| Australian Rugby League season 1996 | |
 | |
| Teams | 20 |
| Premiers |  Manly-Warringah (6th title) |
| Minor premiers | Manly-Warringah (9th title) |
| Matches played | 223 |
| Points scored | 8547 (average 38. The Manly - Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional Rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney The Manly - Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional Rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney 327 per match) |
| Attendance | 2,743,516 (average 12,303 per match) |
| Top points scorer(s) |  Jason Taylor (238) |
| Top try scorer(s) |  Noa Nadruku (21) |
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 Rugby League (ARL). Jason Taylor (born 2 February 1971) is an Australian former professional Rugby league player and current coach of the South Sydney Rabbitohs Noa Nadruku (born September 19, 1967) is a Fijian former Rugby league and Rugby union footballer The Australian Rugby League (ARL is the governing body for the Sport of Rugby league in Australia 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 Twenty teams contested during the season for the Optus Cup trophy, including five Sydney-based foundation teams, another six from Sydney, two from greater New South Wales, four from Queensland, and one from New Zealand, the Australian Capital Territory and Western Australia. SingTel Optus Pty Limited is the second largest Telecommunications company in Australia, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Telecommunications Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island } The Australian Capital Territory (ACT is the Capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and its smallest self-governing internal territory Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent.
Contents |
Season summary
With the Super League war in full effect off the field, those clubs affiliated with the breakaway competition refused to participate in five games of Round 1, all forfeited to ARL-aligned clubs and only four of the ten scheduled games took place. 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 Of the two games between two Super League clubs, Canterbury versus North Queensland was cancelled, whilst Auckland announced they would field a team from the Lion Red competition and were thus declared winners over Brisbane by forfeit. The Bulldogs Rugby League Football Club (formerly Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and "The Berries") are an Australian professional Rugby league The North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in Townsville Queensland. The Lion Red Cup was a New Zealand domestic Rugby league competition that ran from 1994-1996. The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional Rugby league club based in the city of Brisbane Queensland.
Following up on their performance in the 1995 season up to the grand final, Manly-Warringah dominated the season with their defence, which conceded only 34 tries in 25 matches, the best record of any team since the six-tackle rule was introduced in 1971. 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 Manly - Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional Rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney The 1971 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the sixty-fourth season of the Sydney -based professional Rugby league football competition Their 1995 rivals Canberra were hit by injuries which wiped out the seasons of key players Ricky Stuart, Bradley Clyde and Jason Croker, and suspensions to Kiwi props John Lomax and Quentin Pongia. The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in the city of Canberra Australian Capital Territory. Ricky Stuart (born 7 January 1967 in Queanbeyan New South Wales) is an Australian former representative Rugby league and Rugby union Bradley Clyde (born 27 January 1970 is an Australian former Rugby league player for the Canberra Raiders, Canterbury Bulldogs, New South Jason Croker (born March 10, 1973 in Crookwell NSW) is an Australian Rugby league player for the Catalans Dragons John Lomax is a former Rugby league player John Lomax was a New Zealand international Quentin Pongia is a former Rugby league player who played for the Canberra Raiders, Auckland Warriors, Sydney Roosters and St
Super League-aligned Canterbury-Bankstown were also hit by the loss of key players Jim Dymock, Dean Pay, Jason Smith and Jarrod McCracken to ARL-loyal Parramatta. Jim Dymock (born 4 April, 1972 in Sydney New South Wales) is an Australian former professional Rugby league international of Dean Pay (born in Sydney Australia) is an Australian former professional Rugby league player for the Canterbury Bulldogs, Parramatta Eels Jason Smith (born 14 March 1972 in Brisbane, Queensland) is an Australian former professional Rugby league footballer Jarrod McCracken is a New Zealand former Rugby league player He is a former captain of the New Zealand national rugby league team. The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional Rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. Sydney City started the season in good form, but fell off after winning their first ten games, whilst Brisbane (with Allan Langer putting in some strong performances) dominated early but lost ground mid-season. 