‘They will win’: Inaugural Cowboys fan bold prediction for 2025 season
There are diehard sporting fans, and then there is Cairns local Tony Francis who is definitely one of a kind.
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There are diehard sporting fans, and then there is Cairns local Tony Francis who is definitely one of a kind.
The Cowboys inaugural fan drives down to Townsville every weekend to watch his beloved side play, for the last 29 years.
Francis made a bold statement heading into the 30 year anniversary.
“They will win it,” Francis said.
“It is true, have a look at every ten years of the club.
“Came into the competition in 95, then lost in 05, won in 15.
“They lost in 2017, but that's okay because it was a ten year frame.
“So they will take home the premiership next year.”
As the club heads into their 30th year, Francis opened up about the drive to Townsville every second weekend.
“It is virtually four and a half hours with a stop in Cardwell for a refreshment,” Francis said.
“I do the drive in one day, down to Townsville for the game, watch the game then drive back to Cairns that night.
“Easiest is probably a 4pm game or a 6pm game, an 8pm game makes it a late return.
“But I don’t mind the drive, or driving at night and it just seems to be easy.
“The trips after a win seem to be really easy, they take about two hours, in your brain but when you have lost it definitely takes longer.
“But it is not only just about the your team that you’ve watched, you go and see players on the television and you now get to see them in the flesh.
“So it is not only about seeing the players from the Cowboys, it is seeing the great players from opposition sides as well.”
Originally from Wales, Francis moved to Perth in 1968 before moving to Sydney then Melbourne and eventually to Brisbane where he became a Broncos fan when they came into the competition in 1987.
“I used to watch the Norths Devils and they had Tommy Bishop from the UK playing there,” Francis said.
“I became a very strong Wynnum-Manly fan when they pulled in Gene Miles and Wally Lewis playing.
“Then the Broncos started, so you didn’t support a Sydney team after that, you supported the Broncos who had most of the Wynnum-Manly side anyway.”
But eight years later, Francis signed up as a Cowboys member and remembers the first ever game his new favourite team.
“IT was against the Bulldogs and we got beaten,” Francis said.
“The first experience, it was pouring with rain, they had just laid some turf, there was no seating on the eastern terrace.
“It was slippery, muddy and not the greatest conditions to watch football, it was okay because it was raining but there was mud on the ground and you were walking through mud all the time.
“That was a the old paceway at the Dairy Farmers Stadium, the first ground.
“But it was enjoyable, the crowd were enthusiastic and everything was great, but it wasn’t what you would call an idea opening for a team.”
Another tough memory for the diehard fan was the 2005 grand final loss to the West Tigers.
“I remember the drop ball behind the goal line, in the end goal area which cost us a point,” Francis said.
“We had a very good forward leader in Paul Rauhihi, who was inspirational.
“But we just didn’t put it together and they (the Tigers) just blew us away.
“If anybody talks about it, they talk about the flick pass by Benji Marshall down the wing and that was the end of it.
“We made too many mistakes, it was good to see the team play but we weren’t good enough.
Despite the first game as a Cowboys member not being one he remembers for good reasons and the 05 grand final, there was plenty of memories Francis has that were better than others.
The 2015 grand final against the Brisbane Broncos has been labelled as one of the best grand finals in NRL history.
The Cowboys defeated their Queensland rivals 17-16 in golden point extra time to claim their first ever premiership.
“If there was ever something you wanted to see to feel great, it was something like that game,” Francis said.
“To have that happen in the last second of the game, it was just unbelievable.
“I think Jeffery my co-pilot who came with me, said that I looked like a stunned mullet.
“But it was just pure elation, pure disappointment when the conversion was missed but then pure elation after.
“It was a really great game of football, you couldn’t have asked for a better game, in front of a capacity crowd, with two Queensland teams, which nobody really thought that was going to happen.
“I don’t think anyone really cared who won because it was such a great game.
“They say that the Canberra game was the greatest game when they came back but this one to me and to a lot of others, it stands as the greatest of all time.
“And that is because of the atmosphere, the two Queensland teams, it was a tough and hard game, and you couldn’t have had a more exciting finish if you wanted to.
“I mean who scores a try in the last second, Kyle Feldt putting that ball down as the hooter goes.”
With the score tied at 16-16, North Queensland legend Johnathan Thurston had the opportunity to convert after the siren to win the game but missed his attempt to send the game to golden point.
The Cowboys kicked off in extra time and luck had flipped back on their side with Broncos halfback Ben Hunt knocking on causing a scrum just 10 metres from Brisbane’s line.
Thurston got the opportunity to redeem himself in extra time, this time converting, handing the Cowboys their first premiership.
The Cowboys returned to the big stage in 2017 but this time were completely shown up by a powerful Melbourne Storm who claimed a 34-6 victory.
Thurston and fellow co-captain Matt Scott were both missing through injury for the Cowboys.
Over the 29 years Francis has followed the Cowboys, he has watched players come and go but according to him their has been no other like Johnathan Thurston.
“As happens in all sports, there are times that deflate you and those that give you an immense sense of euphoria,” Francis said.
“Being a supporter of the Cowboys has given both over the years and gives me a sense of pride to be one.
“Overall the team since it’s formation has given North Queensland and rugby league followers something to be proud of.”
Originally published as ‘They will win’: Inaugural Cowboys fan bold prediction for 2025 season
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