- This article details the Super League half of 1997's split club competition. For the Australian Rugby League half, see Australian Rugby League season 1997. This article details the Australian Rugby League half of 1997's split competition For more information on the Super League franchise, see Super League (Australia)
| Super League (Australia) season 1997 | |
| Teams | 10 |
| Premiers |  Brisbane (3rd title) |
| Minor premiers | Brisbane (2nd title) |
| Matches played | 96 |
| Points scored | 4035 (average 42. This article details the year of rugby league run by Super League (Australia. The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional Rugby league club based in the city of Brisbane Queensland. The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional Rugby league club based in the city of Brisbane Queensland. 031 per match) |
| Attendance | 1,251,777 (average 13,039 per match) |
| Top points scorer(s) |  Ryan Girdler (197) |
| Top try scorer(s) |  Matthew Ryan (17) |
The 1997 Australian Super League premiership (known as the Telstra Cup for sponsorship purposes) was contested by ten clubs. Ryan Girdler (born 19 September 1972, Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league player Matthew Ryan (born 15 September 1969 is an Australian former Rugby league footballer who played most of his career with the Canterbury Bulldogs (1990 to 1998 This article details the year of rugby league run by Super League (Australia. Telstra or Telstra Corporation (often abbreviated as Telstra Corp) () is an Australian Telecommunications and media company formerly It was the 90th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the only top grade competition to be run by the News Limited-controlled Super League. 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 News Limited was the principal holding for the business interests of Rupert Murdoch until the formation of News Corporation in 1979
Compared to the rival Australian Rugby League competition being run at the same time, there were just three teams based in Sydney. This article details the Australian Rugby League half of 1997's split competition Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 A further team from greater New South Wales, two teams from Queensland, one from the Australian Capital Territory, one from South Australia, one from Western Australia and one from New Zealand made up the premiership. Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent } The Australian Capital Territory (ACT is the Capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and its smallest self-governing internal territory South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island
Contents |
Background
Super League was a rugby league competition that was held in Australia in 1997. This article details the year of rugby league run by Super League (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 Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar It was created by News Corporation after an unsuccessful attempt to purchase the pay television rights to Australian rugby league games. News Corporation (often abbreviated to News Corp) (,,) is one of the world's largest media conglomerate companies by Market capitalisation After two years of legal battles the competition was played for a single season in 1997 before merging with the rival Australian Rugby League competition in 1998 to form the National Rugby League. The Australian Rugby League (ARL is the governing body for the Sport of Rugby league in Australia Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar)
Teams
 Adelaide Rams |  Auckland Warriors |  Brisbane Broncos |  Canberra Raiders |
 Canterbury Bulldogs |  Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |  Hunter Mariners |  North Queensland Cowboys |
 Perth Reds |  Penrith Panthers |
Season Summary
The Telstra Cup premiership was held over eighteen rounds. The season was dominated by the minor premiers, the Brisbane Broncos, who won 14 of their 18 matches, losing only to the Penrith Panthers, the Hunter Mariners and eventual runners-up, the Cronulla Sharks. The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional Rugby league club based in the city of Brisbane Queensland. The Penrith Panthers is an Australian professional Rugby league football team The Hunter Mariners were an Australian Rugby league club based in the Hunter Valley region's largest city Newcastle. 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 Grand Final was played at Brisbane's ANZ Stadium in front of 58,000 people; the ground record for that venue. 1997 saw the tenth season of the Brisbane Broncos. This season was unique in that they participated in the only Super League competition held in Australia. Brisbane ( is the state capital of Queensland. Brisbane is the third most populous city in Australia and the most populous city of Queensland The QSAC was formerly known as ANZ Stadium ANZ now holds the naming rights for Sydney's Stadium Australia. The Broncos defeated the Sharks 26-8 to win their third premiership. The Auckland Warriors had teams in both the reserve grade and two age-group Grand Finals but lost all three. The New Zealand Warriors (formerly the Auckland Warriors) are a professional Rugby league team based in Auckland, New Zealand
The winners in all grades were:
- First Grade: Brisbane Broncos
- Reserve Grade: Canterbury Bulldogs
- Under-19s: Penrith Panthers
- Under-17s: Brisbane Broncos
Advertising
Teaser ads had been created by Mojo Sydney in 1996 around the theme of "Superleague: It's Coming". They featured Super League players performing superhuman feats. One notable execution included Canberra's Bradley Clyde inside a rodeo corral being stormed by a runaway bull with the suggestion that he is about to singlehandedly bring the bull to ground. Bradley Clyde (born 27 January 1970 is an Australian former Rugby league player for the Canberra Raiders, Canterbury Bulldogs, New South
By season launch in 1997 Foxtel's ad agency Young and Rubicam Sydney had the Super League account and created a space-themed ad with players running through outer-space and the tag-line "Super League: It's out of this world".
By mid season the account had moved again and Sydney agency VCD produced much of the game promotional and club fixture print ads that ran in newspapers throughout the season. This commenced VCD's association with Super League that would continue with the ARL post the re-unification.
