A QUEUE of beautiful young women approach Johnathan Thurston, one by one taking their turn for some flirtatious conversation at a hip nightspot in Townsville's quiet main strip.

It's in the early hours of the morning after a finals victory spearheaded by the Cowboys captain. He is in the mood to party, and the flock oblige. They "ooh" and "aah" when he flexes his pecs and invites them to touch.

Up here, Thurston is the man of the town, the man to be seen with.

It's hard to imagine a city more crazed for its No.1 football star, or for its team. Houses, shops and cars bear the Cowboys emblem, sport the motivational "Go Cowboys" posters. Not just two or three, every second and third.

The phrase also seems to have replaced "hello" in the streets.

Turn on the radio, and instead of hearing the latest Top 40 pop track or old-time classic, you get the Cowboys theme song.

Head to a game at Dairy Farmers Stadium and you'll pass entire families decked out in the team uniform; mum and dad, teen, tween and tiny tot..

To the end, the hype surrounds you: club balloons and streamers greet those at the airport, departing this barren, flat settlement containing folk who feel the need to wear insanely gigantic Cowboy hats to the mall.

They're all suffering from Mad Cowboys Disease.

Take grandmother Kylie Bolton, who has spent most of her years in Northern Queensland cattle farms. With news of Thurston's dangerous tackle charge from Sunday's win against the Warriors, Townsville is holding its breath, fearing their man will miss Saturday's semi-final against Manly.

"I have been thinking about that all day," says Bolton, now a taxi driver, who happens to be aunt of Cowboys hooker Aaron Payne. "I will have faith in them. But you watch, if JT gets suspended, all of these one-eyed supporters will say this is Sydney trying to make sure we don't win, there will be an outcry."

Bolton is typical of these hot, brown parts. "Who else would you support? We love them up here."