2021 North Queensland Cowboys season
The 2021 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 27th in the club's history. Coached by Todd Payten and captained by Jason Taumalolo, they competed in the NRL's 2021 Telstra Premiership.
| 2021 North Queensland Cowboys season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NRL Rank | 15th | |||
| Play-off result | Missed finals | |||
| 2021 record | Wins: 7; draws: 0; losses: 17 | |||
| Points scored | For: 460; against: 748 | |||
| Team information | ||||
| CEO | Jeff Reibel | |||
| Coach | Todd Payten | |||
| Captain | ||||
| Stadium | Queensland Country Bank Stadium | |||
| Avg. attendance | 14,472 | |||
| High attendance | 22,222 (vs. Brisbane Broncos, Round 9) | |||
| Top scorers | ||||
| Tries | Kyle Feldt (12) | |||
| Goals | Valentine Holmes (54) | |||
| Points | Valentine Holmes (126) | |||
| ||||
The 2021 season was the Cowboys' first under Payten, who joined the club from the New Zealand Warriors on a three-year deal. He became the club's eighth full-time head coach and their 10th overall.[1][2] On 16 December 2020, Taumalolo was named as co-captain of the club alongside Morgan.[3]
The club endured another disappointing season in 2021, missing the finals for the fourth consecutive year.[4]
Season summary
On 9 April, co-captain Michael Morgan announced his immediate retirement from rugby league due to an ongoing shoulder injury.[5]
Milestones
- Round 1: Corey Jensen played his 50th NRL game for the club.
- Round 2: Lachlan Burr made his debut for the club.
- Round 4: Coen Hess played his 100th NRL game for the club.
- Round 5: Ben Condon scored his first NRL try.
- Round 5: Lachlan Burr scored his first try for the club.
- Round 5: The club won at Leichhardt Oval for the first time since Round 12, 2000.
- Round 7: Jake Granville played his 150th NRL game.
- Round 10: Jason Taumalolo played his 200th game for the club.
- Round 11: Heilum Luki made his NRL debut.
- Round 11: Heilum Luki scored his first NRL try.
- Round 11: Valentine Holmes scored his 500th career point.
- Round 14: Tom Dearden made his debut for the club.
- Round 15: Tom Dearden scored his first try for the club.
- Round 19: Kane Bradley made his NRL debut.
- Round 19: Kane Bradley scored his first try for the club.
- Round 19: Kyle Feldt scored his 100th try for the club.[6]
- Round 22: Jeremiah Nanai and Griffin Neame made their NRL debuts.
- Round 22: Jeremiah Nanai scored his first NRL try.
- Round 23: Laitia Moceidreke made his NRL debut.
- Round 23: Laitia Moceidreke scored his first NRL try.
- Round 24: Scott Drinkwater played his 50th NRL game.
- Round 25: Scott Drinkwater played his 50th game for the club.
Squad
Squad movement
Gains
| Player | Signed From | Until End of | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Javid Bowen |  Northern Pride | 2022 | |
| Kane Bradley |  Wests Tigers | 2022 | |
| Lachlan Burr |  New Zealand Warriors | 2022 | |
| Tom Dearden |  Brisbane Broncos (mid-season) | 2024 | |
| Laitia Moceidreke |  Canterbury Bulldogs (mid-season) | 2023 |
Losses
| Player | Signed To | Until End of | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Asiata | Brisbane Broncos | 2021 | |
| Michael Bell |  Townsville Blackhawks (mid-season) | 2021 | |
| Jake Clifford |  Newcastle Knights (mid-season) | 2023 | |
| Gavin Cooper | Retired | – | |
| Wiremu Greig |  Parramatta Eels (mid-season) | 2023 | |
| Esan Marsters |  Gold Coast Titans (mid-season) | 2022 | |
| Josh McGuire |  St George Illawarra Dragons (mid-season) | 2022 | |
| Michael Morgan | Retired (mid-season) | – | |
| Justin O'Neill | Retired (mid-season) | – | |
| Tom Opacic | Parramatta Eels | 2021 | |
| Dan Russell |  Brisbane Tigers | 2021 | |
| Tukimihia Simpkins | Wests Tigers | 2023 | |
| Garrett Smith | Newcastle Knights | 2021 |
Re-signings
| Player | Club | Until End of | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Javid Bowen |  North Queensland Cowboys | 2022 | |
| Ben Condon | North Queensland Cowboys | 2023 | |
| Scott Drinkwater | North Queensland Cowboys | 2023 | |
| Jake Granville | North Queensland Cowboys | 2022 | |
| Ben Hampton | North Queensland Cowboys | 2022 | |
| Griffin Neame | North Queensland Cowboys | 2023 | |
