2007 NRL season

2007 National Rugby League
Teams	16
Premiers	Melbourne Storm[1]
Minor premiers	Melbourne Storm
Matches played	201
Points scored	8539
Attendance	3332114
Top points scorer(s)	Hazem El Masri (210)
Player of the year	Johnathan Thurston (Dally M Medal)
Top try-scorer(s)	Matthew Bowen (22)

The 2007 NRL season was the one hundredth season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the tenth run by the National Rugby League. Sixteen teams contested the NRL's 2007 Telstra Premiership, and with the inclusion of a new team, the Gold Coast Titans, the competition was the largest run since the 1999 NRL season.

The Melbourne Storm were the Minor Premiers in 2007, six points clear of second-placed Manly Warringah Sea Eagles. The Storm eventually ran out 34-8 winners in the 2007 NRL Grand Final to claim the premiership. However, they were subsequently stripped of both their Minor Premiership and Premiership titles on 22 April 2010, after they were found to be guilty of breaching the league's salary cap.^[2][3]

Season summary

Pre-season, 2006 Premiers the Brisbane Broncos travelled to England to play the Super League champions in the 2007 World Club Challenge.

The 2007 NRL Season kicked off on Friday 16 March 2007 with eight games to be played in each round. The 2007 season saw the return of Monday Night Football, which helped the NRL to set new first round aggregate attendance record of 174,475.^[4] The opening round also saw two matches at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium, one featured reigning champions Brisbane playing fellow Queensland side the Cowboys, while the second match introduced the newest club to be admitted to the competition, the Gold Coast Titans.

The North Queensland Cowboys' Jason Smith was the NRL's oldest player in 2007 at 35 years and 186 days.^[5]

Teams had fewer byes in 2007 than in the 2006 competition. 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 the system used between 2000 and 2001 in which every team played in each round. However, this option was not chosen. In 2007, teams had just a single bye during the year, grouped in periods that will assist clubs around representative fixtures.

The top eight was not settled until the final round as the Brisbane Broncos and Wests Tigers were both on 24 points in 8th and 9th position respectively, with the Broncos ahead on points differential. Both teams lost their final regular season match and as a result of this, the South Sydney Rabbitohs made the top eight for the first time since 1989. The New Zealand Warriors secured a home final: the second match in the history of the National Rugby League Finals played outside of Australia. The first was the Warriors' victory over the Canberra Raiders at Mt Smart Stadium while on their way to the 2002 Grand Final.

On the other end of the ladder, the Newcastle Knights and Penrith Panthers were both in contention for the Wooden Spoon - the traditional label for last place. The Knights performed well in their last match and denied the Wests Tigers a spot in the top eight, winning by two points, whereas the Panthers were defeated by the New Zealand Warriors, seeing them finish last.

2007 saw a total of over 3 million spectators attend regular season matches for only the second time in history.^[6]

Records set

• The Brisbane Broncos recorded their biggest win in the club's history (65 points) with a 71-6 win over the Newcastle Knights at Suncorp Stadium in round 11. It's also the Newcastle Knights biggest ever loss.
• New Zealand Warriors prop forward Steve Price ran 4,515 metres with the ball in 2007, more than any other forward in history.^[7]

Advertising

The National Rugby League kept use of the Hoodoo Gurus' "That's My Team" for a fifth consecutive season, with their advertising agency MJW Hakuhodo reworking the track "What's My Scene" and the "That's My Dream" slogan. With a design change for the Telstra Premiership logo (after months of off-season deliberation on whether Telstra would sponsor the code again), the commercial was a fast-paced action clip, with key players from all teams superimposed to appear as if they are playing in front the famous landmarks of their team's area. They are as follows:

• Brisbane Broncos - Darren Lockyer in front of the Story Bridge.
• Bulldogs - Andrew Ryan and Luke Patten in Sydney Olympic Park.
• Canberra Raiders - Phil Graham in front of Parliament House.
• Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks - on the steps of North Cronulla Beach.
• Gold Coast Titans - Luke Bailey taking a hit-up on Surfers Paradise' Beach.
• Manly Warringah Sea Eagles - on the Manly Beach Boulevarde.
• Melbourne Storm - running across Federation Square.
• Newcastle Knights - Danny Buderus scoring a try on the Newcastle Waterfront.
• North Queensland Cowboys - streets of Townsville.
• New Zealand Warriors - Steve Price in front of the city skyline of Auckland.
• Parramatta Eels - Eric Grothe, Jr. running down Church Street.
• Penrith Panthers - players on Mulgoa Road.
• St George Illawarra Dragons - Mark Gasnier running along the Seacliff Drive.
• South Sydney Rabbitohs - Roy Asotasi taking a hitup in the Sydney Harbour Tunnel.
• Sydney Roosters - players in front of the pavilion at Bondi Beach.
• Wests Tigers - Robbie Farah in Sydney Olympic Park.

As with previous seasons, all team captains featured prominently in the ads, holding aloft the premiership trophy as the advertisement closes, replicating the 2006 equivalent. Ironically only weeks after it was put to air, Newcastle Knights captain Andrew Johns' career was ended by a neck injury.

Sponsorship

Telecommunications giant Telstra once again hold the naming rights to the premiership season and for the seventh season the competition will be known as the "Telstra Premiership". For the second time, however, a change has been made to the Telstra Premiership Logo, to coincide with the tel-co's own new logo. The logo is now much more similar to the original NRL logo in style.

Spirit producers Bundaberg Rum are sponsoring Monday night football - to be known as Bundaberg Monday Night Football. Electronics wholesaler Harvey Norman is expected to continue their support of the State of Origin Series, as is AAMI and their association with City vs Country Origin.

Teams

For the 2007 season the number of teams in the NRL had increasing from fifteen to sixteen with the re-inclusion of a Gold Coast, Queensland-based club for the first since 1998, now as the Gold Coast Titans. It was the first time the number of Premiership teams had changed since 2002 when the re-inclusion of the South Sydney Rabbitohs saw the number of teams increase from 14 to 15. The Titans were the NRL's first expansion team since the Melbourne Storm, who entered the League in 1998.

The sixteen teams participated in the competition over the regular season, making it the largest it had been since 1999 when there were seventeen. Of the sixteen clubs, ten were from New South Wales (nine from Sydney's metropolitan area), three from Queensland and one from each of Victoria, the ACT and New Zealand.

Cowboys

Storm

Knights

Broncos

Titans

Warriors

Raiders

Dragons

Dragons

Bulldogs

Sharks

Sea Eagles

Eels

Panthers

Roosters

Rabbitohs

Tigers

Tigers

(Sydney - see left)

Just two foundation clubs from New South Wales Rugby League season 1908 played in this, the 100th season of the competition: the Sydney Roosters (formerly known as Eastern Suburbs) and the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Of these two clubs, only the Sydney Roosters played their 100th full season, as the South Sydney Rabbitohs were in recess during 2000 and 2001. It should also be noted that two foundation clubs, the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs Magpies, had played in every year since 1908, but the two sides merged to create the Wests Tigers who competed every year since the merger in 2000.

