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. The 2008 National Rugby League premiership (known as the Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons was the one hundred and first season of professional History See also History of rugby league The grass roots of rugby league can be traced to early football history, through the playing of ball games Athletics For an extensive coverage see 1998 in athletics (track and field Decathlon David Gallop (born 1965 in Australia) has been the Chief Executive Officer of the National Rugby League since February 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. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The Melbourne Storm is a professional Rugby league football club based in the city of Melbourne, Australia A sports league is an organization that exists to provide a regulated competition for a number of people to compete in a specific Sport. History See also History of rugby league The grass roots of rugby league can be traced to early football history, through the playing of ball games Australasia is a Region of Oceania: New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, and neighbouring Islands in the Pacific 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. Telstra or Telstra Corporation (often abbreviated as Telstra Corp) () is an Australian Telecommunications and media company formerly For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island 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. Rugby football (usually just " rugby " may refer to a number of sports through history descended from a common form of Football developed at Rugby School 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. A Grand Final is a predominantly Australian sporting term used to describe a final that decides a league champion ^[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. This article details what is commonly referred to as the Super League war, which was fought in and out of court during the mid-1990s by The Australian Rugby League (ARL is the governing body for the Sport of Rugby league in Australia News Corporation (often abbreviated to News Corp) (,,) is one of the world's largest media conglomerate companies by Market capitalisation This article details the year of rugby league run by Super League (Australia.

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. A Grand Final is a predominantly Australian sporting term used to describe a final that decides a league champion Each year the NRL champions play an additional game against the premiers of the European Super League competition in the World Club Challenge. The World Club Challenge (WCC (also referred to as the Carnegie World Club Challenge (CWCC for sponsorship purposes is an annual Rugby league match held between

Contents 1 Teams 2 History 2.1 NRL Premiers 2.2 Origins 2.3 Establishment 2.4 1998-2002: Rationalisation 2.5 2003-2005: Record Popularity 2.6 2006: A Unique Year 2.7 2007: Further expansion 2.8 2008: The Centenary 2.9 The Future 2.10 Games on the Road 3 Structure 4 Competition format and sponsorship 4.1 Regular season 4.2 Finals 4.3 Sponsorship 5 Competition rules and representative season 5.1 Salary cap 5.2 Representative season 6 Media coverage 6.1 Coverage History 6.2 Current Television Coverage 6.2.1 Domestic 6.2.2 International 7 Players 7.1 Europeans in the NRL 7.2 Indigenous Australians in the NRL 7.3 Pacific Islanders in the NRL 8 Statistics 9 See also 10 References 11 External links

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. The North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in Townsville Queensland. The Melbourne Storm is a professional Rugby league football club based in the city of Melbourne, Australia The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in Newcastle New South Wales. The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional Rugby league club based in the city of Brisbane Queensland. The Gold Coast Titans are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based on the Gold Coast in Queensland. The New Zealand Warriors (formerly the Auckland Warriors) are a professional Rugby league team based in Auckland, New Zealand The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in the city of Canberra Australian Capital Territory. The St George Illawarra Dragons are an Australian professional Rugby league football team The St George Illawarra Dragons are an Australian professional Rugby league football team The Bulldogs Rugby League Football Club (formerly Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and "The Berries") are an Australian professional Rugby league The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla New South Wales in the Sutherland Shire, south of Sydney The Manly - Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional Rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional Rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Penrith Panthers is an Australian professional Rugby league football team The Sydney Roosters is a professional Rugby league club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, Australia. The South Sydney Rabbitohs, also known as Souths, The Bunnies, SSFC or The Rabbits, are an Australian professional Rugby league The Wests Tigers are a professional Rugby league football club in the National Rugby League (NRL the premier Rugby league competition in Australasia The Wests Tigers are a professional Rugby league football club in the National Rugby League (NRL the premier Rugby league competition in Australasia The 2008 National Rugby League premiership (known as the Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons was the one hundred and first season of professional

Club	Location	Home Ground(s)	First season
Brisbane Broncos	Brisbane, QLD	Suncorp Stadium (12 games) (52,500)	1988
Bulldogs	Sydney, NSW	ANZ Stadium (11 games)(83,500) Suncorp Stadium (1 game)(52,500)	1935
Canberra Raiders	Canberra, ACT	Canberra Stadium (12 games)(25,011)	1982
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	Sydney, NSW	Toyota Stadium (12 games)(22,500)	1967
Gold Coast Titans	Gold Coast, QLD	Skilled Park (12 games)(27,000)	2007
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	Sydney, NSW	Brookvale Oval (10 games)(23,000) Bluetongue Stadium (2 games)(20,119)	1947
Melbourne Storm	Melbourne, Vic	Olympic Park Stadium (11 games)(18,500) Telstra Dome (1 game)(56,347)	1998
New Zealand Warriors	Auckland, NZ	Mt Smart Stadium (12 games)(28,745)	1995
Newcastle Knights	Newcastle, NSW	Energy Australia Stadium (12 games)(26,000)	1988
North Queensland Cowboys	Townsville, QLD	Dairy Farmers Stadium (12 games)(25,000)	1995
Parramatta Eels	Sydney, NSW	Parramatta Stadium (10 games)(20,000) ANZ Stadium (2 games)(83,500)	1947
Penrith Panthers	Penrith, NSW	CUA Stadium (12 games)(21,000)	1967
St. George Illawarra Dragons	Sydney, NSW Wollongong, NSW	WIN Stadium (6 games)(20,000) ANZ Stadium (6 games)(83,500)	1999
South Sydney Rabbitohs	Sydney, NSW	ANZ Stadium (11 games) (83,500) Bluetongue Stadium (1 game)(20,119)	1908
Sydney Roosters	Sydney, NSW	Sydney Football Stadium (11 games)(45,500) Bluetongue Stadium (1 game)(20,119)	1908
Wests Tigers	Sydney, NSW	ANZ Stadium (4 games)(83,500) Campbelltown Stadium (3 games)(21,000) Leichhardt Oval (3 games)(23,000) Sydney Football Stadium (1 game)(45,500) Sydney Cricket Ground (1 game)(44,002)	2000

