The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

NRL season preview: North Queensland Cowboys

Don't say no to Thursto! (Image: AAP)
Expert
11th February, 2015
19

The North Queensland Cowboys are next up in our preview series for the 2015 NRL season after narrowly missing out on a top four birth in 2014 and finishing the year in fifth position.

The Cowboys’ main struggle area last season was winning away from home, and more specifically winning games in Sydney. Had they been able to do this for the first three quarters of the season they would have most certainly been inside the final top four.

With players like Johnathan Thurston, Matt Scott, James Tamou, youngster Michael Morgan and the returning from injury Lachlan Coote there is no question about the obvious talent level at the Cowboys. However, the question for them is whether they can gel early enough in the season.

Another key problem for the Cowboys is the State of Origin period as they lose a number of very good players. Coach Paul Green’s greatest problem for this season will be winning games during that period. Green is a very good coach, taking over the reins in Townsville from the beginning of last season and taking the Cowboys to within a breath of the top four in 2014.

Pre-season fixtures
Jan 30 – Feb 1: Auckland Nines versus Penrith Panthers, South Sydney Rabbitohs and Melbourne Storm
Feb 7: versus Brisbane Broncos @ Mackay Stadium
Feb 21: versus Gold Coast Titans @ Barlow Park

The Cowboys have two games in their 2015 pre-season besides the Auckland Nines. One of these is against the Brisbane Broncos and the other against the Gold Coast Titans. That means they won’t travel outside of Queensland for their pre-season.

This can be taken in two ways. Firstly, it means they will be fresher for the rugby league season. But secondly, it also means their biggest problem from last season – not winning in Sydney – is not being addressed.

Looking at the opposition, the Broncos are a revamped side under the coaching of Wayne Bennett and will be a tough game for the Cowboys, while the Cowboys will want to give a few of their younger and fringe players minutes against the Titans.

Advertisement

Ins and outs

2015 gains
Jake Granville (Brisbane Broncos, 2016), Ben Hannant (Brisbane Broncos, 2015), Kyle McConnell (2016), Tautau Moga (mid-season: Sydney Roosters, 2016), Justin O’Neill (Melbourne Storm, 2016) and Kelepi Tanginoa (Parramatta Eels, 2016).

2015 losses
Anthony Mitchell (QueenslandCup), Curtis Rona (Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs), Ashton Sims (Warrington Wolves), Tariq Sims (Newcastle Knights), Brent Tate (retired) and Ricky Thorby (QueenslandCup)

While the Cowboys’ losses don’t look like many from a numbers point of view, looking at the actual quality of players is a bit of a worry. Firstly, their biggest loss has to be Brent Tate. The veteran centre and winger has finally decided to step down from the top grade of NRL and retire.

The Cowboys have also lost two of the Sims brothers in Ashton and Tariq. Both of these players were essential in the Cowboys line-up in 2014 and therefore could be major losses for the Cowboys. Curtis Rona is the other big loss as he was snapped up by the Bulldogs.

The Cowboys have recruited well to replace these players, although there is a possibility that more depth was needed in their signings. Ben Hannant will be their biggest signing if he can manage to recapture the form he was holding a few years ago and there was no question that he needed a move away from the Broncos.

Jake Granville has also been signed in the forward department and could be an interesting one for Cowboys fans to follow. Justin O’Neill is their other major off-season signing and he should slot straight into the starting line-up. Overall the Cowboys haven’t recruited quite as well as fans would have hoped, but there is still some promising prospects.

Advertisement

Draw analysis
The Cowboys start their season with a tough Saturday night encounter against the Sydney Roosters in the heat of Townsville. They then take on the Newcastle Knights at home before they travel south to Brisbane to take on the Broncos. In Round 4 the Cowboys take on the Melbourne Storm in Townsville, before they finally have to travel to Sydney in Round 5 to take on Penrith.

