The
1997 Super League season (known as the
TelstraTelstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 90th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the first and only to be run by the
News LimitedNews Limited is one of Australia's largest diversified media companies. The publicly listed company's interests span newspaper and magazine publishing, Internet, Pay TV, National Rugby League, market research, DVD and film distribution, and film and television production trading assets.News Limited...
-controlled
Super LeagueSuper League was an Australian rugby league football administrative body that conducted professional competition in Australasia for one season in 1997. Along with Super League of Europe, it was created by News Corporation during the Super League war which arose following an unsuccessful attempt to...
organisation. Eight teams which had broken away from the existing
Australian Rugby LeagueThe Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
in addition to the newly created
Hunter MarinersThe Hunter Mariners were an Australian rugby league club based in the Hunter Valley region's largest city, Newcastle. Hunter was formed in mid 1995 and was later disbanded at the end of 1997. The club was formed because of the Super League war, which was the rivalry between the traditional...
and
Adelaide RamsThe Adelaide Rams were an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Adelaide, South Australia. The team was formed in 1995 for the planned rebel Super League competition, which eventually ran parallel to the rival Australian Rugby League competition in 1997...
competed over eighteen weekly rounds, culminating in a September grand final played in Brisbane between the
Brisbane BroncosThe Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.
The
1997 Super League season (known as the
TelstraTelstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 90th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the first and only to be run by the
News LimitedNews Limited is one of Australia's largest diversified media companies. The publicly listed company's interests span newspaper and magazine publishing, Internet, Pay TV, National Rugby League, market research, DVD and film distribution, and film and television production trading assets.News Limited...
-controlled
Super LeagueSuper League was an Australian rugby league football administrative body that conducted professional competition in Australasia for one season in 1997. Along with Super League of Europe, it was created by News Corporation during the Super League war which arose following an unsuccessful attempt to...
organisation. Eight teams which had broken away from the existing
Australian Rugby LeagueThe Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
in addition to the newly created
Hunter MarinersThe Hunter Mariners were an Australian rugby league club based in the Hunter Valley region's largest city, Newcastle. Hunter was formed in mid 1995 and was later disbanded at the end of 1997. The club was formed because of the Super League war, which was the rivalry between the traditional...
and
Adelaide RamsThe Adelaide Rams were an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Adelaide, South Australia. The team was formed in 1995 for the planned rebel Super League competition, which eventually ran parallel to the rival Australian Rugby League competition in 1997...
competed over eighteen weekly rounds, culminating in a September grand final played in Brisbane between the
Brisbane BroncosThe Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.
Background
Super League was a
rugby leagueRugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
competition that was held in Australia in 1997. It was created by
News CorporationNews Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
after an unsuccessful attempt to purchase the pay television rights to Australian rugby league games. After two years of legal battles the competition was played for a single season in 1997 before merging with the rival
Australian Rugby LeagueThe Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
competition in 1998 to form the
National Rugby LeagueThe National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
.
Season summary
For this season video refereeing was introduced to rugby league for the first time. The Telstra Cup premiership was held over eighteen rounds. The season was dominated by the minor premiers, the
Brisbane BroncosThe Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
, who won 14 of their 18 matches, losing only to the
Penrith PanthersThe Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan...
, the
Hunter MarinersThe Hunter Mariners were an Australian rugby league club based in the Hunter Valley region's largest city, Newcastle. Hunter was formed in mid 1995 and was later disbanded at the end of 1997. The club was formed because of the Super League war, which was the rivalry between the traditional...
and eventual runners-up, the
Cronulla SharksThe Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales...
. The Grand Final was played at
BrisbaneBrisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
's
ANZ StadiumThe Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre , more commonly known by its former names ANZ Stadium or QE II, is a major sporting facility on the south side of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia...
in front of 58,000 people; the ground record for that venue. The Broncos defeated the Sharks 26-8 to win their third premiership. The Auckland Warriors had teams in both the reserve grade and under-19 Grand Finals but lost both.
