Cathy O'Toole (Herbert, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I come from Cowboy country. I just do not have enough time to do real justice to the mighty Cowboys. The 2017 season has been both inspirational and challenging. We lost our co-captains—Johnathan Thurston and Matt Scott—to injury, and throughout the season many other players were also injured. But our great team did not let the challenges get to them. They are a team with incredible self-belief and resilience. They define true grit. They were not predicted to make the finals, but they took it one game at a time and reached the finals, to their credit. The Cowboys have put a spring in the step of our community members. They have done their community proud and the community have backed them every inch of the way.

My husband and I attended the grand final game. We sat in the stands with the supporters. What a great game it was. Our boys did not give up. My congratulations go to the players for an outstanding season, Coach Paul Green, CEO Greg Tonner, Cowboys staff and the dedicated supporters. We did not win but we certainly let the country know that you never take a team with nothing to lose and a real passion to win for granted. We're ready for a win in 2018. I congratulate Melbourne Storm as well because they truly did deserve their win. They played very well and, after all, they are Queenslanders.