# 2017 North Queensland Cowboys season

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.

## Season summary
### Milestones

* Round 1: Ben Hampton made his debut for the club.
* Round 2: Johnathan Thurston scored his 2,000th point.
* Round 3: Shaun Fensom made his debut for the club.
* Round 3: Kane Linnett played his 150th NRL game.
* Round 4: Kyle Feldt played his 50th game for the club.
* Round 4: Gideon Gela-Mosby made his NRL debut.
* Round 4: Gideon Gela-Mosby and Kalyn Ponga scored their first NRL tries.
* Round 5: Shaun Fensom scored his first try for the club.
* Round 7: Corey Jensen made his NRL debut.
* Round 11: Ben Hampton scored his first try for the club.
* Round 15: Kyle Laybutt made his NRL debut.
* Round 16: Gavin Cooper played his 250th NRL game.
* Round 17: Te Maire Martin made his debut for the club.
* Round 17: Te Maire Martin scored his first try for the club.
* Round 17: Shaun Fensom played his 150th NRL game.
* Round 21: Braden Uele made his NRL debut.
* Round 21: Paul Green coached his 100th NRL game.
* Round 22: Lachlan Coote played his 150th NRL game.
* Round 23: Patrick Mago made his NRL debut.
* Round 23: Michael Morgan scored his 50th try for the club.
* Round 24: Scott Bolton played his 200th game for the club.
* Round 24: Enari Tuala and Shane Wright made their NRL debuts.
* Finals Week 2: Kane Linnett played his 150th game for the club.
* Finals Week 2: John Asiata scored his first NRL try.
* Finals Week 3: Antonio Winterstein played his 150th game for the club.
* Finals Week 3: The club qualified for their third Grand Final.

### Squad
## Squad movement
### Gains

| Player | Signed From | Until End of |
| Ben Hampton | Melbourne Storm | 2019 |
| Shaun Fensom | Canberra Raiders | 2018 |
| Corey Jensen | Townsville Blackhawks | 2017 |
| Blake Leary | Manly Sea Eagles | 2017 |
| Te Maire Martin | Penrith Panthers (mid-season) | 2019 |
| Shane Wright | Gold Coast Titans | 2018 |

### Losses

| Player | Signed To | Until End of |
| Ben Hannant | Retired | - |
| Jahrome Hughes | Melbourne Storm | 2018 |
| Rory Kostjasyn | Newcastle Knights | 2018 |
| Nick Lui-Toso | Penrith Panthers | 2017 |
| Tautau Moga | Brisbane Broncos | 2018 |
| Brandon Smith | Melbourne Storm | 2019 |
| James Tamou | Penrith Panthers | 2020 |

### Re-signings

| Player | Club | Until End of |
| John Asiata | North Queensland Cowboys | 2020 |
| Scott Bolton | North Queensland Cowboys | 2019 |
| Jake Clifford | North Queensland Cowboys | 2019 |
| Gavin Cooper | North Queensland Cowboys | 2019 |
| Kyle Feldt | North Queensland Cowboys | 2020 |
| Gideon Gela-Mosby | North Queensland Cowboys | 2019 |
| Shaun Hudson | North Queensland Cowboys | 2018 |
| Corey Jensen | North Queensland Cowboys | 2019 |
| Kyle Laybutt | North Queensland Cowboys | 2018 |
| Emry Pere | North Queensland Cowboys | 2018 |
| Matthew Scott | North Queensland Cowboys | 2019 |
| Murray Taulagi | North Queensland Cowboys | 2019 |
| Jason Taumalolo | North Queensland Cowboys | 2027 |
| Johnathan Thurston | North Queensland Cowboys | 2018 |
| Enari Tuala | North Queensland Cowboys | 2019 |

## Ladder

2017 NRL seasonvte :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Melbourne Storm (P) | 24 | 20 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 633 | 336 | +297 | 44 |
| 2 | Sydney Roosters | 24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 500 | 428 | +72 | 38 |
| 3 | Brisbane Broncos | 24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 597 | 433 | +164 | 36 |
| 4 | Parramatta Eels | 24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 496 | 457 | +39 | 36 |
| 5 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 476 | 407 | +69 | 34 |
| 6 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 552 | 512 | +40 | 32 |
| 7 | Penrith Panthers | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 504 | 459 | +45 | 30 |
| 8 | North Queensland Cowboys | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 467 | 443 | +24 | 30 |
| 9 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 533 | 450 | +83 | 28 |
| 10 | Canberra Raiders | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 558 | 497 | +61 | 26 |
| 11 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 360 | 455 | −95 | 24 |
| 12 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 464 | 564 | −100 | 22 |
| 13 | New Zealand Warriors | 24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 444 | 575 | −131 | 18 |
| 14 | Wests Tigers | 24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 413 | 571 | −158 | 18 |
| 15 | Gold Coast Titans | 24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 448 | 638 | −190 | 18 |
| 16 | Newcastle Knights | 24 | 5 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 428 | 648 | −220 | 14 |

## Fixtures
### NRL Auckland Nines

The NRL Auckland Nines is a pre-season rugby league nines competition featuring all 16 NRL clubs.