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. Allan Jeffery Langer AM (born 30 July 1966 in Ipswich Queensland) often nicknamed "The Little General" and commonly known as "Alf" or "Alfie" North Sydney, with a powerful forward pack and skillful half Jason Taylor feeding a superb set of outside backs, were expected to make the Grand Final but lost to St. George in the preliminary final. The North Sydney Bears are an Australian Rugby league football club based in Sydney who currently compete in the New South Wales Cup. A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Jason Taylor (born 2 February 1971) is an Australian former professional Rugby league player and current coach of the South Sydney Rabbitohs A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench A Grand Final is a predominantly Australian sporting term used to describe a final that decides a league champion The St George Dragons were a team in the National Rugby League competition in Australia
The 20-team competition in 1995 and 1996 caused frequent jackpots in FootyTAB's "Pick The Margins" and after three successive rounds without a single winner, on July 8, 1996 after a last-minute Sydney City penalty goal, one punter received an all-time record for any form of sports betting in Australia: $2,006,217. 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 In Australian Rugby league, FootyTAB is the name of the legal Betting agency operating in both the NRL and the Brisbane Rugby League Events 939 - The Major Occultation or Ghaybat el-Kubra of Muhammad al-Mahdi 1099 - First Crusade: 15000 Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) Sports betting is the general activity of predicting Sports results by making a wager on the outcome of a sporting event The Australian dollar ( sign: $; code: AUD) is the Currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas
for the 1996 season, North Sydney's Jason Taylor won the official player of the year award, the Rothmans Medal, while the Dally M Medal was awarded to Brisbane's Allan Langer. 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
Teams
 Auckland Warriors |  Balmain Tigers |  Brisbane Broncos |  Canberra Raiders |
 Canterbury Bulldogs |  Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |  Gold Coast Chargers |  Illawarra Steelers |
 Manly Sea Eagles |  Newcastle Knights |  North Sydney Bears |  North Queensland Cowboys |
 Parramatta Eels |  Penrith Panthers |  Sydney City Roosters |  South Queensland Crushers |
 South Sydney Rabbitohs |  St. George Dragons |  Western Suburbs Magpies |  Western Reds |
Ladder
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manly-Warringah | 22 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 549 | 191 | +358 | 36 |
| 2 |  Brisbane | 21 | 17 | 0 | 4 | 607 | 263 | +344 | 36 |
| 3 | North Sydney | 22 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 598 | 325 | +273 | 32 |
| 4 |  Sydney City | 22 | 15 | 1 | 6 | 521 | 321 | +200 | 31 |
| 5 |  Cronulla | 21 | 14 | 2 | 5 | 399 | 268 | +131 | 30 |
| 6 | Canberra | 21 | 13 | 1 | 7 | 538 | 384 | +154 | 27 |
| 7 |  St. George | 21 | 12 | 1 | 8 | 443 | 360 | +83 | 27 |
| 8 |  Western Suburbs | 22 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 394 | 434 | -40 | 25 |
| 9 |  Newcastle | 21 | 10 | 1 | 10 | 416 | 388 | +28 | 23 |
| 10 |  Canterbury | 21 | 11 | 0 | 10 | 375 | 378 | -3 | 22 |
| 11 |  Auckland | 21 | 10 | 0 | 11 | 412 | 427 | -15 | 22 |
| 12 |  Balmain | 22 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 319 | 459 | -140 | 22 |
| 13 |  Parramatta | 21 | 9 | 1 | 11 | 404 | 415 | -11 | 21 |
| 14 |  Illawarra | 22 | 8 | 0 | 14 | 403 | 444 | -41 | 16 |
| 15 |  Penrith | 21 | 7 | 1 | 13 | 363 | 464 | -101 | 15 |
| 16 |  Western Reds | 21 | 6 | 1 | 14 | 313 | 420 | -107 | 13 |
| 17 |  North Queensland | 21 | 6 | 0 | 15 | 288 | 643 | -355 | 12 |
| 18 |  Gold Coast | 22 | 5 | 1 | 16 | 359 | 521 | -162 | 11 |
| 19 |  South Sydney | 22 | 5 | 1 | 16 | 314 | 634 | -320 | 11 |
| 20 |  South Queensland | 21 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 220 | 496 | -276 | 8 |
Finals
Grand Final
| Manly-Warringah | Position | St. The Manly - Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional Rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional Rugby league club based in the city of Brisbane Queensland. The North Sydney Bears are an Australian Rugby league football club based in Sydney who currently compete in the New South Wales Cup. The Sydney Roosters is a professional Rugby league club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, 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 The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in the city of Canberra Australian Capital Territory. The St George Dragons were a team in the National Rugby League competition in Australia The Western Suburbs Magpies are a Rugby league football club in Sydney Australia The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in Newcastle New South Wales. The Bulldogs Rugby League Football Club (formerly Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and "The Berries") are an Australian