A total of twenty-three clubs have played in the National Rugby League between 1998 and 2007. The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional Rugby league club based in the city of Brisbane Queensland. Brisbane ( is the state capital of Queensland. Brisbane is the third most populous city in Australia and the most populous city of Queensland Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent The year 1988 's New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the eighty-first season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The Bulldogs Rugby League Football Club (formerly Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and "The Berries") are an Australian professional Rugby league Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 Stadium Australia, presently known as ANZ Stadium, is a multi-purpose Stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct of Homebush, Sydney 1935 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the twenty-eighth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney New South Wales. The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in the city of Canberra Australian Capital Territory. Canberra ( is the capital city of Australia With a population of over 340000 it is Australia's largest inland City. } The Australian Capital Territory (ACT is the Capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and its smallest self-governing internal territory Canberra Stadium (originally known as Bruce Stadium) is a facility primarily used for Rugby league and Rugby union games located adjacent to the 1982 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the seventy-fifth season of professional Rugby league football in Australia. The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla New South Wales in the Sutherland Shire, south of Sydney Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 Toyota Stadium (formerly Toyota Park Endeavour Field Ronson Field Caltex Field and Shark Park is a Rugby league stadium in the suburb of Woolooware New South Wales 1967 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the sixtieth season of the Rugby league football competition based in Sydney. The Gold Coast Titans are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based on the Gold Coast in Queensland. This article is about the Australian city Gold Coast For other uses see Gold Coast. Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent Skilled Park is a new Stadium at Robina, a suburb of the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. The 2007 National Rugby League premiership was the one hundredth season of professional Rugby league football club competition in Australia and the tenth run by the The Manly - Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional Rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 Brookvale Oval is a sporting ground located at Brookvale, New South Wales, Australia. Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium (formerly known as Central Coast Stadium, Northpower Stadium and Central Coast Express Advocate Stadium) is a sports venue 1947 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the fortieth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney The Melbourne Storm is a professional Rugby league football club based in the city of Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 Olympic Park Stadium is a multi-purpose outdoor Stadium located in Olympic Boulevard in inner Melbourne. Docklands Stadium, known as Telstra Dome, and originally as Victoria Stadium and Colonial Stadium, is a multi purpose sports and entertainment 1998 saw the inaugural season of the reunited National Rugby League premiership the 91st season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The New Zealand Warriors (formerly the Auckland Warriors) are a professional Rugby league team based in Auckland, New Zealand The Auckland metropolitan area or Greater Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Mt Smart Stadium, formerly Ericsson Stadium, is a Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. The 1995 Australian Rugby League premiership was the 88th season of professional Rugby league football in Australia and the first to be run by the Australian Rugby The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in Newcastle New South Wales. The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie EnergyAustralia Stadium is a Football Stadium located in Newcastle New South Wales, Australia. The year 1988 's New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the eighty-first season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in Townsville Queensland. Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Australia, in the state of Queensland. Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent Dairy Farmers Stadium is a Rugby league sports stadium situated in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. The 1995 Australian Rugby League premiership was the 88th season of professional Rugby league football in Australia and the first to be run by the Australian Rugby The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional Rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 Parramatta Stadium is a sports stadium situated in Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia. Stadium Australia, presently known as ANZ Stadium, is a multi-purpose Stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct of Homebush, Sydney 1947 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the fortieth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney The Penrith Panthers is an Australian professional Rugby league football team Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 CUA ( Credit Union Australia) Stadium is a Rugby league and football stadium located on Mulgoa Road Penrith, New South Wales, 1967 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the sixtieth season of the Rugby league football competition based in Sydney. The St George Illawarra Dragons are an Australian professional Rugby league football team Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 WIN Stadium is a multi-purpose Stadium located in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. Stadium Australia, presently known as ANZ Stadium, is a multi-purpose Stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct of Homebush, Sydney 1999 saw the second season of the National Rugby League premiership the 92nd season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The South Sydney Rabbitohs, also known as Souths, The Bunnies, SSFC or The Rabbits, are an Australian professional Rugby league Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 Stadium Australia, presently known as ANZ Stadium, is a multi-purpose Stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct of Homebush, Sydney Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium (formerly known as Central Coast Stadium, Northpower Stadium and Central Coast Express Advocate Stadium) is a sports venue The 1908 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the inaugural season of Australia 's first Rugby league football competition which was based in The Sydney Roosters is a professional Rugby league club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, Australia. Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 The Sydney Football Stadium (colloquially known as SFS, and formerly known as Aussie Stadium between 2002 and mid-2007 is located in Moore Park, in Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium (formerly known as Central Coast Stadium, Northpower Stadium and Central Coast Express Advocate Stadium) is a sports venue The 1908 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the inaugural season of Australia 's first Rugby league football competition which was based in The Wests Tigers are a professional Rugby league football club in the National Rugby League (NRL the premier Rugby league competition in Australasia Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 Stadium Australia, presently known as ANZ Stadium, is a multi-purpose Stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct of Homebush, Sydney Campbelltown Stadium, formerly Orana Park and Campbelltown Sports Ground, is a Rugby league stadium in Campbelltown New South Wales, Australia Leichhardt Oval is a football stadium in Leichhardt New South Wales, Australia. The Sydney Football Stadium (colloquially known as SFS, and formerly known as Aussie Stadium between 2002 and mid-2007 is located in Moore Park, in The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG is a sports Stadium in Sydney. The year 2000 saw the third season of the National Rugby League competition the 93rd season of professional Rugby league football in Australia For a list of all clubs past and present see National Rugby League Teams. Comprehensive regular season results of the NRL by club 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 is a list of defunct professional rugby league clubs. It does not include reformed rugby league clubs like the Sheffield Eagles or York City Knights. This group includes Brisbane, Bulldogs, Canberra, Cronulla, Melbourne, New Zealand, Newcastle, North Queensland, Parramatta, Penrith and Sydney.