The winners in all grades were:
- First Grade: Brisbane Broncos
- Reserve Grade: Canterbury Bulldogs
- Under-19s: Penrith Panthers
- Under-17s: Brisbane Broncos
At the end of the season, an Australian team was selected from the Telstra Cup Premiership's clubs to play in the
Super League Test seriesThe Super League Test series was a three-Test match series between the Great Britain national rugby league team and Super League's Australian national team held during November 1997 in England...
against
Great BritainThe Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
in England.
Teams
The ten Super League-aligned clubs contested the premiership, only three of which were based in
SydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
(none of which were NSWRFL foundation clubs), compared to seven in the
rival Australian Rugby League competitionThe 1997 Australian Rugby League season was the 90th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the third season run by the Australian Rugby League...
, which was run at the same time. A further team from greater
New South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, two teams from
QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, and one each from the
Australian Capital TerritoryThe Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
,
South AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
,
Western AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
and
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
made up the Super League competition. The Western Reds re-branded themselves the Perth Reds for the Super League competition. The Bulldogs reinstated 'Canterbury' to their name (but not Bankstown).
Advertising
Teaser ads had been created by Mojo Sydney in 1996 around the theme of "Superleague: It's Coming". They featured Super League players performing superhuman feats. One notable execution included Canberra's
Bradley ClydeBradley Clyde is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1980s, 90s and 2000s who, at the peak of his playing career was widely acknowledged as the best lock forward in the game....
inside a rodeo corral being stormed by a runaway bull with the suggestion that he is about to singlehandedly bring the bull to ground.
By season launch in 1997 Foxtel's ad agency Young and Rubicam Sydney had the Super League account and created a space-themed ad with players running through outer-space and the tag-line "Super League: It's out of this world".
By mid season the account had moved again and Sydney agency VCD produced much of the game promotional and club fixture print ads that ran in newspapers throughout the season. This commenced VCD's association with Super League that would continue with the ARL post the re-unification.
Ladder
| Team |
Pld |
W |
D |
L |
PF |
PA |
PD |
Pts |
| 1 |
 BrisbaneThe Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
|
18 |
14 |
1 |
3 |
481 |
283 |
198
29 |
| 2 |
 Cronulla-SutherlandThe Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales...
|
18 |
12 |
0 |
6 |
403 |
230 |
173
24 |
| 3 |
 CanberraThe Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...
|
18 |
11 |
0 |
7 |
436 |
337 |
99
22 |
| 4 |
 CanterburyThe Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, as well as New South Wales Rugby League junior competitions...
|
18 |
10 |
0 |
8 |
453 |
447 |
6
20 |
| 5 |
 PenrithThe Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan...
|
18 |
9 |
0 |
9 |
431 |
462 |
| 18 |
| 6 |
 HunterThe Hunter Mariners were an Australian rugby league club based in the Hunter Valley region's largest city, Newcastle. Hunter was formed in mid 1995 and was later disbanded at the end of 1997. The club was formed because of the Super League war, which was the rivalry between the traditional...
|
18 |
7 |
0 |
11 |
350 |
363 |
| 14 |
| 7 |
 AucklandThe New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership and are the League's only team from outside Australia...
|
18 |
7 |
0 |
11 |
332 |
406 |
| 14 |
| 8 |
 Perth |
18 |
7 |
0 |
11 |
321 |
456 |
| 14 |
| 9 |
 AdelaideThe Adelaide Rams were an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Adelaide, South Australia. The team was formed in 1995 for the planned rebel Super League competition, which eventually ran parallel to the rival Australian Rugby League competition in 1997...
|
18 |
6 |
1 |
11 |
303 |
402 |
| 13 |
| 10 |
 North QueenslandThe North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
|
18 |
5 |
2 |
11 |
328 |
452 |
| 12 |
Finals
Minor premiers the
Brisbane BroncosThe Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
only played two finals games (including the grand final), both against the
Cronulla SharksThe Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales...
