# 2015 North Queensland Cowboys season

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.

## Season summary

After going through their pre-season trials undefeated, the Cowboys started their 2015 season with three straight losses. The side hit back with three consecutive wins on Monday Night Football over the Melbourne Storm, Penrith Panthers and South Sydney Rabbitohs, on their way to a club record 11 game winning streak. The Cowboys finished in 3rd place, winning 17 games, giving the club their most successful regular season in its history.

### Milestones

* Round 1: Jake Granville, Ben Hannant and Justin O'Neill made their debut for the club.
* Round 2: Kelepi Tanginoa made his debut for the club.
* Round 3: Lachlan Coote made his debut for the club.
* Round 3: Kane Linnett played his 100th NRL game.
* Round 7: Ben Hannant played his 200th NRL game.
* Round 7: Johnathan Thurston played his 250th NRL game.
* Round 11: The club played their 500th premiership game.
* Round 15: The club recorded their longest winning streak with their 11th straight win.
* Round 15: Rory Kostjasyn played his 50th game for the club.
* Round 16: Patrick Kaufusi made his NRL debut.
* Round 19: Gavin Cooper played his 200th NRL game.
* Round 21: Lachlan Coote played his 100th NRL game.
* Round 21: Matthew Scott played his 200th game for the club.
* Round 22: Antonio Winterstein played his 100th game for the club.
* Round 22: Antonio Winterstein scored his 50th try for the club.
* Round 24: Coen Hess made his NRL debut.
* Round 24: Coen Hess scored his first NRL try.
* Round 25: Antonio Winterstein played his 150th NRL game.
* Round 26: The club won the 2015 NRL Club Championship.
* Round 26: Paul Green coached his 50th NRL game.
* Finals Week 2: Kane Linnett played his 100th game for the club.
* Finals Week 3: Scott Bolton played his 150th game for the club.
* Finals Week 3: The club qualified for their second Grand Final.
* Grand Final: Rory Kostjasyn played his 100th NRL game.
* Grand Final: The club won its first NRL premiership.

## Squad Movement
### 2015 Gains

| Player | Signed From | Until End of |
| Jake Granville | Brisbane Broncos | 2016 |
| Ben Hannant | Brisbane Broncos | 2015 |
| Justin O'Neill | Melbourne Storm | 2016 |
| Kelepi Tanginoa | Parramatta Eels | 2016 |

### 2015 losses

| Player | Signed to | Until end of |
| Anthony Mitchell | Townsville Blackhawks | 2016 |
| Curtis Rona | Canterbury Bulldogs | 2016 |
| Ashton Sims | Warrington Wolves | 2016 |
| Tariq Sims | Newcastle Knights | 2016 |
| Brent Tate | Retired | - |
| Ricky Thorby | Townsville Blackhawks | 2016 |
| Joel Riethmuller | Released | - |

### Re-signings

| Player | Club | Until End of |
| John Asiata | North Queensland Cowboys | 2017 |
| Scott Bolton | North Queensland Cowboys | 2017 |
| Josh Chudleigh | North Queensland Cowboys | 2016 |
| Ben Hannant | North Queensland Cowboys | 2016 |
| Coen Hess | North Queensland Cowboys | 2018 |
| Kyle Laybutt | North Queensland Cowboys | 2017 |
| Ethan Lowe | North Queensland Cowboys | 2016 |
| Michael Morgan | North Queensland Cowboys | 2018 |
| Gideon Gela-Mosby | North Queensland Cowboys | 2017 |
| Ben Spina | North Queensland Cowboys | 2017 |
| Jason Taumalolo | North Queensland Cowboys | 2017 |
| Ray Thompson | North Queensland Cowboys | 2017 |

## Ladder

2015 NRL seasonvte :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Sydney Roosters | 24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 591 | 300 | +291 | 40 |
| 2 | Brisbane Broncos | 24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 574 | 379 | +195 | 38 |
| 3 | North Queensland Cowboys (P) | 24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 587 | 454 | +133 | 38 |
| 4 | Melbourne Storm | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 467 | 348 | +119 | 32 |
| 5 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 522 | 480 | +42 | 32 |
| 6 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 469 | 476 | −7 | 32 |
| 7 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 465 | 467 | −2 | 30 |
| 8 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 435 | 408 | +27 | 28 |
| 9 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 458 | 492 | −34 | 26 |
| 10 | Canberra Raiders | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 577 | 569 | +8 | 24 |
| 11 | Penrith Panthers | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 399 | 477 | −78 | 22 |
| 12 | Parramatta Eels | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 448 | 573 | −125 | 22 |
| 13 | New Zealand Warriors | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 445 | 588 | −143 | 22 |
| 14 | Gold Coast Titans | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 439 | 636 | −197 | 22 |
| 15 | Wests Tigers | 24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 487 | 562 | −75 | 20 |
| 16 | Newcastle Knights | 24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 458 | 612 | −154 | 20 |