History

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

Origins

Main article: History of the National Rugby League

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. 1998 saw the inaugural season of the reunited National Rugby League premiership the 91st season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional Rugby league club based in the city of Brisbane Queensland. The Bulldogs Rugby League Football Club (formerly Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and "The Berries") are an Australian professional Rugby league The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional Rugby league club based in the city of Brisbane Queensland. 1999 saw the second season of the National Rugby League premiership the 92nd season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The Melbourne Storm is a professional Rugby league football club based in the city of Melbourne, Australia The St George Illawarra Dragons are an Australian professional Rugby league football team The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla New South Wales in the Sutherland Shire, south of Sydney The year 2000 saw the third season of the National Rugby League competition the 93rd season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional Rugby league club based in the city of Brisbane Queensland. The Sydney Roosters is a professional Rugby league club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, Australia. The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional Rugby league club based in the city of Brisbane Queensland. The year 2001 saw the fourth season of the National Rugby League premiership the 94th season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in Newcastle New South Wales. The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional Rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional Rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The year 2002 saw the fifth National Rugby League (NRL season the 95th season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The Sydney Roosters is a professional Rugby league club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, Australia. The New Zealand Warriors (formerly the Auckland Warriors) are a professional Rugby league team based in Auckland, New Zealand The New Zealand Warriors (formerly the Auckland Warriors) are a professional Rugby league team based in Auckland, New Zealand The year 2003 's National Rugby League (NRL premiership was the 96th season of professional Rugby league football in Australia and the sixth The Penrith Panthers is an Australian professional Rugby league football team The Sydney Roosters is a professional Rugby league club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, Australia. The Penrith Panthers is an Australian professional Rugby league football team 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 The Bulldogs Rugby League Football Club (formerly Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and "The Berries") are an Australian professional Rugby league The Sydney Roosters is a professional Rugby league club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, Australia. The Sydney Roosters is a professional Rugby league club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, Australia. The year 2005 's National Rugby League (NRL premiership was the 98th season of professional Rugby league football in Australia and the eighth run by the The Wests Tigers are a professional Rugby league football club in the National Rugby League (NRL the premier Rugby league competition in Australasia The North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in Townsville Queensland. The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional Rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The year 2006 saw the ninth National Rugby League premiership, the 99th season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional Rugby league club based in the city of Brisbane Queensland. The Melbourne Storm is a professional Rugby league football club based in the city of Melbourne, Australia The Melbourne Storm is a professional Rugby league football club based in the city of Melbourne, Australia The 2007 National Rugby League premiership was the one hundredth season of professional Rugby league football club competition in Australia and the tenth run by the The Melbourne Storm is a professional Rugby league football club based in the city of Melbourne, Australia The Manly - Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional Rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney The Melbourne Storm is a professional Rugby league football club based in the city of Melbourne, Australia This article deals with the history of the current National Rugby League. Rugby league is one of the most popular Team Sports in Australia The New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL is the governing body for the Sport of Rugby league in New South Wales and is a member of the Australian Rugby The 1908 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the inaugural season of Australia 's first Rugby league football competition which was based in The 1994 New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the eighty-seventh season of professional Rugby league football in Australia 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. State of Origin is an annual best-of-three series of Rugby league matches between the Maroons, representing the state of Queensland, and the Blues New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first Rugby league football club competition established in Australia 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 Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in the city of Canberra Australian Capital Territory. The Illawarra Steelers are an Australian Rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong New South Wales. ^[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. The Brisbane Rugby League (BRL premiership was a Rugby league competition held in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia from 1922 to 1997 Following the 1983 season, foundation club Newtown Jets were ultimately forced to withdraw from the competition because of financial difficulties. The Newtown Jets (formerly the Newtown "Bluebags") are a former first grade Rugby league club who departed the New South Wales Rugby Football League ^[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. The year 1988 's New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the eighty-first season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in Newcastle New South Wales. The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional Rugby league club based in the city of Brisbane Queensland. Gold Coast were a Rugby league team which played in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership from 1988 to 1994, the Australian Rugby ^[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. The 1995 Australian Rugby League premiership was the 88th season of professional Rugby league football in Australia and the first to be run by the Australian Rugby The Australian Rugby League (ARL is the governing body for the Sport of Rugby league in Australia

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. This article details what is commonly referred to as the Super League war, which was fought in and out of court during the mid-1990s by This article details what is commonly referred to as the Super League war, which was fought in and out of court during the mid-1990s by Both the ARL and their newly-created rival, the News Corporation-controlled Super League, conducted separate competitions in 1997. News Corporation (often abbreviated to News Corp) (,,) is one of the world's largest media conglomerate companies by Market capitalisation This article details the year of rugby league run by Super League (Australia. 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. Events 1122 - Concordat of Worms. 1459 - Battle of Blore Heath, the first major battle of the English Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar 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. Events 3761 BC - The epoch (origin of the modern Hebrew calendar ( Proleptic Julian calendar) is gay Bold text' Keith Rupert Murdoch', AC, KCSG (born Melbourne, March 11 1931 usually known as Rupert Murdoch, is an Australian-American The Australian Rugby League (ARL is the governing body for the Sport of Rugby league in Australia

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. 1998 saw the inaugural season of the reunited National Rugby League premiership the 91st season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The Melbourne Storm is a professional Rugby league football club based in the city of Melbourne, Australia 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, while the ARL decided to close down the South Queensland Crushers, who were also in severe financial trouble. The Hunter Mariners were an Australian Rugby league club based in the Hunter Valley region's largest city Newcastle. The South Queensland Crushers were an Australian Rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. 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. The Adelaide Rams were a Rugby league football club based in Adelaide South Australia. Gold Coast were a Rugby league team which played in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership from 1988 to 1994, the Australian Rugby

1998-2002: Rationalisation

Main articles: National Rugby League season 1998, National Rugby League season 1999, National Rugby League season 2000, National Rugby League season 2001, and National Rugby League season 2002

