The North Queensland Cowboys have won the 2014 Auckland 9’s with a 16-7 win over the Brisbane Broncos in the all Queensland final.
The Cowboys were great throughout the Auckland 9’s tournament with Gavin Cooper, Kane Linnett and Michael Morgan all playing great football over both days.
Paul Green starts his first grade coaching career off perfectly by helping guide the club towards winning its first piece of silverware. Interestingly, Green was part of the last major Rugby League 9’s tournament played in the southern hemisphere as a player. It makes you wonder if he was able to put more coaching into the side than most other coaches simply because he had experience in Rugby League 9’s football.
The Cowboys defense was the difference in the end. They shut down the New Zealand Warriors in the semi finals, which no other team had even come close to doing, and did a similar defensive job on the Brisbane Broncos in the final.
By winning the 2014 Auckland 9’s the North Queensland Cowboys club walks away with a cheque for $340,000. Not a bad payday for a weekends worth of work!
You would also hope that the win goes some way to dulling the pain the club will feel this season after losing Lachlan Coote for the season with an ACL injury.
Shaun Johnson was named the MVP of the tournament which was well deserved. While the Warriors were shut down in the semi final, Johnson was electric over the entire weekend.
Click here for all the results from day one of the 2014 Auckland 9’s
Click here for all the results from day two of the 2014 Auckland 9’s
