2003 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks season

Last updated

2003 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks season
NRL Rank12th
2003 recordWins: 8; Draws: 0; Losses: 16
Points scoredFor: 497 (92 tries, 64 goals, 1 field goal); Against: 704 (121 tries, 109 goals, 2 field goals)
Team information
Coach Chris Anderson
Captain
Stadium Toyota Park
Avg. attendance12,892
Top scorers
Tries Phil Bailey (13)
Goals Jarrad Anderson (35)
Points Jarrad Anderson (94)
<  2002 2004  >

The 2003 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks season was the 37th in the club's history. Coached by Chris Anderson and captained by David Peachey and Brett Kimmorley, they competed in the NRL's 2003 Telstra Premiership. The Sharks finished the regular season 12th (out of 15), failing to make the play-offs for the first time since 1998.

Contents

Season summary

Cronulla, hoping to build on its past four seasons in which it made the finals, suffered a season of unrelenting disappointment which culminated in the dismissal of head coach Chris Anderson.

The Sharks' 2003 season lowlight was the 74-4 thumping received at the hands of the Parramatta Eels at Parramatta Stadium on 23 August 2003 (round 24). [1] Despite scoring first through Paul Gallen in the 18th minute, and only trailing 24–4 at halftime, the Sharks put in their worst ever performance which just got worse with captain David Peachey and Dale Newton taking the walk of shame and Danny Nutley being sin binned for pulling the leg of a Parramatta opponent. [2] It would not be until Round 11, 2011 that the Sharks would again leave Parramatta Stadium on the back of a hiding; but this time the Sharks had a 40–6 defeat.

Highlights were few and far between in 2003; notable wins included a big 40–16 win over Manly in what was their first win for the season (also a big one) backed up with a 30–14 win over the South Sydney Rabbitohs, both at home and then a 30–24 away win over the 2001 premiers Newcastle in Newcastle in which Paul Gallen was sent off. It appeared as though those hat-trick of wins would get the Sharks going in 2003, but the Sharks were never in the finals hunt throughout the year. Other notable wins included a 34–28 win over the North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville, a comeback 20–10 win over the Brisbane Broncos after trailing 10–2 at halftime, a 25–16 win over bitter rivals St. George Illawarra at home and then a 54–34 win over the Rabbitohs in a bottom-of-the-table clash (this match occurring the week after the humiliating defeat against Parramatta).

Anderson was replaced during the off-season by Stuart Raper who had previous coaching experience with the Wigan Warriors. His term at the Sharks would only last three full seasons.

Ladder

PosTeamPldWDLBPFPAPDPts
1 Panthers colours.svg Penrith Panthers (P)2418062659527+13240
2 Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Sydney Roosters 2417072680445+23538
3 Canterbury colours.svg Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 2416082702419+28336
4 Canberra colours.svg Canberra Raiders 2416082620463+15736
5 Melbourne colours.svg Melbourne Storm 2415092564486+7834
6 New Zealand colours.svg New Zealand Warriors 2415092545510+3534
7 Newcastle colours.svg Newcastle Knights 24140102632635-332
8 Brisbane colours.svg Brisbane Broncos 24120122497464+3328
9 Parramatta colours.svg Parramatta Eels 24110132570582-1226
10 St. George colours.svg St George Illawarra Dragons 24110132548593-4526
11 North Queensland colours.svg North Queensland Cowboys 24100142606629-2324
12 Cronulla colours.svg Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 2480162497704-20720
13 Wests Tigers colours.svg Wests Tigers 2470172470598-12818
14 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 2470172557791-23418
15 South Sydney colours.svg South Sydney Rabbitohs 2430212457758-30110

Related Research Articles

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Australian rugby league football club

The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales. They compete in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australasia's premier rugby league competition. The Sharks, as they are commonly known, were admitted to the New South Wales Rugby League premiership, predecessor of the Australian Rugby League and the current National Rugby League competition, in January 1967. The club competed in every premiership season since then and, during the Super League war, joined the rebel competition before continuing on in the re-united NRL Premiership. The Sharks have been in competition for 56 years, appearing in four grand finals, winning their first premiership in 2016 after defeating the Melbourne Storm at Stadium Australia.

