a panel consisting of four former Cowboys coaches:Grant Bell,Neil Henry,Murray Hurst andTim Sheens, and then-current coachPaul Green.^[21]

In 2020, the Cowboys celebrated their 25th anniversary and announced a 25-year team at their anniversary dinner, voted on by fans of the club.^[22] A number of players selected five years earlier were again in the side, withKyle Feldt,Michael Morgan andJason Taumalolo the new additions.John Asiata was selected as the club's best utility player.

In 2015, the Cowboys launched their official Hall of Fame during their 20th anniversary celebrations. The foundation criteria were that any players considered had to have played at least 100 NRL games for the club and that they had to have been retired for at least two years. The inductees were decided by a specially selected panel, including members of the Cowboys' organisation and the wider rugby league community, and are assessed on their skill and ability, leadership, integrity and character, their state and international honours, and awards won at the club.^[23]

In 2019,Matthew Bowen was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the club's 2019 season launch event.^[24]

The Cowboys' current coach,Todd Payten took over as head coach of the side from 2021, becoming the club's tenth and incumbent coach.

At the end of each season the North Queensland Cowboys hold their Presentation Ball, in which they present (among other awards) thePaul Bowman Medal for Cowboy of the Year. The player of the year award, which was named after Bowman in 2007, is awarded to Cowboys player voted as the best and fairest over the premiership season. After each match, the coaching staff award three votes to the best Cowboys player on ground, two votes to the second best, and one vote to the third best, similar to theDally M Medal voting system.

The most recent Paul Bowman Medal winner isJason Taumalolo, who won the award for the first time in 2016 and is the first player to win the award four consecutive times.^[25] Bowman himself is a two-time winner of the award (1999, 2000), as isLuke O'Donnell (2004, 2009),Aaron Payne (2006, 2008) andMatt Scott (2010, 2013), whileJohnathan Thurston, was the first player to win the award four times (2005, 2012, 2014, 2015). The first recipient of the medal wasWayne Sing in 1995.^[26]

In 2014, the Cowboys won their first major trophy, the inauguralNRL Auckland Nines tournament which was held atEden Park inAuckland, defeating theBrisbane Broncos 16–7 in the final. A year later the Cowboys won theirfirst NRL premiership, defeating the Broncos 17–16 ingolden point extra time.Johnathan Thurston was awarded theClive Churchill Medal.

In 2020, the Cowboys won theNRL Nines for the second time, becoming the first club to do so. They defeated theSt George Illawarra Dragons 23–14 in the final withScott Drinkwater being named the Player of the Tournament.^[27]

After a 10-year finals drought, the Cowboys made their first finals appearance in 2004, finishing one game away from the grand final. The following year the team played in their first grand final, losing to theWests Tigers. The North Queensland club's second appearance in the grand final would not come for another 10 years, when they met Queensland rivals,Brisbane Broncos, in the 2015 decider. In one of the most entertaining grand finals in living memory,Johnathan Thurston kicked a golden-point field goal to win the Cowboys their maiden premiership.

The club'sUnder 20s side finished runners-up in the2011 NYC grand final to theNew Zealand Warriors while their feeder teams have won theQueensland Cup four times. In 2005 with theNorth Queensland Young Guns, 2010 and 2014 with theNorthern Pride and 2013 with theMackay Cutters.

FullbackMatthew Bowen currently holds the record for most first grade games and most tries for club. Bowen also holds the club record for most tries in a season, with 22 in 2007.Paul Bowman became the first Cowboy to play 200 first grade games in 2007.Johnathan Thurston jointly holds the record for most points in a match withJosh Hannay at 24. Hannay's 10 goals againstSouth Sydney in 2003.Johnathan Thurston currently holds the most points in a season in 2014 with 234 points. Winger Ray Mercy was the first, and so far only, Cowboy to score four tries in a match, which he did againstBalmain in 1998.

The club's biggest winning margin is 74 points, achieved in 2023 in a 74 - 0 victory over theWests Tigers. Their heaviest defeat is a 62–0 loss by theParramatta Eels in 2001.

From 1995 to 2019, the Cowboys played their home games atWillows Sports Complex, located in theTownsville suburb ofKirwan. Prior to 1995, the venue hosted trotting paceway nights, and was the main pacing venue for the Townsville District, but due to the admittance of the Cowboys, the venue was turned into a rugby league stadium.

