# 2007 North Queensland Cowboys season

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.

## Season summary

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.

### Milestones

* Round 1: Sione Faumuina and Jason Smith made their debuts for the club.
* Round 3: Justin Smith played his 50th game for the club.
* Round 4: Scott Bolton made his NRL debut for the club.
* Round 6: Ben Vaeau made his debut for the club.
* Round 7: Johnathan Thurston played his 50th game for the club.
* Round 7: Scott Minto made their debuts for the club.
* Round 7: Ben Farrar made his NRL debut for the club and scored his first NRL try.
* Round 9: Brett Anderson made his debut for the club.
* Round 9: Scott Bolton scored his first NRL try.
* Round 10: Sam Faust made his NRL debut for the club.
* Round 11: John Frith made his NRL debut for the club.
* Round 13: Ty Williams played his 100th game for the club.
* Round 13: Matthew Bartlett made his debut for the club.
* Round 13: Jackson Nicolau made his NRL debut for the club.
* Round 18: Aaron Payne played his 100th game for the club.
* Round 20: Matthew Bowen played his 150th game for the club.
* Round 22: Carl Webb played his 50th game for the club.
* Round 25: Paul Bowman played his 200th game for the club, the first player to do so.
* Finals Week 2: Jacob Lillyman played his 50th game for the club.

## Squad Movement
### 2007 Gains

| Player | Signed From |
| Brett Anderson | Parramatta Eels |
| Matthew Bartlett | Melbourne Storm |
| Ben Farrar | Parramatta Eels |
| Sione Faumuina | Warriors |
| Karl Johnson | North Sydney Bears |
| Scott Minto | Brisbane Broncos |
| Jackson Nicolau | Melbourne Storm |
| Jason Smith | Canberra Raiders |
| Ben Vaeau | Brisbane Broncos |
| Colin Wilkie | Melbourne Storm |

### 2007 Losses

| 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 |

## Ladder

2007 NRL seasonvte :
| 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 | 652 | −130 | 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 |

## Fixtures
### Pre-season

| 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) | - |

### Regular season

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
| 16 March | Round 1 | Brisbane Broncos | Suncorp Stadium | 23 – 16 | Graham (2), M. Bowen, Henry | Thurston (3/5), M. Bowen (1 FG) | 50,416 |
| 24 March | Round 2 | Sydney Roosters | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 43 – 6 | B. Bowen (2), M. Bowen (2), Thurston (2), O'Donnell | Thurston (6/6), Graham (1/1), Payne (1 FG) | 21,396 |
| 31 March | Round 3 | St George Illawarra Dragons | WIN Stadium | 22 – 18 | B. Bowen, Bowman, Graham, Thurston | Thurston (3/4) | 10,232 |
| 7 April | Round 4 | Wests Tigers | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 25 – 24 | Graham (2), M. Bowen, Sweeney | Thurston (4/4), M. Bowen (1 FG) | 21,879 |
| 15 April | Round 5 | Warriors | Mt Smart Stadium | 14 – 34 | B. Bowen, M. Bowen, Thurston | Thurston (1/3) | 11,260 |
| 23 April | Round 6 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 6 – 10 | Bowman | Thurston (1/1) | 17,768 |
| 28 April | Round 7 | Manly Sea Eagles | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 30 – 26 | M. Bowen (2), B. Bowen, Farrar, Ja. Smith | Thurston (5/6) | 18,682 |
| 7 May | Round 8 | Gold Coast Titans | Carrara Stadium | 24 – 10 | M. Bowen, Bowman, Jensen | Thurston (6/6) | 17,806 |
| 12 May | Round 9 | Penrith Panthers | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 12 – 22 | Anderson, Bolton | Thurston (2/2) | 17,393 |
| 19 May | Round 10 | Parramatta Eels | Parramatta Stadium | 14 – 44 | Faumuina, Graham, Minto | Graham (1/3) | 10,182 |
| 25 May | Round 11 | Canterbury Bulldogs | Suncorp Stadium | 26 – 16 | M.Bowen (2), Faumuina, Tronc | Thurston (5/5) | 15,412 |
| 2 June | Round 12 | Cronulla Sharks | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 26 – 24 | Williams (2), Minto, Scott, Sweeney | Thurston (3/5) | 20,075 |
| 9 June | Round 13 | Sydney Roosters | Sydney Football Stadium | 30 – 64 | M. Bowen (2), Bartlett, Southern, Tronc | Graham (5/5) | 4,186 |
| 16 June | Round 14 | Melbourne Storm | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 12 – 58 | B. Bowen, M. Bowen, William | Thurston (0/3) | 20,023 |
| 23 June | Round 15 | Canberra Raiders | Canberra Stadium | 28 – 24 | B. Bowen (2), M. Bowen (2), Thurston | Thurston (4/5) | 11,263 |
| | Round 16 | Bye | | | | | |
| 7 July | Round 17 | Warriors | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 18 – 12 | Sione Faumuina, Graham, Webb | Thurston (2/2), Graham (1/1) | 19,864 |
| 13 July | Round 18 | Brisbane Broncos | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 16 – 24 | Graham (2), M. Bowen | Graham (2/3) | 25,926 |
| 22 July | Round 19 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Telstra Stadium | 14 – 20 | M. Bowen, Graham, Minto | Thurston (1/3) | 10,022 |
| 30 July | Round 20 | Wests Tigers | Leichhardt Oval | 10 – 54 | Bartlet, Ju. Smith | Thurston (1/2) | 17,101 |
| 4 August | Round 21 | Canberra Raiders | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 28 – 22 | Farrar (2), Graham, M. Bowen, Thurston | Graham (2/5), Thurston (0/1) | 15,791 |
| 13 August | Round 22 | Penrith Panthers | CUA Stadium | 30 – 26 | Graham (3), B. Bowen, M. Bowen, Ju. Smith | Thurston (3/5) | 7,618 |
| 18 August | Round 23 | St George Illawarra Dragons | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 24 – 14 | M. Bowen, Bowman, Cashmere, Ja. Smith | Thurston (4/4) | 18,721 |
| 24 August | Round 24 | Newcastle Knights | EnergyAustralia Stadium | 34 – 18 | Graham (2), M. Bowen, Sweeney, Thurston, Williams | Thurston (5/6) | 12,264 |
| 31 August | Round 25 | Canterbury Bulldogs | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 38 – 32 | Farrar, Williams, Ju. Smith, Thurston | Thurston (7/7) | 24,050 |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw Bye ||||||||

### Finals

| 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 ||||||||

## Statistics

| 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:

## Representatives

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 | - |

## Honours
### League

* Dally M Medal: Johnathan Thurston
* Dally M Fullback of the Year: Matthew Bowen
* Dally M Halfback of the Year: Johnathan Thurston
* Rugby League Week Player of the Year: Matthew Bowen
* Rugby League Week Player of the Year: Johnathan Thurston

### Club

* Paul Bowman Medal: Matthew Bowen
* Player's Player: Matthew Bowen
* Club Person of the Year: Tim Nugent and Nicole Balanzategui
* Rookie of the Year: Sam Faust
* Most Improved: Ashley Graham and Ray Cashmere

## Feeder Clubs
### Queensland Cup

* North Queensland Young Guns - 1st, lost preliminary final