| Riley Price | North Queensland Cowboys | 2023 |
Ladder
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Melbourne Storm |
24 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 815 | 316 | +499 | 44 |
| 2 |  Penrith Panthers (P) |
24 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 676 | 286 | +390 | 44 |
| 3 |  South Sydney Rabbitohs |
24 | 20 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 775 | 453 | +322 | 42 |
| 4 |  Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 744 | 492 | +252 | 34 |
| 5 |  Sydney Roosters |
24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 630 | 489 | +141 | 34 |
| 6 | Parramatta Eels |
24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 566 | 457 | +109 | 32 |
| 7 | Newcastle Knights |
24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 428 | 571 | −143 | 26 |
| 8 | Gold Coast Titans |
24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 580 | 583 | −3 | 22 |
| 9 |  Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 520 | 556 | −36 | 22 |
| 10 |  Canberra Raiders |
24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 481 | 578 | −97 | 22 |
| 11 | St. George Illawarra Dragons |
24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 474 | 616 | −142 | 18 |
| 12 | New Zealand Warriors |
24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 453 | 624 | −171 | 18 |
| 13 | Wests Tigers |
24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 500 | 714 | −214 | 18 |
| 14 | Brisbane Broncos |
24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 446 | 695 | −249 | 16 |
| 15 | North Queensland Cowboys |
24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 460 | 748 | −288 | 16 |
| 16 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs |
24 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 1 | 340 | 710 | −370 | 8 |
Fixtures
Pre-season
On 13 February, the Cowboys played the Townsville Blackhawks in an unofficial hour-long scrimmage match in Ayr.[28]
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 27 February | Trial 1 | Brisbane Broncos | Moreton Daily Stadium | 34 – 18 | Drinkwater, Dunn, Feldt, Holmes, Marsters, Tabuai-Fidow | Clifford (3/4), Holmes (2/2) | ||||
| Legend: Win Loss Draw Bye | ||||||||||
Regular season
Statistics
| Name | App | T | G | FG | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daejarn Asi | 5 | - | - | - | - |
| Javid Bowen | 9 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| Kane Bradley | 2 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Lachlan Burr | 15 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Jake Clifford | 7 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Ben Condon | 11 | 4 | - | - | 16 |
| Reuben Cotter | 6 | - | - | - | - |
| Tom Dearden | 12 | 6 | - | - | 24 |
| Scott Drinkwater | 24 | 5 | 11 | - | 42 |
| Mitchell Dunn | 20 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Kyle Feldt | 20 | 12 | - | - | 48 |
| Tom Gilbert | 11 | - | - | - | - |
| Jake Granville | 24 | 4 | - | - | 16 |
| Ben Hampton | 10 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Coen Hess | 22 | 2 | - | - | 8 |
| Peter Hola | 3 | - | - | - | - |
| Valentine Holmes | 20 | 4 | 54 | 2 | 126 |
| Corey Jensen | 9 | - | - | - | - |
| Connelly Lemuelu | 13 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Heilum Luki | 11 | 3 | - | - | 12 |
| Esan Marsters | 3 | - | - | - | - |
| Josh McGuire | 4 | - | - | - | - |
| Jordan McLean | 24 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Laitia Moceidreke | 1 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Francis Molo | 19 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Michael Morgan | 2 | - | - | - | - |
| Jeremiah Nanai | 4 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Griffin Neame | 3 | - | - | - | - |
| Justin O'Neill | 5 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Reece Robson | 24 | 6 | - | - | 24 |
| Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow | 14 | 8 | - | - | 32 |
| Murray Taulagi | 20 | 10 | - | - | 40 |
| Jason Taumalolo | 15 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Shane Wright | 16 | 1 | - | - | 4 |
| Totals | 82 | 65 | 2 | 460 |
Representatives
The following players have played a representative match in 2021.
