# 2016 North Queensland Cowboys season

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.

## Season summary
### Milestones

* Round 1: Johnathan Thurston scored his 1,800th point in the NRL.
* Round 3: Lachlan Coote scored his 50th try in the NRL.
* Round 5: Javid Bowen made his NRL debut.
* Round 5: James Tamou played his 150th game for the club.
* Round 5: Javid Bowen scored his first NRL try.
* Round 7: Justin O'Neill played his 100th NRL game.
* Round 7: Johnathan Thurston scored his 1,000th point at 1300SMILES Stadium.
* Round 9: Kane Linnett scored his 50th NRL try.
* Round 10: Ethan Lowe played his 50th game for the club.
* Round 11: Johnathan Thurston played his 250th game for the club.
* Round 12: Jahrome Hughes made his debut for the club.
* Round 12: Jahrome Hughes scored his first NRL try.
* Round 13: Ray Thompson played his 100th game for the club.
* Round 13: Gavin Cooper scored his 50th try for the club.
* Round 14: Jason Taumalolo played his 100th game for the club.
* Round 17: Gavin Cooper played his 150th game for the club.
* Round 18: Josh Chudleigh made his NRL debut.
* Round 18: Josh Chudleigh scored his first NRL try.
* Round 26: Lachlan Coote and Jake Granville played their 50th games for the club.
* Finals Week 1: Ben Hannant played his 50th game for the club.
* Finals Week 2: Justin O'Neill played his 50th game for the club.
* Finals Week 2: Kalyn Ponga made his NRL debut.
* Finals Week 2: Michael Morgan played his 100th game for the club.
* Finals Week 3: John Asiata played his 50th game for the club.

## Squad Movement
### Gains

| Player | Signed From | Until End of |
| Shaun Hudson | Gold Coast Titans | 2017 |
| Jahrome Hughes | Townsville Blackhawks | 2016 |
| Patrick Mago | Canberra Raiders | 2016 |

### Losses

| Player | Signed To | Until End of |
| Glenn Hall | Townsville Blackhawks | 2016 |
| Viliame Kikau | Penrith Panthers | 2017 |
| Cameron King | Parramatta Eels | 2016 |
| Robert Lui | Salford Red Devils | 2016 |
| Hezron Murgha | Townsville Blackhawks | 2016 |
| Zac Santo | Canberra Raiders | 2016 |
| Scott Schulte | Parramatta Eels | 2016 |
| Kelepi Tanginoa | Parramatta Eels | 2016 |
| Matthew Wright | Manly Sea Eagles (mid-season) | 2018 |

### Re-signings

| Player | Club | Until End of |
| Javid Bowen | North Queensland Cowboys | 2018 |
| Josh Chudleigh | North Queensland Cowboys | 2018 |
| Lachlan Coote | North Queensland Cowboys | 2018 |
| Jake Granville | North Queensland Cowboys | 2018 |
| Sam Hoare | North Queensland Cowboys | 2018 |
| Patrick Kaufusi | North Queensland Cowboys | 2017 |
| Kane Linnett | North Queensland Cowboys | 2018 |
| Ethan Lowe | North Queensland Cowboys | 2018 |
| Justin O'Neill | North Queensland Cowboys | 2018 |
| Antonio Winterstein | North Queensland Cowboys | 2018 |

## Ladder

2016 NRL seasonvte :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Melbourne Storm | 24 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 563 | 302 | +261 | 42 |
| 2 | Canberra Raiders | 24 | 17 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 688 | 456 | +232 | 39 |
| 3 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (P) | 24 | 17 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 580 | 404 | +176 | 39 |
| 4 | North Queensland Cowboys | 24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 584 | 355 | +229 | 34 |
| 5 | Brisbane Broncos | 24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 554 | 434 | +120 | 34 |
| 6 | Penrith Panthers | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 563 | 463 | +100 | 32 |
| 7 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 506 | 448 | +58 | 32 |
| 8 | Gold Coast Titans | 24 | 11 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 508 | 497 | +11 | 27 |
| 9 | Wests Tigers | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 499 | 607 | −108 | 26 |
| 10 | New Zealand Warriors | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 513 | 601 | −88 | 24 |
| 11 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 341 | 538 | −197 | 24 |
| 12 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 473 | 549 | −76 | 22 |
| 13 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 454 | 563 | −109 | 20 |
| 14 | Parramatta Eels | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 298 | 324 | −26 | 18$^1$ |
| 15 | Sydney Roosters | 24 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 443 | 576 | −133 | 16 |
| 16 | Newcastle Knights | 24 | 1 | 1 | 22 | 2 | 305 | 800 | −495 | 7 |
$^1$ Parramatta were deducted 12 competition points and their for/against tally accumulated between rounds 1-9 for gross long-term salary cap breaches.

