2005 Queensland Cup
DurationMarch 12 – September 17, 2005
Teams11
Premiers North Queensland Young Guns
(1st title)
Minor premiers North Queensland Young Guns
(1st title)
Matches played116
Points scored6,216
Top points scorer(s) Reggie Cressbrook (206)
Player of the year Greg Inglis
(Courier Mail Medal)
Top try-scorer(s) Simon Phillips (19)

The 2005 Queensland Cup season was the 10th season of Queensland's top-level statewide rugby league competition run by the Queensland Rugby League. The competition, known as the Queensland Wizard Cup due to sponsorship from Wizard Home Loans featured 11 teams playing a 26-week long season (including finals) from March to September.

The North Queensland Cowboys finished as minor premiers and defeated the Burleigh Bears 36–6 in the Grand Final at Suncorp Stadium to claim their first premiership. Norths Devils fullback Greg Inglis was named the competition's Player of the Year, winning the Courier Mail Medal.[1][2]

Teams

Brothers-Valleys, who joined the competition in 2004, withdrew after just one season and were not replaced, with the competition featuring 11 teams for the first time since 2001.

The Brisbane Broncos, Melbourne Storm and North Queensland Cowboys were again affiliated with the Toowoomba Clydesdales, Norths Devils and North Queensland Young Guns respectively.

Colours Club Home ground(s) Head coach (s) Captain (s) NRL affiliate
 Burleigh Bears Pizzey Park Rick Stone Ali Brown None
 Central Comets Browne Park Neale Crow Mark Henry None
 Easts Tigers Langlands Park Michael Booth Brandon Costin None
 Ipswich Jets QLD Group Stadium Trevor Gillmeister Danny Coburn None
 North Queensland Young Guns Dairy Farmers Stadium Grant Bell Daniel Strickland North Queensland Cowboys
 Norths Devils Bishop Park Wayne Treleaven Anthony Boyd Melbourne Storm
 Redcliffe Dolphins Dolphin Oval Anthony Griffin Shane Perry None
 Souths Logan Magpies Davies Park, Brandon Park Phil Economidis Darren Glase None
 Toowoomba Clydesdales Clive Berghofer Stadium John Dixon Anthony Seibold Brisbane Broncos
 Tweed Heads Seagulls Piggabeen Sports Complex Steve Murphy Andrew Moroney None
 Wynnum Seagulls Kougari Oval Neil Wharton Jace van Dijk None

Ladder

2005 Queensland Cup
Pos Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts
1 North Queensland Young Guns (P) 2016132612352+26033
2 Norths Devils 2015142719454+26531
3 Burleigh Bears 2015052644354+29030
4 Redcliffe Dolphins 2012082582510+7224
5 Toowoomba Clydesdales 2011182663527+13623
6 Wynnum Seagulls 20100102480554-7420
7 Tweed Heads Seagulls 208392556485+7119
8 Easts Tigers 2090112591504+8718
9 Ipswich Jets 2051142414566-15211
10 Souths Logan Magpies 2031162364836-4727
11 Central Comets 2012172346829-4834

Finals series

Home Score Away Match information
Date Venue
Qualifying / Elimination Finals
Redcliffe Dolphins 23 – 22† Toowoomba Clydesdales 27 August 2005 Dolphin Oval
Norths Devils 18 – 26 Burleigh Bears 28 August 2005 Bishop Park
Semi-finals
Norths Devils 10 – 33 Redcliffe Dolphins 3 September 2005 Bishop Park
North Queensland Young Guns 22 – 6 Burleigh Bears 3 September 2005 Dairy Farmers Stadium
Preliminary Final
Burleigh Bears 24 – 19 Redcliffe Dolphins 10 September 2005 Pizzey Park
Grand Final
North Queensland Young Guns 36 – 6 Burleigh Bears 17 September 2005 Suncorp Stadium

† Match decided in extra time.

