National Rugby League season 2001
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| 2001 National Rugby League season | |
|---|---|
 Logo of the NRL |
|
| Teams | 14 |
| Premiers |  Newcastle (2nd title) |
| Minor Premiers |  Parramatta (4th title) |
| Matches played | 191 |
| Points scored | 9333 (average 48.864 per match) |
| Attendance | 2,682,210 (average 14,043 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Andrew Johns (279 points) Ben Walker (279 points) |
The fourth season of the National Rugby League saw the Newcastle Knights claim their second premiership in five seasons, defeating the Parramatta Eels in the first night grand final.
Contents |
[edit] Season Summary
The Parramatta Eels looked set to break their fifteen-year premiership drought as they compiled one of the most dominant season records in rugby league history, losing just four of 26 regular season games with the best attack and defensive record in 2001. During the season, Jason Taylor surpassed Daryl Halligan as the greatest point-scorer in the history of the NRL/ARL/NSWRL.
After Warren Ryan retired in 2000, the Newcastle Knights appointed former player Michael Hagan to the coaching position. Hagan proceeded to become the first coach since Phil Gould in 1988 to win a premiership in his first season as coach.
Auckland were renamed the New Zealand Warriors and subsequently made the finals for the first time in their seven-year history under rookie coach Daniel Anderson.
Tim Sheens was sacked as the coach of the North Queensland Cowboys during the season and was replaced by Murray Hurst.
Preston Campbell was a deserved winner of the Dally M medal after being an instrumental player in the Sharks' rise to fourth position on the table. Brian Smith was recognised as Coach of the Year whilst Braith Anasta won Rookie of the Year.
[edit] Ladder
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parramatta |
26 | 20 | 2 | 4 | 839 | 406 | +433 | 42 |
| 2 |  Canterbury |
26 | 17 | 3 | 6 | 617 | 538 | +49 | 37 |
| 3 | Newcastle |
26 | 16 | 1 | 9 | 782 | 639 | +143 | 33 |
| 4 |  Cronulla |
26 | 15 | 2 | 9 | 594 | 513 | +81 | 32 |
| 5 |  Brisbane |
26 | 14 | 1 | 11 | 696 | 511 | +185 | 29 |
| 6 |  Sydney |
26 | 13 | 1 | 12 | 647 | 589 | +58 | 27 |
| 7 |  St George Illawarra |
26 | 12 | 2 | 12 | 661 | 573 | +88 | 26 |
| 8 |  New Zealand |
26 | 12 | 2 | 12 | 638 | 629 | +9 | 26 |
| 9 |  Melbourne |
26 | 11 | 1 | 14 | 704 | 725 | -21 | 23 |
| 10 | Northern Eagles |
26 | 11 | 1 | 14 | 603 | 750 | -149 | 23 |
| 11 |  Canberra |
26 | 9 | 1 | 16 | 600 | 623 | -23 | 19 |
| 12 |  Wests Tigers |
26 | 9 | 1 | 16 | 474 | 746 | -272 | 19 |
| 13 |  North Queensland |
26 | 6 | 2 | 18 | 514 | 771 | -257 | 14 |
| 14 |  Penrith |
26 | 7 | 0 | 19 | 521 | 847 | -326 | 14 |
[edit] 2001 Finals Series
| Home¹ | Away¹ | Referee | Venue | Crowd | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QF | Cronulla | 32 | Brisbane | 20 | S.Clark | Shark Park | 15 508 |
| QF | Newcastle | 40 | Syd.Roosters | 6 | B.Harrigan | Marathon Stadium | 22 061 |
| QF | Canterbury | 22 | St Geo. Illa. | 23 | P.Simpkins | Showgrounds | 17 975 |
| QF | Parramatta | 56 | NZ Warriors | 12 | T.Mander | Parramatta Stadium | 17 336 |
| SF | Brisbane | 44 | St Geo. Illa. | 28 | P.Simpkins | Sydney Football Stadium | 19 259 |
| SF | Canterbury | 10 | Cronulla | 52 | B.Harrigan | Sydney Football Stadium | 21 507 |
| PF | Newcastle | 18 | Cronulla | 10 | P.Simpkins | Sydney Football Stadium | 31 438 |
| PF | Parramatta | 24 | Brisbane | 16 | B.Harrigan | Stadium Australia | 34 184 |
| GF | Parramatta | 24 | Newcastle | 30 | B.Harrigan | Stadium Australia | 90 414 |
¹ Home field advantage applies only for quarter-finals, with remaining games played at neutral venues, unless otherwise notified. The home team in each instance is the higher ranked team on the competition table.
[edit] See also
- National Rugby League
- 2001 NRL Finals Series
