Queensland derby

Updated on Dec 11, 2023

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Locale Queensland		Next meeting 2017
Teams Brisbane Broncos North Qld Cowboys First meeting 8 April 1995 Broncos 20–12 Cowboys Latest meeting 16 September 2016 Cowboys 26-20 Broncos Stadiums QE II Stadium1995-2003 Lang Park Willows Sports Complex

The Queensland derby refers to rugby league matches between National Rugby League (NRL) clubs, the Brisbane Broncos and North Queensland Cowboys, first contested in 1995. The rivalry features the two longest-serving Queensland based clubs in the ARL/Super League/NRL competitions. They have met 45 times since 1995, with Brisbane leading the head-to-head series 30-14; with two drawn matches.

In 2015, the clubs played in the first all-Queensland grand final, with North Queensland defeating Brisbane 17-16 in golden point extra time to win their first premiership.

Early Years

The Brisbane Broncos entered the New South Wales Rugby League premiership in 1988 alongside fellow Queensland club, the Gold Coast Giants. Under the coaching of Wayne Bennett and led by such players as Allan Langer, Kevin Walters, Glenn Lazarus and Steve Renouf, the Broncos established themselves as Queensland's premier rugby league club in the early 1990s. By the time the North Queensland Cowboys, based in the north Queensland city of Townsville, entered the competition in 1995, the Broncos were already two-time premiership winners and perennial finalists.

The first meeting between the two teams occurred in Round 5 of the 1995 ARL season, when North Queensland hosted Brisbane at the Stockland Stadium. The Cowboys, who went into the game in last place, kept the scores level at 4-all at halftime, before star halfback Allan Langer set up three tries and scored one himself to give the Broncos a 20-12 victory. Over the next nine seasons, the Broncos maintained a stranglehold over the fixture, winning 13 of the 15 games played. The lone bright spot for the Cowboys were two drawn games in Round 11 1997 and Round 8 1999 (both 20-all). Despite the regular losses, the game was a highlight in the season for North Queensland, regularly drawing crowds of 20,000+ in Townsville.

2004–2010

It would not be until 2004 that the Cowboys would be come a serious threat to the Broncos, when the club finished in the top eight for the first time and qualified for their first finals series. The Cowboys won their Week 1 finals match, while the Broncos lost theirs, meaning the Cowboys would play as the "home" team when the two sides would meet at Sydney's Aussie Stadium a week later. At the behest of both clubs, and in accordance with Aussie Stadium management, the NRL agreed to move the game to Townsville's Dairy Farmers Stadium. The Cowboys won the game 10-0, giving them their first ever win over the Broncos and eliminating from the finals in the process. The game was Broncos' captain and club legend Gorden Tallis' last, who incidentally was born and raised in Townsville.

The following season, Brisbane would regain control of the derby, winning both games in 2005. That season the Cowboys qualified for their first Grand Final, losing to the Wests Tigers. Between March 2006 and March 2007, the Cowboys defeated the Broncos three straight times, including a 36-4 win in Round 1 2006, their biggest victory over Brisbane. Despite North Queensland's success in the derby, the Broncos' would go on to win the 2006 NRL Grand Final and record their sixth premiership victory. From July 2007 to 2010, the Broncos would again dominant the derby, winning seven straight games.

2011–present

The Cowboys marked their resurgence as a finals contender in Round 1 of the 2011 NRL season with a victory over the Broncos, their first win over Brisbane in four years. In Round 23 2011, the Broncos won the derby fixture 34–16, in Darren Lockyer's record-breaking 350th NRL game.

In 2012, the Cowboys defeated the Broncos three times, a first for either club. In Round 2, they won 28-26 in Brisbane, thanks to a late Matthew Bowen try. In Round 15, they kept the Broncos scoreless in a 12-0 victory in Townsville and on 18 September, the two sides met in the finals for the second time, with the Cowboys eliminating the Broncos with a 33-16 win. Cowboys' halfback Michael Morgan scored a hat trick, becoming the first halfback to do so in a finals game. The game was also the last for Broncos' club legend Petero Civoniceva, who retired after 309 NRL games.

The Broncos defeated the Cowboys in both encounters in 2013 and in Round 2 of the 2014 season recording their longest winning streak in the Queensland derby since 2010. In 2014, the two sides met for the first time outside of the NRL competition, or pre-season trials, in the final of the inaugural Auckland Nines competition. The Cowboys triumphed 16-7 to win their first major trophy.

