National Rugby League
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- NRL links here. For other uses, see NRL (disambiguation)
| National Rugby League | |
|---|---|
| Current season or competition: National Rugby League season 2008 |
|
 |
|
| Sport | Rugby League |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Commissioner | David Gallop (2002-) |
| No. of teams | 16 |
| Country(ies) |  Australia New Zealand |
| Most recent champion(s) |
Melbourne Storm |
| Official website | NRL.com |
The National Rugby League (NRL) is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL competition (sometimes referred to as the Telstra Premiership for sponsorship purposes) is contested by 16 teams, 15 based in Australia and one based in New Zealand, and is the Southern Hemisphere's elite rugby league championship. The premiership also boasts the world's highest attendance figures for a rugby club competition of either code[1] and is generally regarded as the most competitive. In terms of Australia-wide television ratings it has the highest audiences for its Grand Final[2] and sells the most merchandise of any Australian sports league.[3]
The National Rugby League is the present-day embodiment of Australia's top-level domestic rugby league competition which has been running continuously since 1908. The NRL formed in the aftermath of the 1990s' Super League war as a joint partnership between the sport's national governing body, the Australian Rugby League (ARL) and the News Corporation-controlled Super League after both organisations ran premierships parallel to each other in 1997.
NRL matches are played throughout Australia as well as New Zealand from Autumn until Spring, culminating in a Grand Final match to determine the season's premiers. Each year the NRL champions play an additional game against the premiers of the European Super League competition in the World Club Challenge.
Contents |
[edit] Teams
The map below indicates the locations of teams currently competing in the National Rugby League competition. The inset is of greater Sydney.
The following sixteen clubs are competing in the National Rugby League during the 2008 season.
A total of twenty-three clubs have played in the National Rugby League between 1998 and 2007. For a list of all clubs past and present see National Rugby League Teams. For a complete list of all teams no longer competing in the NRL see here
Eleven clubs have been members of the National Rugby League for every season since its inception in 1998. This group includes Brisbane, Bulldogs, Canberra, Cronulla, Melbourne, New Zealand, Newcastle, North Queensland, Parramatta, Penrith and Sydney.
[edit] History
[edit] NRL Premiers
| Season | Grand Final Information | Minor Premiers | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premiers | Score | Runners-Up | ||
| 1998 |  Brisbane Broncos |
38-12 |  Canterbury Bulldogs |
Brisbane Broncos |
| 1999 |  Melbourne Storm |
20-18 |  St. George Illawarra Dragons |
 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
| 2000 | Brisbane Broncos |
14-6 |  Sydney Roosters |
Brisbane Broncos |
| 2001 |  Newcastle Knights |
30-24 |  Parramatta Eels |
Parramatta Eels |
| 2002 | Sydney Roosters |
30-8 |  New Zealand Warriors |
New Zealand Warriors |
| 2003 |  Penrith Panthers |
18-6 | Sydney Roosters |
Penrith Panthers |
| 2004 | Bulldogs |
16-13 | Sydney Roosters |
Sydney Roosters |
| 2005 |  Wests Tigers |
30-16 |  North Queensland Cowboys |
Parramatta Eels |
| 2006 | Brisbane Broncos |
15-8 | Melbourne Storm |
Melbourne Storm |
| 2007 | Melbourne Storm |
34-8 |  Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
Melbourne Storm |
[edit] Origins
- See also: Rugby league in Australia
The New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) ran the major rugby league competition of New South Wales, and later the whole country from its inception in 1908 until 1994. Following the introduction of a new format for interstate rugby league, State of Origin in 1980, the decade of the 1980s brought about expansion of the NSWRL premiership, with the introduction of commercial sponsorship, the Winfield Cup, and the addition of non-Sydney-based teams, Canberra and Illawarra in 1982.[4][5] Although this move brought more interest in the competition statewide in New South Wales, it would spell the beginning of the demise of some of the traditional Sydney-based clubs as well as the Brisbane Rugby League premiership. Following the 1983 season, foundation club Newtown Jets were ultimately forced to withdraw from the competition because of financial difficulties.[6]
Further expansion of the league followed in 1988, with another three teams to be based outside Sydney introduced to the competition: the Newcastle Knights and the first two Queensland teams, the Brisbane Broncos and Gold Coast-Tweed Giants.[7] These new teams proved to be successful, both financially and in popularity, and paved the way towards a push for a truly national competition. This was undertaken in 1995 with control of the premiership passing to the Australian Rugby League (ARL), who invited four more teams from outside NSW to participate.
