The 2006 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 12th in the club's history. Coached by Graham Murray and captained by Travis Norton, they competed in the NRL's 2006 Telstra Premiership.
Season summary Coming off the back of their maiden Grand Final appearance, the Cowboys were strong premiership favourites heading into the 2006 season. They looked like they would be living up to those expectations, with a six-game winning streak to start the season. It wouldn't last though, as the club would lose eight of their next 10, including a six-game losing streak which left them outside the Top 8 halfway through the season. A win against arch-rivals Brisbane in the Queensland derby put them into 6th place with six games remaining but they would lose Johnathan Thurston to injury and another losing streak followed, dashing their finals aspirations. Wins over South Sydney and Parramatta ended their season a good note but it wasn't enough, the pre-season title favourites finishing the season in 9th.
Despite the disappointing season, 2006 saw the debut of club legend Gavin Cooper, who made his debut in Round 2. Cooper would leave the club at the end of the year, spending two seasons with the Gold Coast Titans and two with the Penrith Panthers before rejoining the Cowboys in 2011. Cooper would become an integral part of the club, starting in their 2015 NRL Grand Final and 2016 World Club Challenge winning sides.
2006 was also the final season for club stalwarts Travis Norton and Matt Sing. Norton, who captained the side from 2004 to 2007, and Sing, who scored 73 tries for the club and rejuvenated his career in the process, were key figures in the club's transformation from cellar dwellers into a credible premiership threat. In 2015, Sing was one of the two inaugural inductees into the Cowboys Hall of Fame.
Milestones Round 2: Clint Amos and Gavin Cooper made their NRL debuts. Round 4: Mitchell Sargent played his 50th game for the club. Round 5: Shane Tronc played his 50th game for the club. Round 5: Gavin Cooper scored his first NRL try. Round 7: Steve Southern played his 50th game for the club. Round 7: Ashley Graham made his debut for the club. Round 10: Robert Tanielu made his debut for the club. Round 14: Travis Norton played his 50th game for the club. Round 16: Rod Jensen played his 50th game for the club. Round 16: Ray Cashmere made his debut for the club. Round 17: Mark Henry and Brent McConnell made their NRL debuts. Round 17: Brent McConnell scored his first NRL try. Round 21: Mark Henry scored his first NRL try. Round 22: David Faiumu played his 50th game for the club. Round 22: Matt Sing played his 100th game for the club. Round 26: Josh Hannay played his 150th game for the club.
Squad List
Squad Movement
2006 Gains Player Signed From Russell Aitken Cronulla Sharks Brett Anderson Parramatta Eels Ray Cashmere Wests Tigers Ashley Graham Parramatta Eels (mid-season) Mark Henry Central Comets Robert Tanielu Melbourne Storm
2006 Losses Player Signed To Russell Aitken Melbourne Storm (mid-season) Rory Bromley Redcliffe Dolphins Jaiman Lowe South Sydney Rabbitohs Micheal Luck Warriors Leigh McWilliams Retired David Myles Toulouse Olympique Paul Rauhihi Warrington Wolves
Ladder
Fixtures
Regular season