Brisbane Broncos 20th season Ground: Suncorp Stadium Coach: Wayne Bennett Captain: Darren Lockyer	Bulldogs RLFC 73rd season Ground: Telstra Stadium Coach: Steve Folkes Captain: Andrew Ryan	Canberra Raiders 26th season Ground: Canberra Stadium Coach: Neil Henry Captain: Alan Tongue	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 41st season Ground: Toyota Stadium Coach: Ricky Stuart Captain: Brett Kimmorley
Gold Coast Titans 1st season Ground: Carrara Stadium Coach: John Cartwright Captain: Scott Prince & Luke Bailey	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 58th season Ground: Brookvale Oval Coach: Des Hasler Captain: Matt Orford	Melbourne Storm 10th season Ground Olympic Park Stadium Coach: Craig Bellamy Captain: Cameron Smith	Newcastle Knights 20th season Ground: EnergyAustralia Stadium Coach: Brian Smith Captain: Andrew Johns → Danny Buderus
New Zealand Warriors 13th season Ground: Mt Smart Stadium Coach: Ivan Cleary Captain: Steve Price	North Queensland Cowboys 13th season Ground: Dairy Farmers Stadium Coach: Graham Murray Captain: Johnathan Thurston	Parramatta Eels 61st season Ground: Parramatta Stadium Coach: Michael Hagan Captain: Nathan Cayless	Penrith Panthers 41st season Ground: CUA Stadium Coach: Matthew Elliott Captain: Tony Puletua
South Sydney Rabbitohs 98th season Ground: Telstra Stadium Coach: Jason Taylor Captain: David Kidwell & Roy Asotasi	Sydney Roosters 100th season Ground: Sydney Football Stadium Coach: Chris Anderson → Brad Fittler Captain: Craig Fitzgibbon	St. George Illawarra Dragons 9th season Ground: OKI Jubilee Stadium & WIN Stadium Coach: Nathan Brown Captain: Mark Gasnier	Wests Tigers 8th season Ground: Campbelltown Stadium & Leichhardt Oval Coach: Tim Sheens Captain: Brett Hodgson

Ladder

	Team	Pld	W	D	L	B	PF	PA	PD	Pts
1	Melbourne Storm (P) *stripped	24	21	0	3	1	627	277	+350	44
2	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	24	18	0	6	1	597	377	+220	38
3	North Queensland Cowboys	24	15	0	9	1	547	618	-71	32
4	New Zealand Warriors	24	13	1	10	1	593	434	+159	29
5	Parramatta Eels	24	13	0	11	1	573	481	+92	28
6	Bulldogs	24	12	0	12	1	575	528	+47	26
7	South Sydney Rabbitohs	24	12	0	12	1	408	399	+9	26
8	Brisbane Broncos	24	11	0	13	1	511	476	+35	24
9	Wests Tigers	24	11	0	13	1	541	561	-20	24
10	Sydney Roosters	24	10	1	13	1	445	610	-165	23
11	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	24	10	0	14	1	463	403	+60	22
12	Gold Coast Titans	24	10	0	14	1	409	559	-150	22
13	St. George Illawarra Dragons	24	9	0	15	1	431	509	-78	20
14	Canberra Raiders	24	9	0	15	1	522	650	-128	20
15	Newcastle Knights	24	9	0	15	1	418	708	-290	20
16	Penrith Panthers	24	8	0	16	1	539	607	-68	18

Ladder progression

• Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 8.
• Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round.
• Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished in last place on the ladder in that round
• Underlined numbers indicate that the team had a bye during that round.

	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25
1	Melbourne	2	4	6	8	10	12	14	14	16	18	18	20	22	24	26	28	30	32	34	34	36	38	40	42	44
2	Manly-Warringah	2	4	6	8	10	12	12	14	16	18	20	20	22	24	24	24	26	28	30	32	34	36	36	36	38
3	North Queensland	2	4	6	8	8	8	10	12	12	12	14	16	16	16	18	20	22	22	22	22	24	26	28	30	32
4	New Zealand	2	4	4	4	6	8	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	12	14	16	16	18	20	22	23	25	25	27	29
5	Parramatta	0	0	2	4	6	6	6	8	8	10	12	14	14	16	18	20	20	22	24	24	26	26	26	26	28
6	Bulldogs	0	0	2	4	4	6	6	8	8	8	8	10	12	12	14	16	18	18	20	22	22	24	26	26	28
7	South Sydney	2	4	6	6	6	8	8	8	8	10	10	10	12	12	14	16	16	16	18	20	20	22	24	26	26
8	Brisbane	0	0	0	2	2	4	4	6	6	6	8	8	10	12	14	16	18	20	20	22	22	22	22	24	24
9	Wests Tigers	0	0	0	0	2	4	6	8	10	12	14	14	16	16	16	18	20	20	20	22	22	22	24	24	24
10	Sydney Roosters	0	0	0	0	0	2	4	4	6	6	8	8	10	12	12	12	12	14	16	18	19	21	21	21	23
11	Cronulla-Sutherland	2	2	2	4	4	6	6	8	10	12	12	12	14	14	14	16	16	16	16	16	16	18	18	20	22
12	Gold Coast	0	2	2	4	6	6	8	8	8	8	10	12	14	16	18	18	18	18	18	18	20	20	22	22	22
13	St. George Illawarra	2	2	2	2	2	4	4	6	6	8	8	10	10	10	10	12	14	14	16	16	18	18	18	20	20
14	Canberra	0	0	2	2	4	4	6	6	8	10	12	12	14	14	14	14	14	16	16	18	18	18	20	20	20
15	Newcastle	2	4	4	4	6	6	8	8	10	12	12	14	14	16	16	16	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	20
16	Penrith	0	2	4	4	4	4	4	4	6	8	8	10	10	10	10	10	10	12	12	12	14	14	16	18	18

