# 2012 North Queensland Cowboys season

The 2012 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 18th in the club's history. Coached by Neil Henry and co-captained by Johnathan Thurston and Matthew Scott, they competed in the National Rugby League's 2012 Telstra Premiership. They finished the regular season in 5th place and were knocked out in the second week of the finals by the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, for the second year in a row.

## Season summary

The Cowboys were aiming to build on its 7th place finish in 2011, after a near-wooden spoon 2010 season only prevented by the Melbourne Storm salary cap breach, with a strong 2012 season.
The season did not start well, with the Cowboys producing one of their worst performances in almost ten years as they lost 18-0 to the Gold Coast Titans at home, with a completion rate of only 35%, the worst on record. In Round 2, the Cowboys defeated the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium, with Matthew Bowen scoring the match-winning try on his 30th birthday.
Despite the opening loss, the Cowboys went on to produce a consistent, never once dropping out of the top eight from Round 3 onwards. They records big victories over the Parramatta Eels in Round 3 (42-6), the Sydney Roosters in Round 7 (50-12), the St George Illawarra Dragons in Round 9 (30-6), the Canberra Raiders in Round 16 (40-18) and the Warriors in Round 23 (52-12). They ended the regular season on four game winning streak, finishing in 5th place, their highest finish since 2007.
In Week 1 of the finals, the Cowboys defeated the Brisbane Broncos 33-16, with Michael Morgan scoring a hat-trick, the first halfback to do so in a finals game. It was their third win over Brisbane in 2012. A week later they were eliminated by Manly in controversial circumstances.
Club legend Aaron Payne announced his retirement at the end of the 2012 season, he became a life member at the club after playing his 200th game for the Cowboys. Earlier in the season, Matthew Bowen became the first player to play 250 NRL games for North Queensland.

### Milestones

* Round 1: Kane Linnett and Robert Lui made their debuts for the club.
* Round 1: Mosese Pangai made his NRL debut.
* Round 6: Aaron Payne played his 200th game for the club.
* Round 6: Johnathan Thurston played his 150th game for the club.
* Round 6: Johnathan Thurston scored his 1000th point for the club.
* Round 8: Gavin Cooper played his 50th game for the club.
* Round 17: Anthony Mitchell made his debut for the club.
* Round 21: Dallas Johnson played his 200th NRL game.
* Round 25: Blake Leary made his NRL debut.
* Finals Week 1: Matthew Bowen played his 250th for the club, the first player to do so.
* Finals Week 2: Dallas Johnson played his 50th game for the club.

## Squad Movement
### 2012 Gains

| Player | Signed From | Until End of |
| Luke Harlen | Northern Pride | 2012 |
| Kane Linnett | Sydney Roosters | 2013 |
| Robert Lui | Wests Tigers | 2013 |
| Anthony Mitchell | Sydney Roosters (mid-season) | 2013 |

### 2012 Losses

| Player | Signed To | Until End of |
| Isaak Ah Mau | Redcliffe Dolphins | 2013 |
| Leeson Ah Mau | St George Illawarra Dragons | 2013 |
| Clint Amos | Retired | - |
| Michael Bani | Canberra Raiders | 2012 |
| Jack Cooper | Cairns District Rugby League | 2012 |
| Shannon Gallant | Berkeley Eagles | 2012 |
| Dylan Smith | Mackay Cutters | 2012 |
| Willie Tonga | Parramatta Eels | 2013 |
| Will Tupou | Western Force | 2013 |

## Ladder

2012 NRL seasonvte :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 568 | 369 | +199 | 40 |
| 2 | Melbourne Storm (P) | 24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 579 | 361 | +218 | 38 |
| 3 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 559 | 438 | +121 | 36 |
| 4 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 497 | 403 | +94 | 36 |
| 5 | North Queensland Cowboys | 24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 597 | 445 | +152 | 34 |
| 6 | Canberra Raiders | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 545 | 536 | +9 | 30 |
| 7 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 24 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 445 | 441 | +4 | 29 |
| 8 | Brisbane Broncos | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 481 | 447 | +34 | 28 |
| 9 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 405 | 438 | -33 | 26 |
| 10 | Wests Tigers | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 506 | 551 | -45 | 26 |
| 11 | Gold Coast Titans | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 449 | 477 | -28 | 24 |
| 12 | Newcastle Knights | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 448 | 488 | -40 | 24 |
| 13 | Sydney Roosters | 24 | 8 | 1 | 15 | 2 | 462 | 626 | -164 | 21 |
| 14 | New Zealand Warriors | 24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 497 | 609 | -112 | 20 |
| 15 | Penrith Panthers | 24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 409 | 575 | -166 | 20 |
| 16 | Parramatta Eels | 24 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 431 | 674 | -243 | 16 |

