# 2013 North Queensland Cowboys season

The 2013 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 19th in the club's history. Coached by Neil Henry and co-captained by Johnathan Thurston and Matthew Scott, they competed in the NRL's 2013 Telstra Premiership. The Cowboys finished the season in 8th place and were knocked out in the first week of the finals by the Cronulla Sharks.

## Season summary

The Cowboys entered the 2013 NRL season with high expectations and without their long time hooker and club legend Aaron Payne, who retired at the end of 2012. The side won their Round 1 game against the Canterbury Bulldogs but would only win five of their next 19 games, leaving them sitting in 15th place after 20 rounds. Tragedy struck the club on 29 April, when talented rookie Alex Elisala died at age 20. The Cowboys defeated the Parramatta Eels five days later, dedicating the game and the rest of the season to Elisala.
On 29 July, coach Neil Henry had his contract terminated after re-signing until the end of 2014 in March. Henry stayed on as head coach until the end of 2013, as the Cowboys went on a six-game winning streak to finish in 8th place and qualify for the finals series. They were defeated 20-18 by the Cronulla Sharks in week 1 of the finals, in a game in which the Sharks scored a try on the 7th tackle of a set.
On 1 October the club appointed former player Paul Green as their head coach for the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
At the end of the season, the Cowboys' had 13 players selected for the 2013 Rugby League World Cup.

### Milestones

* Round 1: Ashton Sims played his 50th game for the club.
* Round 1: Rory Kostjasyn and Scott Moore made their debuts for the club.
* Round 2: Ray Thompson played his 50th game for the club.
* Round 3: Ashley Graham played his 150th game for the club.
* Round 3: Johnathan Thurston played his 200th NRL game.
* Round 4: Glenn Hall played his 50th game for the club.
* Round 6: Clint Greenshields made his debut for the club.
* Round 7: Brent Tate played his 200th NRL game.
* Round 9: Matthew Scott played his 150th game for the club.
* Round 10: Glenn Hall played his 150th NRL game.
* Round 12: Ethan Lowe made his NRL debut.
* Round 17: Antonio Winterstein played his 50th game for the club.
* Round 17: Scott Bolton played his 100th game for the club.
* Round 21: Kyle Feldt made his NRL debut.
* Round 21: Ashton Sims played his 200th NRL game.
* Round 22: Brent Tate played his 50th game for the club.
* Round 24: Wayne Ulugia made his NRL debut.
* Round 25: Jayden Hodges made his NRL debut.
* Finals Week 1: Tariq Sims played his 50th game for the club.
* Finals Week 1: James Tamou played his 100th NRL game.

## Squad Movement
### 2013 Gains

| Player | Signed From | Until End of |
| Clint Greenshields | Catalans Dragons | 2013 |
| Rory Kostjasyn | Melbourne Storm | 2014 |
| Ethan Lowe | Northern Pride | 2013 |
| Scott Moore | Huddersfield Giants | 2014 |
| Curtis Rona | Sydney Roosters | 2014 |

### 2013 Losses

| Player | Signed To | Until End of |
| Luke Harlen | Released | - |
| Dane Hogan | Easts Tigers | 2014 |
| Ben Jones | Newtown Jets | 2013 |
| Aaron Payne | Retired | - |
| Cory Paterson | Hull Kingston Rovers | 2014 |
| Mosese Pangai | Penrith Panthers | 2014 |
| James Segeyaro | Penrith Panthers | 2015 |

## Ladder

2013 NRL seasonvte :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Sydney Roosters (P) | 24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 640 | 325 | +315 | 40 |
| 2 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 588 | 384 | +204 | 40 |
| 3 | Melbourne Storm | 24 | 16 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 589 | 373 | +216 | 37 |
| 4 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 24 | 15 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 588 | 366 | +222 | 35 |
| 5 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 468 | 460 | +8 | 32 |
| 6 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 529 | 463 | +66 | 30 |
| 7 | Newcastle Knights | 24 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 528 | 422 | +106 | 29 |
| 8 | North Queensland Cowboys | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 507 | 431 | +76 | 28 |
| 9 | Gold Coast Titans | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 500 | 518 | −18 | 26 |
| 10 | Penrith Panthers | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 495 | 532 | −37 | 26 |
| 11 | New Zealand Warriors | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 495 | 554 | −59 | 26 |
| 12 | Brisbane Broncos | 24 | 10 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 434 | 477 | −43 | 25 |
| 13 | Canberra Raiders | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 434 | 624 | −190 | 24 |
| 14 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 379 | 530 | −151 | 18 |
| 15 | Wests Tigers | 24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 386 | 687 | −301 | 18 |
| 16 | Parramatta Eels | 24 | 5 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 326 | 740 | −414 | 14 |

