The Winfield Cup was an Australian rugby league trophy awarded to the winner of the New South Wales Rugby League premiership's (NSWRL) Grand Final from 1982 to 1994, and to the winner of the Australian Rugby League (ARL) Grand Final in 1995. Despite its name it was a trophy, not a cup.
The trophy was retired after the 1995 ARL season when cigarette manufacturer Winfield was forced to withdraw their sponsorship of the Premiership, following the Australian Federal Government's introduction of the Tobacco Advertising Prohibition Act 1992 which outlawed tobacco advertising in sports in Australia. Winfield were not the first tobacco company to sponsor the NSWRL Premiership, however; from 1960 to 1981 the pre-season competition was sponsored by W. D. & H. O. Wills.
A redesigned ARL Premiership trophy, known as the Optus Cup, was introduced in 1996 but lasted just two seasons.
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The Winfield Cup trophy was a three-dimensional bronze cast of a famous photo called The Gladiators,[1] which depicted a mud-soaked Norm Provan of St. George and Arthur Summons of Western Suburbs embracing after the 1963 Grand Final. This image became symbolic of the camaraderie and 'mateship' in rugby league and the present-day National Rugby League Premiership Trophy (which evolved from the Winfield Cup) uses a similar design. The sculpture itself was designed by New Zealand-born sculptor Alan Ingham (b.1920 - 1994).[2]