Finals series

To decide the grand finalists from the top eight finishing teams, the NRL adopts the McIntyre Final Eight System. The finals series was contested over a period of four weeks, culminating with the NRL Grand Final being held on Sunday 30 September 2007. For the first time, the week 2 and week 3 final matches were played in the cities of previous week winners rather than Sydney only.

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time	Venue	Referee	Crowd
Qualifying Finals
New Zealand Warriors	10 – 12	Parramatta Eels	7 September 2007 8:30pm	Mt Smart Stadium	Tony Archer	28,745
North Queensland Cowboys	20 – 18	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	8 September 2007 6:30pm	Dairy Farmers Stadium	Paul Simpkins	24,004
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	30 – 6	South Sydney Rabbitohs	8 September 2007 8:30pm	Brookvale Oval	Shayne Hayne	19,875
Melbourne Storm	40 – 0	Brisbane Broncos	9 September 2007 4:00pm	Olympic Park Stadium	Steve Clark	15,522
Semi Finals
Parramatta Eels	25 – 6	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	15 September 2007 7:45pm	Telstra Stadium	Shayne Hayne	50,621
North Queensland Cowboys	49 – 12	New Zealand Warriors	16 September 2007 4:00pm	Dairy Farmers Stadium	Tony Archer	21,847
Preliminary Finals
Manly Sea Eagles	28 – 6	North Queensland Cowboys	22 September 2007 7:45pm	Sydney Football Stadium	Paul Simpkins	32,611
Melbourne Storm	26 – 10	Parramatta Eels	23 September 2007 4:00pm	Telstra Dome	Tony Archer	33,427

Finals Chart

	Qualifying Finals					Semi Finals					Preliminary Finals					Grand Final
	1	Melbourne	40
	8	Brisbane	0
											1W	Melbourne	26
	2	Manly	30			4W	Parramatta	25				Parramatta	10
	7	South Sydney	6			2L	Canterbury	6									Melbourne	34
																	Manly	8
	3	North Queensland	20								2W	Manly	28
	6	Canterbury	18			3W	North Queensland	49				North Queensland	6
						1L	New Zealand	12
	4	New Zealand	10
	5	Parramatta	12

Grand final

Dally M Awards

The Dally M Awards were introduced in 1980 by News Limited. The most prestigious of these awards is the Dally M Medal which is awarded to the Player Of The Year and many other awards. The other prestigious award is the Provans Summons Medal which is the season's best player as voted by the public. As well as honouring the player of the year the awards night also recognises the premier player in each position, the best coach, the best captain, representative player of the year and the most outstanding rookie of the season. The awards night and Player of the Year medal are named in honour of former Australian rugby league great Herbert Henry "Dally" Messenger. The top try-scorer and top point-scorer tallies are made at the end of the last round of the regular season and hence may be different to the overall top-scorers by the end of the finals.

Team of the Year

Footnotes

See also

• National Rugby League
• 2007 Rugby League State of Origin series
• 2007 Australian football code crowds

External links

• 2007 NRL season at rugbyleagueproject.com
• 2007 NRL season at stats.rleague.com
• 2007 NRL season at abc.net.au