North Queensland Cowboys

NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS

Sean Fagan of RL1908.com

They are far from being relative newcomers to big-time rugby league. The very first posse of North Queenslanders came to take on Sydney's best way back in 1915.

Rugby league arrived in Townsville in 1914 when a club competition (Souths, Norths and 'Natives') was started by former Queensland rugby union players. It was a remarkable feat given the code it had only just secured its hold on Sydney, Brisbane and Newcastle by the start of 1911.

So quickly did the locals take to rugby league, that in 1915 a North Queensland representative team took the four-day sea journey south to Brisbane for state selection trials.

Nine of the contingent, led by nippy halfback Arch Foley, were subsequently included in the Maroons team, who then took another long sea trip to Sydney for matches against NSW.

Almost 1,700 kms from home, the Townsville-based players found taking on the Blues a difficult task. In the cold of the first week of winter, NSW thrashed the Maroons in both games (53-9 and 39-6).

In 1919 it was decided to officially form the North Queensland Rugby League. The movement was led by 25-year-old Arthur Fadden, a local accountant who became the NQRL's first secretary. Fadden became quite a popular man in Townsville, which led to his entering politics, and his eventual place as Australia's 17th Prime Minister (in 1941).

The popularity of rugby league continued to grow in North Queensland through the 1920s. The game also took hold with the indigenous communities, and in 1928 a Palm Island team took on Brisbane's best at Townsville. In front of a large crowd, the local Palm Islanders began the game with a war-dance, played barefoot, and celebrated their tries by throwing somersaults.

That same season also witnessed the first visit of a touring English team to Townsville. Encouraged by Foley and Harry Sunderland to travel from Brisbane, the 'Lions' were an extremely popular attraction. Supporters flocked from all the surrounding towns to see the match against the "blue-and-golds" of North Queensland.

The locals held a 16-15 lead at half-time, but were eventually overrun 30-16 by the visitors. The English returned on further tours, however it was not until 1966 the locals won a game (17-15). Touring sides from New Zealand and France were also regular visitors from the 1950s onwards.

After World War Two the NQRL instigated one of the game's greatest regional competitions, The Foley Shield (named in honour of the pioneering Arch Foley). Fought out by teams from Townsville, Cairns, Mackay, Mt. Isa, Innisfail, Herbert River and surrounding areas, the contests between rival towns took on great importance on and off the field.

The North Queensland region began to regularly produce international-class footballers from the 1950s onwards, starting with the inclusion of Jim Patterson and Trevor McDonald in the 1959 Kangaroos. The following decade saw Angelo Crema, Gary Wellington and Lionel Williamson all play for Australia.

The region has supplied many players to Brisbane and Sydney clubs. Well-known players to move south over the past 25 years include Kerry Boustead, Gene Miles, Greg Dowling, Gavin Allen, Gorden Tallis, Sam Backo, Dale Shearer, Martin Bella, Danny Moore, Wendell Sailor and Kevin Campion.

During the 1980s a North Queensland side played in the State League alongside Brisbane clubs and teams from country areas including Gold Coast, Toowoomba, Wide Bay, Ipswich and Central Queensland. In 1991 North Queensland, coached by Kerry Boustead, won the Final defeating Central Qld.

Following the entry of Brisbane and the Gold Coast into the NSWRL premiership, the win by North Queensland raised the possibility of expanding the 'Sydney' competition even further north. Led by Boustead, a local consortium was organised to push the cause for inclusion of a North Queensland team.

In November 1993 the NSWRL announced that the North Queensland Cowboys would be one of four new clubs in 1995. The 'Cowboys' name met with some disappointment from the local community. Apparently the popularly preferred name of 'Crocodiles' was unable to be used after objections were raised by a local rugby union team (though the Townsville basketball team didn't encounter the same problem shortly afterwards).

The initial Cowboys side of 1995 was built around players brought up from the other Winfield Cup clubs including Dean Schifilliti, Martin Bella, Ian Russell, Jason Martin and Willie Morganson. The club's most noteworthy acquisition was Great Britain Test backline star Jonathan Davies, though he did not arrive until May.

The 1995 season produced few on-field highlights, and the club was rocked by the sudden departure after four rounds of Boustead (club CEO) as the war-clouds of the coming Super League battle began to have effect.

Despite the dramas, the arrival of the Cowboys provided great excitement for rugby league fans in North Queensland, with crowds well over 20,000 attending home games.

The club fared poorly in its first seasons, though in comparison to its fellow '1995 clubs' Western Reds (Perth) and the South Queensland Crushers, at least it was still alive and kicking.

The 2004 season appeared certain to produce another year of despair for the Cowboys, as they achieved just one victory in the opening seven weeks. However, under the coaching of Graham Murray, North Queensland rose up the ladder, eventually claiming eighth place for the semi-finals.

Confronting the minor premiers Canterbury at Stadium Australia seemed likely to provide a fast end to the Cowboys best ever seen season - but the men from the far north had other plans. They defeated the Bulldogs, and created such hysteria that the semi-final against Brisbane was moved to Townsville. In one of rugby league's most memorable nights, North Queensland continued their fairy-tale by beating Brisbane (for the first time) 10-0.

In a very close encounter the following week back in Sydney, the Cowboys lost the final to the Roosters 16-13. The experience though put them in good stead for the 2005 season, and they returned to the final, where they surprised Parramatta with a 29-0 victory.

Ninety years after the first North Queenslanders came to Sydney, they might just leave with the code's greatest prize.