## Fixtures
### NRL Auckland Nines

The NRL Auckland Nines is a pre-season rugby league nines competition featuring all 16 NRL clubs. The Cowboys, whose side featured a returning Matthew Bowen, finished first in their pool before being eliminated by the Melbourne Storm in the quarter-finals.

#### Pool Play

Rangitoto Pool :
| Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| North Queensland Cowboys | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 55 | 36 | +19 | 4 |
| Newcastle Knights | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 48 | 58 | −10 | 4 |
| Penrith Panthers | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 48 | 37 | +11 | 2 |
| Wests Tigers | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 36 | 56 | −20 | 2 |
| Date | Time (Local) | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals |
| Saturday, 6 February | 1:20pm | Round 1 | Newcastle Knights | Eden Park | 28 – 12 | Cooper (3), Gela-Mosby (2), O'Neill | M. Bowen (1), Morgan (1) |
| Saturday, 6 February | 5:40pm | Round 2 | Wests Tigers | Eden Park | 12 – 13 | Gela-Mosby (2), Winterstein | - |
| Sunday, 7 February | 11:50am | Round 3 | Penrith Panthers | Eden Park | 15 – 11 | Cooper, Hess, Lowe | Coote (1) |
| Sunday, 7 February | 2:30pm | Quarter-final | Melbourne Storm | Eden Park | 6 – 14 | Kostjasyn | Coote (1) |
| Legend: Win Loss ||||||||

### Pre-season

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
| Saturday, 6 February | Trial 1 | Brisbane Broncos | Salter Oval | 26 – 48 | Chudleigh, Creith, Hughes, Mago, Ponga | Laybutt (3/5) | 8,122 |
| Thursday, 11 February | Trial 2 | Townsville Blackhawks | Jack Manski Oval | 18 – 16 | Cooper, Morgan, O'Neill | Thurston (3/3) | - |
| Sunday, 21 February | Trial 3 | Leeds Rhinos | Headingley Stadium | 38 – 4 | O'Neill (2), Coote, Feldt, Linnett, Morgan, Thurston | Thurston (5/7) | 19,778 |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw ||||||||