Qualifying / Elimination FinalsMajor / Minor Semi-finalsPreliminary FinalGrand Final
1 North Qld22 North Qld36
Burleigh6 Burleigh6
2 Norths18 Burleigh24
3 Burleigh26 Redcliffe19
Norths10
Redcliffe33
4 Redcliffe23
5 Toowoomba22

Grand Final

Saturday, 17 September
North Queensland Young Guns 36 – 6 Burleigh Bears
Tries:
David Myles 2
Clint Amos 1
Jason Barsley 1
Shane Muspratt 1
Neil Sweeney 1
Goals:
Neil Sweeney 6		 1st: 18 - 6
2nd: 18 - 0
Report
 Tries:
1 Trent Leis
Goals:
1 Reggie Cressbrook
Suncorp Stadium
Attendance: 6,893
Referee: Rob Alexander
Player of the Match: Shane Muspratt (North Queensland)
North Queensland Young Guns Position Burleigh Bears
Jason BarsleyFBReggie Cressbrook
Neil SweeneyWGBalin Cupples
Gavin CooperCENick Shaw
David MylesCETrent Leis
Dean PayneWGAseri Laing
Shane MusprattFEAdam Hayden
Brent McConnellHBDavid Hicks
Jaiman LowePRAli Brown (c)
Clint AmosHKRyan Gundry
Matthew ScottPRShane O'Flanagan
Daniel Strickland (c)SRMartin Griese
Mark Dalle CortSRAdam Hutchison
Leigh McWilliamsLKAdrian Vowles
Rory BromleyBenchJames Griffiths
Scott BoltonBenchJeremy Lateo
Wallace SolomonaBenchChris Barnes
James AndersenBenchRobert Apanui
Grant BellCoachRick Stone

North Queensland took out the minor premiership and qualified for the finals for the first time since joining the Queensland Cup in 2002, losing just three games in the regular season. In the finals, they defeated Burleigh in the major semi final to book a spot in their first Grand Final. Defending premiers Burleigh, who finished the season in 3rd, defeated Norths in the Week 1 qualifying final to set up a contest with the Young Guns. After losing, the Bears hosted Redcliffe, defeating them 24–19 and qualifying for their third straight Grand Final.

First half

The Young Guns opened the scoring in the 8th minute, when Neil Sweeney kicked a penalty goal after prop Jaiman Lowe was taken high by Bears' second rower Adam Hutchison. Seven minutes later, North Queensland recorded the first try of the game when centre David Myles sliced through some soft defence to score. They extended their lead to 12–0 when five-eighth Shane Muspratt burrowed over from dummy half to score. In the 28th minute, Burleigh finally got on the board thanks to a long range try to former North Queensland Cowboy Trent Leis. Two minutes before half time, the Young Guns extended their lead to 12 when Neil Sweeney scored under the posts thanks to a Brent McConnell line break.

Second half

The second half was scoreless until the final 10 minutes, when the Young Guns ran in three unanswered tries on their way to their first premiership. In the 70th minute, hooker Clint Amos dived over from dummy half, pushing the lead to 18. From the set following the kick off, captain Daniel Strickland burst through the Bears' defensive line and sent fullback Jason Barsley away to score under the posts. Finally, in the 76th minute, a McConnell chip kick was regathered by Muspratt, who kept it alive, with the ball going through five sets of hands before Myles finished the play for his second try. The win marked the first time a team from outside of south east Queensland would win the Grand Final.[3]

Three players from the victorious Young Guns' side, Gavin Cooper, Matthew Scott and Scott Bolton, would go on to become club legends for the North Queensland Cowboys, with all three winning an NRL premiership with the club in 2015.[4]

Player statistics

End-of-season awards

See also

References

  1. ↑ "When Greg Inglis, 17, blew the Intrust Super Cup apart". August 2018.
  2. ↑ "Queensland Rugby League". queensland.rleague.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2006. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  3. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "2005 QLD Cup Grand Final North Qld 36 v Burleigh 6". YouTube.
  4. ↑ "Subscribe to the Townsville Bulletin".
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