Six shooter: Biggest moments in the Brisbane Broncos-North Queensland Cowboys NRL rivalry
Broncos coach Kevin Walters should put on a replay of what happened against the Cowboys last year. A home ground humiliation that will live long in memory.
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The Broncos once held such a stranglehold on rugby league in Queensland that it was hard to see the Cowboys ever stepping out of their shadow.
But the Cowboys could rightly claim to be the Kings of Queensland as it stands.
With the 2015 premiership under their belts, and a 2017 grand final loss to Melbourne as well, the boys from the north have been a title threat over the past decade.
They fell one game short of another grand final appearance last year.
The Cowboys have won four of the past five derbies and are aiming for three straight wins against Big Brother Brisbane for the first time since 2012.
We take a look at the grand final classics and golden-point thrillers that turned the Broncos-Cowboys derby into the stuff of legends, as another chapter prepares to be written.
THE GREATEST GRAND FINAL
Who can ever forget this? The moment the Cowboys broke the Broncos’ hearts in the 2015 grand final to break North Queensland’s 20-year premiership hoodoo.
The Cowboys looked gone.
Trailing 16-12 inside the final minute, the Cowboys had one final attacking raid. Somehow they produced a miracle, Michael Morgan ghosting across field, sucking in winger Corey Oates, and slipping a superb pass for Kyle Feldt to touch down in the corner.
Broncos fullback Darius Boyd fell to the ground as if he had been shot by a Homebush sniper.
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Johnathan Thurston had a chance to win the grand final with a sideline conversion. Incredibly, his kick cannoned into the post. We had extra-time. From the kick-off, Broncos halfback Ben Hunt sensationally knocked on, gifting the Cowboys a scrum on the 10-metre line.
Strong defensive pressure saw the Cowboys abort field goal attempts on the first and third tackles, but on the fourth, Thurston stepped up to drive home the winning one-pointer.
It nailed the coffin shut on the shattered Broncos - and sent the Cowboys into a premiership dream world.
THE SUNCORP MASSACRE
It was one of North Queensland’s biggest ever wins against Brisbane and it’s still fresh in the minds of the Broncos.
The Cowboys flogged Brisbane 38-12 at Suncorp Stadium last year in what was a Sunday afternoon horror show for the Broncos.
Cowboys forward Jeremiah Nanai announced himself as an NRL star of the future with a hat-trick as North Queensland ran rampant.
Broncos coach Kevin Walters should put on a replay of the match for his team this week after they were embarrassed on home turf.
HALF THE BATTLE
Adam Reynolds or Chad Townsend. Who would you choose as your halfback?
Cowboys coach Todd Payten opted for Townsend.
The Cowboys were chasing both off-contract playmakers two years ago, but they only had the funds to purchase one, so Payten and his coaching unit embarked on a scouting mission that included interviews with both Reynolds and Townsend.
After speaking with Reynolds, Payten was not convinced the Souths champion had his heart set on moving to Townsville. He then met Townsend and was blown away by his professionalism, drive and insights into what it took to win a premiership after his success at Cronulla in 2016.
Payten was sold. Chad would be his man. And while the Cowboys copped criticism for handing Townsend a three-year deal, the 32-year-old turned back the clock with a stellar campaign to fire North Queensland to the preliminary final last season.
By comparison, Reynolds found his way to the Broncos, where he has been equally impressive.
Townsend won both contests over Reynolds last year in the Cowboys’ 38-12 and 40-26 victories.
Which playmaker will prevail on Friday night?
COWBOYS RUIN TALLIS’ FAREWELL
It was the night the Cowboys came of age.
On September 18, 2004, after years of playing second fiddle to the Broncos, North Queensland pulled off what was arguably its greatest win ever at the time.
The 10-0 victory over Brisbane at a sold-out Dairy Farmers Stadium in a knockout semi-final put the Cowboys on the map.
The match turned out to be the final NRL game for Broncos great Gorden Tallis as the Cowboys stole the show.
“It helped get rid of the stigma against the Broncos,” said former Cowboys football chief Peter Parr.
“We had gone close a few times, we had a couple of draws, but to finally beat them in such a big game it was unbelievable. You could not have written a script any better.”
DEARDEN DUDDED
Tom Dearden will never admit publicly. But privately, the Cowboys playmaker loves nothing more than jamming it up the Broncos.
It’s a sentiment that stems from his stunning fall from grace at the Broncos.
As a 15-year-old, Dearden was rated one of the finest young halves to come through the Broncos system. Johnathan Thurston worked with Dearden at a junior Queensland camp and believed he would be a 15-year NRL playmaker.
Former Broncos coach Anthony Seibold gave Dearden his NRL debut as an 18-year-old in 2019, then it all fell apart.
By the time Kevin Walters had replaced Seibold in 2021, Dearden’s confidence was shot. Walters wasn’t convinced if Dearden could take the next step, prompting the playmaker’s management to broker a mid-season release to the Cowboys.
Under Todd Payten, Dearden came of age last year, carving up the Broncos in round 3 before winning a shock call-up to the Queensland side for the Origin decider, where he was outstanding in the Maroons’ series-winning victory.
Dearden is now entrenched as the Cowboys’ No. 6 and will run onto Suncorp on Friday night chasing more bragging rights in the XXXX derby.
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Originally published as Six shooter: Biggest moments in the Brisbane Broncos-North Queensland Cowboys NRL rivalry
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