## Fixtures
### Pre-season

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
| 4 February | Trial 1 | Brisbane Broncos | Dolphin Oval | 22 – 28 | Bolton, Segeyaro, Thompson, Ulugia | Foster (2/2), Faifai Loa (1/2) | 4,500 |
| 11 February | Trial 2 | St George Illawarra Dragons | NIB Stadium | 18 – 12 | Cooper, Graham, Linnett, Winterstein | Graham (1) | 8,588 |
| 18 February | Trial 3 | Gold Coast Titans | Virgin Australia Stadium | 28 – 36 | Faifai Loa (2), Pangai (2), Thurston | Thurston (3/4), Cooper (1/1) | - |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw ||||||||

### Regular season

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
| 3 March | Round 1 | Gold Coast Titans | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 0 – 18 | - | - | 16,311 |
| 9 March | Round 2 | Brisbane Broncos | Suncorp Stadium | 26 – 28 | Bowen (2), Johnson, Segeyaro, Tate | Thurston (4/5) | 43,171 |
| 17 March | Round 3 | Parramatta Eels | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 42 – 6 | Graham (3), Bowen, Cooper, Linnett, Scott, Taumalolo | Thurston (5/8) | 8,239 |
| 24 March | Round 4 | Cronulla Sharks | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 14 – 20 | Bowen, Cooper, Graham | Thurston (1/4) | 11,364 |
| 2 April | Round 5 | Canberra Raiders | Canberra Stadium | 22 – 6 | Graham (2), Tate, Thompson | Thurston (3/4) | 12,135 |
| 8 April | Round 6 | Melbourne Storm | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 18 – 42 | Bowen, Cooper, Tamou | Thurston (3/3) | 20,206 |
| 14 April | Round 7 | Sydney Roosters | TIO Stadium | 50 – 12 | Bowen (2), Taumalolo (2), Winterstein (2), Faifai Loa, Graham, Thompson | Thurston (6/8), Bowen (1/1) | 10,008 |
| 28 April | Round 8 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | ANZ Stadium | 16 – 20 | Graham (2), Segeyaro | Thurston (2/3) | 12,213 |
| 4 May | Round 9 | St George Illawarra Dragons | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 30 – 6 | Bowen, Linnett, T Sims, Tate, Thompson | Thurston (3/6), Bowen (2/2) | 15,006 |
| 12 May | Round 10 | Newcastle Knights | Hunter Stadium | 32 – 12 | Graham (2), Cooper, Morgan, Thompson | Thurston (6/6) | 18,191 |
| 19 May | Round 11 | Penrith Panthers | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 30 – 28 | Bowen, Cooper, Ashley Graham, A Sims, Winterstein | Bowen (5/7) | 11,648 |
| 27 May | Round 12 | Wests Tigers | Campbelltown Stadium | 18 – 26 | Ashley Graham, Glenn Hall, Winterstein | Thurston (3/3) | 13,059 |
| 1 June | Round 13 | Gold Coast Titans | Skilled Park | 12 – 28 | Paterson, Taumalolo | Thurston (2/2) | 12,092 |
| | Round 14 | Bye | | | | | |
| 15 June | Round 15 | Brisbane Broncos | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 12 – 0 | Cooper, Linnett | Thurston (2/2) | 20,367 |
| 23 June | Round 16 | Canberra Raiders | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 40 – 18 | Hall (2), Bolton, Graham, Linnett, Thompson, Winterstein | Thurston (5/6), Bowen (1/1) | 14,344 |
| 1 July | Round 17 | Warriors | Mt Smart Stadium | 18 – 35 | Cooper, Graham, Linnett | Bowen (3/3) | 15,374 |
| | Round 18 | Bye | | | | | |
| 14 July | Round 19 | Melbourne Storm | AAMI Park | 20 – 16 | Linnett (2), Tate | Thurston (4/4) | 10,688 |
| 23 July | Round 20 | Wests Tigers | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 29 – 16 | Cooper, Faifai Loa, Hall, Mitchell, Tate | Thurston (4/5), Bowen (1 FG) | 12,357 |
| 28 July | Round 21 | Canterbury Bulldogs | ANZ Stadium | 18 – 32 | Linnett, Thurston, Winterstein | Thurston (3/3) | 18,652 |
| 4 August | Round 22 | Manly Sea Eagles | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 6 – 8 | Linnett | Thurston (1/1) | 14,401 |
| 11 August | Round 23 | Warriors | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 52 – 12 | Graham (3), Bowen, Cooper, Linnett, Payne, Tate, Winterstein | Thurston (8/9) | 13,616 |
| 20 August | Round 24 | St George Illawarra Dragons | WIN Stadium | 32 – 22 | Linnett (2), Bowen, Graham, Thurston | Thurston (6/6) | 9,245 |
| 25 August | Round 25 | Newcastle Knights | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 22 – 14 | Bowen, Tate, Thurston | Thurston (5/5) | 15,119 |
| 2 September | Round 26 | Cronulla Sharks | Toyota Stadium | 36 – 22 | Graham (2), Cooper, Segeyaro, Tate, Taumalolo | Thurston (6/7) | 16,829 |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw Bye ||||||||

