| 2007 North Queensland Cowboys season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NRL Rank | 3rd | |||
| Play-off result | Lost Preliminary Final (v Manly Sea Eagles, 6–28) | |||
| record | Wins: 15; draws: 0; losses: 9 | |||
| Points scored | For: 547; against: 618 | |||
| Team information | ||||
| CEO | Peter Parr | |||
| Coach | Graham Murray | |||
| Captain | ||||
| Stadium | Dairy Farmers Stadium | |||
| Avg. attendance | 20,108 | |||
| High attendance | 25,926 (vs. Brisbane Broncos, Round 18) | |||
| Top scorers | ||||
| Tries | Matthew Bowen (22) | |||
| Goals | Johnathan Thurston (78) | |||
| Points | Johnathan Thurston (196) | |||
| ||||
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 Cowboys started the 2007 NRL season strongly, winning their first four games. By the halfway point of the season, they were placed inside the top four, despite losing key forward Luke O'Donnell for the season in Round 4.
In August, News Limited sold its majority stake in the club to the Cowboys Leagues Club for just over $2 million. News Limited took over the club in late 2001, helping it through a turbulent and difficult era.
Following five losses from seven games, the Cowboys dropped to 8th place in Round 20. A strong finish to the regular season, in which they won their final five games, saw them finish in 3rd, their highest ever placing at the time. Their first two finals games were played at home, defeating the Canterbury Bulldogs (20–18) and the New Zealand Warriors (49–12), to move within one game of the Grand Final. The Cowboys' season ended the following week, losing to Manly in the preliminary final.
Club legend Paul Bowman retired at the end of the 2007 season. The last foundation player from the club's inaugural season, Bowman played 203 games for the Cowboys over 13 seasons. The club's Player of the Year medal was named in his honour following his retirement. He became an assistant coach with the club in 2008. 2007 also saw the debut of 19-year-old Scott Bolton, who would go on to play over 150 games for the Cowboys and be a member of their 2015 NRL Grand Final and 2016 World Club Challenge winning sides.
| First team squad | Coaching staff | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
| Head coach Assistant coaches
| ||||||
| Player | Signed To |
|---|---|
| Clint Amos |  Gold Coast Titans |
| Jason Barsley | Released |
| Gavin Cooper | Gold Coast Titans |
| Mark Dalle Cort |  Celtic Crusaders |
| Brett Firman |  Penrith Panthers |
| Josh Hannay |  Cronulla Sharks |
| Ben Lowe |  South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Brent McConnell |  Brisbane Broncos |
| Travis Norton | Retired |
| Mitchell Sargent |  Newcastle Knights |
| Matt Sing |  Hull F.C. |
| Daniel Strickland |  University Saints RLFC |
| Robert Tanielu | Retired |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Melbourne Storm | 24 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 627 | 277 | +350 | 44 |
| 2 |  Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 597 | 377 | +220 | 38 |
| 3 |  North Queensland Cowboys | 24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 547 | 618 | −71 | 32 |
| 4 |  New Zealand Warriors | 24 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 593 | 434 | +159 | 29 |
| 5 |  Parramatta Eels | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 573 | 481 | +92 | 28 |
| 6 |  Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 575 | 528 | +47 | 26 |
| 7 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 408 | 399 | +9 | 26 |
| 8 | Brisbane Broncos | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 511 | 476 | +35 | 24 |
| 9 |  Wests Tigers | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 541 | 561 | −20 | 24 |
| 10 |  Sydney Roosters | 24 | 10 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 445 | 610 | −165 | 23 |
| 11 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 463 | 403 | +60 | 22 |
| 12 | Gold Coast Titans | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 409 | 559 | −150 | 22 |
| 13 |  St George Illawarra Dragons | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 431 | 509 | −78 | 20 |
| 14 |  Canberra Raiders | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 522 | 650 | −128 | 20 |
| 15 | Newcastle Knights | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 418 | 708 | −290 | 20 |
| 16 |  Penrith Panthers | 24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 539 | 607 | −68 | 18 |
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 February | Trial 1 | Canberra Raiders | Browne Park | 10 – 28 | - | - | - |
| 24 February | Trial 2 |  Warriors | Leprechaun Park | 32 – 14 | B. Bowen (2), Bolton, M. Bowen, Payne, Lillyman | Thurston (4/6) | - |
| 3 March | Trial 3 | Manly Sea Eagles | Barlow Park | 10 – 14 | Bolton, Justin Smith | Thurston (2/2) | - |
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 September | Qualifying Final | Canterbury Bulldogs | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 20 – 18 | Thurston (2), Bowman | Thurston (4/4) | 24,004 | |||
