Inside the creation of NRL club North Queensland Cowboys 30 years after it was established
The Cowboys were formed on the back of people power and 30 years after its creation we are taking you inside the movement that had players working on farms as much as the field to bring professional rugby league to life in North Queensland.
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The Cowboys could not exist anywhere but in North Queensland.
The geographical challenges of the club alone would be enough to have whoever came up with the idea laughed out of the boardroom.
But as Cowboys CEO Jeff Reibel so aptly put it, the formation of the club 30 years ago was about a lot more than just joining a national rugby league competition.
For years North Queensland’s best talent would have to uproot their lives and move to Sydney or Brisbane if they wanted to play on the biggest stage.
It was clear something had to change.
“When it started here, this wasn’t a decision made in a boardroom. The Cowboys were not made in a boardroom, they were made by the power of the people,” Reibel said.
“And that power of the people back in the day, was actually something (represented) in the Townsville Bulletin and the other local North Queensland papers. You could fill in a form and post it in to say that you support the formation of an NRL club in North Queensland.
“That was how the momentum got going.
“But I think what we’ve got to remember is to be able to get here, it was the hard work of those that came before us. Our club was built on their shoulders, they laid the foundations.
“We had a region that stood behind us to be able to do it. North Queensland is not just where we play footy, it’s who we are.
“We represent North Queensland, and we take that representation so seriously. Our roots run deep here, we are a community-engaging and facing club, and our commitment there is unwavering.”
On Saturday night, the North Queensland Cowboys will celebrate 30 years in the NRL with a gala event in Townsville.
Hundreds of players, staff, supporters and stakeholders from the last three decades will come together to celebrate everything the club has achieved in its short but spectacular existence.
THE EARLY DAYS
North Queensland’s first year didn’t quite go to plan on the field.
The Cowboys finished 20th with just two wins, but they were drawing an average crowd of 21,670 at what was then called Stockland Stadium.
A local cane farmer, Laurie Spina, had returned home from eight successful seasons of Winfield Cup football in Sydney – mostly for Eastern Suburbs – and after five years of farming he was called upon to lead the Cowboys as captain for the first time.
“It was an honour to lead them on the first night we got in,” Spina said.
“Before that, everyone used to support their own team in the Sydney competition, but to have your own team to support from North Queensland was a really special thing back in the 90s, when we first got our team in.
“The support, especially in that first year, was unbelievable. We averaged over 20,000 to the games, and it was a special time.”
Reibel said the club’s inaugural skipper was testament to the need for the Cowboys.
“I think Laurie is a wonderful example of why our club was formed,” Reibel said.
“He’d finished his New South Wales rugby league career, he was back on the cane farm in Ingham, and he heeded the call.
“The Cowboys were formed to give our local talent, and it’s now both boys and girls, the opportunity to be able to shine, perform and be part of the national stage without leaving home.
“And to be able to achieve that, there’s a lot of gratitude that needs to be given to all of those people who laid the foundations.”
NO FULL TIME FOOTY
In the early days players would all have to work second jobs, which meant early starts and late finishes, especially for regional Cowboys players.
Spina recalled carpooling to and from training with Craig Teitzel – who was a butcher in Tully – and the pair would eat meals on the road and get home well after dark.
For some, like Spina, it meant 4am starts to work on the cane farm and get everything sorted out before hitting the tarmac to train four days a week.
Spina said his teammates included brickies’ labourers, concreters, parks workers and groundsmen.
“They were tough times for players back then, we all had to work other jobs, but I think it built a lot of toughness in us,” Spina said.
THE BEST FANS IN AUSTRALIA
It’s not only the players who travel large distances to make sure the Cowboys succeed.
Cowboys fans are known for their willingness to come from as far and wide as Mount Isa – which is a greater distance from Townsville than Melbourne is to Sydney – just to watch their team play.
“I remember people travelling hours and hours on a bus to come to the footy,” Spina said.
“From Mount Isa, right up north, down south way past Mackay. I know a lot of them still come to the games.
“We’ve got the best fans, and they travel long distances to go to the games. The players appreciate that too, and they put in an effort for that.
“The fans are second to none, and you like playing for them, that’s for sure.”
HOME GROWN HEROES
A shining example of the club following its aspirations to be a club for North Queenslanders is the current co-captains Tom Dearden and Reuben Cotter.
The pair are perfect ambassadors for the region with their undeniable talent, toughness and humility.
When Cowboys coach Todd Payten made the bold call to instil the pair as captains ahead of the 2024 season, some questioned whether they would be ready to lead the team.
Dearden, 24, and Cotter, 26, have certainly repaid the faith and proved the doubters wrong.
“Isn’t it great that the two co-captains are from North Queensland? Both Reuben and Tom are from up here,” Spina said.
“We always knew that there were really good footballers in North Queensland, it’s just we all had to go away.
“I went to Sydney in the 80s and played down there, and it’s so special that we’ve got our own team. That a lot of young North Queenslanders are getting a chance to be able to represent North Queensland is a special thing.
“The boys are really leading by example. They’re tremendous young men and they’re leading the club really well.
“Tommy has been outstanding for the last couple of seasons, and Reuben also.”
SATURDAY NIGHT
“Saturday night, we’ll talk about everything from our premiership and finals campaigns, where we come from, the introduction of the NRLW,” Reibel said.
“But most of all, we want to talk about what our story is. It’s been about that grit, the belief in the community around it, and it’s about the people.
“Our people are our players, our coaches, our board, our staff, our partners, our supporters who have ensured that the Cowboys club has been able to continue to grow and evolve and move forward year on year.
“And we can only do that with that set of North Queensland values, where North Queenslanders, if they know that you’re having a crack, they’re going to support you.
“It’s about hard work. It’s about humility, and it’s about having that drive to be better, and that all three of those need to be unwavering for us to be able to continue paying kudos and paying homage to the people that came before us.”
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Originally published as Inside the creation of NRL club North Queensland Cowboys 30 years after it was established
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