NRL Grand Final

Last updated • 16 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

National Rugby League Grand Final
2022 NRLGF stadium.jpg
Sport Rugby league
Location Sydney, New South Wales
First meeting1908 (1998 NRL)
Latest meeting 2024
Broadcasters Nine Network
Stadiums Stadium Australia
Statistics
Meetings total106
Most wins South Sydney Rabbitohs (17) [1]

The NRL Grand Final is an annual rugby league match to determine the premiers of every National Rugby League season. It is a major sport event in Australia and regarded as the biggest showcase of rugby league football in the world. Since 1999, it has been contested at Stadium Australia in Sydney. [2] The first year it was held at Stadium Australia, it set a new record for attendance at an Australian rugby league game, with 107,999 people attending. [3]

Contents

The two teams that play in the grand final are determined from the preceding finals series, where the top eight finishing teams on the season's premiership ladder qualify in a three-week playoff tournament. The grand final had been played on Saturday afternoons and then Sunday afternoons. From 2001 to 2007, the game was moved to an evening start to make the most of prime time television. Between 2008 and 2012, a compromise was reached between official broadcaster Nine Network's preferred starting time of 7pm and the traditional starting time of 3pm, with the grand final beginning at 5pm AEDT. [4] In 2013, the evening start resumed and has occurred since. Previously, the grand final did not have a set date but, with the exception of 2020, since 2001, it has been played the Sunday falling between 30 September and 6 October, preceding the Labour Day public holiday that falls on the first Monday of October in New South Wales.

The game itself is usually preceded by an opening ceremony featuring a headline musical act, a Welcome to Country, and a rendition of the Australian national anthem sung by well-known Australasian and international artists. The Provan-Summons Trophy, the NRL's premiership trophy, is usually delivered to the field by an Australian Army helicopter shortly before kick off. At the conclusion of the grand final there is a presentation ceremony where the winning team are awarded premiership rings. [5] The player judged to be the man of the match by the selectors of the ARL national team is awarded the prestigious Clive Churchill Medal, and the Prime Minister of Australia is typically available to hand the Provan-Summons Trophy to the winning captain.

In 2019, the Government of New South Wales secured the grand final for Stadium Australia until at least 2046. [6]

History

First grade rugby league in NSW began in 1908, the first premiership deciding game was played at the Royal Agricultural Society Showground, with Souths defeating Easts 14–12. From 1912 to 1925, no finals system was in place; however, in 1916, 1922, 1923 and 1924, a match was played as a tiebreaker to decide the season's premiership winner. From 1926 to 1953, finals were played under the Argus system, which produced a deciding game in two slightly differing ways.

All of these deciding games are now deemed to be grand finals, whether they were referred to as such at the time or not. From 1954 to the present, using a variety of systems, the deciding match has been explicitly termed a grand final, and no distinction is made between grand finals played under the auspices of the various governing bodies.

Stadiums

The NRL grand final is traditionally held in Sydney, as most NRL clubs are based in there and the current venue for the grand final, Stadium Australia is the second highest capacity stadium in Australia, after the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

It was announced in June 2019 that the 2020 and 2021 Grand Finals would be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground, while Stadium Australia underwent redevelopment. [7] However, after the Government of New South Wales scrapped plans to redevelop Stadium Australia in July 2020, the matches would return to being planned at Stadium Australia until at least 2046. [8]

In 2021, the NRL Grand Final was played at Lang Park in Brisbane, as it was not possible for the match to be played at Stadium Australia due to the COVID-19 lockdown in New South Wales. [9] It was the first major rugby league grand final to be played in Queensland since the 1997 Super League grand final.

CityStadiumYears
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Brisbane Queensland Sport & Athletics Centre 1997 (SL)
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Brisbane Lang Park 2021
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Sydney Sydney Cricket Ground 1908–1987
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Sydney Sydney Football Stadium 1988–1998
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Sydney Stadium Australia 1999–2020, 2022–

Qualification for World Club Challenge

The winners of the grand final qualify to play the winners of the Super League Grand Final in the World Club Challenge.

Trophy and awards

Provan-Summons Trophy

The Provan-Summons Trophy Provan-Summons Trophy.jpg
The Provan-Summons Trophy

The Provan-Summons Trophy is the NRL's main prize, awarded to the team that wins the premiership. Its sculptured design is similar to the Winfield Cup trophy, which was introduced for the 1982 NSWRFL season. It is a three-dimensional cast of a famous photo called The Gladiators , [10] which depicts a mud-soaked Norm Provan of St. George and Arthur Summons of Western Suburbs embracing after the 1963 NSWRFL season's grand final. It was not officially named the Provan-Summons Trophy until 2013, the 50th anniversary of the 1963 grand final. [11] The trophy is awarded following each grand final to the captain of the winning club.

Clive Churchill Medal

The Clive Churchill Medal is the award given to the player judged to be man-of-the-match in the National Rugby League's annual grand final. The award was created to honour Clive Churchill, one of the greatest rugby league players in Australian history, following his death in 1985. A prestigious honour in the NRL, the medal's recipient is chosen by the selectors of the Australian national team and announced and awarded to the player judged best and fairest on the ground at every post-grand final ceremony.

The Clive Churchill Medal has been awarded ever since the 1986 NSWRL season when its first recipient was Parramatta's Peter Sterling. The only three players to have won the award more than once are Canberra's Bradley Clyde (1989 and 1991), Melbourne Storm's Billy Slater (2009 and 2017) and Penrith Panthers' Nathan Cleary (2021 and 2023). In 2010, the Melbourne Storm were stripped of the 2007 and 2009 premierships due to salary cap breaches exposed by the NRL, however the Clive Churchill Medallists from those years still continue to be recognised.

