The 2001 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 7th in the club's history. Coached by Tim Sheens and captained by Paul Bowman, they competed in the NRL's 2001 Telstra Premiership.

Following a mid-season club taker over by News Limited, Sheens resigned as head coach on 25 May and was replaced by his assistant, Murray Hurst.

Season summary 2001 was another season that started with high hopes but ended in disaster for the club. It got off to an awful start before a ball was even kicked, when club captain Tim Brasher injured his knee in the pre-season, resulting in a complete reconstruction and ruling him out for the year. The club struggled to replace the outgoing Scott Prince in the halves and Brasher at fullback, winning just two games after 11 games to sit in last place on the ladder.

Their Round 6 win over the Wests Tigers was shrouded in controversy when Tigers' winger John Hopoate, in an attempt to unsettle several of his opponents, inserted his finger in three players' anuses, the first occurring during the seventh minute of play. Hopoate was subsequently suspended for 12 games.

Following the Round 11 loss to the Canterbury Bulldogs, Tim Sheens took a period of stress-leave and later resigned from the club on 25 May after News Limited took full control of the club. He was replaced by his assistant, former Tongan national team coach Murray Hurst.

The change did little to alter the fortunes of the side, winning just four of their last 15 games. A win in Round 26 over the Warriors in Auckland spared the side of a second straight wooden spoon, finishing ahead of the Penrith Panthers on points differential.

Despite the issues on and off the field, there were a number of bright spots throughout the season, including the emergence of Matthew Bowen. Bowen, who made his debut in Round 2, would go onto play 270 games, scoring 130 tries, and representing Australia and Queensland during his 13-year career at the club. Another positive was the selection of four players in the victorious Queensland squad for the 2001 State of Origin series, the most for the club at the time. All four players selected (Paul Bowman, John Buttigieg, John Doyle and Nathan Fien) were local products who came through the junior ranks of the club.

Milestones Round 1: Tim Maddison and Lee Oudenryn made their debuts for the club. Round 1: Matthew Bowen and Trent Leis made their NRL debuts. Round 4: Adam Nable made his debut for the club. Round 4: Tarin Bradford and Chris Sheppard made their NRL debuts. Round 7: Chris Muckert made his NRL debut. Round 10: Micheal Luck made his NRL debut. Round 11: Peter Jones became the first player to play 100 games for the club. Round 13: John Doyle played his 50th game for the club. Round 19: George Gatis made his NRL debut. Round 13: Josh Hannay played his 50th game for the club. Round 25: Danny Moore made his debut for the club.

Squad List

Squad Movement

2001 Gains Player Signed from Trent Leis Redcliffe Dolphins Tim Maddison Cronulla Sharks Danny Moore London Broncos (mid-season) Adam Nable Wests Tigers Lee Oudenryn Auckland Warriors Scott Whiting Wests Panthers

2001 Losses Player Signed To Graham Appo Huddersfield Giants Greg Bourke Burleigh Bears Brett Boyd Retired Des Clark Retired Darrien Doherty Retired Scott Donald Parramatta Eels Noel Goldthorpe Retired Chad Halliday Parramatta Eels Shane Kenward Retired Martin Locke Retired Scott Prince Brisbane Broncos Ben Rauter Wakefield Trinity Wildcats Jeremy Schloss Retired