One condition of the peace agreement between the ARL and News Limited was that there would be a 14 team competition in 2000. 1998 saw the inaugural season of the reunited National Rugby League premiership the 91st season of professional Rugby league football in Australia 1999 saw the second season of the National Rugby League premiership the 92nd season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The year 2000 saw the third season of the National Rugby League competition the 93rd season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The year 2001 saw the fourth season of the National Rugby League premiership the 94th season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The year 2002 saw the fifth National Rugby League (NRL season the 95th season of professional Rugby league football in Australia 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 St George Dragons were a team in the National Rugby League competition in Australia The Illawarra Steelers are an Australian Rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong New South Wales. 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. The Balmain Tigers (also known as the Sydney Tigers from 1995-96 were one of the founding rugby league football clubs of the New South Wales Rugby League premiership The Western Suburbs Magpies are a Rugby league football club in Sydney Australia The Wests Tigers are a professional Rugby league football club in the National Rugby League (NRL the premier Rugby league competition in Australasia The North Sydney Bears are an Australian Rugby league football club based in Sydney who currently compete in the New South Wales Cup. The Manly - Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional Rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney The Northern Eagles were a short-lived Rugby league team that competed in the National Rugby League (NRL 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. The South Sydney Rabbitohs, also known as Souths, The Bunnies, SSFC or The Rabbits, are an Australian professional Rugby league

This move was highly controversial and on 12 November 2000 approximately 80,000 marched in protest at their continued exclusion. Events 764 - Tibetan troops occupy Chang'an, the capital of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, for fifteen days 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. 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. David Gallop (born 1965 in Australia) has been the Chief Executive Officer of the National Rugby League since February David Moffett is an executive businessman who was notably the Group Chief Executive of the Welsh Rugby Union from 2002 until 2005

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.

2003-2005: Record Popularity

Main articles: National Rugby League season 2003, National Rugby League season 2004, and National Rugby League season 2005

The 2003 season was widely regarded as the most successful since the beginning of the National Rugby League in 1998. The year 2003 's National Rugby League (NRL premiership was the 96th season of professional Rugby league football in Australia and the sixth 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 The year 2005 's National Rugby League (NRL premiership was the 98th season of professional Rugby league football in Australia and the eighth run by the 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. The North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in Townsville Queensland.

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. The Business Review Weekly (BRW is an Australian weekly business magazine published by the Fairfax Media group 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. The Wests Tigers are a professional Rugby league football club in the National Rugby League (NRL the premier Rugby league competition in Australasia The North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in Townsville Queensland. ^[11]

2006: A Unique Year

Main article: National Rugby League season 2006

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. The year 2006 saw the ninth National Rugby League premiership, the 99th season of professional Rugby league football in Australia This article contains information on rugby league played in 2006. The Wests Tigers are a professional Rugby league football club in the National Rugby League (NRL the premier Rugby league competition in Australasia The St George Illawarra Dragons are an Australian professional Rugby league football team Stadium Australia, presently known as ANZ Stadium, is a multi-purpose Stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct of Homebush, Sydney

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. Crowds were down on 2005, however were better than any other year prior to that.

2007: Further expansion

Main article: National Rugby League season 2007

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 2007 National Rugby League premiership was the one hundredth season of professional Rugby league football club competition in Australia and the tenth run by the This article is about the Australian city Gold Coast For other uses see Gold Coast. The Gold Coast Titans are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based on the Gold Coast in Queensland. 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. Gold Coast were a Rugby league team which played in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership from 1988 to 1994, the Australian Rugby

The 2007 NRL season kicked off on Friday 16 March 2007 with eight games each round. Events 597 BC - Babylonians capture Jerusalem, replace Jehoiachin with Zedekiah as king Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. 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. Events 1399 - Henry IV is proclaimed King of England. 1744 - France and Spain defeat the Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. 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]

2008: The Centenary

Main article: National Rugby League season 2008

The NRL is currently celebrating the Centenary year of Rugby League in the country, with several initiatives to recognise the important milestone. The 2008 National Rugby League premiership (known as the Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons was the one hundred and first season of professional 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. Clive Bernard Churchill AM ( 21 January 1927 &ndash 9 August 1985) was an Australian Rugby league footballer and coach Ken Irvine (born 1941 in Sydney New South Wales, died 1991 was an Australian Rugby league player for the North Sydney Bears and the Manly-Warringah Brian Eyrl Bevan (born 24 June 1924 in Bondi, New South Wales, Australia and died 3 June 1991 in Southport, Merseyside, England Reginald William Gasnier AM (born 12 May, 1939 in Kogarah New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league Malcolm Norman Meninga AM (born 8 July 1960) is an Australian Rugby league personality Walter James "Wally" Lewis AM (born 1 December 1959 in Brisbane, Queensland) is an Australian former Andrew Gary "Joey" Johns (born 19 May 1974 in Cessnock New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league footballer John Raper MBE (born 12 April 1939 in Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league footballer Norman Douglas Sommerville Provan (born 1932) is an Australian former Rugby league footballer and coach Ron Coote is an Australian former representative Rugby league player whose club career was played with the South Sydney and Eastern Suburbs. Arthur Henry Beetson, OAM (born 22 January 1945 in Roma Queensland) is an Australian former Rugby league player and coach Duncan Hall (born 24 August, 1925) is an Australian former Rugby league footballer Noel Kelly (born 22 January, 1936) is an Australian former professional Rugby league footballer and coach who played at club state and national Graeme 'Changa' Langlands is an Australian former Rugby league footballer and coach Herbert Henry "Dally" Messenger (born April 12, 1883 in Balmain New South Wales, died November 24, 1959) was an Australian Robert "Bob" Fulton AM (born 1 December 1947 in Warrington, England is an English-born Australian Rugby league identity Frank Peter Albert and Laidley Burge were an Australian family of footballing brothers who represented Australia at Rugby union and Rugby league

^[13]

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.

