| Year: | 2001 |
| Team Colour: | navy |
| Font Colour: | white |
| League: | NRL |
| League Rank: | 13th |
| League Wins: | 6 |
| League Draws: | 2 |
| League Losses: | 18 |
| Points For: | 514 |
| Points Against: | 771 |
| Playoff Result: | Missed finals |
| Ceo Title: | CEO |
| Coach Title: | Coach |
| Avg Attendance: | 13,133 |
| High Attendance: | 21,729 (vs. Brisbane Broncos, Round 1) |
| Top Tries: | Glenn Morrison (13) |
| Top Goals: | Julian O'Neill (56) |
| Top Points: | Julian O'Neill (156) |
| Next Season: | 2002 |
The 2001 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 7th in the club's history. Coached by Tim Sheens and captained by Paul Bowman, they competed in the NRL's 2001 Telstra Premiership.
Following a mid-season club taker over by News Limited, Sheens resigned as head coach on 25 May and was replaced by his assistant, Murray Hurst.
2001 was another season that started with high hopes but ended in disaster for the club. It got off to an awful start before a ball was even kicked, when club captain Tim Brasher injured his knee in the pre-season, resulting in a complete reconstruction and ruling him out for the year.[1] The club struggled to replace the outgoing Scott Prince in the halves and Brasher at fullback, winning just two games after 11 games to sit in last place on the ladder.
Their Round 6 win over the Wests Tigers was shrouded in controversy when Tigers' winger John Hopoate, in an attempt to unsettle several of his opponents, inserted his finger in three players' anuses, the first occurring during the seventh minute of play. Hopoate was subsequently suspended for 12 games.[2]
Following the Round 11 loss to the Canterbury Bulldogs, Tim Sheens took a period of stress-leave and later resigned from the club on 25 May after News Limited took full control of the club.[3] He was replaced by his assistant, former Tongan national team coach Murray Hurst.
The change did little to alter the fortunes of the side, winning just four of their last 15 games. A win in Round 26 over the Warriors in Auckland spared the side of a second straight wooden spoon, finishing ahead of the Penrith Panthers on points differential.
Despite the issues on and off the field, there were a number of bright spots throughout the season, including the emergence of Matthew Bowen. Bowen, who made his debut in Round 2, would go onto play 270 games, scoring 130 tries, and representing Australia and Queensland during his 13-year career at the club.[4] Another positive was the selection of four players in the victorious Queensland squad for the 2001 State of Origin series, the most for the club at the time. All four players selected (Paul Bowman, John Buttigieg, John Doyle and Nathan Fien) were local products who came through the junior ranks of the club.[5]
| Player | Signed From | |
|---|---|---|
| Redcliffe Dolphins | ||
| Cronulla Sharks | ||
| London Broncos | ||
| Wests Tigers | ||
| Auckland Warriors | ||
| Wests Panthers |
| Player | Signed To | |
|---|---|---|
| Huddersfield Giants | ||
| Burleigh Bears | ||
| Parramatta Eels | ||
| Released | ||
| Sydney Roosters | ||
| Parramatta Eels | ||
| Salford City Reds | ||
| Brisbane Broncos | ||
| Wakefield Trinity Wildcats |
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 February | Round 1 | Brisbane Broncos | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 17 – 18 | O'Neill (4/5), Fien (1 FG) | 21,729 | |||||
| 24 February | Round 2 | Melbourne Storm | Colonial Stadium | 32 – 28 | O'Neill (4/7) | 12,321 | |||||
| 3 March | Round 3 | Sydney Roosters | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 8 – 32 | O'Neill (0/2) | 19,263 | |||||
| 10 March | Round 4 | Penrith Panthers | Cazaly's Stadium | 18 – 32 | O'Neill (3/3) | 13,500 | |||||
| 17 March | Round 5 | Cronulla Sharks | Toyota Park | 16 – 24 | O'Neill (2/3) | 10,250 | |||||
| 24 March | Round 6 | Wests Tigers | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 24 – 10 | O'Neill (4/6) | 12,357 | |||||