Ladder

Fixtures

Regular season

Date Round Opponent Venue Score Tries Goals Attendance17 FebruaryRound 1 Brisbane BroncosDairy Farmers Stadium17 – 18 Morrison, O'Neill O'Neill (4/5), Fien (1 FG) 21,72924 FebruaryRound 2 Melbourne StormColonial Stadium32 – 28 Strickland (2), Buttigieg, Fien, O'Neill, Relf O'Neill (4/7) 12,3213 MarchRound 3 Sydney RoostersDairy Farmers Stadium8 – 32 Buttigieg, Morrison O'Neill (0/2) 19,26310 MarchRound 4 Penrith PanthersCazaly's Stadium18 – 32 Hannay, Morrison, Relf O'Neill (3/3) 13,50017 MarchRound 5 Cronulla SharksToyota Park16 – 24 Bowman, Morrison, Relf O'Neill (2/3) 10,25024 MarchRound 6 Wests TigersDairy Farmers Stadium24 – 10 Bowman, Buttigieg, O'Neill, Shipway O'Neill (4/6) 12,3571 AprilRound 7 St George Illawarra DragonsWIN Stadium12 – 48 Fien, Warren O'Neill (2/2) 9,5837 AprilRound 8 Parramatta EelsDairy Farmers Stadium14 – 14 Bowman, Buttigieg, Warren O'Neill (1/4) 12,94915 AprilRound 9 Canberra RaidersBruce Stadium26 – 34 Bowen, Doyle, Leis, Morrison, Warren Leis (3/4), O'Neill (0/1) 7,19122 AprilRound 10 Northern EaglesCazaly's Stadium22 – 24 Bowen, Fien, O'Neill O'Neill (5/5) 6,11328 AprilRound 11 Canterbury BulldogsDairy Farmers Stadium14 – 26 Jellick, Morrison O'Neill (3/3) 9,82013 MayRound 12 Newcastle KnightsMarathon Stadium34 – 42 Bowman (2), Jellick, Morrison, Paterson, Warren Leis (4/4), O'Neill (1/2) 18,03920 MayRound 13 WarriorsDairy Farmers Stadium35 – 18 Leis (2), Bowman, Fien, Luck, Morrison Leis (3/6), O'Neill (2/3), Fien (1 FG) 10,81927 MayRound 14 Brisbane BroncosANZ Stadium6 – 50 Fien Leis (1/1) 14,7142 JuneRound 15 Melbourne StormDairy Farmers Stadium24 – 38 O'Neill (3), Bowen Leis (4/5) 10,98716 JuneRound 16 Sydney RoostersSFS24 – 50 Bowman, Morrison, O'Neill, Shipway, Warren Leis (1/2), O'Neill (1/3) 6,43223 JuneRound 17 Penrith PanthersPenrith Stadium26 – 20 Doyle, Hannay, Luck, O'Neill O'Neill (5/5) 7,3267 JulyRound 18 Cronulla SharksDairy Farmers Stadium6 – 36 Maddison O'Neill (1/1) 13,49414 JulyRound 19 Wests TigersLeichhardt Oval18 – 20 Jellick, Leis, Morrison, O'Neill O'Neill (1/4) 4,72421 JulyRound 20 St George Illawarra DragonsDairy Farmers Stadium34 – 10 Bowman, Hannay, Jellick, Jones, Leis, Morrison Leis (5/7) 14,29329 JulyRound 21 Parramatta EelsParramatta Stadium0 – 62 13,1924 AugustRound 22 Canberra RaidersDairy Farmers Stadium10 – 29 Bowman, Jones O'Neill (1/2) 11,26112 AugustRound 23 Northern EaglesBrookvale Oval24 – 24 Bowman (2), Bowen, Jellick, Morrison O'Neill (2/5), Bowen (0/1) 8,00918 AugustRound 24 Canterbury BulldogsSydney Showground22 – 30 Bowen, Bowman, Jones O'Neill (4/5), Bowen (1/1) 6,71525 AugustRound 25 Newcastle KnightsDairy Farmers Stadium18 – 34 Morrison, O'Neill, Relf O'Neill (3/3) 14,1472 SeptemberRound 26 WarriorsEricsson Stadium30 – 18 Gatis (2), Bowen, Relf O'Neill (7/8) 24,568 Legend:

Statistics NameAppTGFGPts10----1561-262512--482----154--167----5----112--8265-22282--8123--127----175--20243--121----17521-62162--8191--41----1----13----3----2----2313--5210----12----1----231156-1563----121--42----215--2017----172--83----172--87----175--20 Totals 89 78 2 514 Source:

Representatives The following players played a representative match in 2001.

City vs Country State of Origin 1 State of Origin 2 State of Origin 3 Paul Bowman John Buttigieg John Doyle Nathan Fien Glenn Morrison

Honours

Club Player of the Year: Glenn Morrison Players' Player: Glenn Morrison Club Person of the Year: Peter Jones

Feeder Clubs

NSWRL First Division North Queensland Cowboys - 4th, lost semi final

References