The 1997 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 3rd in the club's history. Coached by

Tim Sheens Tim Sheens (born 30 October 1950) is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. Head Coach of the Australia national team between 2009 and 2015, he has also been the head coach of National Rugby League (NRL) clubs ...

and captained by Ian Roberts, they competed in the breakaway

News Limited News Corp Australia is an Australian media conglomerate and wholly owned subsidiary of the American News Corp. One of Australia's largest media conglomerates, News Corp Australia employs more than 8,000 staff nationwide and approximately 3,0 ...

-run competition, the Telstra Cup.

Season summary

After an improved 1996 season, the club pulled off a major coup in signing three-time premiership winning coach

from the

Canberra Raiders The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby ...

, who brought five players with him from his old club, including Australia and

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

representative hooker Steve Walters. Former Australia and

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

prop Ian Roberts was brought in as captain as part of a major off-season rebuild in which 20 players were let go, including a number of foundation players. The club, who were competing in

's breakaway Super League competition, got off to a promising start after defeating the newly formed

Adelaide Rams The Adelaide Rams were an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Adelaide, South Australia. The team was formed in 1995 for the planned rebel Super League competition. The Rams lasted two seasons, the first in the Super Le ...

in the opening round of the season. The good times under Sheens and his new signings were short lived, as a four game losing streak followed. A win over the

Auckland Warriors The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as ...

in Round 9 was followed by two consecutive draws, which included a 20-all draw against arch-rivals

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

, their best ever result against them at the time. Back-to-back wins in Round 14 and 15 had the Cowboys sitting just four points outside the Top 5, but a three-game losing streak to end the season left the club languishing in last place. The Cowboys recorded their second

wooden spoon Wooden Spoon may refer to: * Wooden spoon, implement * Wooden spoon (award) A wooden spoon is an award that is given to an individual or team that has come last in a competition. Examples range from the academic to sporting and more frivolous e ...

in three seasons, with just five wins from 18 games. Despite the disappointing year, Tim Sheens signed a five-year contract renewal with the club.

Owen Cunningham Owen Cunningham (born 23 January 1967), nicknamed OJ, is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. A Queensland State of Origin representative forward, he played his club football for the Manly Warri ...

, an off-season recruit from Manly, was named the club's Player of the Year. Towards the end of the season, the club took part in the World Club Championship. The tournament featured all 22 clubs from the Australasian and Super League competitions and was contested over six rounds in two hemispheres. The Cowboys played home and away games against three Super League clubs; (

Leeds Rhinos The Leeds Rhinos are a professional rugby league club in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The club was formed in 1870 as Leeds St John's and play in the Super League, the top tier of English rugby league. They have played home matches at Headin ...

Oldham Bears Oldham R.L.F.C., also known as the Roughyeds, is a professional rugby league football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. The club currently competes in the RFL League 1, the third tier of British Rugby League. Formed in 1876 as Oldh ...

and

Salford Reds The Salford Red Devils are a professional rugby league club in Salford, Greater Manchester, England, who play in the Super League. Formed in 1873, they have won six Championships and one Challenge Cup. Their home ground since 2012 has been the ...

), winning all but once (a 16-20 loss to Oldham at

Boundary Park Boundary Park is a football stadium in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. Its name originates from the fact that it lies at the northwestern extremity of Oldham, with Royton and Chadderton lying immediately north and west respectively. Bound ...

). Despite the great results, the Cowboys missed out on the finals, while clubs in other pools got through without even winning a game. It would be the last time the club would face a Super League side or play a game in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

until the

2016 World Club Challenge The 2016 World Club Series (also known as the 2016 Dacia World Club Series due to sponsorship by Dacia) was the second edition of the World Club Series and saw three Super League teams and three National Rugby League (NRL) teams participate. T ...

Milestones

* Round 1:

Dion Cope Dion Cope is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played for the Cronulla Sharks and North Queensland Cowboys in the 1990s. He primarily played . Playing career In Round 20 of the 1995 ARL season, Cope made his first grade debut f ...

Jason Ferris Jason Ferris (born 6 July 1976) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. Primarily a , he played for the Canberra Raiders, North Queensland Cowboys, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, Northern Eag ...

John Lomax John Avery Lomax (September 23, 1867 – January 26, 1948) was an American teacher, a pioneering musicologist, and a folklorist who did much for the preservation of American folk music. He was the father of Alan Lomax, John Lomax Jr. and Bess Lo ...

, Scott Mahon,

Ray Mercy Ray Mercy (born 25 March 1974) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s. Primarily a or er, he played for Parramatta Eels and the North Queensland Cowboys. Playing career A Norths Ipswich Tigers jun ...

Luke Phillips Luke Phillips (born 4 August 1975) is an Australian professional rugby league football match official and former player. He started refereeing National Rugby League Premiership matches in 2010, having played seven seasons in the 1990s and 2000s ...

, Ian Roberts, Tyran Smith, Bert Tabuai and Steve Walters made their debuts for the club. * Round 1: Kyle Warren made his first grade debut. * Round 2: Jimmy Ahmat and

Mark Shipway Mark Shipway (born 3 May 1976 in Australia) is a former professional rugby league footballer who played for the North Queensland Cowboys, the Northern Eagles and the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in the National Rugby League (NRL). He also played ...

made their first grade debuts. * Round 4: John Doyle made his first grade debut. * Round 6: Luke Scott made his first grade debut. * Round 7: Jason Ryan made his debut for the club. * Round 7: Adam Warwick made his first grade debut. * Round 11: Shane Vincent made his debut for the club. * Round 14:

became the first player to score three tries in a match for the club.

Squad list

In Super League, players were able to choose their own jersey number (regardless of their starting position), which they wore for the entire season.

Squad movement

1997 Gains

1997 Losses

Ladder

Fixtures

Regular season

World Club Championship

The World Club Championship was a mid-season tournament featuring all 22 clubs from the Australasian and Super League competitions. It was contested over six rounds in two hemispheres from 6 June to 11 October.

Pool Play

Statistics

''Source:''

Representatives

The following players played a representative match in 1997.

Honours

Club

* Player of the Year:

* Players' Player:

* Club Person of the Year: Ian Roberts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1997 North Queensland Cowboys Season North Queensland Cowboys seasons

North Queensland Cowboys The North Queensland Cowboys is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, the largest town in North Queensland. They compete in Australia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL). Sinc ...