## Fixtures
### Pre-season

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
| 9 February | Trial 1 | Brisbane Broncos | Alex Inch Oval | 28 – 24 | Leary, Morgan, Munns, Thorby, Ulugia | Feldt (2), Faifai Loa (1), Lowe (1) | 4,000 |
| 16 February | Trial 2 | St George Illawarra Dragons | Barlow Park | 28 – 22 | J Bowen, Greenshields, Morgan, Riethmuller, Taumalolo | Morgan (3), Feldt (1) | - |
| 23 February | Trial 3 | Gold Coast Titans | Virgin Australia Stadium | 10 – 28 | Faifai Loa, A Sims | Lui (1) | - |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw ||||||||

### Regular season

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
| 25 March | Round 1 | Canterbury Bulldogs | Central Coast Stadium | 24 – 12 | Graham (2), Cooper, Winterstein | Thurston (4/6) | 11,627 |
| 16 March | Round 2 | Melbourne Storm | 1300SMILES Stadium | 10 – 32 | Graham, Linnett | Thurston (1/2) | 19,288 |
| 25 March | Round 3 | Newcastle Knights | Hunter Stadium | 6 – 34 | Cooper | Thurston (1/1) | 15,758 |
| 1 April | Round 4 | Warriors | Mt Smart Stadium | 18 – 20 | Faifai Loa, Tate, Winterstein | Thurston (3/4) | 10,572 |
| 5 April | Round 5 | Penrith Panthers | 1300SMILES Stadium | 30 – 0 | Linnett (2), Faifai Loa, Lui, Winterstein | Thurston (5/6) | 12,341 |
| 12 April | Round 6 | Brisbane Broncos | Suncorp Stadium | 10 – 12 | Graham, Greenshields | Thurston (1/2) | 42,556 |
| 27 April | Round 7 | Canberra Raiders | 1300SMILES Stadium | 30 – 12 | Bowen, Graham, Hall, Morgan, Tate | Thurston (5/7) | 13,240 |
| 4 May | Round 8 | Parramatta Eels | Parramatta Stadium | 14 – 10 | Graham, Tate, Winterstein | Thurston (1/3) | 9,157 |
| 10 May | Round 9 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | ANZ Stadium | 10 – 28 | Winterstein (2) | Thurston (1/2) | 15,972 |
| 18 May | Round 10 | Sydney Roosters | 1300SMILES Stadium | 8 – 12 | Lui | Thurston (2/3) | 13,666 |
| 24 May | Round 11 | Wests Tigers | Leichhardt Stadium | 20 – 22 | Sims (2), Linnett, Winterstein | Thurston (2/4) | 7,125 |
| 2 June | Round 12 | Gold Coast Titans | Skilled Park | 12 – 31 | Graham, Lowe, Winterstein | Lui (0/2), Morgan (0/1) | 12,790 |
| 8 June | Round 13 | Canterbury Bulldogs | 1300SMILES Stadium | 26 – 36 | Greenshields, Johnson, Lui, Tate | Lui (5/5) | 12,775 |
| 14 June | Round 14 | St George Illawarra Dragons | WIN Stadium | 22 – 16 | Greenshields, Linnett, Tate, Winterstein | Thurston (3/4) | 9,035 |
| | Round 15 | Bye | | | | | |
| 30 June | Round 16 | Cronulla Sharks | 1300SMILES Stadium | 24 – 4 | Linnett, Cooper, Winterstein | Thurston (4/5) | 14,434 |
| 7 July | Round 17 | Canberra Raiders | Canberra Stadium | 18 – 26 | Lui, Thurston, Winterstein | Thurston (3/3) | 10,515 |
| 15 July | Round 18 | Manly Sea Eagles | 1300SMILES Stadium | 14 – 34 | Bowen, Morgan | Lowe (3/3) | 9,029 |
| | Round 19 | Bye | | | | | |
| July 26 | Round 20 | Brisbane Broncos | 1300SMILES Stadium | 16 – 18 | Bowen, Cooper, Faifai Loa | Thurston (2/3) | 17,702 |
| 3 August | Round 21 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 1300SMILES Stadium | 30 – 12 | Linnett (2), Lui, T Sims, Tate | Thurston (5/6) | 13,045 |
| 11 August | Round 22 | Penrith Panthers | Centrebet Stadium | 36 – 4 | Thompson (3), Feldt, Tate, Winterstein | Thurston (6/6) | 6,611 |
| 17 August | Round 23 | Gold Coast Titans | 1300SMILES Stadium | 22 – 10 | Feldt (2), Cooper, Hall | Thurston (3/4) | 12,003 |
| 24 August | Round 24 | Newcastle Knights | 1300SMILES Stadium | 26 – 6 | Ulugia (2), Lui, Tate | Thurston (5/6) | 12,208 |
| 1 September | Round 25 | Cronulla Sharks | Remondis Stadium | 31 – 18 | Cooper (2), Bowen, T Sims, Tate | Thurston (5/6, 1 FG) | 15,313 |
| 7 September | Round 26 | Wests Tigers | 1300SMILES Stadium | 50 – 22 | Ulugia (3), Bowen (2), Lui, Taumalolo, Thurston, Winterstein | Thurston (6/7), Bowen (1/2) | 19,519 |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw Bye ||||||||