winning both convincingly.
| Home |
Score |
Away |
Match Information |
| Date and Time |
Venue |
Referee |
Crowd |
| Preliminary Semi Finals |
Cronulla SharksThe Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales...
|
22–18 |
Canberra RaidersThe Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...
|
30 August 1997 |
Endeavour FieldEndeavour Field, currently known as Toyota Stadium due to sponsorship rights, is a rugby league stadium in the suburb of Woolooware, New South Wales, Australia. It is the home ground for the Cronulla Sharks rugby league team, which represents the Cronulla and Sutherland Shire area...
|
Bill Harrigan-External links:**http://www.billharrigan.com.au/Referee-career-pg2853.html*http://www.mediaman.com.au/profiles/harrigan.html*http://www.abc.net.au/queensland/conversations/stories/s1766903.htm*http://www.claxtonspeakers.com.au/speakers_profile/134...
|
17,137 |
Canterbury BulldogsThe Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, as well as New South Wales Rugby League junior competitions...
|
14–15 |
Penrith PanthersThe Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan...
|
1 September 1997 |
Belmore Oval |
Graham Annesley Graham Annesley MP, an Australian politician, is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Miranda for the Liberal Party of Australia since 2011...
|
10,492 |
| Major Qualifying Finals |
| Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
|
34–2 |
Cronulla SharksThe Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales...
|
6 September 1997 |
Stockland StadiumThe Willows Sports Complex, currently known as Dairy Farmers Stadium due to sponsorship rights, is a grass football stadium situated in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It has historically been used mainly for rugby league, and is the home ground of the National Rugby League club the North...
|
Bill Harrigan-External links:**http://www.billharrigan.com.au/Referee-career-pg2853.html*http://www.mediaman.com.au/profiles/harrigan.html*http://www.abc.net.au/queensland/conversations/stories/s1766903.htm*http://www.claxtonspeakers.com.au/speakers_profile/134...
|
26,256 |
Canberra RaidersThe Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...
|
32–12 |
Penrith PanthersThe Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan...
|
8 September 1997 |
Bruce StadiumCanberra Stadium is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia...
|
Graham Annesley Graham Annesley MP, an Australian politician, is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Miranda for the Liberal Party of Australia since 2011...
|
10,153 |
| Preliminary Final |
Cronulla SharksThe Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales...
|
10–4 |
Canberra RaidersThe Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership since 1982...
|
13 September 1997 |
Endeavour FieldEndeavour Field, currently known as Toyota Stadium due to sponsorship rights, is a rugby league stadium in the suburb of Woolooware, New South Wales, Australia. It is the home ground for the Cronulla Sharks rugby league team, which represents the Cronulla and Sutherland Shire area...
|
Bill Harrigan-External links:**http://www.billharrigan.com.au/Referee-career-pg2853.html*http://www.mediaman.com.au/profiles/harrigan.html*http://www.abc.net.au/queensland/conversations/stories/s1766903.htm*http://www.claxtonspeakers.com.au/speakers_profile/134...
|
17,638 |
| Grand Final |
| Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
|
26–8 |
Cronulla SharksThe Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales...
|
20 September 1997 |
ANZ Stadium The Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre , more commonly known by its former names ANZ Stadium or QE II, is a major sporting facility on the south side of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia...
|
Bill Harrigan-External links:**http://www.billharrigan.com.au/Referee-career-pg2853.html*http://www.mediaman.com.au/profiles/harrigan.html*http://www.abc.net.au/queensland/conversations/stories/s1766903.htm*http://www.claxtonspeakers.com.au/speakers_profile/134...
|
58,912 |
Grand final
The
grand finalGrand Final is a predominantly Australian sport term used to describe a match that decides a league champion.It originated in Victoria and South Australia and has become specifically significant Australian culture...