## Fixtures
### NRL Auckland Nines

The NRL Auckland Nines is a pre-season rugby league nines competition featuring all 16 NRL clubs. The 2015 competition was played over two days on January 31 and February 1 at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand. The Cowboys featured in the Waiheke pool and played Melbourne, Penrith and South Sydney. The top two teams of each pool qualified for the quarter-finals. The Cowboys, who were the defending champions, were knocked out in the quarter-finals.

#### Pool Play

Waiheke pool :
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| South Sydney Rabbitohs | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 20 | +34 | 6 |
| North Qld Cowboys | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 43 | 35 | +8 | 4 |
| Melbourne Storm | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 32 | 45 | -13 | 2 |
| Penrith Panthers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 45 | -29 | 0 |
| Date | Time (Local) | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals |
| Saturday, 31 January | 1:20pm | Round 1 | Melbourne Storm | Eden Park | 17 – 8 | Lowe (bonus try), O'Neill, Wright | Wright (2) |
| Saturday, 31 January | 5:40pm | Round 2 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Eden Park | 12 – 19 | O'Neill (2), Cooper | - |
| Sunday, 1 February | 12:25pm | Round 3 | Penrith Panthers | Eden Park | 14 – 8 | Feldt, Moga, Taumalolo | Lui (1) |
| Sunday, 1 February | 2:30pm | Quarter-final | Parramatta Eels | Eden Park | 11 – 17 | Granville (bonus try), O'Neill | Morgan (1) |
| Legend: Win Loss ||||||||

### Pre-season

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
| Saturday, 7 February | Trial 1 | Brisbane Broncos | Stadium Mackay | 18 – 6 | Feldt, Granville, Lui | Feldt (3) | - |
| Saturday, 14 February | Trial 2 | Townsville Blackhawks | Jack Manski Oval | 24 – 12 | Bowen, Feldt, Kikau, King, Niemoeller | Bambling (1), Feldt (1) | - |
| Saturday, 21 February | Trial 3 | Gold Coast Titans | Barlow Park | 30 – 10 | Moga (2), Cooper, Granville, Tanginoa, Wright | Thurston (3) | - |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw ||||||||

