As we wait for season 2011 to get underway, the Making The Nut team will take a look back over the last 20 years to name the 20 best players at all sixteen teams. Merged teams will take account of both clubs pre-merger and the only rule is that a player must have played at least three years post-1990. A player’s time at the club is the only time that is taken into account.
First up, Cliff Bingham looks at his beloved North Queensland Cowboys.
20. John Lomax
19. Steve Walters
Walters and Lomax have been bracketed together because while their overall careers would suggest a much higher ranking, they played only a combined 79 games for the Cowboys over a three year span from 1997 to 1999, a period where the Cowboys won only 18 matches out of 66. Both players belong far more to Canberra than they do to North Queensland. Lomax was voted Cowboys Player of the Year in 1998 and Players’ Player in 1998 and 1999.
18. Nathan Fien
A utility player who could line up in the 6, 7 or 9 jerseys as circumstances warranted, Fien made his debut in 2000, appeared for Queensland in 2001and formed unlikely halves partnerships with Chris Sheppard and David Myles in 2004 as the Cowboys made their first tilt at an NRL finals series. Sadly he was one of the players to make way for the arrival of Thurston at the club, signing for the Warriors in 2005 and subsequently St George-Illawarra in 2010.
17. Travis Norton
One of many short-term signings from other clubs (playing for North Queensland from 2004 through to 2006), the former Bulldog was club captain during his three year tenure and brought with him a winning culture that was embraced by the club. As a player he was a jack of all trades – a lock first and foremost who also had the capacity to play at five-eighth or in the centres if needs be, whose utility value helped him earn a spot in five appearances for Queensland between 2002 and 2004.
16. Glenn Morrison
The former Balmain and North Sydney back-rower joined the Cowboys in 2000, playing 94 games for the club in an era where the Cowboys tended to struggle before the signings of O’Donnell, Southern and Travis Norton helped to bolster the back row. He was voted both Cowboys Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year in 2001, and departed the Cowboys at the end of 2004 to take up a contract with Parramatta.
15. John Buttigieg
A foundation member of the Cowboys, Buttigieg was a hard-working prop whose battle with injuries saw him only make 101 first-grade appearances for the Cowboys over a nine year span. At his best he was an extremely effective front rower, representing Queensland three times in 2001 and 2002 and being was voted Players’ Player in 1999.
14. Carl Webb
The former Bronco was a wrecking ball at his best, rampaging over wannabe defenders and laying on plenty of big hits himself, most famously in State Of Origin where he planted consecutive crunching hits on NSW prop Luke Bailey. Unfortunately there was a wide gap between his best and worst, and when he departed at the end of 2010 to take up a contract with Parramatta there were few regrets for Cowboys fans. Had his enormous potential been consistently fulfilled, Webb would be ten spots higher on this list.
13. Steve Southern
A former Wests Tigers back-rower who found an opportunity well north of the Tweed border, Southern was a tireless defender during his early years at North Queensland before injuries began to plague him. He departed the Cowboys at the end of 2010 to take up a contract with Newcastle.
12. Willie Tonga
Only a Cowboy for the past two seasons since moving from his previous club Canterbury, Tonga has added attacking flair and speed to the three-quarter line and has formed part of the Queensland State of Origin centre pairing in both years. Barring future injuries or form slumps, Tonga is likely to move up the list of most valuable Cowboys as his career progresses.
11. Paul Rauhihi
Despite only being at North Queensland for three seasons from 2003 through to 2005, Rauhihi brought a level of credibility and intensity to the Cowboys front row that was previously missing. He was the heart and soul of the Cowboys’ engine room during 2004 and 2005 – it was no coincidence that North Queensland played seven finals matches in those two years. He was voted Cowboys Player of the Year in 2003 and Players’ Player of the Year in 2004.
10. Shane Tronc
Tronc started his first grade career in 2004 as a big lumbering prop, not playing a lot of minutes and having less than safe hands. But he learned quickly and by 2007 had formed a strong front row partnership with Ray Cashmere. Sadly for North Queensland, first Cashmere and then Tronc (at the end of 2009) was not re-signed by the club and Matthew Scott aside, the prop ranks at the club plummeted.