professional Rugby league The New Zealand Warriors (formerly the Auckland Warriors) are a professional Rugby league team based in Auckland, New Zealand 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 Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional Rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Illawarra Steelers are an Australian Rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong New South Wales. The Penrith Panthers is an Australian professional Rugby league football team The North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in Townsville 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 The South Sydney Rabbitohs, also known as Souths, The Bunnies, SSFC or The Rabbits, are an Australian professional Rugby league The South Queensland Crushers were an Australian Rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. 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 Western Suburbs Magpies are a Rugby league football club in Sydney Australia Parramatta Stadium is a sports stadium situated in Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia. The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional Rugby league club based in the city of Brisbane Queensland. The North Sydney Bears are an Australian Rugby league football club based in Sydney who currently compete in the New South Wales Cup. The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in the city of Canberra Australian Capital Territory. The St George Dragons were a team in the National Rugby League competition in 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 Manly - Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional Rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney The Sydney Roosters is a professional Rugby league club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, 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 Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional Rugby league club based in the city of Brisbane Queensland. 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 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 Roosters is a professional Rugby league club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, Australia. The St George Dragons were a team in the National Rugby League competition in 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 North Sydney Bears are an Australian Rugby league football club based in Sydney who currently compete in the New South Wales Cup. The St George Dragons were a team in the National Rugby League competition in 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 Manly - Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional Rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney 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 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 Manly - Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional Rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney The St George Dragons were a team in the National Rugby League competition in 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 George |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew Ridge | FB | Dean Raper |
| Danny Moore | WG | Nick Zisti |
| Craig Innes | CE | Mark Coyne (c) |
| Terry Hill | CE | Adrian Brunker |
| John Hopoate | WG | Mark Bell |
| Nik Kosef | FE | Anthony Mundine |
| Geoff Toovey (c) | HB | Noel Goldthorpe |
| David Gillespie | PR | Wayne Bartrim |
| Jim Serdaris | HK | Scott Gourley |
| Mark Carroll | PR | Kevin Campion |
| Steve Menzies | SR | Luke Felsch |
| Daniel Gartner | SR | Jeff Hardy |
| Owen Cunningham | LK | Troy Stone |
| Cliff Lyons | Reserve | David Barnhill |
| Neil Tierney | Reserve | Lance Thompson |
| Craig Hancock | Reserve | Colin Ward |
| Des Hasler | Reserve | Nathan Brown |
| Bob Fulton | Coach | David Waite |
In the 5th minute, Manly centre Craig Innes won the chase and scored after a grubber kick by his skipper Geoff Toovey. Matthew John Ridge (born August 27, 1968) is a New Zealand Television presenter as well as a former All-Black, and Rugby A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Danny Moore (born 2 January 1971 in Townsville Queensland) is an Australian former Rugby league player a national and state representative player A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Nicolas Zisti (born August 2, 1972 in Sydney New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league and Rugby union A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Mark Coyne (born 16 August, 1967) is an Australian former Rugby league footballer a state and national representative player Terry Hill (born 22 January 1972 in Newtown New South Wales] is a former Australian professional Rugby league player in the National A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench John Hopoate (born 16 January 1974 in Nuku{{Okina}}alofa, Tonga) is a Tongan- Australian former Rugby league footballer and A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Mark Bell is a former Rugby league player He played for Canberra, Western Suburbs, Penrith and St Nik Kosef (born 6 June, 1974) is an Australian former professional Rugby league player