The venue was renamed Stockland Stadium in 1995, due to sponsorship rights, and attracted a crowd of 23,156 to the Cowboys first ever premiership game. In 1998, the name was changed to Malanda Stadium by new sponsors Dairy Farmers, before being renamed again in 1999 to Dairy Farmers Stadium. The stadium underwent major renovations in 2005 and 2006, with the eastern, northern and southern grandstands receiving upgrades, the addition of more corporate boxes and a new replay screen and public address system installed. Dairy Farmers 15-year partnership with the Cowboys ended at the end of 2012 season, as the club looked for a new naming rights sponsor for the stadium.^[28]

In 2013, the stadium was renamed 1300SMILES Stadium, after the Townsville-based dental practice entered into a five-year sponsorship deal with Stadiums Queensland.^[29] On 29 August 2019, the club played their final game at the stadium, defeating theCanterbury Bulldogs 15–8.^[30]

The club record attendance for a regular season match is 30,302, set against the Brisbane Broncos in the round 8 of the 1999 season. The record attendance for a finals match is 24,989, set against the Brisbane Broncos in week 2 of the 2004 finals series.

In 2020, the club moved to the new 25,000-seatQueensland Country Bank Stadium inSouth Townsville.^[31]

In 2021, the Cowboys opened a new training and administration base, known as the Hutchinson Builders Centre for sponsorship reasons, adjacent to Queensland Country Bank Stadium.^[32]

Before becoming the Cowboys, the team names Marlins, Stingrays and the very popular Crocodiles were tossed up as potential team logos for the side, before public consultation resulted in the name 'Cowboys' (the Crocodiles name would eventually go to Townsville'sNational Basketball League team, who changed their name to theTownsville Crocodiles in 1998 after a dispute with theNBA'sPhoenix Suns over their original name, the Townsville Suns).^[33] The colours navy blue and yellow were chosen to reflect the colours of the Townsville representative sides. Grey was also added as primary colour with white introduced as a secondary colour.

• 
  1995–1997
• 
  1998–2003

The club's "steer head" logo has stayed basically the same since 1995. In the early years the logo was on a white rectangular background, before being backed with a yellow oval. In 2003 the font was changed and a yellow star added, which remain to this day. A lighter shade of navy blue and white were also added to the logo. In 2020, the club introduced a new logo to celebrate their 25th season.^[34]

• 
  1995–1996
• 
  1997–1998
• 
  1999–2001
• 
  2023

The Cowboys' home jerseys have stayed predominantly navy blue over the years, with white, grey and yellow all being the predominant secondary colour at some stage, with the away jerseys predominantly white. Since 2011, the club has also worn special jerseys for Women in League round, Indigenous round and an Anzac/Defence force-themed jersey for games played onAnzac weekend.^[35][36][37]

In 2018, the Cowboys recorded their largest ever membership tally, with 23,437, beating the record set the previous year of 22,278. In 2020, the Cowboys membership ambassador isKyle Feldt.^[38][39][40]

Notable supporters of this club, amongst others, include:

• Mackay Cutters – based inMackay, Queensland
• Northern Pride – based inCairns,Queensland
• Townsville Blackhawks – based inTownsville,Queensland

The Cowboys players who do not make the NRL side train and play with feeder club in theQueensland Cup. These teams, based in the northern Queensland cities of Cairns and Mackay, are separate entities but are affiliated with the Cowboys.^[44]

On 20 June 2025, the Cowboys announced a strategic partnership withSuper League clubHull Kingston Rovers.^[45]

North Queensland's main rivals are theBrisbane Broncos. From 1999 to 2006, the two clubs were the only Queensland-based sides in theNRL. A one-side rivalry for nearly 10 years, the Brisbane side had not lost to North Queensland in 16 encounters. In 2004, the teams met in the finals for the first time, with North Queensland defeating Brisbane 10–0, to record their first win in the derby.^[46]

In the final round of the2020 NRL season, North Queensland condemned Brisbane to their first everWooden Spoon. Brisbane needed to win the match to overtakeCanterbury-Bankstown but lost the match. As of 2020, the sides have met five more times in the finals, including the2015 NRL Grand Final, the first all-Queensland Grand Final, which North Queensland won 17–16 in extra time.^[47] The rivalry between the two clubs is considered one of the best in modern rugby league.^{[48][49][50][51][52]}

The club had a minor competitive rivalry with theCronulla-Sutherland Sharks^[53] The games with Cronulla grew from finals football, with the two clubs meeting five times in the finals since 2013.^[54] Since 2023, the player of the match in games between the two clubs has been awarded the Paul Green Medal, in honour ofPaul Green, a former player for both clubs and coach for the Cowboys who died in 2022.^[55]

On 15 June 2022, the Cowboys were admitted to theNRL Women's Premiership for the 2023 season.^[56] On 24 November 2022,Ben Jeffries was announced as the club's inaugural NRLW head coach, with Anita Creenaune appointed as Head of Women's Elite Programs.^[57] On 4 April 2023, Mackay'sEmma Manzelmann became the club's inaugural signing.^[58]

• North Queensland Cowboys
• Rugby clubs established in 1995
• National Rugby League clubs
• Sport in Townsville
• Rugby league teams in Queensland

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