Date Round Opponent Venue Score Tries Goals Attendance12 MarchRound 1 Brisbane BroncosSuncorp Stadium36 – 4 Thurston (3), Bowen, Sing, Sweeney Thurston (6/7) 46,22918 MarchRound 2 Manly Sea EaglesDairy Farmers Stadium20 – 16 Sing (3), Firman Thurston (2/6) 23,93625 MarchRound 3 Melbourne StormDairy Farmers Stadium40 – 8 Thurston (2), Bowman, O'Donnell, Sweeney, Williams Thurston (8/8) 21,34631 MarchRound 4 Parramatta EelsParramatta Stadium26 – 18 Sing (2), Faiumu, Scott Thurston (5/6) 15,1317 AprilRound 5 Wests TigersDairy Farmers Stadium32 – 12 Jensen (2), Cooper, Sing, Thurston Thurston (6/7) 20,26216 AprilRound 6 Newcastle KnightsEnergyAustralia Stadium18 – 16 Bowen, Sargent, Thurston Thurston (3/3) 26,04822 AprilRound 7 Cronulla SharksToyota Park22 – 24 O'Donnell (2), Jensen, Sing Thurston (3/4) 9,02529 AprilRound 8 Sydney RoostersDairy Farmers Stadium18 – 22 Payne, Sweeney, Thurston Thurston (3/3) 21,1756 MayRound 9 Penrith PanthersDairy Farmers Stadium22 – 6 B. Bowen, Payne, Thurston, Tronc Thurston (3/4) 16,80813 MayRound 10 Melbourne StormOlympic Park6 – 18 B. Bowen Thurston (1/1) 10,830Round 11Bye27 MayRound 12 Canberra RaidersDairy Farmers Stadium14 – 15 Cooper, Thurston Thurston (3/3) 16,9714 JuneRound 13 Wests TigersTelstra Stadium14 – 24 Bowman, Cooper, Thurston Thurston (1/3) 16,73610 JuneRound 14 Cronulla SharksDairy Farmers Stadium4 – 26 B. Bowen Hannay (0/1) 16,77818 JuneRound 15 Canterbury BulldogsCarrara Stadium12 – 20 B. Bowen, Bowman Thurston (2/2) 16,23124 JuneRound 16 St George Illawarra DragonsWIN Stadium14 – 34 Hannay, Sing, Sweeney Thurston (1/4) 13,2891 JulyRound 17 South Sydney RabbitohsDairy Farmers Stadium16 – 14 Payne (2), McConnell McConnell (1/1), Smith (1/2) 17,506Round 18Bye15 JulyRound 19 Penrith PanthersCUA Stadium8 – 17 Southern Thurston (2/2) 8,21222 JulyRound 20 Brisbane BroncosDairy Farmers Stadium26 – 10 Sing (3), Graham, Hannay Hannay (3/6) 24,65830 JulyRound 21 Sydney RoostersSydney Football Stadium20 – 40 Henry, Graham, Sing Hannay (2/4) 7,6175 AugustRound 22 Canterbury BulldogsDairy Farmers Stadium14 – 54 Graham, Henry, Scott Graham (1/2), Smith (0/1) 20,48612 AugustRound 23 WarriorsMt Smart Stadium0 – 26 5,42519 AugustRound 24 Newcastle KnightsDairy Farmers Stadium12 – 19 Smith, Sweeney McConnell (1/1), Sweeney (1/1) 17,89827 AugustRound 25 South Sydney RabbitohsTelstra Stadium34 – 12 Smith (2), Bowen, Faiumu, O'Donnell, Payne Graham (5/7) 8,9141 SeptemberRound 26 Parramatta EelsDairy Farmers Stadium22 – 8 Bowen (2), Payne, Sweeney Hannay (3/4) 18,351 Legend:
Statistics NameAppTGFGPts6----74--16245--20163--126----183--12182--871--41436-24928-2483--12123--1215----312-82----20----164--16216--24201--4222--82413--522231-14181--41----1361-263----171149-142211--420----51--4 Totals 79 67 0 450 Source:
Representatives The following players played a representative match in 2006.
ANZAC Test City vs Country State of Origin 1 State of Origin 2 State of Origin 3 Tri-Nations World Cup qualifiersMatthew Bowen - - Queensland - - - -David Faiumu New Zealand - - - - - - Josh Hannay - - - - Queensland - -Jacob Lillyman - - - Queensland - - -Luke O'Donnell Australia - New South Wales - New South Wales Australia -Mitchell Sargent - Country - - - - -Matthew Scott - - Queensland - - - -Malo Solomona - - - - - - SamoaJohnathan Thurston Australia - Queensland Queensland Queensland Australia -Carl Webb - - Queensland Queensland Queensland - -
Honours
League Wally Lewis Medal: Johnathan Thurston
Club Player of the Year: Aaron Payne Player's Player: Luke O'Donnell Club Person of the Year: Glen Murphy
Feeder Clubs
Queensland Cup North Queensland Young Guns - 2nd, lost semi final
References
External links Official North Queensland Cowboys Website