Coached by Tim Sheens and captained by John Lomax, they competed in the inaugural season of the newly formed National Rugby League (NRL) competition.
After a disappointing 1997 season, the Cowboys entered the newly unified National Rugby League competition with high hopes.
While the squad from a year earlier was kept mostly the same, the club added former Australia and Queensland representative and local favourite Dale Shearer, veteran forward Dale Fritz from the recently folded Perth Reds and former Canberra Raiders flyer Noa Nadruku, who reunited with coach Tim Sheens.
After six rounds, the club sat in equal 1st on 10 competition points and a maiden finals appearance looked to be a real possibility.
He went onto set numerous point scoring records for the club, playing 150 games over nine seasons, and representing Queensland on two occasions.