| 1998 North Queensland Cowboys season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NRL Rank | 16th | |||
| Play-off result | Missed finals | |||
| 1998 record | Wins: 9; draws: 0; losses: 15 | |||
| Points scored | For: 361; against: 556 | |||
| Team information | ||||
| Coach | Tim Sheens | |||
| Captain | ||||
| Stadium | Malanda Stadium | |||
| Avg. attendance | 17,034 | |||
| High attendance | 30,250 (vs. Brisbane Broncos, Round 22) | |||
| Top scorers | ||||
| Tries | Josh Hannay (15) | |||
| Goals | Josh Hannay (29) | |||
| Points | Josh Hannay (118) | |||
| ||||
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.
After a disappointing 1997 season, the Cowboys entered the newly unified National Rugby League competition with high hopes. While the squad from a year earlier was kept mostly the same, the club added former Australia and Queensland representative and local favourite Dale Shearer, veteran forward Dale Fritz from the recently folded Perth Reds and former Canberra Raiders flyer Noa Nadruku, who reunited with coach Tim Sheens.
The year got off to the best start possible, as the club went on a four-game winning streak, the first time they'd won three and four games in a row. They then bounced back from a big loss to Brisbane in Round 5, with a 17-4 win over Newcastle. After six rounds, the club sat in equal 1st on 10 competition points and a maiden finals appearance looked to be a real possibility.
It turned out to be false dawn, as a five-game losing streak followed. The club would then make history in Round 12, defeating the Penrith Panthers 36-28, after trailing 26-0 at half time. As of 2019, this still stands as the biggest comeback victory in Australian first grade history. They followed that up with another milestone, recording 40 points in a game for the first time, defeating the Western Suburbs Magpies 40-10. Over the last 10 rounds, the club would win just two games, finishing in 16th place after such a promising start to the season. The club's lone representative in 1998, New Zealand's John Lomax, was named Player of the Year and Players' Player.
The club blooded two talented 18-year-olds during the season, Moranbah's Josh Hannay and Mt Isa's Scott Prince. Hannay, whose planned debut in 1996 as a 16-year-old was vetoed by the ARL, played 21 games and was the club's top try and point scorer. He went onto set numerous point scoring records for the club, playing 150 games over nine seasons, and representing Queensland on two occasions. Prince, a Junior Kangaroo in 1998, played 16 games (10 of those off the bench) and would play 53 games over three seasons before joining the Cowboys' arch-rivals, the Brisbane Broncos, in 2001. In 2005, he guided the Wests Tigers to their maiden premiership, defeating the Cowboys in the Grand Final.
| First team squad | Coaching staff | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
| Head coach Assistant coaches
| ||||||
| Player | Signed From |
|---|---|
| Dale Fritz |  Perth Reds |
| Leigh McWilliams |  Hunter Mariners |
| Noa Nadruku |  Canberra Raiders |
| Dale Shearer |  Sydney City Roosters |
| Scott Wilson | Perth Reds |
| Player | Signed To |
|---|---|
| Justin Loomans |  South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Luke Phillips |  Manly Sea Eagles |
| Scott Wilson |  Canterbury Bulldogs (mid-season) |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Brisbane Broncos (P) | 24 | 18 | 1 | 5 | 688 | 310 | +378 | 37 |
| 2 |  Newcastle Knights | 24 | 18 | 1 | 5 | 562 | 381 | +181 | 37 |
| 3 |  Melbourne Storm | 24 | 17 | 1 | 6 | 546 | 372 | +174 | 35 |
| 4 |  Parramatta Eels | 24 | 17 | 1 | 6 | 468 | 349 | +119 | 35 |
| 5 |  North Sydney Bears | 24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 663 | 367 | +296 | 34 |
| 6 | Sydney City Roosters | 24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 680 | 383 | +297 | 32 |
| 7 | Canberra Raiders | 24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 564 | 429 | +135 | 30 |
| 8 |  St. George Dragons | 24 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 486 | 490 | -4 | 27 |
| 9 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 489 | 411 | +78 | 26 |
| 10 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 503 | 473 | +30 | 26 |
| 11 |  Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 24 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 438 | 387 | +51 | 25 |
| 12 |  Illawarra Steelers | 24 | 11 | 1 | 12 | 476 | 539 | -63 | 23 |
| 13 |  Balmain Tigers | 24 | 9 | 1 | 14 | 381 | 463 | -82 | 19 |
| 14 |  Penrith Panthers | 24 | 8 | 2 | 14 | 525 | 580 | -55 | 18 |
| 15 |  Auckland Warriors | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 417 | 518 | -101 | 18 |
| 16 |  North Queensland Cowboys | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 361 | 556 | -195 | 18 |
| 17 |  Adelaide Rams | 24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 393 | 615 | -222 | 14 |
| 18 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 24 | 5 | 0 | 19 | 339 | 560 | -221 | 10 |
| 19 |  Gold Coast Chargers | 24 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 289 | 654 | -365 | 8 |
| 20 |  Western Suburbs Magpies | 24 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 371 | 802 | -431 | 8 |
| Name | App | T | G | FG | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Ahmat | 2 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Paul Bowman | 6 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| John Buttigieg | 9 | - | - | - | - |
| Michael Coorey | 7 | - | - | - | - |
| Owen Cunningham | 23 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Jason Death | 17 | - | - | - | - |
| Scott Donald | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| John Doyle | 8 | - | 2 | - | 4 |
| Andrew Dunemann | 21 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 19 |
| Jason Ferris | 19 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 20 |
| Dale Fritz | 21 | - | - | - | - |
| Josh Hannay | 21 | 15 | 29 | - | 118 |
| Liam Johnson | 2 | - | - | - | - |
| Denny Lambert | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Martin Locke | 17 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| John Lomax | 21 | - | - | - | - |
| Scott Mahon | 4 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| John Malu | 2 | - | - | - | - |
| Ray Mercy | 24 | 12 | - | - | 48 |
| Glen Murphy | 9 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Noa Nadruku | 22 | 11 | - | - | 44 |
| Paul Pensini | 6 | - | - | - | - |
| Scott Prince | 16 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Ian Roberts | 12 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Luke Scott | 10 | - | - | - | - |
| Dale Shearer | 13 | 2 | 2 | - | 12 |
| Mark Shipway | 19 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Bert Tabuai | 5 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Kris Tassell | 18 | 6 | - | - | 24 |
| Steve Walters | 22 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Kyle Warren | 20 | 4 | - | - | 16 |
| Adam Warwick | 7 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Scott Whiting | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Scott Wilson | 2 | - | - | - | - |
| Totals | 68 | 43 | 3 | 361 |
Source: [1]
The following players played a representative match in 1998.
| Anzac Test | |
|---|---|
| John Lomax | New Zealand |
Townsville Stingers - 7th, missed finalsJosh Hannay is an Australian professional rugby league coach who is an assistant coach of the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the NRL and assistant coach of the Queensland rugby league team. He is also a former professional rugby league footballer who played as a centre in the 1990s and 2000s.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
Esan Marsters is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a centre for the Huddersfield Giants in the Super League. He has played for the Cook Islands, New Zealand and the New Zealand Māori at international level.