# 2011 North Queensland Cowboys season

The 2011 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 17th season in the club's history. They competed in the National Rugby League's 2011 Telstra Premiership. They finished the regular season in 7th place and were knocked out in the first week of the finals by the eventual premiers, the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.

## Season summary

After missing the finals the previous three seasons, finishing 15th in both 2008 and 2010, the Cowboys underwent a major overhaul of personnel for the 2011 season. Club legend Ty Williams retired and they parted ways with club favourites Luke O'Donnell, Carl Webb and Steve Southern. Their biggest signing for the 2011 season was Queensland and Australian representative centre Brent Tate. They also made key recruits in the signings of former Melbourne Storm and Queensland State of Origin representative Dallas Johnson, premiership winner Glenn Hall from the English Super League, re-signing a former Cowboy in Gavin Cooper and picking up younger, experienced first graders such as Antonio Winterstein.
The Cowboys' new signings had a positive impact on the NRL team, with the club spending the majority of the year in the top four before a late slide dropped them to seventh position and giving them their first finals appearance since 2007. In 2011, they were the most watched NRL club on pay television, and their Round 4 clash against the Parramatta Eels was the fourth most watched sports event in Fox Sport's history.
In the qualifying final, they led Manly 8–0 at half time before being overrun by the Sea Eagles who went on to claim the premiership.

### Milestones

* Round 1: Glenn Hall, Ben Jones, Dallas Johnson and Ashton Sims made their debuts for the club.
* Round 2: Ashley Graham played his 100th game for the club.
* Round 2: Tariq Sims made his NRL debut.
* Round 3: Kalifa Faifai Loa made his debut for the club.
* Round 3: James Segeyaro made his NRL debut.
* Round 5: Antonio Winterstein made his debut for the club.
* Round 4: Matthew Bowen became the club's most capped player with 204 games.
* Round 9: Johnathan Thurston became the club's highest point scorer.
* Round 10: Willie Tonga played his 50th game for the club.
* Round 13: Johnathan Thurston scored his 50th try for the club.
* Round 14: Ashley Graham scored his 50th try for the club.
* Round 14: Joel Riethmuller made his NRL debut.
* Round 18: Cory Paterson made his debut for the club.
* Round 19: Brent Tate made his debut for the club.
* Round 23: James Tamou played his 50th game for the club.

## Squad Movement
### 2011 Gains

| Player | Signed From | Until End of |
| Gavin Cooper | Penrith Panthers | 2012 |
| Kalifa Faifai Loa | St George Illawarra Dragons | 2012 |
| Glenn Hall | Bradford Bulls | 2012 |
| Dallas Johnson | Catalans Dragons | 2013 |
| Ben Jones | Sydney Roosters | 2012 |
| Blake Leary | Melbourne Storm | 2012 |
| Tyson Martin | Mackay Cutters | 2012 |
| Cory Paterson | Newcastle Knights (mid-season) | 2012 |
| Joel Riethmuller | Northern Pride | 2011 |
| Ashton Sims | Brisbane Broncos | 2012 |
| Tariq Sims | Brisbane Broncos | 2012 |
| Brent Tate | Warriors | 2013 |
| Ricky Thorby | St George Illawarra Dragons | 2012 |
| Antonio Winterstein | Brisbane Broncos | 2013 |

### 2011 Losses

| Player | Signed To | Until End of |
| Mitch Achurch | Western Suburbs Magpies | 2011 |
| Obe Geia | Released | - |
| Ben Harris | Retired | - |
| Donald Malone | Ipswich Jets | 2011 |
| Willie Mason | Hull Kingston Rovers | 2013 |
| Luke O'Donnell | Huddersfield Giants | 2014 |
| Steve Rapira | Warriors | 2012 |
| Grant Rovelli | Mackay Cutters | 2011 |
| Nick Slyney | Redcliffe Dolphins | 2011 |
| Steve Southern | Newcastle Knights | 2011 |
| Arana Taumata | Penrith Panthers | 2011 |
| Anthony Watts | Sydney Roosters | 2013 |
| Carl Webb | Parramatta Eels | 2012 |
| John Williams | Cronulla Sharks | 2011 |
| Ty Williams | Northern Pride | 2011 |

