How the Cowboys won the NRL premiership in Round 4

After what has been labelled as the greatest grand final of all time, it is easy to forget just how much effort goes into winning a premiership.

Not only that, you also need a lot of things to go your way, your fair share of luck – and you need to avoid injuries to key players.

The last-minute miracle try, the conversion attempt that hit the post, and the field goal that followed all combined to produce 10 of the most captivating minutes in sporting history.

But how quickly we forget just what happened throughout the year.

Let me take you back to Round 4. The Cowboys are playing the Melbourne Storm in Townsville after a dreaded start to the season which left them at 0-3, including a shock loss to the Newcastle Knights.

With nine minutes to go, the Storm led by seven points and had the game all but sewn up. The Cowboys faithful were frustrated and had resigned themselves to a four-game losing streak to start what they hoped would be a promising year.

What followed was similar chaos to the dying stages of the grand final.

After scoring a try in the corner, Johnathan Thurston slotted the sideline conversion and left his team with a slim shot at victory. A ruck penalty was awarded to the Cowboys in the set following the kick-off and Thurston slotted a clutch field goal to send the game into golden point with just seconds remaining.

Thurston then went on to kick the game-winning field goal in extra time to give the Cowboys their first win of the season. They then went on an 11-game winning streak that eventually booked them a top-four spot and the chance to win their maiden premiership.

It is all hearsay as to what would have happened had the Cowboys have lost the game and extended their losing streak to four, but it would have been very unlikely that they would have finished in the top four and given themselves a shot at premiership glory.

We will never forget the final moments of the decider that handed Johnathan Thurston and the Cowboys that long awaited maiden premiership, but what is forgotten is the many hiccups and setbacks that have to be overcome along the way.

Perhaps it was fitting that a Thurston field goal gave them their all-important first win earlier in the year and also the most important win in the club’s history – a grand final win.

We can argue all day about what won the Cowboys a premiership. Whether it was the emergence of Michael Morgan and Jake Granville, or the addition of established players Lachlan Coote and Ben Hannant, but without that win in Round 4 a premiership would have been wishful thinking.