Queensland derby

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.^[3] 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).^[4][5] 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.^[6] 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.^[7]

The following season, Brisbane would regain control of the derby, winning both games in 2005.^[8][9] 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.^[10] 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.^[11] 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.^[12] 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.^[13][14] 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.^[15][16][17] 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.^[18]

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.^[19] 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.^[20]

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

Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	PF	PA	PD
Brisbane Broncos	48	31	2	15	1205	816	+389
North Queensland Cowboys	48	15	2	30	816	1205	-389

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.^[21]

Date	Round	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Venue	Attendance
8 April 1995	5	North Queensland Cowboys	12 – 20	Brisbane Broncos	Stockland Stadium	24,855
21 April 1996	5	Brisbane Broncos	58 – 14	North Queensland Cowboys	ANZ Stadium	18,609
5 April 1997	6	North Queensland Cowboys	16 – 42	Brisbane Broncos	Stockland Stadium	30,122
25 May 1997	11	Brisbane Broncos	20 – 20	North Queensland Cowboys	ANZ Stadium	14,167
12 April 1998	5	Brisbane Broncos	58 – 4	North Queensland Cowboys	ANZ Stadium	20,904
8 August 1998	22	North Queensland Cowboys	10 – 22	Brisbane Broncos	Malanda Stadium	30,250
25 April 1999	8	North Queensland Cowboys	20 – 20	Brisbane Broncos	Dairy Farmers Stadium	30,302
11 March 2000	6	North Queensland Cowboys	8 – 50	Brisbane Broncos	Dairy Farmers Stadium	27,643
10 June 2000	19	Brisbane Broncos	6 – 16	North Queensland Cowboys	ANZ Stadium	10,455
17 February 2001	1	North Queensland Cowboys	17 – 18	Brisbane Broncos	Dairy Farmers Stadium	21,729
27 May 2001	14	Brisbane Broncos	50 – 6	North Queensland Cowboys	ANZ Stadium	14,714
16 March 2002	1	North Queensland Cowboys	6 – 24	Brisbane Broncos	Dairy Farmers Stadium	24,212
16 June 2002	14	Brisbane Broncos	52 – 8	North Queensland Cowboys	ANZ Stadium	10,215
5 April 2003	4	North Queensland Cowboys	24 – 32	Brisbane Broncos	Dairy Farmers Stadium	25,242
11 May 2003	9	Brisbane Broncos	38 – 12	North Queensland Cowboys	ANZ Stadium	13,197
17 April 2004	6	North Queensland Cowboys	12 – 19	Brisbane Broncos	Dairy Farmers Stadium	25,986
13 March 2005	1	Brisbane Broncos	29 – 16	North Queensland Cowboys	Suncorp Stadium	43,488
14 May 2005	10	North Queensland Cowboys	6 – 23	Brisbane Broncos	Dairy Farmers Stadium	22,477
12 March 2006	1	Brisbane Broncos	4 – 36	North Queensland Cowboys	Suncorp Stadium	46,229
22 July 2006	20	North Queensland Cowboys	26 – 10	Brisbane Broncos	Dairy Farmers Stadium	24,658
16 March 2007	1	Brisbane Broncos	16 – 23	North Queensland Cowboys	Suncorp Stadium	50,416
13 July 2007	18	North Queensland Cowboys	16 – 24	Brisbane Broncos	Dairy Farmers Stadium	25,926
28 March 2008	3	Brisbane Broncos	36 – 2	North Queensland Cowboys	Suncorp Stadium	50,612
18 July 2008	19	North Queensland Cowboys	18 – 32	Brisbane Broncos	Dairy Farmers Stadium	22,048
13 March 2009	1	Brisbane Broncos	19 – 18	North Queensland Cowboys	Suncorp Stadium	45,022
28 August 2009	25	North Queensland Cowboys	10 – 16	Brisbane Broncos	Dairy Farmers Stadium	24,332
12 March 2010	1	Brisbane Broncos	30 – 24	North Queensland Cowboys	Suncorp Stadium	48,516
6 August 2010	22	North Queensland Cowboys	26 – 34	Brisbane Broncos	Dairy Farmers Stadium	20,148
11 March 2011	1	Brisbane Broncos	14 – 16	North Queensland Cowboys	Suncorp Stadium	45,119
12 August 2011	23	North Queensland Cowboys	16 – 34	Brisbane Broncos	Dairy Farmers Stadium	26,463
9 March 2012	1	Brisbane Broncos	26 – 28	North Queensland Cowboys	Suncorp Stadium	43,171
15 June 2012	15	North Queensland Cowboys	12 – 0	Brisbane Broncos	Dairy Farmers Stadium	20,367
12 April 2013	6	Brisbane Broncos	12 – 10	North Queensland Cowboys	Suncorp Stadium	42,556
26 July 2013	20	North Queensland Cowboys	16 – 18	Brisbane Broncos	1300SMILES Stadium	17,702
14 March 2014	2	Brisbane Broncos	16 – 12	North Queensland Cowboys	Suncorp Stadium	42,203
9 May 2014	9	North Queensland Cowboys	27 – 14	Brisbane Broncos	1300SMILES Stadium	21,340
20 March 2015	3	Brisbane Broncos	44 – 22	North Queensland Cowboys	Suncorp Stadium	40,047
15 May 2015	10	North Queensland Cowboys	31 – 20	Brisbane Broncos	1300SMILES Stadium	24,531
25 March 2016	4	Brisbane Broncos	21 – 20	North Queensland Cowboys	Suncorp Stadium	46,176
20 May 2016	11	North Queensland Cowboys	19 – 18	Brisbane Broncos	1300SMILES Stadium	25,163
10 March 2017	2	Brisbane Broncos	20 – 21	North Queensland Cowboys	Suncorp Stadium	47,703
31 August 2017	26	North Queensland Cowboys	10 – 20	Brisbane Broncos	1300SMILES Stadium	23,321
16 March 2018	2	Brisbane Broncos	24 – 20	North Queensland Cowboys	Suncorp Stadium	46,080
9 August 2018	22	North Queensland Cowboys	34 – 30	Brisbane Broncos	1300SMILES Stadium	19,663