In 2015, the two sides played each other four times, with both clubs coming away with two wins. After splitting the series in the regular season, the clubs met in the finals series for the third time. The Broncos prevailed at home, 16-12, in what was called one of the season's best games. Three weeks later the rivals met again in the 2015 NRL Grand Final, the first in history to feature two Queensland-based clubs. The Cowboys won the game 17-16 in golden point extra time, with Johnathan Thurston kicking the winning field goal. The loss was the Broncos first in a Grand Final, having won on their six previous attempts.

The match, particularly due to its dramatic ending, was quickly hailed as one of the greatest Grand Finals in rugby league history, drawing comparisons with the 1989 NSWRL Grand Final and the 1997 ARL Grand Final.

After the 2015 grand final, the rivalry had reached new heights, and the Broncos and Cowboys met three times in the 2016 NRL season. They first met in round 4, with a crowd of 46,176 at Suncorp Stadium for a widely anticipated grand final rematch. The game was extremely close, with only an Anthony Milford field goal in extra time being the difference between the two sides.The final score was 21-20 to the Broncos. In round 11 the teams met again at 1300 Smiles stadium. The winning margin was again just a single point, this time the Cowboys winning 19-18. This was the third Queensland darby in a row where the winning margin was a single point, solidifying the fixture as one of the greatest rivalries in the modern NRL. The two teams met again in the 2016 semi final. The game was once again extremely close, with the scores level at 20-20 at full time. A Michael Morgan try in extra time gave the Cowboys a win, and a berth into their fourth Preliminary final. This marked the fourth time in 5 years that the Cowboys had knocked the Broncos out of the finals, further solidifying the intense rivalry.

Head to Head

This table only includes competitive matches, excluding all pre-season trials and the Auckland Nines

Regular season

This table only shows competitive regular season matches, and not pre-season or exhibition matches.

Finals series

This table only shows competitive finals series matches.

Auckland Nines

Playing in the Auckland Nines does not count as a senior first grade appearance.

Top pointscorers

Most points in a single game:

For Brisbane: 18

Darren Lockyer (9 goals), Brisbane 58 – 4 North Queensland, Round 5, 1998

Ben Walker (1 try, 7 goals), Brisbane 50 – 8 North Queensland, Round 6, 2000

Michael De Vere (9 goals), Brisbane 50 – 6 North Queensland, Round 14, 2001

For North Queensland: 24

Johnathan Thurston (3 tries, 6 goals), North Queensland 36 – 4 Brisbane, Round 1, 2006

Top tryscorers

Most tries in a single game:

For Brisbane: 3

Steve Renouf (3 tries), Brisbane 58 – 14 North Queensland, Round 5, 1996

Allan Langer (3 tries), Brisbane 58 – 4 North Queensland, Round 5, 1998

Lote Tuqiri (3 tries), Brisbane 50 – 8 North Queensland, Round 6, 2000

Shaun Berrigan (3 tries), Brisbane 38 – 12 North Queensland, Round 9, 2003

Josh Hoffman (3 tries), Brisbane 34 – 16 North Queensland, Round 23, 2011

For North Queensland: 3

Johnathan Thurston (3 tries), North Queensland 36 – 4 Brisbane, Round 1, 2006

Matt Sing (3 tries), North Queensland 26 – 10 Brisbane, Round 20, 2006

Michael Morgan (3 tries), North Queensland 33 – 16 Brisbane, Finals Week 1, 2012

Michael Morgan (3 tries), North Queensland 31 – 20 Brisbane, Round 10, 2015

Attendances

Highest attendance:

Brisbane Broncos at home: 50,612 – Brisbane 36 – 2 North Queensland, Round 3, 2008, Suncorp Stadium

North Queensland at home: 30,302 – North Queensland 20 – 20 Brisbane Broncos, Round 8, 1999, Dairy Farmers Stadium

Lowest attendance:

Brisbane Broncos at home: 10,215 – Brisbane 52 – 8 North Queensland, Round 14, 2002, ANZ Stadium (Brisbane)

North Queensland at home: 17,702 – North Queensland 16 – 18 Brisbane, Round 20, 2013, 1300SMILES Stadium

Neutral venue:

82,758 - Brisbane 16 – 17 North Queensland, 2015 NRL Grand Final, ANZ Stadium (Sydney)

Shared player history

When the Cowboys entered the competition in 1995, they had three former Broncos (Jason Erba, Willie Morganson and Paul Morris) in their inaugural squad, with Morganson being the first player to play for both clubs. Cowboys' junior Scott Prince was the first player to play for both clubs in the Queensland derby. Ben Hannant is the first and, so far, only player to win premierships with both clubs (Brisbane in 2006 and North Queensland in 2015). Tariq Sims and Will Tupou both played NYC for the Broncos and later moved to the Cowboys, where they played first grade.