A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Anthony Mundine (born 21 May 1975 is an Indigenous Australian boxer and former Rugby league player Geoff Toovey (born 17 June 1969 in Sydney New South Wales) is an Australian former professional Rugby league player A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Noel Goldthorpe is an Australian former professional Rugby league footballer David "Cement" Gillespie (born in Sydney New South Wales) is an Australian former professional Rugby league footballer A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Wayne Bartrim (born 9 October 1971 in Hat Head New South Wales) is an Australian former professional Rugby league footballer Jim Serdaris (born in Sydney Australia) is an Australian former Rugby league player for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Canterbury Bulldogs A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Scott Robert Gourley (born 1968 in Hornsby New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league and Rugby union player - a dual code international Mark Carroll (born 26 February 1967 in Penrith New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league player A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Kevin Campion (born 18 September 1971 in Sarina Queensland) is an Australian former Rugby league footballer Steve "Beaver" Menzies (born 4 December 1973 in Manly, New South Wales) is an Australian professional Rugby league footballer for the A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Daniel Gartner (born on 15 October, 1972 in Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league footballer A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Cliff Lyons (born 19 October, 1961 in Narrandera New South Wales) is an Australian former international-level Rugby league footballer David Barnhill (born in Wagga Wagga New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league player and coach Lance Thompson (born 16 February 1978 in Sydney New South Wales) is an Australian former professional Rugby league player Craig Hancock (born 10 June, 1969) is an Australian former professional Rugby league player Des Hasler (born 16 February 1961 in Gosford, New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league player during the 1980s and early 1990s and is Nathan Brown is a former Rugby league player and currently the coach of the St George Illawarra Dragons which compete in the National Rugby League. Robert "Bob" Fulton AM (born 1 December 1947 in Warrington, England is an English-born Australian Rugby league identity David Waite (born 1951 in New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league player and coach Matthew Ridge converted from the sideline for 6-0. The Dragons played on after being awarded a penalty in front of the posts in the 8th minute but failed to score.
At the 15 minute mark Saints' halfback Noel Goldthorpe conceded a penalty right in front of their goalpost after committing a head high tackle on Manly's Daniel Gartner. Ridge took the kick, extending the lead to 8–0. St George sent in forward replacements Lance Thompson and David Barnhill for Scott Gourley and Kevin Campion (head cut). For Manly, Tierney came off the interchange bench to replace Gillespie. Up until the 19 minute mark when Manly veteran five-eighth Cliff Lyons took the field, their coach Bob Fulton was using six running forwards with Toovey as dummy half.
The Dragon's first points came in the 37th minute when Wayne Bartrim kicked a penalty awarded when Manly forward Cunningham stripped the ball. From the ensuing kick-off just before half-time came the game's controversial moment and a hotly disputed try. Ridge made a spectacular short kick-off and regathered, catching the Dragons unaware. St George hooker Nathan Brown appeared to tackle Ridge albeit one-handedly and by the collar. Ridge got up and ran when Brown was expecting him to stop and play the ball. Referee David Manson ruled that Brown did not complete the tackle. Nik Kosef then passed the ball to Steve Menzies who stormed his way through Saints' Thompson, Raper, Goldthorpe and Bartrim to score before Ridge converted for another 2 points. The controversial ruling by referee Manson gave Manly a 14–2 half time lead and broke Saints' resolve.
In the 53rd minute Manly's Danny Moore scored a try from a Terry Hill pass after Hill drew Saints defenders, Adrian Brunker and Nick Zisti. Innes converted from 5m off the sideline for the Sea-Eagles to take a 20-2 lead. Five minutes later Dragons' winger Zisti scored a try from a Bartrim cut-out pass. Bartrim then converted from the sideline for a scoreline of 20–8.
The final twenty minutes were scoreless with two field goal attempts from Ridge charged down by Dragons' defenders. A drop goal, also referred to as a dropped goal or field goal, is a method of scoring points in Rugby union and Rugby league.
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles: 20 (Innes, Menzies, Moore tries; Ridge 3, Innes goals)
St George Illawarra Dragons: 8 (Zisti try; Bartrim 2 goals).
Clive Churchill Medallist: Geoff Toovey
References
- Rugby League Tables - Season 1996 The World of Rugby League
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