Cowboys yearly review: 2009

Author: Cowboys.com.au
Timestamp: Wed 3 Nov 2021, 12:27 PM

2009 was an improvement on 2008 for the Cowboys, winning 11 of their 24 games.

An indication of the intensity of the season is that grand finalists Parramatta finished in eighth place on 29 points, just one win and a draw better than the Cowboys.

Despite finishing outside the top eight, the club achieved a positive for and against points record for the season.

2009 signings included Queensland and Australian representatives Willie Tonga (Bulldogs), Antonio Kaufusi (Storm) and Shannon Hegarty (Souths), while Neil Henry took up the head coaching position and the club also welcomed back strength and conditioning coach Billy Johnstone.

Pre-season trial matches were affected by the North Queensland wet season with some of the club's regional support base suffering intense flooding in February.

The Round 1 local derby against the Brisbane Broncos took place at Suncorp Stadium in front of 45,022-strong crowd, the second biggest crowd recorded for the 2009 NRL season.

Losing by one point in that opening round was disappointing but the first home game a week later resulted in a healthy win over the Wests Tigers and set the scene for an exciting season.

By mid-season the club sat firmly in the top 8 and the prospect of a strong finish was very much alive, but some close losses and costly injuries on the back end of the season saw a disappointing finish for the Cowboys, slipping just three points outside the eight.

Despite the disappointing finish, there were many positives to come out of the 2009 season.

The U20s side improved in the National Youth Competition finishing in ninth spot, just missing out on a top 8 spot.

The emergence of promising young talent in the NRL squad was also a highlight, with Innisfail’s Scott Bolton and New Zealanders James Tamou and Steve Rapira cementing NRL spots and showing their enormous potential for the club.

A healthy average home crowd of just over 17,000 also maintains the Cowboys' place in the top echelon of clubs for home ground support.

The down side was the loss of key players to long term injuries, with Matt Bowen again undergoing off season surgery, Aaron Payne out from round 17 with a shoulder injury and experienced campaigners including Luke O’Donnell, Ashley Graham, Ben Harris, Clint Amos and Matt Scott unavailable at various stages throughout the season.

At season end the club farewelled front rower Shane Tronc, who joins the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats in the UK, while Ben Farrar was part of a mid-season swap with Michael Bani from Manly.

Despite missing games through injury, Luke O’Donnell was awarded Player of the Year (Paul Bowman Medalist), while forward Clint Amos was a popular choice as Club Person of the Year in recognition of his valuable community work undertaken while recovering from injury.