Cowboys face Sharks in finals after 2017 eighth-to-grand-final charge
Only two players from North Queensland's 2017 grand final team-won from eighth place, never repeated-face Sharks on Saturday.
Coen Hess and Jason Taumalolo are the last survivors from the Cowboys' scintillating 2017 finals campaign, when the team jumped from eighth place to reach the grand final. No other side has replicated the feat since; every decider since has featured two top-four finishers.
That year, Taumalolo ran for 756 metres and made 13 tackle busts across three finals wins, while halfback Michael Morgan scored and set up a try in each match. Now, the Cowboys face the same rival-Sharks-from the same position, their seventh finals clash against them.
The 30-year-old Hess, back then a new impact player earning a State of Origin call-up, scored 13 tries that season despite playing mostly off the bench. Momentum can shift fast, Hess believes: "One win can really springboard you."
- 756
- Taumalolo's metres in 2017
- 13
- Hess's tries from bench 2017
- 13
- Tackle busts by Taumalolo
- 7th
- Meetings with Sharks in finals
Why it mattersA team from eighth has never reached a grand final since 2017, making this weekend's match a historic test of whether it can happen again.
AustraliaThe Cowboys' finals run this weekend is a major local story for rugby league fans across Queensland and the NRL community.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 12 d ago