crowned a week of festivities, including a ball, street parade and massive game-night fireworks display, of the sort the Broncos' management had wanted the ARL to bring to Brisbane before the code's big schism in 1995. Despite stormy weather, a record crowd in Queensland rugby league history was at
ANZ StadiumThe Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre , more commonly known by its former names ANZ Stadium or QE II, is a major sporting facility on the south side of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia...
for the first ever night grand final and the only Australian top level grand final to be played outside Sydney. It attracted a ground record of 58,912 people, the biggest crowd for a grand final since the 1977 NSWRFL Premiership decider and the largest to any sporting event in Brisbane since the
1982 Commonwealth GamesThe 1982 Commonwealth Games were held in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia from 30 September–9 October 1982. The Opening Ceremony was held at the QEII Stadium , in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan. The QEII Stadium was also the venue which was used for the athletics and archery competitions during the...
.
Jon StevensJon Stevens is a New Zealand-born singer of Maori descent, now an Australian citizen. Stevens is the brother of New Zealand Idol judge Frankie Stevens....
and
Olivia Newton-JohnOlivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
also performed in the pre-match entertainment. The match was broadcast live by
Fox SportsFox Sports is an Australia group of sports channels. They are owned by the Premier Media Group, which is in turn owned by News Corporation, and Consolidated Media Holdings. Its main competitors are ESPN, which has little local content and the free-to-air digital channel One HD...
with
Wally LewisWalter James "Wally" Lewis AM is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and coach. Currently a commentator of the sport, he is widely regarded as the greatest rugby league player of all time...
, Gary Freeman and
Peter JacksonPeter Jackson was an Australian professional rugby league footballer of the 1980s and '90s. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative back, he played club football in both Queensland and New South Wales as well as a season in England...
providing commentary.
Brisbane
Broncos |
Position |
Cronulla-Sutherland
Sharks |
1. Darren LockyerDarren Lockyer is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. He was the captain of the Australian national team, the Queensland State of Origin team and his National Rugby League club, the Brisbane Broncos. His professional career spanned between 1995 and 2011...
|
FB |
21. David Peachey David Peachey is a former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative fullback, he played the majority of his club football in the National Rugby League for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks...
|
18. Michael De VereMichael De Vere is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. He represented Australia in four tests and New South Wales in five State of Origin matches...
|
WG |
45. Mat RogersMatthew S. "Mat" Rogers is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. He also played rugby union at the highest levels, becoming a dual-code international. The son of the late Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks legend and CEO Steve Rogers, Mat played for the Sharks...
|
3. Steve RenoufStephen Renouf is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1980s, 90s and 2000s. Of Aboriginal and European descent, he was known as one of the sport's greatest centres. Renouf set numerous records for the Brisbane Broncos club and is considered one of the greatest...
|
CE |
3. Andrew EttingshausenAndrew Ettingshausen is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. He played his first grade Australian club football for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, retiring with the record of most games at a single club, with 328...
(c) |
4. Anthony MundineAnthony Mundine is an Australian professional boxer and former rugby league footballer.He is the current interim WBA Light Middleweight Champion boxer, former two-time WBA Super Middleweight Champion, former IBO Middleweight Champion and New South Wales State of Origin representative footballer....
|
CE |
33. Russell Richardson Russell Richardson is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000...
|
| 5. Wendell Sailor Wendell Jermaine Sailor is an Australian former professional rugby football player who represented his country in both rugby league and rugby union – a dual code international. He is an Australian Torres Strait Islander.Sailor's large frame and bullocking style changed the way wingers played rugby...
|
WG |
17. Geoff Bell Geoff Bell is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. A Scotland international and Queensland interstate representative threequarter, he played club football for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, North Queensland Cowboys and Penrith Panthers.Bell played for the Queensland...
|
6. Kevin WaltersKevin David Walters is an Australian professional rugby league football coach and former player. He is currently the assistant coach for NRL club Melbourne Storm. He joined them from French club Catalans Dragons of Europe's Super League as their head coach. Before that he was head coach of the...
|
FE |
6. Mitch Healey Mitch Healey is a former member of the Cronulla Sharks rugby team and current coach.-Debut:His first start was on Saturday, March 17, 1990 against the Gold Coast Seagulls at Seagulls Stadium . He started his debut with a try to put the visitors in front for the first time in that match...
|
| 7. Allan Langer Allan "Alfie" Langer AM is an Australian former multi-award-winning rugby league footballer of the 1980s, 90s and 2000s who works as an assistant coach for the Australian national team and Brisbane Broncos...