### Finals

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
| 14 September | Qualifying Final | Cronulla Sharks | Allianz Stadium | 18 – 20 | Tate, Taumalolo, Ulugia | Thurston (3/4) | 32,747 |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw Bye ||||||||

## Statistics

| Name | App | T | G | FG | Pts |
| Scott Bolton | 18 | - | - | - | - |
| Matthew Bowen | 19 | 6 | 1 | - | 26 |
| Gavin Cooper | 22 | 7 | - | - | 28 |
| Kalifa Faifai Loa | 7 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| Kyle Feldt | 3 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| Ashley Graham | 14 | 7 | - | - | 28 |
| Clint Greenshields | 6 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| Glenn Hall | 25 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Jayden Hodges | 3 | - | - | - | - |
| Dallas Johnson | 15 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Rory Kostjasyn | 20 | - | - | - | - |
| Blake Leary | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Kane Linnett | 25 | 9 | - | - | 36 |
| Ethan Lowe | 2 | 1 | 3 | - | 10 |
| Robert Lui | 16 | 7 | 5 | - | 38 |
| Anthony Mitchell | 4 | - | - | - | - |
| Scott Moore | 6 | - | - | - | - |
| Michael Morgan | 9 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Joel Riethmuller | 12 | - | - | - | - |
| Matthew Scott | 22 | - | - | - | - |
| Ashton Sims | 17 | - | - | - | - |
| Tariq Sims | 23 | 4 | - | - | 16 |
| James Tamou | 22 | - | - | - | - |
| Brent Tate | 23 | 10 | - | - | 40 |
| Jason Taumalolo | 14 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Ray Thompson | 19 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| Ricky Thorby | 8 | - | - | - | - |
| Johnathan Thurston | 22 | 2 | 71 | 1 | 151 |
| Wayne Ulugia | 4 | 6 | - | - | 24 |
| Antonio Winterstein | 24 | 13 | - | - | 52 |
| Totals | | 91 | 80 | 1 | 525 |
Source:

## Representatives

The following players have played a representative match in 2013
| | All Stars match | City vs Country | ANZAC Test | Pacific Test | State of Origin 1 | State of Origin 2 | State of Origin 3 | Prime Minister's XIII | World Cup |
| Gavin Cooper | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Prime Minister's XIII | - |
| Alex Elisala | - | - | - | Samoa | - | - | - | - | - |
| Kalifa Faifai Loa | - | - | - | Samoa | - | - | - | - | - |
| Clint Greenshields | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | France |
| Rory Kostjasyn | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Ireland |
| Kane Linnett | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Scotland |
| Joel Riethmuller | - | - | - | Samoa | - | - | - | - | Italy |
| Matthew Scott | - | - | Australia | - | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland | - | Australia |
| Ashton Sims | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Fiji |
| Tariq Sims | - | Country | - | - | - | - | - | - | Fiji |
| James Tamou | NRL All Stars | - | Australia | - | New South Wales | - | New South Wales | Prime Minister's XIII | Australia |
| Brent Tate | - | - | - | - | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland | Prime Minister's XIII | Australia |
| Jason Taumalolo | - | - | - | Tonga | - | - | - | - | Tonga |
| Ray Thompson | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Papua New Guinea |
| Johnathan Thurston | Indigenous All Stars | - | Australia | - | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland | - | Australia |
| Antonio Winterstein | - | - | - | Samoa | - | - | - | - | Samoa |

## Honours
### League

* Dally M Five-Eighth of the Year: Johnathan Thurston

### Club

* Paul Bowman Medal: Matthew Scott
* Player's Player: Matthew Scott
* Club Person of the Year: Kevin Marty
* Rookie of the Year: Kyle Feldt
* Most Improved: Joel Riethmuller
* NYC Player of the Year: Jayden Hodges

## Feeder Clubs
### National Youth Competition

* North Queensland Cowboys - 10th, missed finals

### Queensland Cup

* Mackay Cutters - 2nd, won Grand Final
* Northern Pride - 1st, lost Preliminary Final