Finals fever sweeps the north as Cowboys fans rally behind their heroes
Cowboys faithful turned out in force for the team’s final open training session at home before their big clash with the Sharks. Hear from young diehard supporters about what fuels their passion for the club.
Townsville
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As the sun set over Townsville, the atmosphere at the Hutchinson Building Centre was electric.
Hundreds of Cowboys fans, draped in yellow and blue, gathered in droves on Tuesday evening, waving flags, clutching footballs, and beaming with excitement.
They were there to show unwavering support for their beloved team before they fly to Sydney for Friday night’s do-or-die clash against the Sharks.
The air was thick with a blend of excitement, hope, and nostalgia, as club legends Kyle Feldt and Jake Granville wrap up their final season with the Cowboys.
Among the crowd was 13-year-old Kai Lyon, clutching a Cowboys flag in one hand and some footies in the other, eyes scanning the field for a glimpse of his favourite player, Valentine Holmes.
“It’s their spirit,” Kai said. “That’s what I love about the Cowboys.”
For Kai, this moment has been bittersweet. The finals showdown may be one of the last times he gets to see Holmes in the iconic Cowboys jersey before he departs at the end of the season.
“Val’s the best,” he said. “He’s a talented kicker, and his ball play is great to watch.”
Like him, many young fans came hoping for a moment with their footy idols.
Seven-year-old Paige Appleby was keen to see Holmes too, saying “Val comes to my school, and he’s our ambassador.”
As the fans cheered from the sidelines, the sense of anticipation and community spirit was palpable. For Terry Collins, a long-time Cowboys supporter, Tuesday’s open training was about honouring a legacy.
With a custom-made plaque in hand, Terry was on a mission to get Kyle Feldt’s signature before the finals.
“This could be the last chance I have before he heads over to the super league,” he said.
“If they can win on Friday, and go all the way, it’ll be an incredible way to cap off his journey with the club.”
While most of the Cowboys faithful won’t make it down to Sydney, their passion will be felt from North Queensland all the way to the field.
For Rebecca Bassett and her family, this is what being a Cowboys fan is all about. “I love this team — Win, lose, or draw, I’ll always back them,” she said.
“My faviourte player is Jakey Granville, I’m sorry to see him go.”
Cowboys superfan’s journey: From the stands to YouTube stardom
It’s a tale as old as time, a young impressionable punter watching the deadly trio Johnathan Thurston, Matty Bowen and Ty Williams battle it out – and all of a sudden they’re hooked on the Cowboys.
That was no different for Lismore born and raised Nick Ford-Daly who has since then started his own YouTube Channel dedicated to recording the great memories he makes at Cowboys away games.
The 25-year-old said it was 2005 when he watched the Cowboys beat the Bulldogs.
“And ever since that game I fell in love with the team and the club, I’ve been a fan ever since,” he said.
His love for the North Queensland team is so strong that it was thanks to another support that he made his way to the recent elimination finals at Queensland Country Bank Stadium between the Cowboys and the Knights.
At the Tigers vs. Cowboys game at Leichhardt Oval in round 22 Daly-Ford met Cairns-based Cowboys fan Callan Coleman and said they reunited again when they both went to the Bulldogs game.
Daly-Ford told his new mate it was unlikely he was getting to the elimination final in Townsville and Coleman simply said “leave it with me” before raising enough money to buy flights for the punter.
“If it wasn’t for Callan there wasn’t a chance in the world I would’ve gone,” Daly-Ford said.
“I’m very grateful for Callan. I was in my room looking at all my Cowboys jerseys and going ‘I can’t believe this is actually happening’.”
The fan said he would be heading to Sydney to watch the Cowboys face the Sharks, and will vlog the game to his YouTube channel that he started three years ago and now has more than 3000 subscribers.
“I do it for fun and it goes off,” he said.
“There’s fans at the game who know who I am now. It’s like the away fans expect me to be there to start the Cowboys chants, I suppose that’s why they wanted me there and people were keen to get me there for my energy on the weekend.”
The NQ supporter said he was looking forward to the Cowboys take down the Sharks this weekend.
“I don’t like the Sharks,” he said.
“Their fans have always been pretty respectful towards me. I do consider the Sharks a rival team.”
For the passionate fan it’s going to be a field goal that wins it but gave a shout out to the players he thought would bring it over the line such as Harrison Edwards and Sam McIntyre.
“But then you have all the usual guys Tom Dearden, Drinkwater, Robson, they’ll all do their jobs and rip in.”
Fans can find the Cowboys-dedicated YouTube channel @NickFromAustralia.
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Originally published as Finals fever sweeps the north as Cowboys fans rally behind their heroes
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