National Rugby League season 2004

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National Rugby League season 2004

Teams 15
Premiers Canterbury (8th title)
Minor premiers Sydney (16th title)
Matches played 189
Points scored 9086 (average 48.074 per match)
Attendance 2,942,231 (average 15,567 per match)
Top points scorer(s) Hazem El Masri (342)
Top try scorer(s) Amos Roberts (23)

The year 2004's National Rugby League season was the 97th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the seventh run by the NRL. Fifteen clubs competed for the Telstra Premiership. Eventually the Bulldogs defeated the Sydney Roosters in the grand final and in doing so claimed their eighth premiership.

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[edit] Season summary

The beginning of the season was largely overshadowed with several Bulldogs players questioned by police in relation to an alleged rape of a 20-year old Coffs Harbour woman. An independent investigator, former New South Wales chief of detectives, would later fail to find any evidence of misconduct on behalf of the players, and no charges were pressed.

It would not be the last unsavoury headline for rugby league in 2004, with a crowd incident at a Bulldogs-Roosters game on March 26, whilst two New South Wales State of Origin players were stood down from the squad on May 21 for unprofessional conduct.

During a match between the Broncos and the Tigers, the Broncos fielded 14 men at one stage of the Campbelltown Stadium match. In the 60th minute, Brisbane's Shane Webcke was taken off the ground after being KO'd by Tiger Bryce Gibbs. In the interim, Corey Parker was brought on, with Webcke still being assisted off. Parker immediately scored off a Darren Lockyer pass and started a Broncos revival (they trailed 24-8 at halftime) which later saw them win 24-32. But, an ensuing investigation led the Broncos to be stripped of two competition points, which were reinstated weeks later.

Rounds 15-16 saw the Wests Tigers kept to zero whilst conceding over 50 points in the space of six days (Dragons 50-0, 20/6/04, Roosters 56-0, 25/6/04). They were also kept to zero by the Sydney Roosters twice in 2004, losing 22-0 in round 9 and 56-0 in round 16. An extra-ordinary scoreline was also seen in a round 25 clash between the St George Dragons and Manly. Trailing 34-10 after 53 minutes the Dragons came back to win the match 36-34. This match stood in second-place in the rankings of the biggest comebacks in Australian premiership history.

Several players and coaches also made the headlines for the wrong reasons. Jamie Lyon walked out on the Parramatta club after the first round citing burnout and dissatisfaction with living in Sydney, and would later move to the UK for a successful Europen Super League career. Coaches Daniel Anderson and Paul Langmack would have their contracts terminated at the New Zealand Warriors and South Sydney Rabbitohs respectively.

Andrew Johns was injured in Newcastle's third game of the season against Parramatta, and subsequently missed the remainder of the season. The Knights missed the finals of the NRL for the first time since 1996.

2004 was also notable for the emergence of teenage players Sonny Bill Williams (Bulldogs) and Karmichael Hunt (Brisbane Broncos), and their performances, mature beyond their years, would be critical to the fortunes of their clubs.

The North Queensland Cowboys qualified for the finals for the first time in their ten-year history, and shocked everybody by finishing just one game short of the grand final. During the finals, they won their first ever game against Queensland rivals, Brisbane, thus ending the career of Broncos stalwart Gorden Tallis. Also retiring in 2004 were Brad Fittler, Ryan Girdler, Kevin Campion, Scott Sattler and Robbie O'Davis.

[edit] Teams

[edit] Advertising

In 2004 the NRL and their advertising agency MJW Hakuhodo continued with their use of the Hoodoo Gurus' 1987 hit "What's My Scene" with reworked lyrics as "That's My Team".

In addition to the big 60-second season launch TV commercial, three shorter executions were produced: one targeting young men, another targeting women and one aimed at families. In a year where sexual assault allegations damaged perceptions and the reputation of the code, retaining female fans was seen as a massive challenge.[1].

[edit] Records set in 2004

  • Hazem El Masri's tally of 342 points from 2004 still stands as the individual record for most points scored in a season in Australian club rugby league history.
  • Sydney Roosters lost their 14th Grand Final, the most Grand Final losses by any club.
  • The St. George Illawarra Dragons's club record for their biggest comeback was set at 24 points when they came from 34-10 down with only 25 minutes remaining to win 36-34 against the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.