| 1 April | Round 7 | St George Illawarra Dragons | WIN Stadium | 12 – 48 | O'Neill (2/2) | 9,583 | |||||
| 7 April | Round 8 | Parramatta Eels | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 14 – 14 | O'Neill (1/4) | 12,949 | |||||
| 15 April | Round 9 | Canberra Raiders | Bruce Stadium | 26 – 34 | Leis (3/4), O'Neill (0/1) | 7,191 | |||||
| 22 April | Round 10 | Northern Eagles | Cazaly's Stadium | 22 – 24 | O'Neill (5/5) | 6,113 | |||||
| 28 April | Round 11 | Canterbury Bulldogs | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 14 – 26 | O'Neill (3/3) | 9,820 | |||||
| 13 May | Round 12 | Newcastle Knights | Marathon Stadium | 34 – 42 | Leis (4/4), O'Neill (1/2) | 18,039 | |||||
| 20 May | Round 13 | Warriors | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 35 – 18 | Leis (3/6), O'Neill (2/3), Fien (1 FG) | 10,819 | |||||
| 27 May | Round 14 | Brisbane Broncos | ANZ Stadium | 6 – 50 | Leis (1/1) | 14,714 | |||||
| 2 June | Round 15 | Melbourne Storm | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 24 – 38 | Leis (4/5) | 10,987 | |||||
| 16 June | Round 16 | Sydney Roosters | SFS | 24 – 50 | Leis (1/2), O'Neill (1/3) | 6,432 | |||||
| 23 June | Round 17 | Penrith Panthers | Penrith Stadium | 26 – 20 | O'Neill (5/5) | 7,326 | |||||
| 7 July | Round 18 | Cronulla Sharks | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 6 – 36 | O'Neill (1/1) | 13,494 | |||||
| 14 July | Round 19 | Wests Tigers | Leichhardt Oval | 18 – 20 | O'Neill (1/4) | 4,724 | |||||
| 21 July | Round 20 | St George Illawarra Dragons | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 34 – 10 | Leis (5/7) | 14,293 | |||||
| 29 July | Round 21 | Parramatta Eels | Parramatta Stadium | 0 – 62 | 13,192 | ||||||
| 4 August | Round 22 | Canberra Raiders | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 10 – 29 | O'Neill (1/2) | 11,261 | |||||
| 12 August | Round 23 | Northern Eagles | Brookvale Oval | 24 – 24 | O'Neill (2/5), Bowen (0/1) | 8,009 | |||||
| 18 August | Round 24 | Canterbury Bulldogs | Sydney Showground | 22 – 30 | O'Neill (4/5), Bowen (1/1) | 6,715 | |||||
| 25 August | Round 25 | Newcastle Knights | Dairy Farmers Stadium | 18 – 34 | O'Neill (3/3) | 14,147 | |||||
| 2 September | Round 26 | Warriors | Ericsson Stadium | 30 – 18 | O'Neill (7/8) | 24,568 | |||||
| Legend: | |||||||||||
| Name | App | T | G | FG | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 15 | 6 | 1 | - | 26 | ||
| 25 | 12 | - | - | 48 | ||
| 2 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 15 | 4 | - | - | 16 | ||
| 7 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 11 | 2 | - | - | 8 | ||
| 26 | 5 | - | 2 | 22 | ||
| 8 | 2 | - | - | 8 | ||
| 12 | 3 | - | - | 12 | ||
| 7 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 17 | 5 | - | - | 20 | ||
| 24 | 3 | - | - | 12 | ||
| 1 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 17 | 5 | 21 | - | 62 | ||
| 16 | 2 | - | - | 8 | ||
| 19 | 1 | - | - | 4 | ||
| 1 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 13 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 3 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 23 | 13 | - | - | 52 | ||
| 10 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 12 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 23 | 11 | 56 | - | 156 | ||
| 3 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 12 | 1 | - | - | 4 | ||
| 2 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 21 | 5 | - | - | 20 | ||
| 17 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 17 | 2 | - | - | 8 | ||
| 3 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 17 | 2 | - | - | 8 | ||
| 7 | - | - | - | - | ||
| 17 | 5 | - | - | 20 | ||
| Totals | 89 | 78 | 2 | 514 |
The following players played a representative match in 2001.
| Paul Bowman | |||||
| John Buttigieg | |||||
| John Doyle | |||||
| Nathan Fien | |||||
| Glenn Morrison |