#### Pool Play

| Date | Time (Local) | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals |
| Saturday, 4 February | 2:40 pm | Round 1 | Sydney Roosters | Eden Park | 27 – 15 | Gela-Mosby (3), Morgan, O'Neill, Ponga | Thurston (1) |
| Saturday, 4 February | 4:35 pm | Round 2 | Canberra Raiders | Eden Park | 35 – 6 | Gela-Mosby (2), Ponga (2), Bowen, Feldt | Bowen (1), Morgan (1), Ponga (1), Thurston (1) |
| Sunday, 5 February | 11:05 am | Round 3 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Eden Park | 19 – 8 | Bowen (2), Hudson, Ponga | Ponga (1) |
| Sunday, 7 February | 2:30 pm | Quarter-final | Melbourne Storm | Eden Park | 12 – 25 | Bowen, Gela-Mosby, Ponga | |
| Legend: Win Loss ||||||||

### Pre-season

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals |
| Saturday, 11 February | Trial 1 | Sydney Roosters | BB Print Stadium | 11 – 10 | Leary, Tuala | Laybutt (1/2, 1 FG) |
| Friday, 17 February | Trial 2 | Wests Tigers | Campbelltown Stadium | 18 – 16 | Hampton, Linnett, Morgan | Thurston (3/3) |
| Friday, 17 February | Trial 3 | Townsville Blackhawks | Jack Manski Oval | 44 – 8 | Ponga (3), Traill (2), Gahan, Slade-Roycroft, Pere | - |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw ||||||||

### Regular season

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
| Saturday, 4 March | Round 1 | Canberra Raiders | 1300SMILES Stadium | 20 – 16 | Bowen, Cooper, Coote, Hess | Thurston (2/4) | 17,548 |
| Friday, 10 March | Round 2 | Brisbane Broncos | Suncorp Stadium | 21 – 20 | Granville, Hess, Morgan | Thurston (4/4, 1 FG) | 47,703 |
| Saturday, 18 March | Round 3 | Manly Sea Eagles | 1300SMILES Stadium | 8 – 30 | Granville | Thurston (2/2) | 14,763 |
| Saturday, 25 March | Round 4 | Gold Coast Titans | Cbus Super Stadium | 32 – 26 | Hess (2), Gela-Mosby, Ponga, Thurston | Thurston (6/7) | 17,647 |
| Friday, 31 March | Round 5 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 1300SMILES Stadium | 20 – 6 | Fensom, Gela-Mosby, Morgan | Thurston (4/4) | 13,671 |
| Saturday, 8 April | Round 6 | Wests Tigers | 1300SMILES Stadium | 16 – 26 | Hess (2), Taumalolo | Thurston (2/3) | 15,424 |
| Saturday, 15 April | Round 7 | St George Illawarra Dragons | WIN Stadium | 22 – 28 | Bolton, Gela-Mosby, Morgan, Spina | Feldt (3/4) | 13,886 |
| Saturday, 22 April | Round 8 | Newcastle Knights | 1300SMILES Stadium | 24 – 12 | Ponga (2), Cooper, Linnett | Lowe (2/2), Feldt (2/4) | 13,678 |
| Friday, 28 April | Round 9 | Parramatta Eels | 1300SMILES Stadium | 6 – 26 | Winterstein | Feldt (1/1) | 14,247 |
| Thursday, 11 May | Round 10 | Canterbury Bulldogs | ANZ Stadium | 30 –14 | Hess (2), Feldt, Morgan, Spina | Lowe (4/5), Feldt (1/1) | 8,122 |
| Thursday, 18 May | Round 11 | Cronulla Sharks | Southern Cross Group Stadium | 14 – 18 | Feldt, Hampton, Winterstein | Feldt (1/2), Lowe (0/2) | 8,557 |
| | Round 12 | Bye | | | | | |
| Saturday, 3 June | Round 13 | Gold Coast Titans | 1300SMILES Stadium | 20 – 8 | Feldt, Hess, Morgan | Feldt (4/6) | 14,612 |
| Saturday, 10 June | Round 14 | Parramatta Eels | TIO Stadium | 32 – 6 | Feldt (2), Hess, Thurston, Winterstein | Thurston (6/7) | 11,968 |
| Saturday, 17 June | Round 15 | Melbourne Storm | AAMI Park | 22 – 23 | Coote, Feldt, Linnett | Feldt (5/6) | 17,124 |
| Saturday, 24 June | Round 16 | Penrith Panthers | 1300SMILES Stadium | 14 – 12 | Feldt, Jensen | Lowe (3/3) | 17,876 |
| Saturday, 1 July | Round 17 | Canberra Raiders | GIO Stadium | 31 – 18 | Martin (2), Morgan (2), Winterstein | Lowe (5/6), Coote (1 FG) | 10,266 |
| | Round 18 | Bye | | | | | |
| Sunday, 16 July | Round 19 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Barlow Park | 23 – 10 | Feldt, Granville, Hess, Taumalolo | Lowe (3/4), Coote (1 FG) | 11,217 |
| Saturday, 22 July | Round 20 | Warriors | 1300SMILES Stadium | 24 – 12 | Bowen (2), Lowe, O'Neill | Lowe (4/5) | 16,080 |
| Saturday, 29 July | Round 21 | Sydney Roosters | Allianz Stadium | 16 – 22 | Feldt, Hess, Linnett | Lowe (2/3) | 9,476 |
| Friday, 4 August | Round 22 | Melbourne Storm | 1300SMILES Stadium | 8 – 26 | Granville | Lowe (2/2) | 21,380 |
| Saturday, 12 August | Round 23 | Penrith Panthers | Pepper Stadium | 16 – 24 | Linnett, Morgan, Taumalolo | Lowe (2/3) | 12,357 |
| Saturday, 19 August | Round 24 | Cronulla Sharks | 1300SMILES Stadium | 16 – 26 | Lowe, Martin, Morgan | Lowe (2/3) | 15,539 |
| Friday, 25 August | Round 25 | Wests Tigers | Campbelltown Stadium | 22 – 14 | Feldt (2), Martin, Morgan | Lowe (3/4) | 9,436 |
| Thursday, 31 August | Round 26 | Brisbane Broncos | 1300SMILES Stadium | 10 – 20 | Cooper, Feldt | Lowe (1/2) | 23,321 |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw Bye ||||||||