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). Gosford is a city located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia, approximately 80km north of the Sydney Central business district The North Sydney Bears are an Australian Rugby league football club based in Sydney who currently compete in the New South Wales Cup. Wellington (ˈwælɪŋtən is the Capital of New Zealand, the country's second largest urban area, the History See Also Bartercard Cup seasons 2000-2002, Bartercard Cup seasons 2003-2005, Bartercard Cup season 2006 & Bartercard Cup season 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 Western Australia Rugby League (WARL is responsible for administering the game of Rugby league in Western Australia Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. Current Ladder History The Jim Beam Cup is the latest in a succession Sydney-based second tier semi-professional Rugby League competitions 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. The Queensland Cup is the premier Rugby league football competition in the state of Queensland. ^[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]. Brisbane ( is the state capital of Queensland. Brisbane is the third most populous city in Australia and the most populous city of Queensland Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth largest city in Australia with a The Central Coast is an urban region in the Australian state of New South Wales, located on the coast north of Sydney and south of Lake Macquarie The Sunshine Coast (population 290645 with up to an additional 50000 in visitors and seasonal workers is a coastal region located in South East Queensland, north of the Wellington (ˈwælɪŋtən is the Capital of New Zealand, the country's second largest urban area, the

The NRL also has a fund of $8 million for any club that decides to relocate to a 'strategically identified area'. ^[31]

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 Wests Tigers are a professional Rugby league football club in the National Rugby League (NRL the premier Rugby league competition in Australasia Christchurch (Ōtautahi The largest City in the South Island, it is also the second largest city and third largest urban area of New Zealand The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla New South Wales in the Sutherland Shire, south of Sydney The Penrith Panthers is an Australian professional Rugby league football team Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth largest city in Australia with a
• The Bulldogs have taken games interstate to Brisbane and the Gold Coast as well Wellington, New Zealand. The Bulldogs Rugby League Football Club (formerly Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and "The Berries") are an Australian professional Rugby league Brisbane ( is the state capital of Queensland. Brisbane is the third most populous city in Australia and the most populous city of Queensland This article is about the Australian city Gold Coast For other uses see Gold Coast. Wellington (ˈwælɪŋtən is the Capital of New Zealand, the country's second largest urban area, the
• South Sydney have agreed to move two games per season to Perth, Western Australia. The South Sydney Rabbitohs, also known as Souths, The Bunnies, SSFC or The Rabbits, are an Australian professional Rugby league Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent.
• The Parramatta Eels played two premiership season games in Waikato, New Zealand in 2005-2006. The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional Rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta.

Structure

A Partnership Executive Committee administers the agreement between the Australian Rugby League and News Limited as well as making major financial decisions. The Australian Rugby League (ARL is the governing body for the Sport of Rugby league in Australia News Limited was the principal holding for the business interests of Rupert Murdoch until the formation of News Corporation in 1979 ^[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]

Competition format and sponsorship

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. Other names In Arabic, the month is called أغسطسص ʾUġusṭuṣ or آب ʾĀb; usage varies from place to place and 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. A bye, in sports and other competitive activities most commonly refers to the practice of allowing a player or Team to advance to the next Round of a

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. In several sports a minor premiership is the (often unofficial award given to a team which finishes first overall in the standings after the Regular season prior to commencement

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. The McIntyre System, or systems because there have been five of them is a Playoff system that gives an advantage to teams or competitors qualifying higher 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. A Grand Final is a predominantly Australian sporting term used to describe a final that decides a league champion 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. The Prime Minister of Australia is the Head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia, holding office on commission from the Governor-General. In 1998 the Grand Final was held at the Sydney Football Stadium. The Sydney Football Stadium (colloquially known as SFS, and formerly known as Aussie Stadium between 2002 and mid-2007 is located in Moore Park, in Since 1999 the Grand Final has been contested at Stadium Australia, the primary athletics venue during the 2000 Olympic Games held in Sydney. Stadium Australia, presently known as ANZ Stadium, is a multi-purpose Stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct of Homebush, Sydney "I am proud and happy to proclaim that you have presented to the world the best Olympic Games ever ^[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]

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. Carlton Draught is a 46% ( abv) Pale lager made in Australia by Carlton & United Beverages. In Australian Rugby league, FootyTAB is the name of the legal Betting agency operating in both the NRL and the Brisbane Rugby League

Competition rules and representative season

Salary cap

Main article: Salary cap

The National Rugby League adopted a salary cap in the early 1990s. In Professional Sports, a salary cap (often called a wage cap in the United Kingdom) is a limit on the amount of money a team can spend on player 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. The Bulldogs Rugby League Football Club (formerly Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and "The Berries") are an Australian professional Rugby league 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. The New Zealand Warriors (formerly the Auckland Warriors) are a professional Rugby league team based in Auckland, New Zealand 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. The South Sydney Rabbitohs, also known as Souths, The Bunnies, SSFC or The Rabbits, are an Australian professional Rugby league

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. The Australian Rugby League (ARL is the governing body for the Sport of Rugby league in Australia 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. The ANZAC Test (also known as the Bundaberg Rum Test for sponsorship reasons is a Rugby League Test match played annually between The Rugby League World Cup is an international competition contested by the men's national rugby league teams of the member nations of the Rugby League International The Rugby League Tri-Nations (also known as the Gillette Tri-Nations for sponsorship reasons is a Rugby league tournament involving the top three nations in the sport State of Origin is an annual best-of-three series of Rugby league matches between the Maroons, representing the state of Queensland, and the Blues Teams History Country V City has long played a part in New South Wales sporting history with the first traces of the concept being linked back as far as 1886 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).

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. The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional Rugby league club based in the city of Brisbane Queensland. The Bulldogs Rugby League Football Club (formerly Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and "The Berries") are an Australian professional Rugby league

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. The Nine Network, or Channel Nine, is an Australian television network based in Willoughby, a suburb on the North Shore of Sydney Fox Sports is an Australian group of Sports channels They are owned by the Premier Media Group, which is in turn owned by News Corporation 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. News Limited was the principal holding for the business interests of Rupert Murdoch until the formation of News Corporation in 1979 History See also History of rugby league The grass roots of rugby league can be traced to early football history, through the playing of ball games This article details the Super League half of 1997's split club competition In 2007, the hugely popular Monday Night Football was added to Foxtel's rugby league coverage.