[edit] Establishment
- See also: Super League war
Professional rugby league was shaken to its very foundations in the mid-1990s with the advent of the Super League war. Both the ARL and their newly-created rival, the News Corporation-controlled Super League, conducted separate competitions in 1997. With twenty-two teams playing in two competitions that year, crowd attendances and corporate sponsorships were spread very thinly,[8] and many teams found themselves in financial difficulty. The ARL undertook moves to invite the traditional clubs that had moved to the Super League competition back into a re-unified competition. Following a period of negotiation with News Corporation, on September 23, 1997 the ARL announced that it was forming a new company to conduct the competition in 1998. On October 7 Rupert Murdoch announced that he was confident that there would be a single competition in 1998 and in the following months the National Rugby League, jointly owned by the ARL and News Limited, was formed.
It was announced that the inaugural National Rugby League (NRL) season of 1998 would have 20 teams competing, 19 remaining Super League and ARL teams plus the Melbourne Storm, who were created by Super League for their 1998 season. Clubs on both sides of the war were shut down. Super League decided to close the Hunter Mariners and the financially ruined Western Reds, who were $10 million in debt at the end of 1997[citation needed], while the ARL decided to close down the South Queensland Crushers, who were also in severe financial trouble[citation needed]. Additionally, at the end of 1998 the NRL decided to close down former Super League club, the Adelaide Rams and former ARL club, the Gold Coast Chargers, despite the Gold Coast franchise being one of the few clubs to make a profit during the Super League war[citation needed].
[edit] 1998-2002: Rationalisation
One condition of the peace agreement between the ARL and News Limited was that there would be a 14 team competition in 2000. The 20 clubs that played in 1998 would be assessed on various items such as sponsorship, crowds, on-field success and the like. It was also announced that clubs that merged would receive a large sum of money, as well as a guaranteed position in the 2000 NRL Competition. St. George were the first club to take up the offer, and they merged with the Illawarra Steelers at the end of 1998. The Bulldogs continued in their present form without merging in 1999, however dropped the Canterbury from their club name to simply become known as the Bulldogs. Balmain and Western Suburbs formed the joint venture club, the Wests Tigers at the end of 1999, while North Sydney and Manly-Warringah merged to form the ill-fated Northern Eagles. As part of another image makeover, a number of teams also released new club logos. The most notable of these was the Sydney Roosters, dropping the City section of their name for the 2000 season and beyond. Souths were controversially axed from the competition at the end of 1999 for failing to meet the criteria.
This move was highly controversial and on 12 November 2000 approximately 80,000 marched in protest at their continued exclusion. South Sydney challenged the decision in the Federal Court claiming that the NRL agreement was exclusionary, intended to unfairly exclude South Sydney, and breached the Trade Practices Act. Justice Paul Finn ruled that the agreement did not specifically exclude any club and dismissed the Rabbitohs' claims for re-instatement into the national competition. Souths appealed this decision and were re-admitted into the competition in 2002.
The Auckland Warriors experienced much financial hardship in the early part of the decade, ultimately collapsing before being resurrected as the New Zealand Warriors for the 2001 season. They made the Grand Final in 2002.
In 2001, Australia's largest telecommunications provider Telstra became naming rights sponsor of the NRL, with the competition's name becoming the NRL Telstra Premiership, while in 2002 David Gallop took over the CEO role from David Moffett, and the competition has become more and more popular each season.
In 2001 the NRL Grand Final started to be played on Sunday nights, a shift from the traditional Sunday afternoon slot used for over a decade prior.