| 16 September | Semi Final | Warriors | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 49 – 12 | Farrar (2), M. Bowen, Cashmere, Graham, Henry, Ja. Smith, Williams | Thurston (7/7), Bowman (1/1), M. Bowen (1 FG) | 21,487 | |||
| 22 September | Preliminary Final | Manly Sea Eagles | SFS | 6 – 28 | Lillyman | Thurston (1/1) | 32,611 | |||
| Legend: Win Loss Draw Bye | ||||||||||
| Name | App | T | G | FG | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brett Anderson | 1 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Matthew Bartlett | 13 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Scott Bolton | 6 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Brenton Bowen | 16 | 9 | - | - | 36 |
| Matthew Bowen | 27 | 22 | - | 3 | 91 |
| Paul Bowman | 21 | 5 | 1 | - | 22 |
| Ray Cashmere | 24 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| David Faiumu | 20 | - | - | - | - |
| Ben Farrar | 11 | 7 | - | - | 28 |
| Sione Faumuina | 18 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| Sam Faust | 13 | - | - | - | - |
| John Frith | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Ashley Graham | 22 | 18 | 12 | - | 96 |
| Mark Henry | 10 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Rod Jensen | 6 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Jacob Lillyman | 21 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Scott Minto | 14 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| Shane Muspratt | 3 | - | - | - | - |
| Jackson Nicolau | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Luke O'Donnell | 4 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Aaron Payne | 27 | - | - | 1 | 1 |
| Matthew Scott | 23 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Jason Smith | 20 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| Justin Smith | 24 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| Steve Southern | 19 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Neil Sweeney | 11 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| Johnathan Thurston | 25 | 10 | 78 | - | 196 |
| Shane Tronc | 17 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Ben Vaeau | 8 | - | - | - | - |
| Carl Webb | 18 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Ty Williams | 15 | 7 | - | - | 28 |
| Totals | 109 | 91 | 4 | 622 |
Source: [1]
The following players played a representative match in 2007
| ANZAC Test | State of Origin 1 | State of Origin 2 | State of Origin 3 | Trans-Tasman Test | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Bowen | - | - | - | Queensland | - |
| David Faiumu | New Zealand | - | - | - | New Zealand |
| Jacob Lillyman | - | Queensland | Queensland | - | - |
| Johnathan Thurston | Australia | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland | - |
| Carl Webb | - | - | Queensland | Queensland | - |
North Queensland Young Guns - 1st, lost preliminary final
The North Queensland Cowboys is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, the largest city in North Queensland. They compete in Australia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL).
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 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.
The 2014 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 20th in the club's history. Coached by Paul Green and co-captained by Johnathan Thurston and Matthew Scott, they competed in the NRL's 2014 Telstra Premiership.
The 2015 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 21st in the club's history. Coached by Paul Green and co-captained by Johnathan Thurston and Matthew Scott, they competed in the NRL's 2015 Telstra Premiership. The Cowboys celebrated 20 years as a club in 2015 and played in the first all-Queensland grand final, defeating the Brisbane Broncos 17–16 in golden point to win their first premiership.
The 2016 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 22nd in the club's history and their first as defending premiers. Coached by Paul Green and co-captained by Johnathan Thurston and Matthew Scott, they competed in the NRL's 2016 Telstra Premiership. In the pre-season the Cowboys competed in the 2016 Auckland Nines tournament, reaching the quarter-finals. The team finished the regular season in 4th, losing in the preliminary final to the eventual premiers, the Cronulla Sharks.
The 2017 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 23rd in the club's history. Coached by Paul Green and co-captained by Johnathan Thurston and Matthew Scott, they competed in the NRL's 2017 Telstra Premiership. The club became just the second 8th-placed side to make the Grand Final, ultimately losing to the Melbourne Storm.
The 2018 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 24th in the club's history. Coached by Paul Green and co-captained by Johnathan Thurston and Matthew Scott, they competed in the NRL's 2018 Telstra Premiership. The team finished the regular season in 13th position and did not qualify for the finals.