Current Television Coverage

Domestic

• Friday Night Football starts at 7. In Australia, Friday Night Football is the broadcasting of both the National Rugby League (NRL and Australian Football League (AFL Friday 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. The Nine Network, or Channel Nine, is an Australian television network based in Willoughby, a suburb on the North Shore of Sydney
• Super Saturday includes one U/20 Toyota Cup afternoon game, a twilight game and two night games all broadcast consecutively on Fox Sports. Fox Sports is an Australian group of Sports channels They are owned by the Premier Media Group, which is in turn owned by News Corporation
• Sunday Afternoon Football is a delayed match broadcast on Channel 9. The Nine Network, or Channel Nine, is an Australian television network based in Willoughby, a suburb on the North Shore of Sydney A game is also played live on Fox Sports. Fox Sports is an Australian group of Sports channels They are owned by the Premier Media Group, which is in turn owned by News Corporation
• Monday Night Football is televised live from 7:00pm by Fox Sports. Fox Sports is an Australian group of Sports channels They are owned by the Premier Media Group, which is in turn owned by News Corporation It is sponsored by Bundaberg Rum. Bundaberg Rum is a dark Rum produced in Bundaberg, Australia, often referred to as "Bundy"

• 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. The Nine Network, or Channel Nine, is an Australian television network based in Willoughby, a suburb on the North Shore of Sydney

On Super Saturday the viewer providing that they have Foxtel Digital or Austar Digital can use a tool called Viewer's choice. Foxtel is an Australian Pay television company formed through a joint venture between Telstra, News Corporation and Consolidated Media Viewer's choice gives the viewer a choice of either game played at 7:30pm.

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. Setanta Sports (sɛˈtantə is a sports broadcaster based in Ireland, operating 12 channels in 24 countries Plus all the playoffs, the Grand Final and all three State of Origin matches live. State of Origin is an annual best-of-three series of Rugby league matches between the Maroons, representing the state of Queensland, and the Blues 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. The Australia Network, originally Australia Television and later ABC Asia Pacific, is a Free-to-air international satellite television service Covers the Grand Final live.

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 New South Wales Cup or VB New South Wales Cup (for sponsorship reasons is a Rugby league competition for clubs in New South Wales The Queensland Cup is the premier Rugby league football competition in the state of Queensland.

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 Dally M Awards is an awards night which aims to honour the finest players each year in the Australasian National Rugby League competition The Dally M Medal is the premier individual award in the National Rugby League, which is given to the player voted by commentators as the best and fairest in the competition The man of the match in the Grand Final is awarded the Clive Churchill Medal. The Clive Churchill Medal has been presented to the man-of-the-match of the Australian first grade Rugby league Grand Final ever since 1986.

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. Adrian Morley (born 10 May 1977 in Salford, Greater Manchester, UK is a Great Britain Rugby league footballer Brian Carney (born 23 July 1976 in Cork, Ireland) is a Rugby union player for Munster.

Scotland international Ian Henderson and fellow Scot James McManus are the only two European players in the NRL this season. The Scotland national rugby league team represent Scotland in international Rugby league tournaments Ian Henderson (born 23 April 1983 in Torquay, England) is an Australian professional Rugby league player who currently plays for Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. James McManus (born 15 January, 1986 in Banff, Scotland) is a Scottish professional Rugby league player for the Newcastle The 2008 National Rugby League premiership (known as the Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons was the one hundred and first season of professional

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. Indigenous Australians are descendants of the first known human inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands. New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first Rugby league football club competition established in Australia E G Green (born 17 December 1883 in Grafton New South Wales) known as George Green was the first player of colour to play first grade Rugby league 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. Arthur Henry Beetson, OAM (born 22 January 1945 in Roma Queensland) is an Australian former Rugby league player and coach Johnathan Dean Thurston (born 25 April 1983 in Brisbane Queensland) is an Australian professional Rugby league player who currently Greg Inglis (born 15 January 1987 is an Indigenous Australian Rugby league player for the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League (NRL

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. The Australian Football League (AFL is both the professional Australian national competition in the Sport of Australian Rules Football and its highest ^[39]. By way of comparison, only 2. 3% of the Australian population identified themselves as Indigenous in the 2006 Australian census. ^[40]

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. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The Pacific Ocean contains an estimated 20000 to 30000 Islands (the exact number has yet to be precisely determined In recent years, Polynesian players have made up 75 per cent of junior representative teams in New South Wales. Polynesia (from Greek: πολύς many, νῆσος island) is a Subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over ^[41] It has been estimated that by 2011-2012 50% of NRL players will be Polynesian. ^[42]

Statistics

Further information: List of National Rugby League records

All-time top scorers in the National Rugby League (from 1998 onwards)

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. Hazem El Masri (حازم المصري (born 1 April 1976) is a Lebanese-Australian professional Rugby league football player widely known for Andrew Gary "Joey" Johns (born 19 May 1974 in Cessnock New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league footballer Clinton Schifcofske (born November 10, 1975 in Moranbah Queensland) is an Australian Rugby union Craig Fitzgibbon (born 16 June 1977 in Wollongong, New South Wales) is an Australian Rugby league player who plays for the Matthew Orford (born 22 April 1978 in Gosford New South Wales) is an Australian professional Rugby league player for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles Brett Hodgson (born 12 February 1978 in Liverpool, New South Wales) is an Australian professional Rugby league player currently contracted to Michael De Vere (born 11 December 1976 in Campbelltown New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league footballer who played for Ryan Girdler (born 19 September 1972, Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league player Josh Hannay (born 11 January 1980 in Moranbah Queensland) is an Australian professional Rugby league player for the Celtic Crusaders Darren Lockyer (born 24 March 1977 in Brisbane Queensland) is an Australian professional Rugby league player and current captain of New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. [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. The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional Rugby league club based in the city of Brisbane Queensland. 1998 saw the inaugural season of the reunited National Rugby League premiership the 91st season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The year 2000 saw the third season of the National Rugby League competition the 93rd season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The year 2006 saw the ninth National Rugby League premiership, the 99th season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The Bulldogs Rugby League Football Club (formerly Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and "The Berries") are an Australian professional Rugby league Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 8 - Roman Empire General Tiberius defeats Dalmatians on the river Bathinus. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[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. The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional Rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla New South Wales in the Sutherland Shire, south of Sydney Events 79 - Mount Vesuvius begins stirring on the feast day of Vulcan the Roman god of fire Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[46] The most victories achieved within a season is 21, held by the Melbourne Storm in 2007. The Melbourne Storm is a professional Rugby league football club based in the city of Melbourne, Australia ^[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 (حازم المصري (born 1 April 1976) is a Lebanese-Australian professional Rugby league football player widely known for Hazem El Masri was leading the top scoring table in 2005 until sidelined through injury. Hazem El Masri (حازم المصري (born 1 April 1976) is a Lebanese-Australian professional Rugby league football player widely known for 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. Ken Irvine (born 1941 in Sydney New South Wales, died 1991 was an Australian Rugby league player for the North Sydney Bears and the Manly-Warringah