9. Matthew Scott
Despite being selected as an interchange player for Queensland as early as 2006, it was in 2010 that Scott really came of age as a one of the premier props in the NRL, earning both Queensland and Australian jerseys and being voted both Cowboys Player of the Year and Players’ Player. His career is still on an upward trajectory and a position further up this list in subsequent years beckons.
8. Ty Williams
One of five Cowboys with 150+ first-grade appearances to his name, Williams teamed up with Matt Sing for five years to form the best wing pairing in the history of the club. While Williams’ performances as part of the Cowboys’ back three were given less media attention than those of Sing or Matt Bowen, representative honours came his way in 2005 when being selected for Queensland.
7. Josh Hannay
The club record holder for points scored and another Cowboy to make 150 first-grade appearances for the club, Hannay formed a reliable centre pairing with Paul Bowman for more than half a decade. Much as with Bowman, Hannay did not possess the natural gifts of some more celebrated centres, but his work ethic allowed him to have a career where his full potential was realised.
6. Aaron Payne
Third on the list of most first grade appearances for the Cowboys (171 games), Payne’s career and impact on the Cowboys attacking game really evolved with the signing of Johnathan Thurston. His darting runs out of dummy half and quick service to the likes of Thurston and Bowen were a trademark of the 2007 Cowboys side who won the most regular season games (15) in club history before bowing out in the preliminary final. He was voted Cowboys Player of the Year in 2006 and 2008 and Players’ Player Year in 2008.
5. Luke O’Donnell
The former Wests Tigers back-rower joined the Cowboys in 2004 and was an important part of their first finals campaign in that year and subsequent finals appearances in 2005 and 2007. A tough, hard-running ‘enforcer’ style back-rower, he was an ideal foil for the likes of Steve Southern and Jacob Lillyman during the most successful years for North Queensland, albeit that his temper landed him judiciary appearances from time to time. He was voted Cowboys Player of the Year in 2004 and 2009 and Players’ Player in 2006 and 2009.
4. Matt Sing
Another player recruited from a more successful club (in Sing’s case, the Roosters) to help invigorate the Cowboys, Sing quickly became the key attacking weapon in the North Queensland three-quarter line. A Queensland representative from 2003 through to 2005, Sing’s best performance in Cowboy colours came in their inaugural finals appearance against the eventual premiers Canterbury, scoring a treble in a 30-22 upset victory. He was voted Cowboys Player of the Year in 2002 and Players’ Player in 2002 and 2003.
3. Matt Bowen
The second Cowboy after Paul Bowman to reach 200 first grade appearances for the club, Bowen was at his electrifying best from 2003 through to 2007, a period where he also broke into a Queensland side that had great depth in the fullback role and where he most famously intercepted a Brett Kimmorley cut-out pass and raced away to score a golden point try and secure a famous Queensland victory. Injuries have plagued his last two seasons, but when fit the Thurston-Bowen-Payne combination offers big headaches for any defensive unit. He was voted both Cowboys Player of the Year and Players’ Player in 2007.
2. Paul Bowman
Currently the most capped Cowboy (although number three on this list is set to overtake him this season), Paul Bowman epitomises the ‘local boy done good’ notion. Whilst he was far from being the most electric or naturally gifted player on the field, his work ethic was second to none and he remains one of the best defensive centres I’ve ever seen. He was the Cowboy player who most deserved to win a premiership during his career but unfortunately it wasn’t to be, coming up one short in his farewell appearance in the 2005 Grand Final. He was club captain from 2001 through to 2003 and was voted Cowboys Player of the Year in 1999 and 2000 and Players’ Player in 2005.
1. Johnathan Thurston
Thurston is clearly the most talented player ever to lace up the boots for the Cowboys, having been recruited from Canterbury at the end of the 2004 season. Whilst his attacking prowess and the skill of both his kicking and passing games is often praised, his tireless cover defence and impact on the attitude of teammates when not in possession is often overlooked. No other Cowboys player has ever had such a command over a spot in the Queensland and Australian sides. He was voted Cowboys Player of the Year in 2005 and has been the club captain since 2007.