| 1997 North Queensland Cowboys season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super League Rank | 10th | |||
| Play-off result | Missed finals | |||
| 1997 record | Wins: 5; draws: 2; losses: 11 | |||
| Points scored | For: 328; against: 452 | |||
| Team information | ||||
| Coach | Tim Sheens | |||
| Captain | ||||
| Stadium | Stockland Stadium | |||
| Avg. attendance | 17,539 | |||
| High attendance | 30,122 (vs. Brisbane Broncos, Rd 6) | |||
| Top scorers | ||||
| Tries | Luke Phillips (8) | |||
| Goals | Luke Phillips (45) | |||
| Points | Luke Phillips (122) | |||
| ||||
The 1997 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 3rd in the club's history. Coached by Tim Sheens and captained by Ian Roberts, they competed in the breakaway News Limited-run competition, the Telstra Cup.
After an improved 1996 season, the club pulled off a major coup in signing three-time premiership winning coach Tim Sheens from the Canberra Raiders, who brought five players with him from his old club, including Australia and Queensland representative hooker Steve Walters. Former Australia and New South Wales prop Ian Roberts was brought in as captain as part of a major off-season rebuild in which 20 players were let go, including a number of foundation players.
The club, who were competing in News Limited's breakaway Super League competition, got off to a promising start after defeating the newly formed Adelaide Rams in the opening round of the season. The good times under Sheens and his new signings were short lived, as a four game losing streak followed. A win over the Auckland Warriors in Round 9 was followed by two consecutive draws, which included a 20-all draw against arch-rivals Brisbane, their best ever result against them at the time.
Back-to-back wins in Round 14 and 15 had the Cowboys sitting just four points outside the Top 5, but a three-game losing streak to end the season left the club languishing in last place. The Cowboys recorded their second wooden spoon in three seasons, with just five wins from 18 games. Despite the disappointing year, Tim Sheens signed a five-year contract renewal with the club. Owen Cunningham, an off-season recruit from Manly, was named the club's Player of the Year.
Towards the end of the season, the club took part in the World Club Championship. The tournament featured all 22 clubs from the Australasian and Super League competitions and was contested over six rounds in two hemispheres. The Cowboys played home and away games against three Super League clubs; (Leeds Rhinos, Oldham Bears and Salford Reds), winning all but once (a 16-20 loss to Oldham at Boundary Park). Despite the great results, the Cowboys missed out on the finals, while clubs in other pools got through without even winning a game. It would be the last time the club would face a Super League side or play a game in England until the 2016 World Club Challenge.
In Super League, players were able to choose their own jersey number (regardless of their starting position), which they wore for the entire season.
| First team squad | Coaching staff | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Head coach Assistant coach
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| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Brisbane (P) | 18 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 481 | 283 | +198 | 29 |
| 2 |  Cronulla | 18 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 403 | 230 | +173 | 24 |
| 3 |  Canberra | 18 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 436 | 337 | +99 | 22 |
| 4 |  Canterbury | 18 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 453 | 447 | +6 | 20 |
| 5 |  Penrith | 18 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 431 | 462 | -31 | 18 |
| 6 |  Hunter | 18 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 350 | 363 | -13 | 14 |
| 7 |  Auckland | 18 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 332 | 406 | -74 | 14 |
| 8 |  Perth | 18 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 321 | 456 | -135 | 14 |
| 9 |  Adelaide | 18 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 303 | 402 | -99 | 13 |
| 10 |  North Queensland | 18 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 328 | 452 | -124 | 12 |
The World Club Championship was a mid-season tournament featuring all 22 clubs from the Australasian and Super League competitions. It was contested over six rounds in two hemispheres from 6 June to 11 October.
| Club | Played | Won | Lost | Drawn | For | Against | Diff. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter Mariners | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 226 | 50 | 176 | 12 |
| North Queensland Cowboys | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 228 | 92 | 136 | 10 |
| Adelaide Rams | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 170 | 68 | 102 | 8 |
| Perth Reds | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 148 | 104 | 44 | 8 |
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 June | Round 1 |  Leeds Rhinos | Stockland Stadium | 42 – 20 | Murphy (2), Cressbrook, Jones, Phillips, Shipway, Tabuai, Warwick | Phillips (5/8) | 14,561 | |||
| 14 June | Round 2 |  Oldham Bears | Stockland Stadium | 54 – 16 | Cressbrook (2), Vincent (2), Walters (2), A. Dunemann, Murphy, Phillips, Shipway | Phillips (7/10) | 12,600 | |||
| 21 June | Round 3 |  Salford Reds | Stockland Stadium | 44 – 8 | Warwick (2), Bowman, Cressbrook, Cunningham, I. Dunemann, Shipway, Tabuai | Phillips (6/8) | 15,508 | |||
| 18 July | Round 4 | Oldham Bears | Boundary Park | 20 – 16 | Bowman, Mercy, Phillips | Phillips (2/3) | 2,691 | |||
| 27 July | Round 5 | Salford Reds | The Willows | 24 – 14 | Cunningham, Murphy, Phillips, Skardon | Phillips (4/4) | 7,448 | |||
| 3 August | Round 6 | Leeds Rhinos | Headingley Stadium | 48 – 14 | A. Dunemann (2), Phillips (2), Cressbrook, Mercy, Murphy, Shipway | Phillips (8/8) | 12,224 | |||
| Legend: Win Loss Draw Bye | ||||||||||
| Name | App | T | G | FG | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Ahmat | 2 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Paul Bowman | 10 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| John Buttigieg | 5 | - | - | - | - |
| Dion Cope | 7 | - | - | - | - |
| Reggie Cressbrook | 11 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| Owen Cunningham | 18 | - | - | - | - |
| Jason Death | 20 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| John Doyle | 12 | - | 4 | - | 8 |
| Andrew Dunemann | 14 | 3 | - | 2 | 14 |
| Ian Dunemann | 6 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Jason Ferris | 7 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Paul Galea | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Peter Jones | 15 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Aaron Ketchell | 3 | - | - | - | - |
| Martin Locke | 11 | - | - | - | - |
| John Lomax | 15 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Justin Loomans | 7 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Scott Mahon | 14 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| Ray Mercy | 6 | 6 | - | - | 24 |
| Marshall Miller | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Glen Murphy | 11 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Luke Phillips | 17 | 8 | 45 | - | 122 |
| Ian Roberts | 17 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Jason Ryan | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Luke Scott | 12 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| Mark Shipway | 13 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| John Skardon | 3 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Tyran Smith | 9 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Bert Tabuai | 5 | - | - | - | - |
| Kris Tassell | 3 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Shane Vincent | 2 | - | - | - | - |
| Steve Walters | 15 | 4 | - | - | 16 |
| Kyle Warren | 14 | 5 | - | - | 20 |
| Adam Warwick | 6 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Totals | 57 | 49 | 2 | 328 |
Source: [1]
The following players played a representative match in 1997.
