he bulk of North Queensland’s NRL premiership-winning squad will go on a whistlestop tour of their region on Sunday for further celebrations of the club’s inaugural title success.
Co-captains Johnathan Thurston and Matt Scott will lead a contingent of 12 Cowboys as they fly more than 3000km in just 11 hours, stopping off to greet fans in the major regional centres of Mackay, Mount Isa and Cairns.
Large crowds are expected in all three cities to clamour for the chance to see the Provan-Summons Trophy up close.
“It will be a fantastic day and a real watershed moment in terms of connecting with Cowboys communities,” said North Queensland CEO Greg Tonner.
“The players and coaching staff have delivered the Cowboys a maiden NRL premiership and the club now wants to share this great achievement with our valued members, sponsors and supporters living in these three fantastic cities.
“There are also plans afoot to tour the Telstra Premiership Trophy to the smaller communities within Cowboys Country, and staff is working hard behind the scenes to make this a reality over the coming weeks and months.”
The Cowboys depart Townsville on a charter flight at 8am (AEST) on Sunday, heading south to Mackay for a tickertape parade and civic reception.
Another party awaits the team at the Buchanan Park rodeo grounds in Mount Isa, while fans from the far north are expected to pack out NRL venue Barlow Park in Cairns later in the evening.
The other players on the tour will be Ray Thompson, Ben Hannant, Scott Bolton, Rory Kostjasyn, Ethan Lowe, Antonio Winterstein, Kane Linnett, Justin O’Neill, Kyle Feldt and Jason Taumalolo, while Cowboys mascot Blue and cheerleaders from the NQ Spirit will also be part of the touring party.
North Queensland’s trophy tour, Sunday, October 18
* 8am: Depart Townsville
* 8.50am: Arrive Mackay
* 9.15am: Tickertape parade along Victoria Street
* 9.30am: Civic reception at Bluewater Quay
* 11am: Depart Mackay
* 12.30pm: Arrive Mount Isa
* 12.45am: Civic reception at Buchanan Park
* 2.15pm: Depart Mount Isa
* 3.35pm: Arrive Cairns
* 4pm: Civic reception at Barlow Park
* 6.10pm: Depart Cairns
* 7pm: Arrive Townsville
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