### Regular season

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
| Saturday, 7 March | Round 1 | Sydney Roosters | 1300SMILES Stadium | 4 – 28 | O'Neill | Thurston (0/1) | 17,123 |
| Saturday, 14 March | Round 2 | Newcastle Knights | 1300SMILES Stadium | 14 – 16 | Lowe, Scott | Thurston (3/3), Feldt (0/1) | 13,006 |
| Friday, 20 March | Round 3 | Brisbane Broncos | Suncorp Stadium | 22 – 44 | Feldt (2), Morgan, O'Neill | Thurston (3/4) | 40,047 |
| Monday, 30 March | Round 4 | Melbourne Storm | 1300SMILES Stadium | 18 – 17 | Winterstein (2), Wright | Thurston (2/3, 2 FG) | 11,609 |
| Monday, 6 April | Round 5 | Penrith Panthers | Sportingbet Stadium | 30 – 10 | Wright (3), Coote, Lowe | Thurston (5/6) | 8,409 |
| Monday, 13 April | Round 6 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | ANZ Stadium | 30 – 12 | Thurston (2) Granville, O'Neill, Winterstein | Thurston (5/6) | 13,866 |
| Saturday, 18 April | Round 7 | New Zealand Warriors | 1300SMILES Stadium | 28 – 24 | Granville (3), Coote, Linnett | Thurston (4/5) | 16,038 |
| Saturday, 25 April | Round 8 | Newcastle Knights | Hunter Stadium | 26 – 24 | O'Neill (2), Bolton, Coote, Morgan | Thurston (3/5) | 15,518 |
| Saturday, 9 May | Round 9 | Canterbury Bulldogs | 1300SMILES Stadium | 23 – 16 | Morgan (2), Cooper, Wright | Thurston (3/5, 1 FG) | 15,794 |
| Friday, 15 May | Round 10 | Brisbane Broncos | 1300SMILES Stadium | 31 – 20 | Morgan (3), Cooper, Lowe | Thurston (4/5), Coote (1 FG) | 24,531 |
| Saturday, 23 May | Round 11 | Wests Tigers | Campbelltown Stadium | 8 – 0 | Winterstein | Lowe (2/2) | 8267 |
| Saturday, 30 May | Round 12 | Manly Sea Eagles | 1300SMILES Stadium | 18 – 14 | Scott (2), Cooper | Thurston (3/3) | 14,196 |
| Monday, 8 June | Round 13 | Parramatta Eels | Pirtek Stadium | 36 – 30 | Cooper (3), Linnett, Morgan, Wright | Thurston (6/6) | 9812 |
| | Round 14 | Bye | | | | | |
| Saturday, 20 June | Round 15 | Canberra Raiders | GIO Stadium | 21 – 20 | Cooper, Winterstein, Wright | Thurston (4/5, 1 FG) | 10,170 |
| Saturday, 27 June | Round 16 | Cronulla Sharks | 1300SMILES Stadium | 18 – 24 | Granville, O'Neill, Winterstein | Lowe (3/4) | 18,826 |
| Saturday, 4 July | Round 17 | St George Illawarra Dragons | WIN Stadium | 18 – 12 | Linnett (2), Granville | Lowe (3/4) | 11,183 |
| | Round 18 | Bye | | | | | |
| Monday, 20 July | Round 19 | Manly Sea Eagles | Brookvale Oval | 30 – 12 | Winterstein (2), Granville, Linnett, Morgan | Thurston (5/6) | 7,643 |
| Monday, 27 July | Round 20 | Parramatta Eels | 1300SMILES Stadium | 46 – 4 | Taumalolo (2), Coote, Kostjasyn, Linnett, Winterstein, Wright | Thurston (7/8) | 13,767 |
| Saturday, 1 August | Round 21 | Canberra Raiders | 1300SMILES Stadium | 32 – 24 | Winterstein (2), Cooper, Granville, Morgan | Thurston (6/7) | 16,207 |
| Saturday, 8 August | Round 22 | Cronulla Sharks | Remondis Stadium | 18 – 30 | Linnett, Winterstein, Wright | Thurston (3/4) | 13,878 |
| Thursday, 13 August | Round 23 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 1300SMILES Stadium | 18 – 31 | Coote, Morgan, O'Neill | Thurston (3/3) | 16,685 |
| Saturday, 22 August | Round 24 | New Zealand Warriors | Mt Smart Stadium | 50 – 16 | Feldt (3), O'Neill (2), Hess, Linnett, Spina, Thurston | Thurston (7/9) | 14,412 |
| Saturday, 29 August | Round 25 | Melbourne Storm | AAMI Park | 6 – 14 | Feldt | Thurston (1/1) | 15,214 |
| Saturday, 5 September | Round 26 | Gold Coast Titans | 1300SMILES Stadium | 42 – 12 | Linnett (2), Winterstein (2), Cooper, Coote, Granville, Tamou, Thompson | Thurston (2/4), Feldt (1/3), Lowe (0/2) | 16,977 |
| 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 |
| 11 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | 11 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | 11 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | | | | | | | | | |
| 1 | Sydney Roosters | 18 | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Melbourne | 20 | 18 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | 18 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | 18 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | | | | |
| | | | Sydney Roosters | Sydney Roosters | 38 | | | | |
| 12 Sept, Stadium Australia | 12 Sept, Stadium Australia | 12 Sept, Stadium Australia | Canterbury | Canterbury | 12 | 26 Sept, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | 26 Sept, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | 26 Sept, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | | | |
| 5 | Canterbury | 11 | | | | Melbourne | Melbourne | 12 | |
| 8 | St. George Illawarra | 10 | | | | North Queensland | North Queensland | 32 | 4 Oct, Stadium Australia | 4 Oct, Stadium Australia | 4 Oct, Stadium Australia |
| | | | | | | | | | Brisbane | Brisbane | 16 |
| 13 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | 13 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | 13 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | | | | 25 Sept, Lang Park | 25 Sept, Lang Park | 25 Sept, Lang Park | North Queensland | North Queensland | 17 |
| 6 | Cronulla | 28 | | | | Brisbane | Brisbane | 31 | | |
| 7 | Souths | 12 | 19 Sept, Willows Sports Complex | 19 Sept, Willows Sports Complex | 19 Sept, Willows Sports Complex | Sydney Roosters | Sydney Roosters | 12 | | |
| | | | North Queensland | North Queensland | 39 | | | | | | |
| 12 Sept, Lang Park | 12 Sept, Lang Park | 12 Sept, Lang Park | Cronulla | Cronulla | 0 | | | | | |
| 2 | Brisbane | 16 | | | | | | | | | |
| 3 | North Queensland | 12 | | | | | | | | |
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
| Saturday, 12 September | Qualifying Final | Brisbane Broncos | Suncorp Stadium | 16 – 12 | Thurston, Winterstein | Thurston (2/3) | 50,388 |
| Saturday, 19 September | Semi-final | Cronulla Sharks | 1300SMILES Stadium | 39 – 0 | Michael Morgan (2), Bolton, Feldt, Lowe, O'Neill, Winterstein | Thurston (5/8, 1 FG) | 21,683 |
| Saturday, 26 September | Preliminary Final | Melbourne Storm | AAMI Park | 32 –12 | Cooper (2), Michael Morgan (2), O'Neill (2) | Thurston (4/6) | 29,315 |
| Sunday, 4 October | Grand Final | Brisbane Broncos | ANZ Stadium | 17 – 16 | Feldt, O'Neill, Tamou | Thurston (2/3, 1 FG) | 82,758 |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw ||||||||