### Finals

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
| 8 September | Qualifying Final | Brisbane Broncos | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 33 – 16 | Morgan (3), Bowen, Tate | Thurston (6/7), Bowen (1 FG) | 21,307 |
| 14 September | Semi Final | Manly Sea Eagles | Allianz Stadium | 22 – 12 | Tamou, Winterstein | Thurston (2/2) | 16,678 |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw Bye ||||||||

## Statistics

| Name | App | T | G | FG | Pts |
| Scott Bolton | 14 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Matthew Bowen | 26 | 13 | 12 | 2 | 78 |
| Gavin Cooper | 26 | 10 | - | - | 40 |
| Kalifa Faifai Loa | 6 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Ashley Graham | 24 | 21 | - | - | 84 |
| Glenn Hall | 23 | 4 | - | - | 16 |
| Dallas Johnson | 26 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Blake Leary | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Kane Linnett | 24 | 12 | - | - | 48 |
| Robert Lui | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Anthony Mitchell | 8 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Michael Morgan | 13 | 4 | - | - | 16 |
| Mosese Pangai | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Cory Paterson | 3 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Aaron Payne | 25 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Joel Riethmuller | 10 | - | - | - | - |
| Matthew Scott | 18 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| James Segeyaro | 14 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| Ashton Sims | 25 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Tariq Sims | 7 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| James Tamou | 24 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Brent Tate | 23 | 9 | - | - | 36 |
| Jason Taumalolo | 17 | 5 | - | - | 20 |
| Ray Thompson | 18 | 5 | - | - | 20 |
| Ricky Thorby | 15 | - | - | - | - |
| Johnathan Thurston | 24 | 3 | 90 | - | 192 |
| Antonio Winterstein | 26 | 8 | - | - | 32 |
| Totals | | 109 | 102 | 2 | 642 |
Source:

## Representatives

The following players have played a representative match in 2012
| | All Stars match | City vs Country | ANZAC Test | State of Origin 1 | State of Origin 2 | State of Origin 3 |
| Matthew Bowen | Indigenous All Stars | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cory Paterson | Indigenous All Stars | - | - | - | - | - |
| Aaron Payne | NRL All Stars | - | - | - | - | - |
| Matthew Scott | - | - | - | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland |
| Tariq Sims | - | Country | - | - | - | - |
| James Tamou | - | - | Australia | New South Wales | New South Wales | New South Wales |
| Brent Tate | NRL All Stars | - | - | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland |
| Johnathan Thurston | Indigenous All Stars | - | Australia | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland |

## Honours
### League

* Dally M Five-Eighth of the Year: Johnathan Thurston
* RLIF Five-Eighth of the Year: Johnathan Thurston
* NRL Top Tryscorer: Ashley Graham
* NYC Team of the Year: Chris Grevsmuhl

### Club

* Paul Bowman Medal: Johnathan Thurston
* Player's Player: James Tamou
* Club Person of the Year: Johnathan Thurston
* Rookie of the Year: Jason Taumalolo
* Most Improved: Kane Linnett
* NYC Player of the Year: Zac Santo

## Feeder Clubs
### National Youth Competition

* North Queensland Cowboys - 13th, missed finals

### Queensland Cup

* Mackay Cutters - 8th, missed finals
* Northern Pride - 7th, missed finals