### Regular season

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
| Saturday, 5 March | Round 1 | Cronulla Sharks | 1300SMILES Stadium | 20 – 14 | Linnett, Lowe, O'Neill | Thurston (4/4) | 15,519 |
| Saturday, 12 March | Round 2 | Parramatta Eels | Pirtek Stadium | 16 – 20 | Lowe, O'Neill, Taumalolo | Thurston (2/3) | 12,194 |
| Thursday, 17 March | Round 3 | Sydney Roosters | 1300SMILES Stadium | 40 – 0 | Bolton, Coote, Feldt, Linnett, Morgan, Taumalolo, Winterstein | Thurston (6/7) | 8,099 |
| Friday, 25 March | Round 4 | Brisbane Broncos | Suncorp Stadium | 20 – 21 | Granville, Morgan, Lowe | Thurston (4/4) | 46,176 |
| Saturday, 2 April | Round 5 | St George Illawarra Dragons | 1300SMILES Stadium | 36 – 0 | Feldt (2), Bolton, Bowen, Cooper, O'Neill | Thurston (6/6) | 17,444 |
| Saturday, 9 April | Round 6 | Penrith Panthers | Pepper Stadium | 23 – 18 | Bowen, Cooper, Feldt, O'Neill | Thurston (3/4), Coote (1 FG) | 13,725 |
| Friday, 15 April | Round 7 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 1300SMILES Stadium | 44 – 18 | O'Neill (2), Cooper, Feldt, Lowe, Morgan, Thurston, Winterstein | Thurston (6/8) | 15,487 |
| Saturday, 23 April | Round 8 | Parramatta Eels | 1300SMILES Stadium | 32 – 16 | Morgan (2), Cooper, Coote, Winterstein | Thurston (6/7) | 19,308 |
| Saturday, 30 April | Round 9 | Manly Sea Eagles | Brookvale Oval | 34 – 18 | Feldt (2), Cooper, Linnett, Morgan, Winterstein | Thurston (5/6) | 11,734 |
| Saturday, 14 May | Round 10 | Melbourne Storm | Suncorp Stadium | 14 – 15 | Cooper, Morgan | Thurston (3/3) | 52,347 |
| Friday, 20 May | Round 11 | Brisbane Broncos | 1300SMILES Stadium | 19 – 18 | Coote, O'Neill, Scott | Thurston (3/3, 1 FG) | 25,163 |
| Saturday, 28 May | Round 12 | St George Illawarra Dragons | WIN Stadium | 10 – 14 | Feldt, Hughes | Lowe (1/2) | 10,032 |
| Saturday, 4 June | Round 13 | Newcastle Knights | 1300SMILES Stadium | 46 – 16 | Feldt (2), Ray Thompson (2), Cooper, Granville, Kostjasyn, Winterstein | Thurston (7/8) | 14,651 |
| Monday, 13 June | Round 14 | Cronulla Sharks | Southern Cross Group Stadium | 10 – 13 | Winterstein | Thurston (3/3) | 13,119 |
| | Round 15 | Bye | | | | | |
| Monday, 27 June | Round 16 | Manly Sea Eagles | 1300SMILES Stadium | 30 – 26 | Taumalolo (2), Coote, Tamou, Winterstein | Thurston (5/5) | 15,584 |
| Sunday, 3 July | Round 17 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Barlow Park | 20 – 0 | Bowen, Scott, Thurston | Thurston (4/5) | 14,923 |
| Monday, 11 July | Round 18 | Canberra Raiders | GIO Stadium | 12 – 26 | Chudleigh, Hess | Lowe (2/2) | 8,328 |
| | Round 19 | Bye | | | | | |
| Thursday, 21 July | Round 20 | Canterbury Bulldogs | 1300SMILES Stadium | 36 – 0 | Winterstein (3), O'Neill (2), Bowen, Lowe | Lowe (2/3), Thurston (2/4) | 11,260 |
| Saturday, 30 July | Round 21 | Melbourne Storm | 1300SMILES Stadium | 8 – 16 | Winterstein | Lowe (2/2) | 20,256 |
| Sunday, 7 August | Round 22 | Wests Tigers | Leichhardt Oval | 14 – 26 | Linnett, Lowe | Thurston (3/3) | 14,246 |
| Sunday, 14 August | Round 23 | Sydney Roosters | Allianz Stadium | 10 – 22 | Linnett, Lowe | Thurston (1/2) | 8,760 |
| Saturday, 20 August | Round 24 | New Zealand Warriors | 1300SMILES Stadium | 34 – 6 | Feldt (2), Morgan, O'Neill, Taumalolo, Ray Thompson | Thurston (5/6) | 15,676 |
| Thursday, 25 August | Round 25 | Canterbury Bulldogs | Belmore Sports Ground | 24 – 16 | Lowe (2), Hess, Taumalolo | Thurston (4/5) | 10,144 |
| Saturday, 3 September | Round 26 | Gold Coast Titans | 1300SMILES Stadium | 32 – 16 | Cooper (2), O'Neill, Tamou, Winterstein | Thurston (6/6) | 21,495 |
| 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 |
| 10 Sept, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | 10 Sept, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | 10 Sept, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | | | | | | | | | |
| 1 | Melbourne | 16 | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | North Queensland | 10 | 16 Sept, Willows Sports Complex | 16 Sept, Willows Sports Complex | 16 Sept, Willows Sports Complex | | | | |
| | | | North Queensland | North Queensland | 26 | | | | |
| 9 Sept, Lang Park | 9 Sept, Lang Park | 9 Sept, Lang Park | Brisbane | Brisbane | 20 | 24 Sept, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | 24 Sept, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | 24 Sept, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium | | | |
| 5 | Brisbane | 44 | | | | Melbourne | Melbourne | 14 | |
| 8 | Gold Coast | 28 | | | | Canberra | Canberra | 12 | 2 Oct, Stadium Australia | 2 Oct, Stadium Australia | 2 Oct, Stadium Australia |
| | | | | | | | | | Melbourne | Melbourne | 12 |
| 11 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | 11 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | 11 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | | | | 23 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | 23 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | 23 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | Cronulla | Cronulla | 14 |
| 6 | Penrith | 28 | | | | Cronulla | Cronulla | 32 | | |
| 7 | Canterbury | 12 | 17 Sept, Canberra Stadium | 17 Sept, Canberra Stadium | 17 Sept, Canberra Stadium | North Queensland | North Queensland | 20 | | |
| | | | Canberra | Canberra | 22 | | | | | | |
| 10 Sept, Canberra Stadium | 10 Sept, Canberra Stadium | 10 Sept, Canberra Stadium | Penrith | Penrith | 12 | | | | | |
| 2 | Canberra | 14 | | | | | | | | | |
| 3 | Cronulla | 16 | | | | | | | | |
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
| Saturday, 10 September | Qualifying Final | Melbourne Storm | AAMI Park | 16 – 10 | Feldt, Winterstein | Thurston (1/2) | 21,233 |
| Friday, 16 September | Semi-final | Brisbane Broncos | 1300SMILES Stadium | 26 – 20 | O'Neill (2), Hess, Morgan | Thurston (5/6) | 23,804 |
| Friday, 23 September | Preliminary Final | Cronulla Sharks | Allianz Stadium | 32 –20 | Feldt (2), Coote, Hess | Thurston (2/4) | 36,717 |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw ||||||||