## Ladder

2011 NRL Telstra Premiershipvte :
| Pos. | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Melbourne Storm | 24 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 521 | 308 | 213 | 42 |
| 2 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (P) | 24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 539 | 331 | 208 | 40 |
| 3 | Brisbane Broncos | 24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 511 | 372 | 139 | 40 |
| 4 | Wests Tigers | 24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 519 | 430 | 89 | 34 |
| 5 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 24 | 14 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 483 | 341 | 142 | 33 |
| 6 | New Zealand Warriors | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 504 | 393 | 111 | 32 |
| 7 | North Queensland Cowboys | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 532 | 480 | 52 | 32 |
| 8 | Newcastle Knights | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 478 | 443 | 35 | 28 |
| 9 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 449 | 489 | -40 | 28 |
| 10 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 531 | 562 | -31 | 26 |
| 11 | Sydney Roosters | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 417 | 500 | -83 | 24 |
| 12 | Penrith Panthers | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 430 | 517 | -87 | 22 |
| 13 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 428 | 557 | -129 | 18 |
| 14 | Parramatta Eels | 24 | 6 | 1 | 17 | 2 | 385 | 538 | -153 | 17 |
| 15 | Canberra Raiders | 24 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 423 | 623 | -200 | 16 |
| 16 | Gold Coast Titans | 24 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 363 | 629 | -266 | 16 |

## Fixtures
### Pre-season

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
| 11 February | Trial 1 | Wests Tigers | Jack Manski Oval | 10 – 22 | Martin, Riethmuller | Faifai Loa (1/2) | - |
| 19 February | Trial 2 | Brisbane Broncos | Traeger Park | 4 – 26 | Faifai Loa | Faifai Loa (0/1) | - |
| 26 February | Trial 3 | Gold Coast Titans | Barlow Park | 22 – 24 | Bowen, Bolton, Scott, Tonga | Thurston (3/4) | - |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw ||||||||

### Regular season

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
| 11 March | Round 1 | Brisbane Broncos | Suncorp Stadium | 16 – 14 | Bani, Tamou, Tupou | Thurston (2/3) | 45,119 |
| 19 March | Round 2 | Newcastle Knights | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 22 – 34 | Graham (2), Ah Mau, Jones | Thurston (3/4) | 14,061 |
| 28 March | Round 3 | Melbourne Storm | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 34 – 6 | Bowen (2), Graham (2), T Sims, Tupou | Thurston (5/6) | 9,554 |
| 2 April | Round 4 | Parramatta Eels | Parramatta Stadium | 20 – 22 | Faifai Loa (2), Graham, Tonga | Thurston (2/4) | 12,226 |
| 8 April | Round 5 | Gold Coast Titans | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 22 – 12 | Bowen, Cooper, Thurston, Tonga | Thurston (3/4) | 13,651 |
| 16 April | Round 6 | Canberra Raiders | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 26 – 18 | Bolton, Hall, Thurston, Winterstein | Thurston (5/5) | 10,741 |
| 23 April | Round 7 | Cronulla Sharks | Toyota Stadium | 30 – 12 | Cooper (2), Faifai Loa, Graham, Tonga | Thurston (5/6) | 7,340 |
| 30 April | Round 8 | Manly Sea Eagles | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 22 – 20 | Bowen (2), Payne, Thurston | Thurston (3/4) | 14,884 |
| 8 May | Round 9 | St George Illawarra Dragons | WIN Jubilee Oval | 8 – 22 | Thurston | Thurston (2/2) | 13,056 |
| 14 May | Round 10 | Parramatta Eels | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 40 – 26 | Thurston (2), Tonga (2), Faifai Loa, Hall, Winterstein | Thurston (6/7) | 13,610 |
| | Round 11 | Bye | | | | | |
| 28 May | Round 12 | Sydney Roosters | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 20 – 6 | Hall, Tamou, Thurston | Thurston (4/4) | 13,335 |
| 5 June | Round 13 | Canberra Raiders | Canberra Stadium | 40 – 24 | Faifai Loa (2), T Sims (2), Hall, Payne, Thurston | Thurston (6/7) | 11,128 |
| 11 June | Round 14 | Manly Sea Eagles | Brookvale Oval | 4 – 24 | Graham | Cooper (0/1) | 8,452 |
| 18 June | Round 15 | Warriors | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 30 – 10 | Faifai Loa (2), Graham, Jones, Segeyaro, T Sims, Thurston | Cooper (1/3), Graham (0/1) Thurston (0/3) | 16,081 |
| 26 June | Round 16 | Penrith Panthers | Centrebet Stadium | 20 – 30 | Cooper (2), Jones, Segeyaro | Thurston (2/4) | 14,090 |
| | Round 17 | Bye | | | | | |
| 11 July | Round 18 | Newcastle Knights | Ausgrid Stadium | 22 – 12 | Paterson, Riethmuller, Segeyaro, Tupou | Bowen (3/5) | 17,212 |
| 16 July | Round 19 | Wests Tigers | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 18 – 38 | Paterson (2), Tonga (2) | Bowen (1/4) | 12,880 |
| 23 July | Round 20 | Gold Coast Titans | Skilled Park | 28 – 20 | Graham (2), Cooper, Tate, Tonga | Bowen (4/5) | 15,741 |
| 30 July | Round 21 | Penrith Panthers | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 30 – 18 | Segeyaro (2), Graham, A Sims, Tate, Thompson | Bowen (2/4), Paterson (0/2) | 12,349 |
| 5 August | Round 22 | Canterbury Bulldogs | ANZ Stadium | 6 – 14 | Tate | Bowen (1/1) | 8,654 |
| 12 August | Round 23 | Brisbane Broncos | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 16 – 34 | Bowen, Faifai Loa, Tate | Thurston (2/3) | 26,463 |
| 19 August | Round 24 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | ANZ Stadium | 24 – 26 | Bowen, T Sims, Thurston, Tonga | Thurston (4/5) | 11,208 |
| 27 August | Round 25 | Cronulla Sharks | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 28 – 20 | Taumalolo (2), Bowen, Graham, Hall | Thurston (4/5) | 12,655 |
| 3 September | Round 26 | Warriors | Mt Smart Stadium | 6 – 18 | Faifai Loa | Thurston (1/1) | 20,802 |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw Bye ||||||||