[edit] 2003-2005: Record Popularity
The 2003 season was widely regarded as the most successful since the beginning of the National Rugby League in 1998. The Penrith Panthers rose from the bottom of the table to win the Premiership, while the Broncos returned to Suncorp Stadium mid-year. Season 2004 proved even more successful than 2003, with the North Queensland Cowboys going from 11th position in 2003 to 3rd in 2004, narrowly missing out on a maiden Grand Final berth.
Crowd average records were broken in 2003, 2004 and 2005.[9] In 2005, the NRL reached record levels of popularity for its competition. Total crowds for the competition season almost reached the figures for the last year of the competition conducted by the ARL competition of 1995, prior to the Super League war. From 2004 to 2005 there was a 39% increase in sponsorship, a 41% increase in merchandise royalties and a 12% increase in playing participation.[10] In 2005 Business Review Weekly ranked the NRL 497 in revenue of Australian private companies, with revenue of A$66.1m (+7%) with 35 employees. In 2005, a record national audience of 4.1 million tuned into watch the grand final between the Wests Tigers and the North Queensland Cowboys.[11]
[edit] 2006: A Unique Year
The 2006 National Rugby League season kicked off on Friday, March 10th, between defending premiers Wests Tigers and early favourites St. George Illawarra Dragons at Telstra Stadium.
Melbourne, after leading the competition for most of the season, comfortably claimed the minor premiership, with the Bulldogs, Brisbane, and Newcastle making up the top four. Manly, St George Illawarra, Canberra and Parramatta took places five to eight.
The 2006 NRL Grand Final won by the Brisbane Broncos over the Melbourne Storm, 15-8. The matchup was a significant milestone in the history of the NRL, as two interstate teams (teams not from New South Wales, the "heartland" of the NRL) contested the grand final for the first time ever.
The game itself once again enjoyed immense support, with more record TV ratings, particularly capturing Melbourne on Grand Final night[citation needed]. Crowds were down on 2005, however were better than any other year prior to that.
[edit] 2007: Further expansion
In its tenth season the NRL returned to having a club based on the Gold Coast, Queensland with the inclusion of the Gold Coast Titans. The Titans were the first professional sporting team to occupy the Gold Coast since 1998, when the Gold Coast Chargers were one of the teams removed during the NRL's rationalisation process between the end of the Super League war and the 2000 season.
The 2007 NRL season kicked off on Friday 16 March 2007 with eight games each round. 2007 also saw the return of Monday Night Football and the inclusion of two Friday night games. Both of which turned out to be ratings successes. Another change from the previous seasons was a reduction in the number of byes per team in the season. With an odd number of teams contesting between 2002 and 2006, the draw meant that at least one team would have to have a bye each weekend. With the inclusion of the 16th team for the 2007 season, the National Rugby League had the option of reverting to back to the system used between 2000 and 2001 where every team played each round. That system was not used however, with teams were given just a single bye during the year, grouped in periods that will assist clubs around representative fixtures.
The opening round saw two matches at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium, the first featuring reigning champions Brisbane against fellow Queensland side North Queensland, while the second match featured the new club, the Gold Coast playing St George Illawarra. The weather during the middle of the season was less than ideal, with cyclonic conditions severely affecting many NRL games played in Sydney and Newcastle.
The finals series was contested over a period of four weeks and saw the newly privatised South Sydney Rabbitohs return to finals football for the first time in decades. The season culminated with the NRL Grand Final on Sunday 30 September 2007 contested between a resurgent Manly and a Melbourne team looking for redemption from last years Grand Final loss. Melbourne ran out convincing winners with a 34–8 scoreline and the Grand Final achieved the honour of being the most watched television show in Australia in 2007.[12]
[edit] 2008: The Centenary
The NRL is currently celebrating the Centenary year of Rugby League in the country, with several initiatives to recognise the important milestone. The competition begins in March, with a special heritage round to be held in mid-April, coinciding with the first round of competition played in 1908. The Season is expected to be the greatest season of the game for the 100 years.