Ladder
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brisbane | 18 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 481 | 283 | +198 | 29 |
| 2 |  Cronulla | 18 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 403 | 230 | +173 | 24 |
| 3 |  Canberra | 18 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 436 | 337 | +99 | 22 |
| 4 | Canterbury | 18 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 453 | 447 | +6 | 20 |
| 5 | Penrith | 18 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 431 | 462 | -31 | 18 |
| 6 |  Hunter | 18 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 350 | 363 | -13 | 14 |
| 7 |  Auckland | 18 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 332 | 406 | -74 | 14 |
| 8 |  Perth | 18 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 321 | 456 | -135 | 14 |
| 9 |  Adelaide | 18 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 303 | 402 | -99 | 13 |
| 10 |  North Queensland | 18 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 328 | 452 | -124 | 12 |
Finals
Minor premiers the Brisbane Broncos only played two finals games (including the grand final), both against the Cronulla Sharks winning both convincingly. 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 Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in the city of Canberra Australian Capital Territory. The Bulldogs Rugby League Football Club (formerly Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and "The Berries") are an Australian professional Rugby league The Penrith Panthers is an Australian professional Rugby league football team The Hunter Mariners were an Australian Rugby league club based in the Hunter Valley region's largest city Newcastle. The New Zealand Warriors (formerly the Auckland Warriors) are a professional Rugby league team based in Auckland, New Zealand The Adelaide Rams were a Rugby league football club based in Adelaide South Australia. The North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in Townsville Queensland. 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
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Crowd | |||||
| Preliminary Semi Finals | ||||||||
 Cronulla Sharks | 22–18 |  Canberra Raiders | 30 August 1997 | Endeavour Field | Bill Harrigan | 17,137 | ||
 Canterbury Bulldogs | 14–15 |  Penrith Panthers | 1 September 1997 | Belmore Oval | Graham Annesley | 10,492 | ||
| Major Qualifying Finals | ||||||||
 Brisbane Broncos | 34–2 | Cronulla Sharks | 6 September 1997 | Stockland Stadium | Bill Harrigan | 26,256 | ||
| Canberra Raiders | 32–12 | Penrith Panthers | 8 September 1997 | Bruce Stadium | Graham Annesley | 10,153 | ||
| Preliminary Final | ||||||||
| Cronulla Sharks | 10–4 | Canberra Raiders | 13 September 1997 | Endeavour Field | Bill Harrigan | 17,638 | ||
| Grand Final | ||||||||
| Brisbane Broncos | 26–8 | Cronulla Sharks | 20 September 1997 | ANZ Stadium | Bill Harrigan | 58,912 | ||
Grand Final
Despite rain, a record crowd in Queensland rugby league history was at ANZ Stadium for the first ever night grand final and the only Australian top level grand final to be played outside 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 Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in the city of Canberra Australian Capital Territory. 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 The Bulldogs Rugby League Football Club (formerly Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and "The Berries") are an Australian professional Rugby league The Penrith Panthers is an Australian professional Rugby league football team Belmore Sports Ground, formerly known as Belmore Oval, is a multi-use Stadium in Belmore New South Wales, Australia. 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 Dairy Farmers Stadium is a Rugby league sports stadium situated in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in the city of Canberra Australian Capital Territory. The Penrith Panthers is an Australian professional Rugby league football team Canberra Stadium (originally known as Bruce Stadium) is a facility primarily used for Rugby league and Rugby union games located adjacent to the 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. 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 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 QSAC was formerly known as ANZ Stadium ANZ now holds the naming rights for Sydney's Stadium Australia. Darren Lockyer (born 24 March 1977 in Brisbane Queensland) is an Australian professional Rugby league player and current captain of A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench David Peachey (born 21 February 1974 in Dubbo New South Wales) is a former professional Rugby league player in the National Rugby Michael De Vere (born 11 December 1976 in Campbelltown New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league footballer who played for A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Mat S Rogers (born 1 February 1976 in Sydney, New South Wales) is a current Australian Rugby league Stephen Renouf (born 8 June, 1970 in Murgon Queensland) is an Australian former Rugby league player of Aboriginal and A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Andrew Ettingshausen (born 29 October 1965 in Sutherland, New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league player Anthony Mundine (born 21 May 1975 is an Indigenous Australian boxer and former Rugby league player A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Russell Richardson (born February 12, 1977 in Sydney New South Wales) was an Australian Rugby league player for the Newcastle Wendell Jermaine Sailor (born 16 July, 1974 in Sarina Queensland) is an Australian professional Rugby football player who has represented A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Geoff Bell is a Scottish-Australian former Rugby league footballer Kevin David Walters (born 20 October 1967 in Rockhampton Queensland) is an Australian former Rugby league player whose on-field career