New Zealand Warriors Professional rugby league football club

The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as the Auckland Warriors, and are officially known as the Vodafone Warriors for sponsorship reasons. The Warriors are coached by Stacey Jones and captained by Tohu Harris and Addin Fonua-Blake. The Warriors are based at Mount Smart Stadium in the Auckland suburb of Penrose.

John Morris (rugby league) Australian rugby league footballer and coach

John Morris, is an Australian professional rugby league coach who was the head coach of the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks in the NRL, and a former professional rugby league footballer. Most famously known for catching Joeys banana in his mouth and often compared to Clingy for being incredibly mediocre over a very long career.

The 2006 National Rugby League season consisted of 25 weekly regular season rounds starting on 11 March, followed by four weeks of play-offs that culminated in a grand final on 1 October.

Luke Lewis Australia international rugby league footballer

Luke Lewis is an Australian rugby league commentator and former professional rugby league footballer who played for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and the Penrith Panthers in the NRL and Australia at international level.

The history of the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks rugby League Football Club goes back to its foundation in the 1960s.

The 2007 NRL season consisted of 25 weekly regular season rounds, starting from 16 March and ending on 2 September, followed by four weeks of play-offs that culminated in a grand final on 30 September.

This article details the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks rugby league football club's 2005 season.

The 2008 National Rugby League season consisted of 26 weekly regular season rounds, starting on 14 March, followed by four weeks of play-offs, culminating in a Grand Final on 5 October.

The 2008 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks season was the 42nd in the club's history. Coached by Ricky Stuart and captained by Paul Gallen and Greg Bird, they competed in the National Rugby League's 2008 Telstra Premiership, finishing the regular season 3rd to qualify for the finals. The Sharks then came within one game of the Grand Final but were knocked out by eventual runners-up Melbourne Storm.

The 2005 Newcastle Knights season was the 18th in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2005 Telstra Premiership and finished the regular season with the wooden spoon for the first time ever.

The 2010 NRL season consisted of 26 weekly regular season rounds, starting on 12 March and ending on 5 September, followed by four weeks of play-offs culminating in the grand final on 3 October.

The 1999 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks season was the 33rd in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 1999 Telstra Premiership and despite losing in the preliminary final against St. George-Illawarra, the season was one of the most successful in the club's history after finishing with just their second minor premiership without dropping below equal first throughout the entire season. The club enjoyed record crowds as well as breaking the club record for most points and tries in a season. The club also equaled their biggest ever victory with a 46-0 thrashing of Western Suburbs as well as breaking their highest points tally in a match with the 56-18 defeat of North Sydney. David Peachey finished the season with 19 tries, which was also a record for the club. The club was coached by John Lang and captained by Andrew Ettingshausen while their major shirt sponsor was Pepsi.

The 2011 NRL season consisted of 26 weekly regular season rounds, which began on 11 March and ended on 4 September, followed by four weeks of the finals series culminating in the grand final on 2 October.

This is a list of rivalries in the National Rugby League:

Tyrone Peachey Australian rugby league footballer

Tyrone Peachey is an Australian professional rugby league utility footballer who plays for the Wests Tigers in the NRL.

The 2013 St. George Illawarra Dragons season was the 15th in the joint venture club's history. Coached by Steve Price and captained by Ben Creagh, they competed in the National Rugby League's 2013 Telstra Premiership. This season was the worst year performance wise since the joint venture was created. They finished only over the top of Wests Tigers & the Parramatta Eels.

The 2016 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks season is the 50th in the club's history. Coached by Shane Flanagan and captained by Paul Gallen, they competed in the NRL's 2016 Telstra Premiership, finishing the regular season 3rd to make the finals.

References

  1. Shayne on you: Ando blows up over ref – Sydney Morning Herald
  2. Eels set club record against 11-man Sharks