At a Gala event on the night of 17th April 2008 the team of the centruy was announced being: Full-back: Clive Churchill; Wingers: Ken Irvine, Brian Bevan; Centres: Reg Gasnier, Mal Meninga; Five-eighth: Wally Lewis; Half-back: Andrew Johns; Lock: John Raper; Second Row: Norm Provan, Ron Coote; Props: Arthur Beetson, Duncan Hall; Hooker: Noel Kelly; Reserves: Graeme Langlands, Dally Messenger, Bob Fulton, Frank Burge; Coach: Jack Gibson.
At least four NRL teams are facing having to fold because of bankruptcy. The South Sydney Rabbitohs, St. George Illawara Dragons, Wests Tigers and Cronulla Sharks are all in doubt to go on much farther after being reliant on NRL grants for the past few years. The NRL is set to slash these grants by a big margin and all clubs are now forecasting being in the red for the next few season.
[edit] The Future
When the Gold Coast Titans were admitted into the 2007 season of the NRL they beat out proposals from Gosford, New South Wales (as the Central Coast Bears) and Wellington, New Zealand (as the Southern Orcas). Both teams are still looking forward to joining the NRL in the next expansion period, speculated to be a year before the current TV deal comes up for renewal in 2013.
In 2006 the Western Australia Rugby League announced that the Perth-based WA Reds will be joining the Jim Beam Cup in 2008. The club plans to progress through the competitions below the NRL with a planned promotion to the Queensland Cup in 2010 and final promotion to the NRL currently planned for 2011 - 2012.[14]
NRL CEO David Gallop has spoken specifically about adding teams in West Brisbane[15][16][17][18][19], Perth[20] [21][22], Adelaide[23], the Central Coast[24][25][26], the Sunshine Coast[27][28][29] and Wellington, New Zealand[30].
The NRL also has a fund of $8 million for any club that decides to relocate to a 'strategically identified area'.[31]
[edit] Games on the Road
Since 1998 NRL clubs have played both trial matches and premiership season games in areas that do not have representation in the NRL.
- Wests Tigers have played premiership season games in Christchurch, New Zealand
- The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and Penrith Panthers have played premiership season games in Adelaide.
- The Bulldogs have taken games interstate to Brisbane and the Gold Coast as well Wellington, New Zealand.
- South Sydney have agreed to move two games per season to Perth, Western Australia.
- The Parramatta Eels played two premiership season games in Waikato, New Zealand in 2005-2006.
[edit] Structure
A Partnership Executive Committee administers the agreement between the Australian Rugby League and News Limited as well as making major financial decisions.[32] Three representatives from each party make up this committee. A National Rugby League Board, which is commissioned by the Partnership Committee and is composed of six delegates - three from each party - is responsible for administering the competition. Both bodies nominate a Chairman to lead each board for a term of 12 months on an alternating basis.[32]
The National Rugby League markets the premiership on behalf of the clubs as well as organising the draw and finals matches. When the draw is finalised, teams are responsible for controlling and organising their assigned home games. Clubs each have their own organisational structure but are also bound to the National Rugby League by a common set of rules in club agreements.[32]
[edit] Competition format and sponsorship
[edit] Regular season
With rugby league being a winter sport in Australia, the NRL premiership season usually begins in early March following a brief series of trial matches. Games are then played every weekend (plus Monday night football) until the end of September.
There are currently sixteen clubs in the National Rugby League. Teams are divided into two equal pools of eight at the completion of each season, with each pool of equal strength based on that season's results. During the course of the regular season (which lasts until August) each club plays a total of two games against each team in the opposite pool, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponent's for a total of sixteen games for each club. Teams play six of those seven others in their own group just once during the season, and play the remaining club twice. This results in each team playing 24 games, with two byes in the 26-week regular season, for a total of 192 games.
Teams receive two competition points for a win, and one point for a draw. The bye also receives two points; a loss, no points. Teams are ranked by competition points, then points difference and then points percentage. At the end of each season, the club with the most points is declared minor premiers.