A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Mitch Healey (b May 11 1969 is a former member of the Cronulla Sharks rugby team and current coach Allan Jeffery Langer AM (born 30 July 1966 in Ipswich Queensland) often nicknamed "The Little General" and commonly known as "Alf" or "Alfie" A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Paul Green is an Australian former Rugby league player He has played on several teams Australia ( SL) 1997 2 Tests (0pts Queensland (SOO 1999-01 Bradley Carnegie Thorn (born 3 February 1975 in Mosgiel New Zealand) is a professional Rugby union footballer and former Australian A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Danny Lee (born 17 February 1965 is an Australian former Rugby league footballer Andrew Gee (born on the 23rd of April 1970) 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 Dean Treister is a former Rugby league footballer A member of the Cronulla Sharks team Treister played many games for the club from 1993 to 2003 including the Shane Webcke (born 28 September 1974 in Toowoomba Queensland) is an Australian former professional Rugby league footballer who spent A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Jason Anthony Stevens (born 8 January 1973 in Sydney New South Wales) is an Australian former professional Rugby league player Gorden James Tallis (born 27 July, 1973 in Townsville Queensland) is an Australian former professional Rugby league footballer who A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Craig Greenhill is an Australian former Rugby league footballer People named Peter Ryan include Peter Ryan (driver, Formula One race driver from Canada Peter Ryan (police commissioner, was the Commissioner A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Chris McKenna (born October 29, 1974 in Brisbane Queensland) is an Australian Rugby league player for Doncaster RLFCin Darren Smith (born in Brisbane, Queensland) is an Australian former Rugby league player for the Canterbury Bulldogs, Brisbane Broncos A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Tawera Nikau (born in New Zealand) was a Rugby league player for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, Melbourne Storm, Sheffield Eagles Tonie Carroll (born 17 February, 1976 in Christchurch, New Zealand) is an Australian New Zealand professional Adam Dykes (born 5 February 1977 in Sydney NSW) is an Australian Rugby league player for Hull FC in the UK Superleague competition John Plath is an Australian former Rugby league player He played in all of the Brisbane Broncos ' first four grand final wins from the interchange bench Sean Ryan (born 23 August 1973) is an Australian former professional Rugby league player for the Cronulla Sharks in the Australian Michael John "Mick" Hancock (born on the 21st of October 1969 in Stanthorpe Queensland) is an Australian former Rugby league footballer Les Davidson is a former Australian Rugby league football player Ben Walker (born 13 September 1976 in Toowoomba Queensland) is a former professional Rugby league player in the Australian National Rugby League (NRL Nathan Long born in Australia is a former Rugby league player Wayne James Bennett AM (born 1 January, 1950) is an Australian Rugby league football identity John Lang (born 7 November 1950) is a former Australian Rugby league test player and a former coach of the Penrith Panthers in the The QSAC was formerly known as ANZ Stadium ANZ now holds the naming rights for Sydney's Stadium Australia. The match crowned a week of grand final festivities, including a ball, street parade and massive game-night fireworks display, of the sort the Broncos' management had wanted the ARL to bring to Brisbane before the code's big schism in 1995. Jon Stevens and Olivia Newton-John also performed in the pre-match entertainment. Jon Stevens (born 1962) is a New Zealand -born singer now an Australian citizen Olivia Newton-John, AO, OBE (born September 26 1948) is a Grammy Award -winning and Golden Globe -nominated English-born
The talented Brisbane side, featuring young up-and-coming stars in Darren Lockyer, Gorden Tallis and Shane Webcke overwhelmed a game Cronulla side 26–8. Darren Lockyer (born 24 March 1977 in Brisbane Queensland) is an Australian professional Rugby league player and current captain of Gorden James Tallis (born 27 July, 1973 in Townsville Queensland) is an Australian former professional Rugby league footballer who Shane Webcke (born 28 September 1974 in Toowoomba Queensland) is an Australian former professional Rugby league footballer who spent Steve Renouf, became only the third man to score three tries in a grand final. Stephen Renouf (born 8 June, 1970 in Murgon Queensland) is an Australian former Rugby league player of Aboriginal and The win kept the Broncos' 100% record intact in Grand Finals making it three from three, while the Sharks had yet to make a grand final victory with zero from three.
Brisbane 26 (Tries: Renouf 3, Hancock; Goals: Lockyer 5/6)
Cronulla 8 (Tries: Richardson; Goals: Rogers 2/2)
National Rugby League
With twenty-two teams playing in two competitions in 1997 crowd attendances and corporate sponsorships were spread very thinly, and many teams found themselves in financial difficulty by the end of the season. On September 23, 1997 the ARL announced that it was forming a new company to control the competition in 1998 and invited Super League clubs to participate. 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 The Australian Rugby League (ARL is the governing body for the Sport of Rugby league in Australia 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
See also
- 1997 World Club Challenge
- Brisbane Broncos 1997
- Super League Tri-series
- Super League (Australia)
- Super League War
References
- Super League (Australia) season 1997 at rl1908.com
- Rugby League Tables - Notes The World of Rugby League
- Rugby League Tables - Season 1997 (SL) The World of Rugby League
- Premiership History and Statistics RL1908
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