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). Nigel Vagana (born February 7 1975 in Auckland New Zealand) is an international Rugby league player for both New Zealand and Ken Irvine (born 1941 in Sydney New South Wales, died 1991 was an Australian Rugby league player for the North Sydney Bears and the Manly-Warringah Steve "Beaver" Menzies (born 4 December 1973 in Manly, New South Wales) is an Australian professional Rugby league footballer for the 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. Nathan Blacklock (born 4 April, 1976 in Tingha New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league and Rugby union player who primarily The St George Illawarra Dragons are an Australian professional Rugby league football team

Three players hold the record for the most points scored in a game; Hazem El Masri, Andrew Johns and Matt Geyer with 34 apiece. Andrew Gary "Joey" Johns (born 19 May 1974 in Cessnock New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league footballer Matt Geyer (born 5 September 1975 in Blacktown, New South Wales) is a former Australian professional Rugby league player for the Melbourne Storm ^[51] Only three players have scored five tries in a game; Francis Meli, Jamie Lyon and Nigel Vagana. Francis Meli (born April 27, 1979 in Apia Samoa) is a New Zealand Rugby league player currently playing for St Helens Jamie Lyon (born 24 January 1982 in Narrabri, New South Wales, Australia is an Australian Rugby league player currently playing for the Manly-Warringah Nigel Vagana (born February 7 1975 in Auckland New Zealand) is an international Rugby league player for both New Zealand and ^[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

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

References

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

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
NSWRL / ARL / NRL seasons
1900 · 1901 · 1902 · 1903 · 1904 · 1905 · 1906 · 1907 · 1908 · 1909 1910 · 1911 · 1912 · 1913 · 1914 · 1915 · 1916 · 1917 · 1918 · 1919 1920 · 1921 · 1922 · 1923 · 1924 · 1925 · 1926 · 1927 · 1928 · 1929 1930 · 1931 · 1932 · 1933 · 1934 · 1935 · 1936 · 1937 · 1938 · 1939 1940 · 1941 · 1942 · 1943 · 1944 · 1945 · 1946 · 1947 · 1948 · 1949 1950 · 1951 · 1952 · 1953 · 1954 · 1955 · 1956 · 1957 · 1958 · 1959 1960 · 1961 · 1962 · 1963 · 1964 · 1965 · 1966 · 1967 · 1968 · 1969 1970 · 1971 · 1972 · 1973 · 1974 · 1975 · 1976 · 1977 · 1978 · 1979 1980 · 1981 · 1982 · 1983 · 1984 · 1985 · 1986 · 1987 · 1988 · 1989 1990 · 1991 · 1992 · 1993 · 1994 · 1995 · 1996 · 1997 · 1998 · 1999 2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009 Super League - 1997

