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This is the penultimate article in the series where I’ll pick a team of the best players who got away from a club since 2000. Today – the North Queensland Cowboys.
The only criteria are that the player named must have made his debut for the Cowboys, left the club after 2000, and then played with another NRL club, rather than just retired or headed to obscurity in either the ESL or rugby.
(Details in brackets are the year the player debuted for the Cowboys and the number of games played for the club.)
1. Kalyn Ponga (2016, nine games)
Ponga was a junior star at many sports, and although on a scholarship with the Broncos, ultimately rejected their advances, together with the advances of the Roosters, Storm, rugby union and the AFL, to sign with the Cowboys at the age of 15.
He made his first grade debut in the 2016 semi-final against the Broncos, and two months later it was announced that he had been signed by the Newcastle Knights on a big-money deal for 2018 and beyond. A very big fish who got away.
2. Matt Petersen (2002, eight games)
Petersen was just an eight-game rookie when he jumped ship to join the Eels halfway through his debut season, and he went on to have a solid career over the next eight years. Expendable.
3. Enari Tuala (2017, 18 games)
Tuala came through the Cowboys development system and represented the Junior Kangaroos before making his first grade debut at the age of 18, and spent the next couple of seasons in and out of first grade.
His contract wasn’t renewed at the end of 2019 and he promptly signed with the Knights for the following season, where he has proved himself to be a reliable first grader with a knack for scoring tries.
4. Ben Farrar (2007, 38 games)
Hailing from Newcastle, Farrar headed north for an opportunity in the top grade, and looked to be quite a handy player in the time he was at the club. He switched to Manly mid-season in 2009, and continued to impress.
5. Curtis Rona (2014, seven games)
I guess seven games is a pretty small sample size for a club to assess the value of a player, but he did cross for six tries. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, Rona signed on with the Bulldogs for the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
6. Jake Clifford (2018, 42 games)
Clifford always looked to have the ability but could never really capitalise on his opportunities, seeing him leave NQ midway through the 2021 season for Newcastle. A good offload by the Cowboys.
(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
7. Nathan Fien (2000, 91 games)
Fien was making a great fist of the halfback role but his timing was impeccable, as he left for the Warriors in 2005, the same year that Johnathan Thurston joined the Cowboys.
8. James Tamou (2009, 170 games)
The big New South Welshman from NZ was a key member of the Cowboys pack, and in both the NSW and Australian sides when he decided to jump ship to the Panthers in 2017. A big loss for the Cowboys.
9. James Segeyaro (2011, 33 games)
Segeyaro was stuck behind Cowboys stalwart Aaron Payne for the dummy-half role so it was no surprise when he took the opportunity to join the Panthers in 2013 where he proved his first grade credentials.
10. Jacob Lillyman (2003, 62 games)
Lillyman was firmly entrenched in the Cowboys team when injury ended his season midway through the 2008 season, and then salary cap pressure saw him squeezed out of the club to join the Warriors in 2009. Looks like they got this one badly wrong.
11. Tariq Sims (2011, 71 games)
Sims hit the ground running at the Cowboys after debuting as a 21-year-old, and fought back from a couple of serious injuries to hold his place in the top grade. It was the Cowboys’ loss and Newcastle’s gain when he headed south in 2015.
12. Steve Rapira (2009, 26 games)
After a strong rookie season Rapira came back to the field in 2010, and left the club to join the Warriors the following year. His career didn’t reach any great heights after that.
13. Michael Luck (2001, 76 games)
Luck was a player who never seemed to get the accolades he deserved during his time with the Cowboys, but that all changed when he headed to the Warriors in 2006, where he went from bench player to one of the first forwards picked. A very solid performer.
The Cowboys lost a number of debutants over the years who would have proven to be very solid first graders had they been retained. Ponga was a big loss, but so too were reliable performers in Tamou, Lillyman and Luck.
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