The North Queensland Cowboys is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, the largest town in North Queensland. They compete in Australia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL).
The Dally M Awards are the official annual player awards for the National Rugby League competition. As well as honouring the player of the year, who received the Dally M Medal, awards are also given to the premier player in each position, the best coach, the best captain, representative player of the year and the most outstanding rookie of the season. The awards are named in honour of Australian former rugby league great Herbert Henry "Dally" Messenger.
Johnathan Dean Thurston is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the NRL. Thurston was an Australian international, Queensland State of Origin and Indigenous All Stars representative. He played as a halfback or five-eighth and was a noted goal-kicker. In 2015, he became the first ever four-time Dally M Medallist for the NRL season's best player, and later that year became the first ever three-time winner of the Golden Boot Award for the World's best player.
The Dally M Medal is awarded each year (annually) to the player voted for as the 'Player of the year' over the National Rugby League (NRL) regular season. The awards are named in honour of Australian former rugby league great Herbert Henry "Dally" Messenger. The award has existed since 1979, but has only been adopted as the official award for the Player of the Year in the NRL since 1998. Prior to that the official Player of the Year, in both the New South Wales and the Brisbane Rugby Leagues, received the Rothmans Medal whilst the Dally M Medal was awarded by the Daily Mirror newspaper.
Matthew Scott, also known by the nickname of "Thumper", is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a prop for the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL and Australia at international level.
Jarryd Lee Hayne is a former professional rugby league footballer who also briefly played American football and rugby union sevens.
Cooper Patrick Cronk is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. An Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative halfback, he played most of his club career for the Melbourne Storm, though finished his career with the Sydney Roosters, both in the National Rugby League.
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 Australia women's national rugby league team, also known as the Australian Jillaroos, or Harvey Norman Jillaroos for sponsorship reasons, represents Australia in women's rugby league. They are administered by the Australian Rugby League Commission and Australian Women's Rugby League.
The 2013 Dally M Awards were presented on Tuesday 1 October 2013 at Sydney's Star Casino and broadcast on Fox Sports. They were the official annual awards of the 2013 NRL season.
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 2014 Dally M Awards were presented on Monday 29 September 2014 at Sydney's Star Casino. Broadcast on Fox Sports, the awards ceremony was hosted by Matthew Johns. They are the official annual awards of the National Rugby League and are named after Dally Messenger. The Dally M Medal was awarded to Jarryd Hayne and Johnathan Thurston in a tie of votes, making it the first time for the medal to be awarded to joint winners.
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 2016 Dally M Awards were presented on Wednesday 28 September 2016. They are the official annual awards of the National Rugby League and are named after Dally Messenger. Cooper Cronk and Jason Taumalolo became just the second joint winners of the Dally M Medal after both players tied with 26 votes apiece.
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 2017 Dally M Awards was presented on Wednesday 27 September 2017. They are the official annual awards of the National Rugby League and are named after Dally Messenger.
The 2018 Dally M Awards was presented on Wednesday 26 September 2018. They are the official annual awards of the National Rugby League and are named after Dally Messenger.
The 2020 Dally M Awards were presented on Monday 19 October 2020. They are the official annual awards of the National Rugby League and are named after Dally Messenger.
Johnathan Thurston 