### Finals

| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance |
| 3 September | Qualifying Final | Manly Sea Eagles | SFS | 8 – 32 | Tonga | Thurston (2/2) | 13,972 |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw Bye ||||||||

## Statistics

| Name | App | T | G | FG | Pts |
| Isaak Ah Mau | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Leeson Ah Mau | 15 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Clint Amos | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Michael Bani | 2 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Scott Bolton | 15 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Matthew Bowen | 25 | 8 | 12 | - | 56 |
| Gavin Cooper | 24 | 6 | 1 | - | 26 |
| Kalifa Faifai Loa | 22 | 10 | - | - | 40 |
| Ashley Graham | 25 | 12 | - | - | 48 |
| Glenn Hall | 23 | 5 | - | - | 20 |
| Dallas Johnson | 24 | - | - | - | - |
| Ben Jones | 8 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| Michael Morgan | 4 | - | - | - | - |
| Cory Paterson | 7 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| Aaron Payne | 23 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Joel Riethmuller | 4 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Matthew Scott | 22 | - | - | - | - |
| James Segeyaro | 19 | 5 | - | - | 20 |
| Ashton Sims | 24 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Tariq Sims | 20 | 5 | - | - | 20 |
| James Tamou | 23 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Brent Tate | 9 | 4 | - | - | 16 |
| Jason Taumalolo | 3 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Ray Thompson | 25 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Johnathan Thurston | 19 | 10 | 61 | - | 162 |
| Willie Tonga | 20 | 10 | - | - | 40 |
| Will Tupou | 9 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| Antonio Winterstein | 9 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Totals | | 98 | 74 | - | 540 |
Source:

## Representatives

The following players have played a representative match in 2011
| | All Stars match | ANZAC Test | State of Origin 1 | State of Origin 2 | State of Origin 3 | Prime Minister's XIII | World Cup Qualifiers | Four Nations |
| Matthew Bowen | Indigenous All Stars | - | - | - | - | Prime Minister's XIII | - | - |
| Kalifa Faifai Loa | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | New Zealand |
| Joel Riethmuller | - | - | - | - | - | - | Italy | - |
| Matthew Scott | NRL All Star | Australia | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland | - | - | Australia |
| James Segeyaro | - | - | - | - | - | Papua New Guinea | - | - |
| Ray Thompson | - | - | - | - | - | Papua New Guinea | - | - |
| Johnathan Thurston | Indigenous All Stars | Australia | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland | - | - | Australia |
| Willie Tonga | Indigenous All Stars | - | Queensland | - | - | - | - | Australia |

## Honours
### League

* Golden Boot: Johnathan Thurston
* Dally M Prop of the Year: Matthew Scott
* RLIF Prop of the Year: Matthew Scott
* RLPA NYC Player of the Year: Jason Taumalolo
* NYC Team of the Year: Kyle Feldt, Jason Taumalolo

### Club

* Paul Bowman Medal: Ashley Graham
* Player's Player: Johnathan Thurston
* Club Person of the Year: Gavin Cooper
* Rookie of the Year: Tariq Sims
* Most Improved: Ray Thompson
* NYC Player of the Year: Jason Taumalolo

## Feeder Clubs
### National Youth Competition

* North Queensland Cowboys - 2nd, Runners-up

### Queensland Cup

* Mackay Cutters - 11th, missed finals
* Northern Pride - 2nd, Lost Semi Final