## Statistics

| Name | App | T | G | FG | Pts |
| John Asiata | 25 | - | - | - | - |
| Scott Bolton | 20 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Gavin Cooper | 27 | 11 | - | - | 44 |
| Lachlan Coote | 26 | 6 | - | 1 | 25 |
| Kyle Feldt | 9 | 8 | 1 | - | 34 |
| Jake Granville | 28 | 10 | - | - | 40 |
| Glenn Hall | 3 | - | - | - | - |
| Ben Hannant | 28 | - | - | - | - |
| Coen Hess | 1 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Sam Hoare | 9 | - | - | - | - |
| Patrick Kaufusi | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Cameron King | 2 | - | - | - | - |
| Rory Kostjasyn | 23 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Kane Linnett | 28 | 10 | - | - | 40 |
| Ethan Lowe | 28 | 4 | 8 | - | 32 |
| Robert Lui | 4 | - | - | - | - |
| Tautau Moga | 6 | - | - | - | - |
| Michael Morgan | 23 | 15 | - | - | 60 |
| Justin O'Neill | 26 | 13 | - | - | 52 |
| Matthew Scott | 25 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| Ben Spina | 5 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| James Tamou | 24 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Kelepi Tanginoa | 3 | - | - | - | - |
| Jason Taumalolo | 26 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Ray Thompson | 9 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Johnathan Thurston | 25 | 4 | 93 | 6 | 208 |
| Antonio Winterstein | 26 | 16 | - | - | 64 |
| Matthew Wright | 17 | 9 | - | - | 36 |
| Totals | | 119 | 102 | 7 | 687 |

## Representatives

The following players have played a representative match in 2015
| | All Stars match | ANZAC Test | Melanesian Cup | Polynesian Cup | State of Origin 1 | State Of Origin 2 | State of Origin 3 |
| Viliame Kikau | - | - | Fiji | - | - | - | - |
| Tautau Moga | - | - | - | Samoa | - | - | - |
| Michael Morgan | - | - | - | - | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland |
| Matthew Scott | - | Australia | - | - | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland |
| James Tamou | - | Australia | - | - | New South Wales | New South Wales | New South Wales |
| Jason Taumalolo | NRL All Stars | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Ray Thompson | Indigenous All Stars | - | Papua New Guinea | - | - | - | - |
| Johnathan Thurston | Indigenous All Stars | Australia | - | - | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland |
| Antonio Winterstein | NRL All Stars | - | - | - | - | - | - |

## Honours
### League

* Golden Boot: Johnathan Thurston
* Clive Churchill Medal: Johnathan Thurston
* Dally M Medal: Johnathan Thurston
* Dally M Halfback of the Year: Johnathan Thurston
* Dally M Lock of the Year: Jason Taumalolo
* Dally M Captain of the Year: Matthew Scott and Johnathan Thurston
* Rugby League Players Association Player of the Year: Johnathan Thurston
* NYC Team of the Year: Gideon Gela-Mosby, Coen Hess, Viliame Kikau

### Club

* Paul Bowman Medal: Johnathan Thurston
* Players' Player: Jake Granville
* Member's Player of the Year: Jake Granville
* Club Person of the Year: Glenn Hall
* Most Improved: Justin O'Neill
* Rookie of the Year: Coen Hess
* NYC Player of the Year: Andrew Niemoeller
* Townsville Bulletins' Fan Choice Award: Johnathan Thurston

## Feeder Clubs
### National Youth Competition

* North Queensland Cowboys - 2nd, lost preliminary final

### Queensland Cup

* Mackay Cutters - 8th, missed finals
* Northern Pride - 6th, lost elimination final
* Townsville Blackhawks - 1st, lost Grand Final