[edit] Ladder

Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts
1 Sydney 24 19 0 5 2 710 368 +342 42
2 Canterbury 24 19 0 5 2 760 491 +269 42
3 Brisbane 24 16 1 7 2 602 533 +69 37
4 Penrith 24 15 0 9 2 672 567 +105 34
5 St George Illawarra 24 14 0 10 2 624 415 +209 32
6 Melbourne 24 13 0 11 2 684 517 +167 30
7 North Queensland 24 12 1 11 2 526 514 +12 29
8 Canberra 24 11 0 13 2 554 613 -59 26
9 Wests Tigers 24 10 0 14 2 509 534 -25 24
10 Newcastle 24 10 0 14 2 516 617 -101 24
11 Cronulla 24 10 0 14 2 528 645 -117 24
12 Parramatta 24 9 0 15 2 517 626 -109 22
13 Manly-Warringah 24 9 0 15 2 615 754 -139 22
14 New Zealand 24 6 0 18 2 427 693 -266 16
15 South Sydney 24 5 2 17 2 455 812 -357 16

[edit] Finals

St. George Illawarra Dragons almost capped a remarkable comeback when they trailed 24-0 only after half an hour of play to comeback to only lose 31-30 against the Penrith Panthers in the first Qualifying Final. But the biggest upset of the series was when 7th placed North Queensland Cowboys made it to the Finals for the first time and beat 2nd placed and competition favourites the Bulldogs 30-22 in the 3rd Qualifying Final. The Cowboys also beat the Brisbane Broncos for the first time ever in the Semi Finals but they were unable to make it to their first Grand Final when they lost to the Sydney Roosters in the Preliminary Final.

Home Score Away Match Information
Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd
Qualifying Finals
Penrith Panthers 31–30 St. George Illawarra Dragons 10 September 2004 Penrith Football Stadium Sean Hampstead 21,963
Brisbane Broncos 14–31 Melbourne Storm 11 September 2004 Suncorp Stadium Steve Clark 31,100
Canterbury Bulldogs 22–30 North Queensland Cowboys 11 September 2004 Telstra Stadium Tim Mander 18,371
Sydney Roosters 38–12 Canberra Raiders 12 September 2004 Aussie Stadium Paul Simpkins 18,375
Semi Finals
North Queensland Cowboys 10–0 Brisbane Broncos 18 September 2004 Dairy Farmers Stadium¹ Tim Mander 24,989
Canterbury Bulldogs 43–18 Melbourne Storm 19 September 2004 Aussie Stadium Paul Simpkins 23,750
Preliminary Finals
Penrith Panthers 14–30 Canterbury Bulldogs 25 September 2004 Aussie Stadium Tim Mander 37,868
Sydney Roosters 19–16 North Queensland Cowboys 26 September 2004 Telstra Stadium Paul Simpkins 43,048
Grand Final
Sydney Roosters 13–16 Canterbury Bulldogs 4 October 2004 Telstra Stadium Tim Mander 82,127

¹ Game relocated to Dairy Farmers Stadium, the Cowboys' home ground, from Aussie Stadium. Cowboys designated home team despite the Broncos finishing higher on the table.

[edit] Grand Final

Roosters Position Bulldogs
Anthony Minichiello FB Luke Patten
Shannon Hegarty WG Hazem El Masri
Ryan Cross CE Ben Harris
Justin Hodges CE Willie Tonga
Chris Walker WG Matt Utai
Brad Fittler (c) FE Braith Anasta
Brett Finch HB Brent Sherwin
Jason Cayless PR Mark O'Meley
Craig Wing HK Adam Perry
Adrian Morley PR Roy Asotasi
Michael Crocker SR Willie Mason
Craig Fitzgibbon SR Andrew Ryan (c)
Chris Flannery LK Tony Grimaldi
Peter Cusack Bench Johnathan Thurston
Ned Catic Bench Corey Hughes
Anthony Tupou Bench Reni Maitua
Chad Robinson Bench Sonny Bill Williams
Ricky Stuart Coach Steve Folkes

The Roosters made it to the Grand Final for the third consecutive season, however the Bulldogs ended their season of wildly fluctuating fortunes with a 16-13 win over Sydney in the last match played of superstar Brad Fittler's glittering 15-season career. Maligned for their disreputable pre-season and incidents of unseemly conduct by players and fans, the Bulldogs showed resilience and character to take out their first premiership since 1995.

The Bulldogs didn't have the title secure until the final seconds when second-rower Andrew Ryan ankle-tapped runaway Rooster Michael Crocker in a match-winning play. Ryan took over the captaincy from departing prop Steve Price who was ruled out days before the decider after tearing his medial ligament the week before.

It was the Roosters' second consecutive grand final loss.

Bulldogs 16 (Tries: Utai 2, El Masri. Goals: El Masri 2)

defeated

Sydney Roosters 13 (Tries: Walker, Minichello. Goals: Fitzgibbon 2. Fld Goal: Finch)

Clive Churchill Medallist: Willie Mason


[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Sources and Footnotes

Clubs in the National Rugby League, 2008

Brisbane Broncos · Bulldogs · Canberra Raiders · Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Gold Coast Titans · Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles · Melbourne Storm · Newcastle Knights
New Zealand Warriors · North Queensland Cowboys · Parramatta Eels · Penrith Panthers
St. George Illawarra Dragons · South Sydney Rabbitohs · Sydney Roosters · Wests Tigers

Former NSWRL / ARL / SL / NRL clubs

Adelaide · Annandale · Balmain · Cumberland · Glebe · Gold Coast · Hunter
Illawarra · Newcastle · Newtown · North Sydney · Northern Eagles
Perth · South Queensland · St. George · University · Western Suburbs

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