| All Stars match | State of Origin 1 | State of Origin 2 | State of Origin 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daejarn Asi | Māori All Stars | |||
| Reuben Cotter | Indigenous All Stars | |||
| Kyle Feldt | Queensland | Queensland | ||
| Wiremu Greig | Māori All Stars | |||
| Valentine Holmes | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland | |
| Esan Marsters | Māori All Stars | |||
| Francis Molo | Queensland | Queensland | ||
| Emry Pere | Māori All Stars | |||
| Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow | Queensland |
Honours
Club
- Paul Bowman Medal: Coen Hess[30]
- Players' Player: Murray Taulagi[30]
- The Cowboys Way Award: Jake Granville[30]
- Member's Player of the Year: Jake Granville[30]
- Club Person of the Year: Ben Hampton[30]
- Rookie of the Year: Heilum Luki[30]
Feeder Clubs
Queensland Cup
Mackay Cutters - 12th, missed finals- Northern Pride - 9th, missed finals
- Townsville Blackhawks - 7th, lost elimination final
Women's team
QRL Women's Premiership
- North Queensland Gold Stars - 3rd, lost semi final
References
- Newton, Alicia (4 September 2020). "Todd gets the nod: Cowboys name Payten as new coach". NRL.com. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
- "North Queensland Cowboys name Todd Payten coach for next three seasons". Wide World of Sports. 30 August 2020.
- "Taumalolo named Cowboys co-captainTaumalolo named Cowboys co-captain". NQ Cowboys. 16 December 2020.
- "Storm chasers: Turbo sizzles as Sea Eagles set up epic clash". NRL. 4 September 2021.
- "Morgan announces immediate retirement". NQ Cowboys. 9 April 2021.
- "Storm survive stern Cowboys test to make it 15 straight". NRL. 23 July 2021.
- Development players train with the Top 30 squad but cannot play NRL until after Round 10
- "Cowboys sign Bowen". NQ Cowboys. 3 February 2021.
- "Simpkins released, Bradley signed". cowboys.com.au. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
- "Cowboys sign Burr". NQ Cowboys. 21 October 2020.
- "Dearden to join Cowboys with immediate effect". NQ Cowboys. 29 May 2021.
- "Cowboys Apollo Register update". NQ Cowboys. 30 June 2021.
- "Title-Winner Asiata Joins Broncos". broncos.com.au. 13 December 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
- "Jake Clifford joins Knights for remainder of 2021 season". newcastleknights.com.au. 29 May 2021.
- "Cooper to depart Cowboys". cowboys.com.au. 30 September 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
- "Cowboys rocked as another man signs south".
- "Cowboys release Marsters". NQ Cowboys. 4 May 2021.
- "Dragons confirm McGuire signing". St George Illawarra Dragons. 13 April 2021.
- "O'Neill announces immediate retirement". NQ Cowboys. 27 August 2021. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021.
- "Cowboys to farewell five departing players". cowboys.com.au. 3 October 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
- "How has your team recruited for the 2021 Intrust Super Cup season?". couriermail.com.au. 22 January 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
- "Ex-player's huge opinion of Knights new English teenage star plus more signing news". newcastleherald.com.au. 22 November 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
- "Cowboys re-sign Bowen". NQ Cowboys. 26 May 2021.
- "Cowboys re-sign young trio". NQ Cowboys. 12 May 2021.
- "Cowboys re-sign Drinkwater". NQ Cowboys. 5 May 2021.
- "Cowboys re-sign Granville". NQ Cowboys. 25 June 2021.
- "Cowboys re-sign Hampton". NQ Cowboys. 11 June 2021.
- "Cowboys to face Blackhawks in Ayr". NQ Cowboys. 29 January 2021.
- Game played behind closed doors
- "2021 Presentation Night: Live Updates". NQ Cowboys. 9 September 2020.
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