Reverse Cowgirl for Murray

Irate North Queensland fans have turned on their once beloved Cowboys, threatening to boycott the NRL club over their decision to dump coach Graham Murray. But, Cowboys boss Peter Parr has taken the fiery response on the chin, saying it is another example of their supporters’ passion in rugby league-mad north Queensland – as per Comical Ali who once proclaimed that there are no American troops in Baghdad and that they are killing themselves at the city’s gate.Livid fans sent emails to the NRL club and vented on talkback radio and website forums. Some even threatened to turn their backs on the Cowboys altogether when Murray leaves in 2009.”You sure have lost me 4 2009,” one fan wrote on the official Cowboys supporters website – note the educated use of ‘4′ instead of ‘for’. We truly live in a time of fascinating shorthand, SMS-speak and gaming lingo.Another wrote: “If indeed things do backfire, I will be getting rid of my season ticket out of sheer protest … I could not bare to keep it.”

A more direct entry read: “I hope someone reads this message board from the upper echelon of Cowboy land, you should all hang your heads in f…ing shame. I am totally ashamed to have this club represent me and my home area … you can jam your fan days and so forth up your arse.”

But, is this all a little bit of an overreaction? The Cowboys’ team is peppered with talented players such as Bowen and Thurston, and it is highly unlikely that devoted supporters follow a team purely for the coach. Ask some of the devoted QLD fans to name the coach of the former Gold Coast Seagulls and they would struggle to answer, unfortunately for coaches they don’t have longevity. Sporting teams need to remain fresh in order to stay at their peak.

Parr clearly agrees as he responded to the comments by saying he understood the fans’ response but did not expect ticket sales to decline.

“It’s always a concern when the fans react negatively to something because they are the lifeblood of the club,” he told AAP.

“But at the end of the day it is showing just how passionate they are. I don’t see it as a negative that they are passionate in their support of the club and Muz (Murray).

“We have to take the passion and emotion out of it. The board believe they have done what is in the best interests of the club.”

Parr said the club always expected a public backlash when they decided not to renew Murray’s contract.

“Hopefully it subsides before the kickoff and everyone would have accepted the decision of the board and get on with the season,” he said.

“Our season ticket sales continue to be strong. We are well in excess of last year now – I don’t expect that long term they will be affected.

“We will take a deep breath for a couple of days then get on with the process of trying to find an appropriate person.”

Outgoing Broncos foundation coach Wayne Bennett and current Cowboys assistant Ian Millward are the frontrunners to replace Murray.

Fat.