[edit] Finals
The eight highest placed teams at the end of the regular season have the opportunity to compete in the finals series, which is contested using the McIntyre System. This system has been used for every National Rugby League season with the exception of the first, in 1998.[33] The system consists of a number of knockout and sudden-death games over four weeks between the top eight teams in August and September until there are only two teams remaining. These two teams then play in the Grand Final, usually on the first Sunday of October. In the first week, the top four seeds play at their respective home grounds. In week two, matches are played within the home city of the two lower seeded winning teams from week one. In week three, teams will play within the home regions of the two seeded winning teams from week one.
The NRL's Grand Final is one of Australia's major sporting events, often attracting large attendances and high television ratings. The game itself is usually preceded by an opening ceremony including entertainment from well-known Australasian and international musical acts. The Australian Prime Minister is also usually on hand for the trophy-presenting ceremony. In 1998 the Grand Final was held at the Sydney Football Stadium. Since 1999 the Grand Final has been contested at Stadium Australia, the primary athletics venue during the 2000 Olympic Games held in Sydney.[34] In June 2006, the NRL announced that the National Rugby League Grand Final will continue to be held at the Stadium until at least 2012, when it will be considered to be moved interstate if certain circumstances arose.[35]
The Grand Final was always played on Sunday afternoons but in 2001 the grand final was played at night time for a primetime TV slot. Fear that the NRL would lose their marquee event from youngsters because the game finishes late at night they worked out a compromise between Channel 9's (broadcaster of the NRL Grand Final) 0f 8pm and between the fans wanted start time of 3pm so the 2008 Grand Final will start at 5pm AEST.[36]
[edit] Sponsorship
The NRL is a highly corporatised sporting competition, with sponsors' logos appearing on everything from the ball itself, to the playing field's surface and most parts of players' and referees' uniforms. Since 2001, the National Rugby League premiership has been sponsored by Telstra. In the years beforehand, the premiership was simply known as the "National Rugby League". The list below details who the sponsors have been and what they called the competition:[37]
-
- 1998–2000: (Not part of Name but was sponsored by Optus) National Rugby League
- 2001–current: Telstra (NRL Telstra Premiership)
The Telstra Premiership has maintained three competition logos throughout its current tenure as major sponsor. The first, lasting only through the 2001 regular season, was their company logo with an elongated circle enclosing the word Premiership. From the Finals series of 2001 through to the end of 2006 the logo was based around the shape of a football with the words Telstra Premiership on respective lines along the bottom, culminating with a small football similar to the one in the official NRL logo. The primary colours were that of the company - blue and orange. The company has worked with the NRL for a new logo in 2007 as part of a new sponsorship deal, and as such the logo is much similar to the original National Rugby League emblem. Other notable sponsorships include Coca-Cola Amatil for ball sponsorship, Carlton Draught for Friday Night Football sponsorship, Bundaberg Rum for Monday Night Football sponsorship and TAB sportsbet as official betting agency of the NRL.
[edit] Competition rules and representative season
[edit] Salary cap
The National Rugby League adopted a salary cap in the early 1990s. In the NRL, clubs found to have breached the salary cap rules usually incur a fine. For example, six clubs were fined for minor infractions in 2003. These infractions are usually technical in nature and can sometimes be affected by third-party factors such as loss of sponsorship revenue affecting an allowance. During the 2007 season the NRL has investigated other ways of creating a fair and more beneficial cap for players and clubs.
However in mid-2002, the Bulldogs were found guilty of serious and systematic breaches. In addition to a more substantial fine, they were stripped of their competition points accumulated to that date, and hence denied a place in the finals. As the club had been leading the competition table prior to the penalty's imposition, this was a shattering outcome for the club and its fans.
In the 2006 pre-season the New Zealand Warriors revealed that their former management had rorted the salary cap in the 2004 and 2005 seasons. As a punishment the club was stripped of four competition points for 2006 and fined $430,000. They also had to play the 2007 season under a reduced salary cap.
After the completion of round 7, 2008, several clubs were fined for breaches in 2007. The hardest hit were the South Sydney Rabbitohs with a $70000 fine, unfortunately coinciding with an alcohol-related incident involving five of the club's players, including the captain.