While they play some very good quality footy sides in the first four rounds, it is essential for the Cowboys to build some momentum so that they can go to Sydney for the first time on the back of some victories. After the Panthers they also take on the Rabbitohs in Sydney, meaning having some momentum will be essential.

The Cowboys’ run home on paper looks to be one where they certainly can’t rely on being able to win all of their games. In the last seven rounds they play four games at home with five of the teams finishing in the bottom eight last season. However, one of the games is a trip across the Tasman to play the Warriors and another is against the Sharks, who are expected to be much improved in 2015.

The teams the Cowboys will play twice in the 2015 NRL season are Newcastle, Brisbane, Manly, Cronulla, South Sydney, Canberra, Parramatta, New Zealand and the Melbourne Storm. While it’s certainly not the easiest list of teams to play twice in the 2015 draw, it’s not the hardest either. However, the one point the Cowboys can take out of this is that there are only four Sydney-based teams out of the nine sides they have to play twice this season.

Predicted impact of State of Origin
Huge, to put it flatly. The Cowboys are always impacted by State of Origin in one way or another. They will lose their main man in Thurston as well as front rower Matt Scott, who is one of the game’s elite front rowers. James Tamou could also be selected for the Blues, along with Michael Morgan and Justin O’Neill, depending on form and injury.

Predicted finish and final word
The Cowboys, a club who will be looking to build upon their performance of last season, have one key area to overcome – trips to Sydney. If they can improve in that area expect the Cowboys to be a deadly force in 2015. I’m tipping them to finish in the top four in 2015.

Next up in this series will be the Penrith Panthers.

Advertisement

Season fixtures
R1 Sat 07 Mar 2015, 9:00pm, 1300 Smiles Stadium Cowboys V Roosters
R2 Sat 14 Mar 2015, 9:00pm, 1300 Smiles Stadium Cowboys V Knights
R3 Fri 20 Mar 2015, 8:35pm, Suncorp Stadium Broncos V Cowboys
R4 Mon 30 Mar 2015, 7:00pm, 1300 Smiles Stadium Cowboys V Storm
R5 Mon 06 Apr 2015, 7:00pm, Sportingbet Stadium Panthers V Cowboys
R6 Mon 13 Apr 2015, 7:00pm, ANZ Stadium Rabbitohs V Cowboys
R7 Sat 18 Apr 2015, 5:30pm, 1300 Smiles Stadium Cowboys V Warriors
R8 Sat 25 Apr 2015, 2:00pm, Hunter Stadium Knights V Cowboys
R9 Sat 09 May 2015, 7:30pm, 1300 Smiles Stadium Cowboys V Bulldogs
R10 Fri 15 May 2015, 7:35pm, 1300 Smiles Stadium Cowboys V Broncos
R11 Sat 23 May 2015, 7:30pm, Campbelltown Stadium Wests Tigers V Cowboys
R12 Sat 30 May 2015, 7:30pm, 1300 Smiles Stadium Cowboys V Sea Eagles
R13 Mon 08 Jun 2015, 7:00pm, Pirtek Stadium Eels V Cowboys
R15 Sat 20 Jun 2015, 3:00pm, GIO Stadium Raiders V Cowboys
R16 Sat 27 Jun 2015, 5:30pm, 1300 Smiles Stadium Cowboys V Sharks
R17 Sat 04 Jul 2015, 7:30pm, WIN Stadium Dragons V Cowboys
R19 Mon 20 Jul 2015, 7:00pm, Brookvale Oval Sea Eagles V Cowboys
R20 Mon 27 Jul 2015, 7:00pm, 1300 Smiles Stadium Cowboys V Eels
R21 TBC, 1300 Smiles Stadium Cowboys V Raiders
R22 TBC, Remondis Stadium Sharks V Cowboys
R23 TBC, 1300 Smiles Stadium Cowboys V Rabbitohs
R24 TBC, Mt Smart Stadium Warriors V Cowboys
R25 TBC, AAMI Park Storm V Cowboys
R26 TBC, 1300 Smiles Stadium Cowboys V Titans

close