### Finals

| Qualifying and elimination finals | Qualifying and elimination finals | Qualifying and elimination finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Preliminary finals | Preliminary finals | Preliminary finals | Grand final | Grand final | Grand final |
| 9 September – Melbourne | 9 September – Melbourne | 9 September – Melbourne | | | | | | | | | |
| 1 | Melbourne Storm | 18 | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Parramatta Eels | 16 | 16 September – Sydney | 16 September – Sydney | 16 September – Sydney | | | | |
| | | | Parramatta Eels | Parramatta Eels | 16 | | | | |
| 10 September – Sydney | 10 September – Sydney | 10 September – Sydney | North Queensland Cowboys | North Queensland Cowboys | 24 | 22 September – Melbourne | 22 September – Melbourne | 22 September – Melbourne | | | |
| 5 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 14 | | | | Melbourne Storm | Melbourne Storm | 30 | |
| 8 | North Queensland Cowboys | 15 | | | | Brisbane Broncos | Brisbane Broncos | 0 | 1 October – Sydney | 1 October – Sydney | 1 October – Sydney |
| | | | | | | | | | Melbourne Storm | Melbourne Storm | 34 |
| 9 September – Sydney | 9 September – Sydney | 9 September – Sydney | | | | 23 September – Sydney | 23 September – Sydney | 23 September – Sydney | North Queensland Cowboys | North Queensland Cowboys | 6 |
| 6 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 10 | | | | Sydney Roosters | Sydney Roosters | 16 | | |
| 7 | Penrith Panthers | 22 | 15 September – Brisbane | 15 September – Brisbane | 15 September – Brisbane | North Queensland Cowboys | North Queensland Cowboys | 29 | | |
| | | | Brisbane Broncos | Brisbane Broncos | 13 | | | | | | |
| 8 September – Sydney | 8 September – Sydney | 8 September – Sydney | Penrith Panthers | Penrith Panthers | 6 | | | | | |
| 2 | Sydney Roosters | 24 | | | | | | | | | |
| 3 | Brisbane Broncos | 22 | | | | | | | | |
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
| Sunday, 10 September | Elimination Final | Cronulla Sharks | Allianz Stadium | 15 – 14 | Feldt, Taumalolo | Lowe (3/4), Morgan (1 FG) | 16,115 |
| Saturday, 16 September | Semi Final | Parramatta Eels | ANZ Stadium | 24 – 16 | Asiata, Feldt, Hess, Morgan | Lowe (4/4) | 41,287 |
| Saturday, 23 September | Preliminary Final | Sydney Roosters | Allianz Stadium | 29 – 16 | Bolton, Feldt, Linnett, Martin | Lowe (6/6), Morgan (1 FG) | 28,108 |
| Sunday, 1 October | Grand Final | Melbourne Storm | ANZ Stadium | 6 – 34 | Martin | Lowe (1/1) | 79,722 |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw ||||||||