Comprehensive regular season results of the NRL by club The 2008 National Rugby League premiership (known as the Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons was the one hundred and first season of professional The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional Rugby league club based in the city of Brisbane Queensland. The Bulldogs Rugby League Football Club (formerly Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and "The Berries") are an Australian professional Rugby league The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in the city of Canberra Australian Capital Territory. The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla New South Wales in the Sutherland Shire, south of Sydney The Gold Coast Titans are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based on the Gold Coast in Queensland. The Manly - Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional Rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney The Melbourne Storm is a professional Rugby league football club based in the city of Melbourne, Australia The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in Newcastle New South Wales. The New Zealand Warriors (formerly the Auckland Warriors) are a professional Rugby league team based in Auckland, New Zealand The North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in Townsville Queensland. The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional Rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Penrith Panthers is an Australian professional Rugby league football team The St George Illawarra Dragons are an Australian professional Rugby league football team The South Sydney Rabbitohs, also known as Souths, The Bunnies, SSFC or The Rabbits, are an Australian professional Rugby league The Sydney Roosters is a professional Rugby league club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, Australia. The Wests Tigers are a professional Rugby league football club in the National Rugby League (NRL the premier Rugby league competition in Australasia New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first Rugby league football club competition established in Australia The Australian Rugby League (ARL is the governing body for the Sport of Rugby league in Australia This article details the year of rugby league run by Super League (Australia. The Adelaide Rams were a Rugby league football club based in Adelaide South Australia. Annandale were an Australian Rugby league team which played in the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership from 1910 to 1920 The Balmain Tigers (also known as the Sydney Tigers from 1995-96 were one of the founding rugby league football clubs of the New South Wales Rugby League premiership Cumberland, officially known as Central Cumberland, On that morning Sydney newspaper The Daily Telegraph advertised a meeting for that night to discuss the formation Glebe were an Australian Rugby league foundation club who played in the New South Wales Rugby Football League 's Sydney premiership, the major competition Gold Coast were a Rugby league team which played in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership from 1988 to 1994, the Australian Rugby The Hunter Mariners were an Australian Rugby league club based in the Hunter Valley region's largest city Newcastle. The Illawarra Steelers are an Australian Rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong New South Wales. Newcastle were a Rugby league team who played in the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership from 1908-1909 one of the nine foundation clubs The Newtown Jets (formerly the Newtown "Bluebags") are a former first grade Rugby league club who departed the New South Wales Rugby Football League The North Sydney Bears are an Australian Rugby league football club based in Sydney who currently compete in the New South Wales Cup. The Northern Eagles were a short-lived Rugby league team that competed in the National Rugby League (NRL The South Queensland Crushers were an Australian Rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. The St George Dragons were a team in the National Rugby League competition in Australia University is a Rugby league team currently playing in the NSW Tertiary Student Rugby League competition The Western Suburbs Magpies are a Rugby league football club in Sydney Australia New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first Rugby league football club competition established in Australia The Australian Rugby League (ARL is the governing body for the Sport of Rugby league in Australia The 1908 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the inaugural season of Australia 's first Rugby league football competition which was based in 1909 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the second season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney The 1910 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the third season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney 1911 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the fourth season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney 1912 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the fifth season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney 1913 's New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the sixth season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney 1914 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the seventh season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney 1915 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the eighth season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney 1916 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the ninth season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney 1917 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the tenth season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney 1918 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the eleventh season of Rugby league football played in Australia 1919 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was twelfth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney. 1920 's New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the thirteenth season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney 1921 's New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the Fourteenth season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney 1922 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the fifteenth season of Sydney 's top-grade rugby league competition based 1923 's New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the sixteenth season of the Rugby league football competition based in Sydney, New South Wales 1924 's New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the seventeenth season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney 1925 's New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the eighteenth season of the Rugby league football competition based in Sydney. The 1926 New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the nineteenth season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney The 1927 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the twentieth season of the Rugby league football competition based in Sydney The 1928 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the twenty-first season of Rugby league football in Australia The 1929 New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the 22nd season of the Rugby league football competition based in Sydney. The 1930 New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the twenty-third season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney 1931 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the twenty-fourth season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney. 1932 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the twenty-fifth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney New South Wales 1933 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the twenty-sixth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney New South Wales. 1934 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the twenty-sixth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney New South Wales. 1935 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the twenty-eighth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney New South Wales. 1936 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the twenty-ninth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney New South Wales. 1937 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the thirtieth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney New South Wales. 1938 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the thirty-first season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney 1939 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the thirty-second season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney New South Wales. 1940 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the thirty-third season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney New South Wales. 1941 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the thirty-fourth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney New South Wales. 1942 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the thirty-fifth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney New South Wales. 1943 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the thirty-sixth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney New South Wales. The year 1944 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the thirty-seventh season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney 1945 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the thirty-eighth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney 1946 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the thirty-ninth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney 1947 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the fortieth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney 1948 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the forty-first season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney 1949 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the forty-second season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney 1950 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the forty-third season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney. 1951 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the forty-fourth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney. 1952 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the forty-fifth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney. 1953 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the forty-sixth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney. 1954 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the forty-seventh season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney. 1955 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the forty-eighth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney. 1956 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the forty-ninth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney. 1957 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the fiftieth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney. 1958 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the fifty-first season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney. 1959 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the fifty-second season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney. 1960 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the fifty-third season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney 1961 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the fifty-fourth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney 1962 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the fifty-fifth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney 1963 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the fifty-sixth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney 1964 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the fifty-seventh season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney. 1965 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the fifty-eighth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney. 1966 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the fifty-ninth season of the Rugby league competition based in Sydney. 1967 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the sixtieth season of the Rugby league football competition based in Sydney. 1968 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the sixty-first season of professional Rugby league football in Australia 1969 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the sixty-second season of professional Rugby league football in Australia 1970 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the sixty-third season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The 1971 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the sixty-fourth season of the Sydney -based professional Rugby league football competition 1972 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the sixty-fifth season of professional Rugby league football in Australia 1973 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the sixty-sixth season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney. 1974 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the sixty-seventh season of professional Rugby league football in Australia 1975 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the sixty-eighth season of professional Rugby league football in Australia 1976 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the sixty-ninth season of professional Rugby league football in Australia 1977 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the seventieth season of professional Rugby league football in Australia 1978 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the seventy-first season of professional Rugby league football in Australia 1979 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the seventy-second season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The 1980 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the seventy-third season of professional Rugby league football in Australia 1981 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the seventy-fourth season of professional Rugby league football in Australia 1982 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the seventy-fifth season of professional Rugby league football in Australia. The 1983 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the seventy-sixth season of professional Rugby league football in Australia 1984 's New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the seventy-seventh season of professional Rugby league football in Australia 1985 's New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the seventy-eighth season of professional Rugby league football in Australia 1986 's New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the seventy-ninth season of professional Rugby league football in Australia 1987 's New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the eightieth season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The year 1988 's New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the eighty-first season of professional Rugby league football in Australia 1989 's New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the eighty-second season of professional Rugby league football in Australia 1990 's New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the eighty-third season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The 1991 New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the eighty-fourth season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The 1992 New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the eighty-fifth season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The 1993 New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the eighty-sixth season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The 1994 New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the eighty-seventh season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The 1995 Australian Rugby League premiership was the 88th season of professional Rugby league football in Australia and the first to be run by the Australian Rugby The Australian Rugby League 's 1996 premiership was the 89th season of professional Rugby league football in Australia and the second to be run by the Australian This article details the Australian Rugby League half of 1997's split competition 1998 saw the inaugural season of the reunited National Rugby League premiership the 91st season of professional Rugby league football in Australia 1999 saw the second season of the National Rugby League premiership the 92nd season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The year 2000 saw the third season of the National Rugby League competition the 93rd season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The year 2001 saw the fourth season of the National Rugby League premiership the 94th season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The year 2002 saw the fifth National Rugby League (NRL season the 95th season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The year 2003 's National Rugby League (NRL premiership was the 96th season of professional Rugby league football in Australia and the sixth 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 The year 2005 's National Rugby League (NRL premiership was the 98th season of professional Rugby league football in Australia and the eighth run by the The year 2006 saw the ninth National Rugby League premiership, the 99th season of professional Rugby league football in Australia The 2007 National Rugby League premiership was the one hundredth season of professional Rugby league football club competition in Australia and the tenth run by the The 2008 National Rugby League premiership (known as the Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons was the one hundred and first season of professional This article details the year of rugby league run by Super League (Australia. This article details the Super League half of 1997's split club competition

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