Queensland derby


The Queensland derby refers to rugby league matches between National Rugby League 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 52 times since 1995, with Brisbane leading the head-to-head series 34–16; with two drawn matches.
The derby is also known as the XXXX Derby, due to sponsorship from Castlemaine XXXX.
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.

History

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. 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 become 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.

2011–2019

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.

2020–present

In Round 1 of the 2020 NRL season, the sides faced each other in the first NRL match to be played at the new North Queensland Stadium. The Broncos won the match 28-21 in front of a crowd of 22,459.

All-time results

Head to Head

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

Regular season

DateRoundHome TeamScoreAway TeamVenueAttendance
8 April 19955 North Queensland Cowboys
12 - 20
 Brisbane BroncosStockland Stadium24,855
21 April 19965 Brisbane Broncos
58 - 14
 North Queensland CowboysANZ Stadium18,609
5 April 19976 North Queensland Cowboys
16 - 42
 Brisbane BroncosStockland Stadium30,122
25 May 199711 Brisbane Broncos
20 - 20
 North Queensland CowboysANZ Stadium14,167
12 April 19985 Brisbane Broncos
58 - 4
 North Queensland CowboysANZ Stadium20,904
8 August 199822 North Queensland Cowboys
10 - 22
 Brisbane BroncosMalanda Stadium30,250
25 April 19998 North Queensland Cowboys
20 - 20
 Brisbane BroncosDairy Farmers Stadium30,302
11 March 20006 North Queensland Cowboys
8 - 50
 Brisbane BroncosDairy Farmers Stadium27,643
10 June 200019 Brisbane Broncos
6 - 16
 North Queensland CowboysANZ Stadium10,455
17 February 20011 North Queensland Cowboys
17 - 18
 Brisbane BroncosDairy Farmers Stadium21,729
27 May 200114 Brisbane Broncos
50 - 6
 North Queensland CowboysANZ Stadium14,714
16 March 20021 North Queensland Cowboys
6 - 24
 Brisbane BroncosDairy Farmers Stadium24,212
16 June 200214 Brisbane Broncos
52 - 8
 North Queensland CowboysANZ Stadium10,215
5 April 20034 North Queensland Cowboys
24 - 32
 Brisbane BroncosDairy Farmers Stadium25,242
11 May 20039 Brisbane Broncos
38 - 12
 North Queensland CowboysANZ Stadium13,197
17 April 20046 North Queensland Cowboys
12 - 19
 Brisbane BroncosDairy Farmers Stadium25,986
13 March 20051 Brisbane Broncos
29 - 16
 North Queensland CowboysSuncorp Stadium43,488
14 May 200510 North Queensland Cowboys
6 - 23
 Brisbane BroncosDairy Farmers Stadium22,477
12 March 20061 Brisbane Broncos
4 - 36
 North Queensland CowboysSuncorp Stadium46,229
22 July 200620 North Queensland Cowboys
26 - 10
 Brisbane BroncosDairy Farmers Stadium24,658
16 March 20071 Brisbane Broncos
16 - 23
 North Queensland CowboysSuncorp Stadium50,416
13 July 200718 North Queensland Cowboys
16 - 24
 Brisbane BroncosDairy Farmers Stadium25,926
28 March 20083 Brisbane Broncos
36 - 2
 North Queensland CowboysSuncorp Stadium50,612
18 July 200819 North Queensland Cowboys
18 - 32
 Brisbane BroncosDairy Farmers Stadium22,048
13 March 20091 Brisbane Broncos
19 - 18
 North Queensland CowboysSuncorp Stadium45,022
28 August 200925 North Queensland Cowboys
10 - 16
 Brisbane BroncosDairy Farmers Stadium24,332
12 March 20101 Brisbane Broncos
30 - 24
 North Queensland CowboysSuncorp Stadium48,516
6 August 201022 North Queensland Cowboys
26 - 34
 Brisbane BroncosDairy Farmers Stadium20,148
11 March 20111 Brisbane Broncos
14 - 16
 North Queensland CowboysSuncorp Stadium45,119
12 August 201123 North Queensland Cowboys
16 - 34
 Brisbane BroncosDairy Farmers Stadium26,463
9 March 20121 Brisbane Broncos
26 - 28
 North Queensland CowboysSuncorp Stadium43,171
15 June 201215 North Queensland Cowboys
12 - 0
 Brisbane BroncosDairy Farmers Stadium20,367
12 April 20136 Brisbane Broncos
12 - 10
 North Queensland CowboysSuncorp Stadium42,556
26 July 201320 North Queensland Cowboys
16 - 18
 Brisbane Broncos1300SMILES Stadium17,702
14 March 20142 Brisbane Broncos
16 - 12
 North Queensland CowboysSuncorp Stadium42,203
9 May 20149 North Queensland Cowboys
27 - 14
 Brisbane Broncos1300SMILES Stadium21,340
20 March 20153 Brisbane Broncos
44 - 22
 North Queensland CowboysSuncorp Stadium40,047
15 May 201510 North Queensland Cowboys
31 - 20
 Brisbane Broncos1300SMILES Stadium24,531
25 March 20164 Brisbane Broncos
21 - 20
 North Queensland CowboysSuncorp Stadium46,176
20 May 201611 North Queensland Cowboys
19 - 18
 Brisbane Broncos1300SMILES Stadium25,163
10 March 20172 Brisbane Broncos
20 - 21
 North Queensland CowboysSuncorp Stadium47,703
31 August 201726 North Queensland Cowboys
10 - 20
 Brisbane Broncos1300SMILES Stadium23,321
16 March 20182 Brisbane Broncos
24 - 20
 North Queensland CowboysSuncorp Stadium46,080
9 August 201822 North Queensland Cowboys
34 - 30
 Brisbane Broncos1300SMILES Stadium19,663
22 March 20192 Brisbane Broncos
29 - 10
 North Queensland CowboysSuncorp Stadium45,023
8 August 201921 North Queensland Cowboys
14 - 18
 Brisbane Broncos1300SMILES Stadium17,530
13 March 20201 North Queensland Cowboys
21 - 28
 Brisbane BroncosQueensland Country Bank Stadium22,459

Finals series

DateRoundHome TeamScoreAway TeamVenueAttendance
18 September 2004SF North Queensland Cowboys
10 - 0
 Brisbane BroncosDairy Farmers Stadium24,989
8 September 2012EF North Queensland Cowboys
33 - 16
 Brisbane BroncosDairy Farmers Stadium21,307
13 September 2014EF North Queensland Cowboys
32 - 20
 Brisbane Broncos1300SMILES Stadium25,120
12 September 2015QF Brisbane Broncos
16 - 12
 North Queensland CowboysSuncorp Stadium50,388
4 October 2015GF Brisbane Broncos
16 - 17
 North Queensland CowboysANZ Stadium82,758
16 September 2016SF North Queensland Cowboys
26 - 20
 Brisbane Broncos1300SMILES Stadium23,804

NRL Nines

DateRoundHome TeamScoreAway TeamVenueAttendance
16 February 2014Final Brisbane Broncos
7 - 16
 North Queensland CowboysEden Park-
14 February 2020Pool 4 North Queensland Cowboys
17 - 11
 Brisbane BroncosHBF Park-

Statistics

Most appearances

Top pointscorers

When the Cowboys entered the competition in 1995, they had three former Broncos 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. Tariq Sims and Will Tupou both played NYC for the Broncos and later moved to the Cowboys, where they played first grade.