## Statistics

| Name | App | T | G | FG | Pts |
| John Asiata | 28 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Scott Bolton | 28 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Javid Bowen | 13 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| Gavin Cooper | 25 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| Lachlan Coote | 21 | 2 | - | 2 | 10 |
| Kyle Feldt | 28 | 15 | 17 | - | 94 |
| Shaun Fensom | 21 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Gideon Gela-Mosby | 4 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| Jake Granville | 24 | 4 | - | - | 16 |
| Ben Hampton | 26 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Coen Hess | 27 | 13 | - | - | 52 |
| Sam Hoare | 4 | - | - | - | - |
| Corey Jensen | 18 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Patrick Kaufusi | 9 | - | - | - | - |
| Kyle Laybutt | 2 | - | - | - | - |
| Blake Leary | 3 | - | - | - | - |
| Kane Linnett | 28 | 5 | - | - | 20 |
| Ethan Lowe | 28 | 2 | 47 | - | 102 |
| Patrick Mago | 2 | - | - | - | - |
| Te Maire Martin | 12 | 6 | - | - | 24 |
| Michael Morgan | 27 | 11 | - | 2 | 46 |
| Justin O'Neill | 20 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Kalyn Ponga | 7 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| Matthew Scott | 2 | - | - | - | - |
| Ben Spina | 8 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Jason Taumalolo | 26 | 4 | - | - | 16 |
| Ray Thompson | 6 | - | - | - | - |
| Johnathan Thurston | 7 | 2 | 26 | 1 | 61 |
| Enari Tuala | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Braden Uele | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Antonio Winterstein | 19 | 4 | - | - | 16 |
| Shane Wright | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Totals | | 89 | 90 | 3 | 541 |

## Representatives

The following players have played a representative match in 2017.
| | All Stars match | ANZAC Test | Pacific Tests | Residents match | State of Origin 1 | State Of Origin 2 | State of Origin 3 | World Cup |
| John Asiata | - | - | Samoa | - | - | - | - | - |
| Gavin Cooper | World All Stars | - | - | - | - | Queensland | Queensland | - |
| Coen Hess | - | - | - | - | - | Queensland | Queensland | - |
| Patrick Kaufusi | - | - | Tonga | - | - | - | - | - |
| Kyle Laybutt | - | - | - | Queensland | - | - | - | - |
| Blake Leary | - | - | - | Queensland | - | - | - | - |
| Te Maire Martin | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | New Zealand |
| Michael Morgan | - | Australia | - | - | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland | Australia |
| Justin O'Neill | - | - | - | - | Queensland | - | - | - |
| Jason Taumalolo | - | New Zealand | - | - | - | - | - | Tonga |
| Johnathan Thurston | Indigenous All Stars | Australia | - | - | - | Queensland | - | - |
| Antonio Winterstein | - | - | Samoa | - | - | - | - | - |

## Honours
### League

* Dally M Halfback of the Year: Michael Morgan
* Dally M Try of the Year: Kyle Feldt
* Dally M NYC Player of the Year: Jake Clifford
* NYC Team of the Year: Jake Clifford, Kalyn Ponga

### Club

* Paul Bowman Medal: Jason Taumalolo
* Players' Player: Michael Morgan and Jason Taumalolo
* Coach's Award: Michael Morgan
* Member's Player of the Year: Michael Morgan
* Club Person of the Year: Scott Bolton and Ray Thompson
* Rookie of the Year: Corey Jensen
* NYC Player of the Year: Kurt Wiltshire
* Townsville Bulletins' Fan Choice Award: Michael Morgan

## Feeder clubs
### National Youth Competition

* North Queensland Cowboys - 5th, lost elimination final

### Queensland Cup

* Mackay Cutters - 8th, missed finals
* Northern Pride - 12th, missed finals
* Townsville Blackhawks - 6th, lost elimination final