| Anzac Test | Super League Tri-series | End of Year Test | SL Test Series | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owen Cunningham | - | Queensland | - | - |
| John Lomax | - | - | New Zealand | - |
| Ian Roberts | - | New South Wales | - | - |
| Tyran Smith | New Zealand | New Zealand | - | - |
| Steve Walters | - | Queensland | - | Australia |
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 NRL's Telstra Premiership. They finished the regular season in 3rd place, falling one game short of the Grand Final after losing to the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.
The 2004 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 NRL's 2005 Telstra Premiership. They finished the regular season in 5th and played in their first Grand Final, which they lost to the Wests Tigers.
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 NRL's 2004 Telstra Premiership. It was the first time the club had made the finals, finishing the regular season in 7th, falling one game short of the Grand Final.
The 2008 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 14th season in the club's history. They were coached by Graham Murray and captained by Johnathan Thurston, they competed in the National Rugby League's 2008 Telstra Premiership.
The 2003 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 9th in the club's history. Coached by Graham Murray and captained by Paul Bowman, they competed in the NRL's 2003 Telstra Premiership. Although the club once again finished 11th, they recorded their highest number of wins (10) and competition points (24) in a season.
The 2006 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 12th in the club's history. Coached by Graham Murray and captained by Travis Norton, they competed in the NRL's 2006 Telstra Premiership.
John Junior Lomax is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Primarily a prop, he captained New Zealand and played for the Canberra Raiders, North Queensland Cowboys and Melbourne Storm.
The 1995 North Queensland Cowboys season was the first in the club's history. Coached by Grant Bell and captained by Laurie Spina, they competed in the ARL Premiership.
The 1996 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 2nd in the club's history. Coached by Graham Lowe and captained by Adrian Vowles, they competed in the Optus Cup.
The 1998 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 4th in the club's history. Coached by Tim Sheens and captained by John Lomax, they competed in the inaugural season of the newly formed National Rugby League (NRL) competition.
The 2002 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 8th in the club's history. Coached by Murray Hurst and captained by Paul Bowman, they competed in the NRL's 2002 Telstra Premiership. Graham Murray replaced Hurst after three rounds and helped the club to their highest finish (11th) and most competition points (20) at the time.
The 2001 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 7th in the club's history. Coached by Tim Sheens and captained by Paul Bowman, they competed in the NRL's 2001 Telstra Premiership.
The 2000 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 6th in the club's history. Coached by Tim Sheens and captained by new signing Tim Brasher, they competed in the National Rugby League's 2000 Telstra Premiership, finishing in last place.
The 1999 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 5th in the club's history. Coached by Tim Sheens and captained by Noel Goldthorpe, they competed in the National Rugby League.
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 12th place, failing to reach the finals for the second consecutive year.
Owen Cunningham, nicknamed OJ, is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. A Queensland State of Origin representative forward, he played his club football for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, North Queensland Cowboys and the Northern Eagles.
The 2010 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 16th season in the club's history. Coached by Neil Henry and co-captained by Johnathan Thurston and Matthew Scott, they competed in the National Rugby League's 2010 Telstra Premiership, finishing in 15th place and failing to make the finals for the 3rd consecutive year.
The 2011 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 17th season in the club's history. They competed in the National Rugby League's 2011 Telstra Premiership. They finished the regular season in 7th place and were knocked out in the first week of the finals by the eventual premiers, the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.
The 2012 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 18th in the club's history. Coached by Neil Henry and co-captained by Johnathan Thurston and Matthew Scott, they competed in the National Rugby League's 2012 Telstra Premiership. They finished the regular season in 5th place and were knocked out in the second week of the finals by the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, for the second year in a row.
The 2013 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 19th in the club's history. Coached by Neil Henry and co-captained by Johnathan Thurston and Matthew Scott, they competed in the NRL's 2013 Telstra Premiership. The Cowboys finished the season in 8th place and were knocked out in the first week of the finals by the Cronulla Sharks.