[edit] Representative season
As well as playing for their club in the National Rugby League premiership season, players are sometimes entitled to play in a number of representative competitions that are conducted by the Australian Rugby League at the same time. These competitions include the one-off ANZAC Tests, World Cup competitions, Tri-Nations series, State of Origin series and the New South Wales City vs Country Origin series. In order for a player to qualify for a representative team in these competitions, they must firstly be eligible to be chosen for the side, based on a process of qualification (which involves the standard of play at club level).
[edit] Media coverage
The NRL is a juggernaut on the Australian television scene, providing not only the highest rating program in Australia (the NRL Grand Final) but also six of the top seven and 78 of the top 100 programs on subscription television.
[edit] Coverage History
Professional club football in Australia has ultimately been revolutionised by television, with a large shift away from daytime games to night-time games over recent years to better suit the contracted television networks, Channel 9 and Fox Sports. This even extended to the Grand Final, which from 2001 to 2006 was shifted from 3pm on Sunday to 7pm Sunday night to better suit broadcasters. It has been moved back to 5pm Sunday from 2008 onwards.
The News Limited-begun Foxtel network which broadcast its first rugby league matches during the 1997 Super League season has broadcast the remaining National Rugby League matches since the competition's inception in 1998. In 2007, the hugely popular Monday Night Football was added to Foxtel's rugby league coverage.
[edit] Current Television Coverage
[edit] Domestic
- Friday Night Football starts at 7.30 pm with a live match followed by the replay of another match played during the same time as the live game. Both matches on Channel 9 free-to-air television.
- Super Saturday includes one U/20 Toyota Cup afternoon game, a twilight game and two night games all broadcast consecutively on Fox Sports.
- Sunday Afternoon Football is a delayed match broadcast on Channel 9. A game is also played live on Fox Sports.
- Monday Night Football is televised live from 7:00pm by Fox Sports. It is sponsored by Bundaberg Rum.
- The NRL Grand Final is shown live in every state on Channel 9, with some states receiving up to 10 hours of continuous pre- and post-game coverage.
On Super Saturday the viewer providing that they have Foxtel Digital or Austar Digital can use a tool called Viewer's choice. Viewer's choice gives the viewer a choice of either game played at 7:30pm.
[edit] International
The NRL is televised on almost every continent, with the following channels being the main telecast partners overseas.
- Setanta Sports - Covers at least least 2 live games from each of the weekly rounds. Plus all the playoffs, the Grand Final and all three State of Origin matches live. Shown in England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and in the United States of America. Also covers Australia test matches.
- Australia Network - Provides free-to-air coverage to overseas locales in the Asia-Pacific region and India. Covers the Grand Final live.
[edit] Players
National Rugby League footballers account for some of Australasia's most famous athletes, commanding multi-million dollar playing contracts as well as sponsorship deals. Each club in the NRL has a "top squad" of twenty-five players, which are signed under the Salary Cap (as described above). By and large, the players who play in National Rugby League matches are sourced from these "top squad"s. Occasionally during a season, however, the need may arise for a club to use players outside these 25, and in this case players are usually sourced from the club's junior ranks (such as the relevant New South Wales Cup or Queensland Cup squad).
The players voted to be the best in each position at the end of the season are honoured at the annual Dally M Awards, with the player of the year awarded the Dally M Medal. The man of the match in the Grand Final is awarded the Clive Churchill Medal.
[edit] Europeans in the NRL
European-born players in the National Rugby League amount to very few. However those who do make the trip downunder (In recent times Adrian Morley and Brian Carney) tend to be stars of the game and generate a cult following.
Scotland international Ian Henderson and fellow Scot James McManus are the only two European players in the NRL this season.
[edit] Indigenous Australians in the NRL
The first Indigenous Australian to play in the pre-cursor to the NRL was New South Wales Rugby League premiership player George Green in 1909. Since that time, many high profile indigenous athletes have played in the competition, including standout rugby league test players Arthur Beetson (first ever aboriginal to captain an Australian national team) and current Test match representatives Jonathan Thurston and Greg Inglis.
A Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission report found that 11% of NRL players in 2006 were of Aboriginal descent (It was only 7% in the AFL in 2005[38]), making the NRL the most popular professional sporting competition for Indigenous Australians.[39]. By way of comparison, only 2.3% of the Australian population identified themselves as Indigenous in the 2006 Australian census.[40]
[edit] Pacific Islanders in the NRL
Most of the players in the National Rugby League are of Australian origin, although there are increasing numbers of both New Zealand and Pacific Island-born players being selected by clubs. In recent years, Polynesian players have made up 75 per cent of junior representative teams in New South Wales.[41] It has been estimated that by 2011-2012 50% of NRL players will be Polynesian. [42]
[edit] Statistics
- Further information: List of National Rugby League records
| Rank | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Hazem El Masri[43] |
2,024 |
| 2 | Andrew Johns |
1,578 |
| 3 | Clinton Schifcofske |
1,496 |
| 4 | Craig Fitzgibbon[43] |
1,238 |
| 5 | Matt Orford[43] |
1,092 |
| 6 | Brett Hodgson[43] |
1,073 |
| 7 | Michael De Vere |
1,030 |
| 8 | Ryan Girdler |
901 |
| 9 | Josh Hannay |
882 |
| 10 | Darren Lockyer[43] |
834 |
| As of 1 January 2007.[44] | ||
The Brisbane Broncos have won the most premierships since the creation of the National Rugby League (1998, 2000 and 2006)
The Bulldogs hold the record for the most consecutive wins, having won 17 matches in a row between 31 March 2002 and 3 August 2002.[45] However this was the year that they cheated the salary cap by over $1.5 million. The Parramatta Eels set the records for the highest score and margin of victory in a 74–4 victory over the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks on 23 August 2003.[46] The most victories achieved within a season is 21, held by the Melbourne Storm in 2007.[47] Since the first National Rugby League season in 1998, a total of six players have topped the scorers list in a season. However, the only player to have won the title more than once is Hazem El Masri, the overall top scorer in the National Rugby League's history, having claimed the title in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006. Hazem El Masri was leading the top scoring table in 2005 until sidelined through injury. His tally of 342 points in 2004[48] remains the most points scored by an individual in a season.
Ken Irvine is Rugby League's most prolific try scorer with 212 tries, the only player to score 200 or more tries.
Nigel Vagana's 154 tries scored across all nine seasons of the National Rugby League[49] makes him the most prolific try scorer in the competition's history ( as Ken Irvine and Steve Menzies, the games actual highest try scorers, played before the creation of the NRL). Nathan Blacklock holds the record for the most tries in a season, with 27 scored in 2001[50] for his team, the St. George Illawarra Dragons.
Three players hold the record for the most points scored in a game; Hazem El Masri, Andrew Johns and Matt Geyer with 34 apiece.[51] Only three players have scored five tries in a game; Francis Meli, Jamie Lyon and Nigel Vagana.[51]
It should be noted, however, that the official records of the NRL do not differentiate between the various top level competitions. For more information on official records, see this page List of NSWRL/ARL/SL/NRL records
[edit] See also
- New South Wales Rugby League premiership
- Australian Rugby League
- Super League war
- World Club Challenge
- List of NRL records
- National Rugby League Teams
- List of sports attendance figures — the NRL's attendance in a worldwide context
- Dally M Medal for best and fairest
- Clive Churchill Medal
- NRL Rugby League 2 NRL video game
[edit] References
- ^ List of attendance figures at domestic professional sports leagues
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://nrl.com/News/Latest/NewsArticle/tabid/76/NewsId/7927/Default.aspx
- ^ Canberra Raiders RL1908.com Retrieved on 14 January 2006.
- ^ Illawarra Steelers RL1908.com Retrieved on 14 January 2006.
- ^ Club History Newtown Jets - Established 1908 Retrieved on 14 January 2006.
- ^ A Century of Premiership Competition RL1908.com Retrieved on 14 January 2006.