Finals series

This table only shows competitive finals series matches.^[22]

Date	Round	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Venue	Attendance
18 September 2004	SF	North Queensland Cowboys	10 – 0	Brisbane Broncos	Dairy Farmers Stadium	24,989
8 September 2012	EF	North Queensland Cowboys	33 – 16	Brisbane Broncos	Dairy Farmers Stadium	21,307
13 September 2014	EF	North Queensland Cowboys	32 – 20	Brisbane Broncos	1300SMILES Stadium	25,120
12 September 2015	QF	Brisbane Broncos	16 – 12	North Queensland Cowboys	Suncorp Stadium	50,388
4 October 2015	GF	Brisbane Broncos	16 – 17	North Queensland Cowboys	ANZ Stadium	82,758
16 September 2016	SF	North Queensland Cowboys	26 – 20	Brisbane Broncos	1300SMILES Stadium	23,804

Auckland Nines

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

Date	Round	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Venue	Attendance
16 February 2014	Final	Brisbane Broncos	7 – 16	North Queensland Cowboys	Eden Park	-

Most appearances

Player	Team	Games
Corey Parker	Brisbane Broncos	32
Darren Lockyer	Brisbane Broncos	29
Johnathan Thurston	North Queensland Cowboys	29
Matthew Scott	North Queensland Cowboys	27
Sam Thaiday	Brisbane Broncos	25
Matthew Bowen	North Queensland Cowboys	23
Alex Glenn	Brisbane Broncos	22
Andrew McCullough	Brisbane Broncos	22
Matt Gillett	Brisbane Broncos	20
Scott Bolton	North Queensland Cowboys	19

Top pointscorers

Player	Team	Tries	Goals	FG	Points
Johnathan Thurston	North Queensland Cowboys	6	78	4	184
Corey Parker	Brisbane Broncos	6	57	0	138
Darren Lockyer	Brisbane Broncos	9	27	1	91
Michael De Vere	Brisbane Broncos	3	30	0	72
Matthew Bowen	North Queensland Cowboys	13	0	2	54
Josh Hannay	North Queensland Cowboys	2	19	0	46
Jordan Kahu	Brisbane Broncos	7	9	0	46
Michael Morgan	North Queensland Cowboys	11	0	0	44
Ashley Graham	North Queensland Cowboys	7	7	0	42
Shaun Berrigan	Brisbane Broncos	9	0	0	36

• 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

Player	Team	Games
Matthew Bowen	North Queensland Cowboys	13
Michael Morgan	North Queensland Cowboys	11
Shaun Berrigan	Brisbane Broncos	9
Darren Lockyer	Brisbane Broncos	9
Steve Renouf	Brisbane Broncos	8
Wendell Sailor	Brisbane Broncos	8
Ashley Graham	North Queensland Cowboys	7
Jordan Kahu	Brisbane Broncos	7
Gavin Cooper	North Queensland Cowboys	6
Matt Gillett	Brisbane Broncos	6

• 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)