2019 Review: North Queensland Cowboys

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Andrew Ferguson looks back at the Cowboys' NRL farewell season at 1300SMILES Stadium.

After the Cowboys went on a miraculous run to reach the Grand Final in 2017 without leaders and star players Johnathan Thurston and Matt Scott for practically the whole year, much was expected of them in 2018, instead they slumped down to 13th place, sending JT out without one last finals appearance.

2019 looked set for the club to realise that form change when they revealed they had signed Cronulla and St Helens premiership winning fullback Ben Barba. However that news turned sour when Barba was sacked in the pre-season for an off-field matter.

Despite off-field turmoil started positively for the Cowboys as they beat a strong Dragons squad 24-12, however they lost their next four games to fall to second-last. They then won 5 of their next 7 to revive their season and rise to 9th on the table, but then won just one of their next nine to drop back down to second-last. Their sole win in that time? An impressive 15-12 victory against defending and eventual premiers the Sydney Roosters.

The Cowboys won 2 of their last 3 games to finish the season disappointingly in 14th place.

Turning Point

After beating the Roosters in an impressive performance 15-12, the Cowboys moved up to 10th place and were a chance to still make the finals at the end of Round 17. The following week though, they were easily beaten by South Sydney 30-18, the first of five consecutive losses, thus ending their final hopes.

What Worked

Hulking Cowboys lock Jason Taumalolo was once again immense for the Cowboys each week. Game after game, he carried his side in attack and kept them in many contests with his powerful running style.

What Didn't Work

The Cowboys finished 2019 with the third worst attack, having scored just 378 points (at an average of 15.75 per game). This was better than only the last placed Titans (370) and the 12th placed Bulldogs (326).

Their attack struggled all year, impacted largely by the constant changes to their spine. over 2019 they used four different fullbacks (only the Dragons used more with 5), five different five-eighths (only the Warriors used more with 6), three halfbacks (the Bulldogs, Broncos and Titans used more, with 4) and two hookers. The constant spine changes resulted in the Cowboys attack struggling to click all year.

Best Players

Taumalolo was the greatest player at the club and continued to prove he was one of the best forwards in the world. In the backline, the Cowboys picked up Storm utility back Scott Drinkwater in the middle of the year and he became a revelation for the Townsville club at fullback, making the position his own.

Disappointing Players

After representing Queensland in 2017 and 2018, the form of Coen Hess plummeted in 2019 as he failed to secure a starting spot in the Cowboys back row. His 4 weeks filling in at centre were probably the worst of his career, however that's hardly his fault, as he was out of position and covering for injuries. 

Star recruit for the Cowboys Josh McGuire started the season strong and was one of the form players in the game, but two eye gouging allegations marred much of his season.

Rookies

Murray Tualagi - The 20 year old Kiwi winger made his NRL debut in Round 18, marking up against Test back Dane Gagai. He held his own reasonably well and finished the year playing 6 of the last 8 Cowboys games.

Lower Grades

The Cowboys' feeder clubs are the Mackay Cutters, Northern Pride and Townsville Blackhawks.

QRL Intrust Super Cup

Mackay and the Pride had seasons seemingly just as disappointing as the Cowboys. They finished 11th and 12th out of 14 teams in the Intrust Super Cup, Mackay winning just 7 and the Pride winning just 5 of their 23 games for the year.

Townsville had better luck, finishing 4th with 17 wins across the season. They progressed as far as the preliminary final weekend before being eliminated by Wynnum Manly.

QRL Under 20s Hastings Deering Colts

The Blackhawks were one of three standout clubs in the Under 20's this year, finishing minor premiers on differential ahead of Burleigh and Wynnum Manly - but fell out of the finals in straight sets. Mackay finished fifth and pushed to the preliminary finals before being knocked out by Wynnum Manly, while the Pride finished just outside the finals picture in 9th place.

Looking Ahead

The Cowboys are chasing former Test and Premiership winning fullback Valentine Holmes, with reports they are close to signing him after his stint in the NFL reportedly ended.

Aside from that news, the Cowboys have picked up Wests Tigers centre Esan Marsters and Dragons hooker Reece Robson. If they can score Holmes, they will move Drinkwater to the halves to partner Michael Morgan, giving them a very strong spine indeed.

They'll be looking to move back into the top 8, but at this stage, their priority will be squarely on improvement and consistency