THE historic achievement of having all three Queensland-based clubs in this year’s NRL finals series is another show of strength from rugby league’s heartland.

After the Broncos and Cowboys created history last year with the first-ever all-Queensland grand final, and the Maroons’ astounding run of success in State of Origin with 10 series wins in 11 years, the incredible rise of the Gold Coast Titans has created another footy fairytale north of the border.

The Titans finished the regular season in eighth spot, making the finals for the first time since 2010 – the first time the Gold Coast, Brisbane and North Queensland had been in the finals at the same time.

Former Origin Great Adrian Vowles spent time as a player with all three clubs, and says he was bursting with pride seeing the three Queensland clubs in the finals together.

“It really is an incredible achievement to all be in the finals at the same time, and just shows how strong the game is in Queensland at the moment,” Vowles said.

“I think after last year we all expected the Cowboys and Broncos to continue to do well this season, but it has been a pleasant surprise for everyone to see how the Gold Coast have come along.

“They were a pretty popular choice for the wooden spoon this year, so to have made the top eight is a fantastic performance from them.”

Vowles said the key to the Titans’ success this year was a change in culture – on and off the field.

“You can tell by the way they play their football that the culture of the place has changed for the better.

“Signing Nathan Friend for this year was a big part of that, because he was there when the culture was successful and helped to re-establish that.

But this year, they have been positive in everything they have done. They played a good style of football, and even early in the year they showed they were prepared to hang in and fight for every game.

“They changed strength and conditioning coaches over the off-season, and I know they concentrated on a lot of long runs and things like that to build mental toughness. It really showed in the way they played.”

Vowles said while Brisbane carried inconsistent form into the finals, every other team in the top eight would have had one eye on them knowing what the Broncos are capable of.

“That game against Melbourne in the second-to-last round was a reminder of how good the Broncos can be when they have their minds on the job,” Vowles said.

“They just have too much class and too many good players to write off at any stage.”

But it is the Cowboys that Vowles says were the most impressive performers during the regular season – and why he rates them as the favourites to create another slice of history by winning back to-back titles.

“The Cowboys got their season just right – they finished in the top four, are taking in a lot of momentum and are playing their best footy at the right time,” he said.

“They play such good football the Cowboys. They are so hard to stop. They operate within their structures, but they are not tied to them rigidly like some other teams.

“They are absolutely in the box seat to do something special again this year.”