(c) |
HB |
7. Paul Green Paul Green is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative halfback, he played for several clubs throughout his career and won the Rothmans Medal in 1995.-Early career:Paul Green was a...
|
10. Brad ThornBradley Carnegie Thorn is a professional rugby union player. He has in the past represented Australia at rugby league, and currently represents New Zealand in union...
|
PR |
8. Danny Lee Danny Lee is an Australian former rugby league footballer. He played most of his football at prop and was a member of the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks NRL team from 1988 to 1998...
|
23. Andrew GeeAndrew Gee is an Australian rugby league administrator and the current football operations manager at the Brisbane Broncos of the NRL...
|
HK |
9. Dean Triester |
21. Shane WebckeShane Webcke is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer, who spent his entire top-grade career playing for the Brisbane Broncos. His position of choice was at prop forward and at his peak he was renowned as the best front rower in the world...
|
PR |
40. Jason StevensJason Anthony Stevens is a former professional rugby league footballer who represented his country and state. He primarily played at prop...
|
11. Gorden TallisGorden James Tallis is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played from 1992 to 2004. He captained Australia and Queensland as well as the Brisbane Broncos club, with whom he won three premierships and one Clive Churchill Medal...
|
SR |
11. Craig GreenhillCraig Greenhill is an Australian former rugby league footballer. A member of the Cronulla Sharks rugby league team for most of his career, he played in the second row...
|
| 12. Peter Ryan Peter Ryan is an Australian former rugby league and rugby union footballer of the 1980s, 90s and 2000s. A Queensland State of Origin representative forward, he played ten seasons with the Brisbane Broncos and finished his career playing rugby union for the ACT Brumbies.Ryan attended Downlands...
|
SR |
31. Chris McKennaChris McKenna is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. He played for Queensland and Australia as well as club sides the Brisbane Broncos, South Queensland Crushers and Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. His usual position was second row, though while he played...
|
| 13. Darren Smith |
LK |
13. Tawera NikauTawera Nuieia Nikau is a former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. A New Zealand international representative forward, he played club football at a number of different clubs in New Zealand, England and Australia during his career, including the Melbourne Storm's victory...
|
15. Tonie CarrollTonie Carroll is retired professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. An Australian and New Zealand international representative utility, he played for the Brisbane Broncos of the NRL...
|
Bench |
18. Adam DykesAdam Dykes is an Australian professional rugby league footballer. He has previously played for the Parramatta Eels, Cronulla Sharks and Hull...
|
| 9. John Plath John Plath is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1990s. He played in all of the Brisbane Broncos' first four grand final wins from the interchange bench and retired as the most-capped Bronco not to have played representative football....
|
Bench |
24. Sean Ryan Sean Ryan is an Australian former professional rugby league player for the Cronulla Sharks in the Australian National Rugby League competition and Hull and Castleford Tigers in the European Super League...
|
2. Michael HancockMichael John "Mick" Hancock is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1980s, 90s and 2000s. An Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative winger, he played in the Brisbane Broncos' 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grand final victories...
|
Bench |
38. Les Davidson Les Davidson is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s. He played for the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and represented at both the State and national levels. His position of choice on the field was in the second row or as prop forward.Davidson...
|
| 16. Ben Walker Ben Walker is an absolute Legend and Australian rugby league coach and former footballer of the 1990s and 2000s...
|
Bench |
12. Nathan Long |
| Wayne Bennett |
Coach |
John LangJohn Lang is an Australian former rugby league football coach and player. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative hooker, he played his club football in Brisbane with the Eastern Suburbs Tigers and in Sydney with the Eastern Suburbs Roosters...