- ^ Rugby League Tables / Attendances 1957-2006 The World of Rugby League Retrieved on 14 January 2006.
- ^ Rugby League Tables / Attendances 1957-2006 / All Teams
- ^ Courier Mail
- ^ Storm the sentimental favourite in Sydney - League - Sport - theage.com.au
- ^ [2]
- ^ Centenary of Rugby League | Home
- ^ [3] WA Wins Bid for National Team: The Journey to the NRL Begins, WA Rugby League, Retrieved on 15 December 2006
- ^ [4] Fourth team for Queensland? The Courier-Mail
- ^ No need yet for NRL to expand, says David Gallop | The Courier-Mail
- ^ NRL got it right in Qld: Gallop - Sport - BrisbaneTimes - brisbanetimes.com.au
- ^ It's war: League attacks AFL | The Daily Telegraph
- ^ Eagles to set foot in Queensland | Daily Telegraph
- ^ It's war: League attacks AFL | The Daily Telegraph
- ^ WARL | Western Australian Rugby League
- ^ Sydney's clubs fight for life but are they really killing the game? | The Australian
- ^ Sydney's clubs fight for life but are they really killing the game? | The Australian
- ^ No need yet for NRL to expand, says David Gallop | The Courier-Mail
- ^ NRL got it right in Qld: Gallop - Sport - BrisbaneTimes - brisbanetimes.com.au
- ^ It's war: League attacks AFL | The Daily Telegraph
- ^ No need yet for NRL to expand, says David Gallop | The Courier-Mail
- ^ NRL got it right in Qld: Gallop - Sport - BrisbaneTimes - brisbanetimes.com.au
- ^ It's war: League attacks AFL | The Daily Telegraph
- ^ It's war: League attacks AFL | The Daily Telegraph
- ^ Cash offer for clubs to relocate - League - www.smh.com.au
- ^ a b c NRL History National Rugby League Retrieved on 14 January 2006.
- ^ Rugby League Tables - Notes. Rugby League Tables & Statistics. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
- ^ Aussie Stadium. Australian Stadiums. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
- ^ Australian Associated Press. "Sydney locks in grand final for six years", The Sydney Morning Herald, June 2, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
- ^ "NRL to host a twilight Grand Final", ABC News, 2007-12-18. Retrieved on 2008-02-12.
- ^ NRL Telstra Premiership. The World of Rugby League. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
- ^ What's the Score?
- ^ What's the score? A survey of cultural diversity and racism in Australian sport. Human Rights & Equal Opportunity Commision. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). Australia. 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.
- ^ Roy Masters (sport). "Polynesians are a cracker, but Stuart wants change for true test of endurance", The Sydney Morning Herald, October 13, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
- ^ Who's the next star as Kiwis flood NRL - New Zealand's source for sport, rugby, cricket & league news on Stuff.co.nz
- ^ a b c d e Currently active in National Rugby League
- ^ Rugby League Tables / Scorers (1971-2006). Rugby League Tables & Statistics. Retrieved on 2007-01-14.
- ^ Rugby League Tables / Streaks / All Teams. Rugby League Tables & Statistics. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
- ^ Rugby League Tables / Game Records / All Teams. Rugby League Tables & Statistics. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
- ^ Rugby League Tables / Season 2006. Rugby League Tables & Statistics. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
- ^ Rugby League Tables / Point scorers 2004. Rugby League Tables & Statistics. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
- ^ Rugby League Tables / Nigel Vagana. Rugby League Tables & Statistics. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
- ^ Rugby League Tables / Try scorers 2001. Rugby League Tables & Statistics. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
- ^ a b Rugby League Tables / Most In A Game. Rugby League Tables & Statistics. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
[edit] External links
- National Rugby League
- Australian Rugby League
- Complete NSWRL/ARL/SL/NRL Stats
- FOX Sports Australia Rugby League Section
- NRL on 7 Sports News
- Fairfax coverage of National Rugby League
- Regular NRL News & Information
- SportsAustralia.com League
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