North Queensland

Real club history, premierships, Grand Final appearances, and ladder finishes, aggregated from our sourced rugby league archive.

Data last verified: 11 August 2026.

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North Queensland — 1 premiership on record (2015).

Club Background

Admitted for the 1995 ARL season as the fifth Queensland-based club, the North Queensland Cowboys compete in the NRL. They began at the Willows Sports Complex in Kirwan before moving into the purpose-built Queensland Country Bank Stadium in South Townsville in 2020.

Honours

Premiership
Winners (1)2015
Runners-up (2)2005, 2017
World Club Challenge
Winners (1)2016

League history

1st 20th 1995: 20 of 201996: 17 of 201997 Super League: 10 of 101998: 16 of 201999: 16 of 172000: 14 of 142001: 13 of 142002: 11 of 152003: 11 of 152004: 7 of 152005: 5 of 152006: 9 of 152007: 3 of 162008: 15 of 162009: 12 of 162010: 15 of 162011: 7 of 162012: 5 of 162013: 8 of 162014: 5 of 162015: 3 of 162016: 4 of 162017: 8 of 162018: 13 of 162019: 14 of 162020: 14 of 162021: 15 of 162022: 3 of 162023: 11 of 172024: 5 of 172025: 12 of 17 19951997 Super League19992001200320052007200920112013201520172019202120232025

Final ladder position each season on record (1995–2025) — 1st at the top. Hover a point for the exact position and field size that season.

Full table
SeasonFinal position
202512 of 17
20245 of 17
202311 of 17
20223 of 16
202115 of 16
202014 of 16
201914 of 16
201813 of 16
20178 of 16
20164 of 16
20153 of 16
20145 of 16
20138 of 16
20125 of 16
20117 of 16
201015 of 16
200912 of 16
200815 of 16
20073 of 16
20069 of 15
20055 of 15
20047 of 15
200311 of 15
200211 of 15
200113 of 14
200014 of 14
199916 of 17
199816 of 20
1997 Super League10 of 10
199617 of 20
199520 of 20

Club history

The North Queensland Cowboys were admitted to the premiership for the 1995 ARL season, becoming the fifth Queensland-based club after the success of the Brisbane Broncos demonstrated a rugby league market existed north of the capital. A public naming process saw "Cowboys" beat out contenders including Marlins, Stingrays and Crocodiles. Their first home was the Willows Sports Complex in Kirwan, a converted trotting track, before the club moved into the purpose-built Queensland Country Bank Stadium in South Townsville in 2020.

The Cowboys' first decade was grim: they finished last in their debut season and missed the finals for ten straight seasons. Everything changed with the 2005 arrival of Johnathan Thurston, who became the club's greatest player and the face of the franchise, winning four Dally M Medals. The Cowboys reached the 2015 grand final against Brisbane and won 17-16 in golden-point extra time on a Thurston field goal — still the club's only premiership. Thurston's retirement after 2018 coincided with a sharp decline; North Queensland missed the finals from 2018 to 2021 before returning to form in 2022, though results since have been inconsistent.

Grand Final appearances (2005-2017)

YearResultOpponentScore
2017LostMelbourne Storm6-34
2015WonBrisbane Broncos17-16
2005LostWests Tigers16-30

Sources

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