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The talented Brisbane side, featuring young up-and-coming stars in Darren Lockyer, Gorden Tallis and Shane Webcke overwhelmed a game Cronulla-Sutherland side. No points were scored until Lockyer's penalty kick in the eighth minute. In the twenty-second minute Mat Rogers equalised with another penalty kick. About three minutes later the next points came from yet another penalty kick by Lockyer, making the score 4-2 in favour of the home side. With just under seven minutes of the first half remaining, Allan Langer put a bomb up and into the Sharks left-hand corner which a leaping Rogers failed to secure and Steve Renouf picked up the ball and dived over for the first try of the match. Lockyer's conversion put the Broncos in front 10 - 2 which is what the score remained at for half-time.
The Sharks scored after less than four minutes of the second half when Wendell Sailor, returning the ball from a kick deep into his side's territory, passed the ball to nobody and it was chipped ahead by a Cronulla chaser and dived on by Russell Richardson. Mat Rogers converted the try successfully bringing the deficit back to two points at 10 - 8. In the fifty-fifth minute, The Broncos were on the attack and moved the ball out to the left for Renouf to score his second try of the match. Lockyer's kick, a metre in from the sideline was successful, making Brisbane's lead 16 - 8. About ten minutes later, Renouf scored close to the same spot, becoming only the third player in history to score a hat-trick in a grand final. Lockyer missed the kick so the Broncos lead 20 - 8 with fourteen minutes of the match remaining. An attempted field-goal kick by Lockyer in the seventy-eighth minute was charged down but Brisbane re-gathered the ball and one tackle later it was put through the hands out to the right wing, for replacement Michael Hancock to score the final try of the game. Lockyer kicked the extra two points with only seconds of the game remaining, so the final score was 26 - 8.
The win meant the Broncos were undefeated at ANZ Stadium all year and it kept the Broncos' 100% record intact in Grand Finals making it three from three, while the Sharks remained bridesmaids, having yet to make a grand final victory with zero from three.
Brisbane Broncos 26Tries: Renouf (3), Hancock
Goals:Lockyer 5/6
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 8Tries: Richardson
Goals: Rogers 2/2
A
Super BowlThe Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
style match between the Brisbane Broncos and
Newcastle KnightsThe Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. They compete in Australasia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
, the 1997 ARL season's premiers was mooted, but did not eventuate.
National Rugby League
With twenty-two teams playing in two competitions in 1997 crowd attendances and corporate sponsorships were spread very thinly, and many teams found themselves in financial difficulty by the end of the season. On 23 September 1997 the
ARLThe Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
announced that it was forming a new company to control the competition in 1998 and invited Super League clubs to participate. On 7 October
Rupert MurdochKeith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
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
ARLThe Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
and News Limited, was formed.
See also
- 1997 World Club Championship
- Brisbane Broncos 1997
The 1997 Brisbane Broncos season was the tenth in the club's history. This season was unique in that they participated in the Australian Super League's 1997 Telstra Cup premiership and 1997 World Club Championship, winning both competitions.-Season summary:...
- Super League Tri-series
The Super League Tri-series was a rugby league football tournament contested in 1997 between Queensland, New South Wales and New Zealand representative rugby league teams...
- Super League (Australia)
Super League was an Australian rugby league football administrative body that conducted professional competition in Australasia for one season in 1997. Along with Super League of Europe, it was created by News Corporation during the Super League war which arose following an unsuccessful attempt to...
- Super League War
The Super League war is the common name given to the corporate dispute that was fought in and out of court during the mid-1990s between the Rupert Murdoch and News Corporation-backed Super League and the Kerry Packer and Optus Vision-backed Australian Rugby League organisations over broadcasting...
External links