It was 20 years in the past this week that North Queensland wanted a present from heaven.
The Cowboys have been taking part in within the finals for the very first time. They completed seventh, which meant a visit to Sydney to play second-placed Canterbury at Stadium Australia.
The guests have been heavy underdogs, an retro aspect crammed with opponents, rising stars and some outdated hardheads. They have been robust and sincere and courageous however they’d have to seek out greater than that to take down a star-studded Bulldogs who have been tipped to brush by them with ease.
The Cowboys had discovered a dream to imagine in however they wanted a hero to make it come true. They discovered it in Matt Sing.
It is arduous to convey simply how a lot of a rugby league outpost the Cowboys have been earlier than 2004.
Their debut match in 1995 was their solely free-to-air sport for his or her first 9 years, a interval the place they collected three wood spoons and by no means completed with a profitable file.
They all the time drew crowds from their loyal fanbase regardless of the poor outcomes, which is simply one other manner of claiming all they’d was one another.
The membership’s status wasn’t one of the best: for many, it was a spot outdated gamers went to money in and put the ft up whereas youthful guys have been determined to flee.
Sing was decided to not be the previous when he signed there for the 2002 season. After virtually a decade within the high grade with the Panthers and Roosters, the place he’d change into a Queensland and Australia common, he wasn’t in search of a simple trip to the top of his profession.
Sing was one of many league’s high exterior backs and a Kangaroos common when he signed with the Cowboys. (Getty Photographs)
“There was a number of speak about older gamers going to the Cowboys and struggling as soon as they received there. I set myself a purpose of not being like that, I needed to have an effect,” Sing mentioned.
“The Roosters did not provide me a brand new deal and I needed to return to Queensland, I by no means needed to depart Queensland within the first place however North Queensland did not have a crew but.
“I used to be getting in direction of my previous few contracts and I needed to return dwelling.”
Sing lived as much as his promise. He scored 37 tries in 43 video games in his first two seasons within the north because the Cowboys made gradual progress below new coach Graham Murray.
The likes of Ty Williams, Josh Hannay and Luke O’Donnell started to hit their stride, Sing gave them strike energy and expertise and in fullback Matt Bowen the Cowboys lastly had a homegrown hero who proved you did not have to move south to make it.
“I used to be fortunate, they have been on the enhance as soon as I did get there,” Sing mentioned.
“There have been some actually good gamers, like Paul Rauhihi, Kevin Campion and Paul Bowman, a great base of senior gamers.”
A finals berth felt attainable in 2004 however Sing suffered a damaged jaw in Origin III of that 12 months, which almost ended his season.
“I received tackled by Freddy [Brad Fittler], who was a teammate once I was on the Roosters, his head hit me proper on the jaw,” mentioned Sing.
“I knew one thing was unsuitable right away, I might damaged it in a number of locations and I used to be apprehensive that might be season over.”
On the time, the Cowboys have been skilled by legendary arduous man Billy Johnston.
It meant North Queensland have been near the fittest crew within the competitors and the previous Australian middleweight boxing champion took a particular curiosity in ensuring Sing was match for the top of the season.
Sing fought arduous to be match for North Queensland’s finals run. (Getty Photographs: Johnathan Wooden)
“He was famend for his self-discipline and he was actually old-school together with his coaching, he received me again onto the sphere, I could not have achieved it with out him,” mentioned Sing.
“If you happen to do not knuckle down and have a crack, he’ll get you out of there right away.”
Sing made his comeback within the ultimate spherical of the common season towards Cronulla however with a brand new twist.
In his youthful days at Penrith, after they first introduced him down from Winton to try to crack the massive smoke, Sing had worn black, old-school leather-based headgear, identical to his hero Steve Renouf.
It meant he received in comparison with Renouf from the second he made his first-grade debut in 1993, which was high quality with Sing, though he ultimately left it behind.
However he introduced it again, to guard his jaw — and since Renouf had achieved the identical.
“I keep in mind after Steve Renouf broke his jaw as soon as he wore that very same kind of headgear. I might all the time admired him a lot once I was rising up and at college,” Sing mentioned.
“In order that was sufficient for me. I am going to all the time observe Steve Renouf.”
Sing went on to have the sport of his life, scoring three tries in near-identical vogue as he soared excessive over reverse quantity Matt Utai.
In basic Sing vogue, he additionally saved three tries with key defensive performs — they are saying he saved as many as he scored, and given he scored 159 instances by means of his profession, that provides as much as lots.
The Cowboys raced out to a 26-6 lead earlier than the Bulldogs pulled it again to path by simply 4 with a couple of minutes remaining.
It was Sing’s third strive that sealed a well-known win, as he flew over Utai once more to say the ball and slam it down. Simply to finish the image, he landed proper on his jaw because the Cowboys secured one of many largest finals upsets of the NRL period.
“Matt Utai was a bit shorter — he wasn’t that a lot shorter than me, however I may get some air.
“So the plan was for Nathan Fien to place them up and try to get excessive of him. I assume it labored alright.
“Plenty of the boys hadn’t performed in semifinals earlier than, simply getting that first sport was a fantastic feeling for the crew and the city.
“They received that buzz about it, that buzz was across the crew and we simply went from there.”
The Cowboys had been farewelled as heroes after they left Townsville for the match however their reception on return was even larger because the north got here alive for his or her boys, their religion lastly rewarded.
“The bus trip to the airport was like a ticker-tape parade. Folks have been on the streets, it was a tremendous time,” Sing mentioned.
“It was even greater once we got here again, folks pulled their vehicles off the street so they may cheer us.”
The Cowboys have been a sensation after their finals run in 2004. (Getty Photographs: Adam Fairly)
It kicked off a semifinal run that was the making of the membership as Cowboy fever swept the league. That week’s episode of the Footy Present was relocated to the Townsville Leisure Centre the next week and followers camped out in a single day to get tickets.
Their semifinal towards Brisbane, initially scheduled to be performed in Sydney, was relocated to Townsville on the final minute and the Cowboys knocked off huge brother for the very first time in a 10-0 arm wrestle that actually introduced the town to a standstill — the sport attracted 93 per cent of the tv rankings in Townsville.
Those self same followers adopted them right down to Sydney for the preliminary ultimate towards the Roosters. Flights have been completely booked so some followers chartered a fleet of buses to make the 28-hour, 2,300km journey down south.
The Cowboys went down 16-13 in that sport, overwhelmed however nonetheless proud, and the subsequent season Johnathan Thurston joined the membership, North Queensland went all the best way to the grand ultimate and ultimately, these robust early days simply grew to become a reminiscence.
For this membership, there’s every part that occurred earlier than 2004 and every part that got here after and that change may need by no means occurred if Sing hadn’t strapped on the headgear and flown so excessive.
On Saturday night time, the Bulldogs and the Cowboys will once more meet at Stadium Australia. The stakes aren’t as excessive as a semifinal, however they’re shut — the winner will host a knockout ultimate subsequent week.
It has been an inconsistent 12 months for the Cowboys however presently of 12 months, something can occur — simply ask Sing.
“There’s a few video games they may have gained however they did not, however they’re within the semis now and something can occur, a bit prefer it did for us,” mentioned Sing.