## Statistics

| Name | App | T | G | FG | Pts |
| John Asiata | 19 | - | - | - | - |
| Scott Bolton | 27 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Javid Bowen | 10 | 4 | - | - | 16 |
| Josh Chudleigh | 1 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Gavin Cooper | 26 | 9 | - | - | 36 |
| Lachlan Coote | 27 | 5 | - | 1 | 21 |
| Kyle Feldt | 24 | 15 | - | - | 60 |
| Jake Granville | 25 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Ben Hannant | 24 | - | - | - | - |
| Coen Hess | 8 | 4 | - | - | 16 |
| Jahrome Hughes | 1 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Patrick Kaufusi | 12 | - | - | - | - |
| Rory Kostjasyn | 26 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Kane Linnett | 22 | 5 | - | - | 20 |
| Ethan Lowe | 25 | 9 | 7 | - | 50 |
| Tautau Moga | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Michael Morgan | 22 | 9 | - | - | 36 |
| Justin O'Neill | 25 | 13 | - | - | 52 |
| Kalyn Ponga | 2 | - | - | - | - |
| Matthew Scott | 23 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Ben Spina | 2 | - | - | - | - |
| James Tamou | 25 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Jason Taumalolo | 27 | 6 | - | - | 24 |
| Ray Thompson | 7 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| Johnathan Thurston | 24 | 2 | 96 | 1 | 201 |
| Antonio Winterstein | 24 | 13 | - | - | 52 |
| Totals | | 108 | 103 | 2 | 640 |

## Representatives

The following players have played a representative match in 2016.
| | All Stars match | ANZAC Test | Polynesian Cup | City vs Country | Residents match | State of Origin 1 | State Of Origin 2 | State of Origin 3 | Four Nations |
| John Asiata | - | - | Samoa | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Gavin Cooper | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Queensland | - |
| Jahrome Hughes | - | - | - | - | Queensland | - | - | - | - |
| Patrick Kaufusi | - | - | Tonga | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Rory Kostjasyn | - | - | - | Country | - | - | - | - | - |
| Kane Linnett | - | - | - | Country | - | - | - | - | - |
| Michael Morgan | - | Australia | - | - | - | Queensland | Queensland | - | Australia |
| Justin O'Neill | - | - | - | - | - | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland | Australia |
| Matthew Scott | - | Australia | - | - | - | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland | Australia |
| James Tamou | - | Australia | - | - | - | New South Wales | New South Wales | New South Wales | - |
| Jason Taumalolo | - | New Zealand | - | - | - | - | - | - | New Zealand |
| Johnathan Thurston | - | Australia | - | - | - | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland | Australia |
| Antonio Winterstein | - | - | Samoa | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Matthew Wright | World All Stars | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |

## Honours
### League

* Dally M Medal: Jason Taumalolo
* Dally M Lock of the Year: Jason Taumalolo
* Rugby League Players Association Player of the Year: Jason Taumalolo
* NYC Team of the Year: Gideon Gela-Mosby, Kalyn Ponga, Brandon Smith

### Club

* Paul Bowman Medal: Jason Taumalolo
* Players' Player: Jason Taumalolo
* Member's Player of the Year: Jason Taumalolo
* Club Person of the Year: John Asiata
* Most Improved: Ethan Lowe
* Rookie of the Year: Javid Bowen
* NYC Player of the Year: Brandon Smith
* Townsville Bulletins' Fan Choice Award: Michael Morgan

## Feeder Clubs
### National Youth Competition

* North Queensland Cowboys - 2nd, lost preliminary final

### Queensland Cup

* Mackay Cutters - 14th, missed finals
* Northern Pride - 8th, missed finals
* Townsville Blackhawks - 3rd, lost semi final