Premiership rings

The NRL present premiership rings for the players and coach of grand final winning sides. After the 2004 NRL Grand Final which was won by the Bulldogs, one of their players, Johnathan Thurston gave his premiership ring to teammate Steve Price who missed the decider due to injury. The Melbourne Storm were stripped of their premierships in 2007 and 2009, but the players involved in those premierships were still allowed to keep their premiership rings. In 2014 NRL premiership ring was worth $8000 made by Zed N Zed Jewellery. Since 2015, Affinity Diamonds have produced the NRL premiership rings [12] [13] [14]

Prize money

Prize money of AUD$400,000 is awarded to the victorious club. [15]

However the amount is probably not reflective of the magnitude of participating in the event. It is often assumed simply that the winner of the premiership typically experiences an increase in revenue through increases in membership and merchandise sales.

Results

The following is a list of Grand Finals in the NRL era (1998–present).

SeasonDateWinnersScoreRunners upVenueAttendance Clive Churchill Medal
1998 27 Sep Brisbane colours.svg Brisbane Broncos 38–12 Canterbury colours.svg Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Sydney Football Stadium 40,857 Brisbane colours.svg Gorden Tallis
1999 26 Sep Melbourne colours.svg Melbourne Storm 20–18 St. George colours.svg St. George-Illawarra Dragons Stadium Australia 107,999 Melbourne colours.svg Brett Kimmorley
2000 27 Aug Brisbane colours.svg Brisbane Broncos 14–6 Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Sydney Roosters Stadium Australia 94,277 Brisbane colours.svg Darren Lockyer
2001 30 Sep Newcastle colours.svg Newcastle Knights 30–24 Parramatta colours.svg Parramatta Eels Stadium Australia 90,414 Newcastle colours.svg Andrew Johns
2002 6 Oct Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Sydney Roosters 30–8 New Zealand colours.svg New Zealand Warriors Stadium Australia 80,130 Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Craig Fitzgibbon
2003 5 Oct Panthers colours.svg Penrith Panthers 18–6 Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Sydney Roosters Stadium Australia 81,166 Panthers colours.svg Luke Priddis
2004 3 Oct Canterbury colours.svg Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 16–13 Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Sydney Roosters Stadium Australia 82,127 Canterbury colours.svg Willie Mason
2005 2 Oct Wests Tigers colours.svg Wests Tigers 30–16 North Queensland colours.svg North Queensland Cowboys Stadium Australia 82,453 Wests Tigers colours.svg Scott Prince
2006 1 Oct Brisbane colours.svg Brisbane Broncos 15–8 Melbourne colours.svg Melbourne Storm Stadium Australia 79,609 Brisbane colours.svg Shaun Berrigan
2007* 30 SepStripped34–8 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles Stadium Australia 81,392 Melbourne colours.svg Greg Inglis
2008 5 Oct Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 40–0 Melbourne colours.svg Melbourne Storm Stadium Australia 80,388 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Brent Kite
2009* 4 OctStripped23–16 Parramatta colours.svg Parramatta Eels Stadium Australia 82,538 Melbourne colours.svg Billy Slater
2010 3 Oct St. George colours.svg St. George-Illawarra Dragons 32–8 Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Sydney Roosters Stadium Australia 82,334 St. George colours.svg Darius Boyd
2011 2 Oct Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 24–10 New Zealand colours.svg New Zealand Warriors Stadium Australia 81,988 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Glenn Stewart
2012 30 Sep Melbourne colours.svg Melbourne Storm 14–4 Canterbury colours.svg Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Stadium Australia 82,976 Melbourne colours.svg Cooper Cronk
2013 6 Oct Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Sydney Roosters 26–18 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles Stadium Australia 81,491 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Daly Cherry-Evans
2014 5 Oct South Sydney colours.svg South Sydney Rabbitohs 30–6 Canterbury colours.svg Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Stadium Australia 83,833 South Sydney colours.svg Sam Burgess
2015 4 Oct North Queensland colours.svg North Queensland Cowboys 17–16 Brisbane colours.svg Brisbane Broncos Stadium Australia 82,758 North Queensland colours.svg Johnathan Thurston
2016 2 Oct Cronulla colours.svg Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 14–12 Melbourne colours.svg Melbourne Storm Stadium Australia 83,625 Cronulla colours.svg Luke Lewis
2017 1 Oct Melbourne colours.svg Melbourne Storm 34–6 North Queensland colours.svg North Queensland Cowboys Stadium Australia 79,722 Melbourne colours.svg Billy Slater
2018 30 Sep Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Sydney Roosters 21–6 Melbourne colours.svg Melbourne Storm Stadium Australia 82,688 Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Luke Keary
2019 6 Oct Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Sydney Roosters 14–8 Canberra colours.svg Canberra Raiders Stadium Australia 82,922 Canberra colours.svg Jack Wighton
2020 25 Oct Melbourne colours.svg Melbourne Storm 26–20 Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Penrith Panthers Stadium Australia 37,3031 Melbourne colours.svg Ryan Papenhuyzen
2021 3 Oct Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Penrith Panthers 14–12 South Sydney colours.svg South Sydney Rabbitohs Lang Park 39,3221 Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Nathan Cleary
2022 2 Oct Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Penrith Panthers 28–12 Parramatta colours.svg Parramatta Eels Stadium Australia 82,415 Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Dylan Edwards
2023 1 Oct Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Penrith Panthers 26–24 Brisbane colours.svg Brisbane Broncos Stadium Australia 81,947 Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Nathan Cleary
2024 6 Oct Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Penrith Panthers 14-6 Melbourne colours.svg Melbourne Storm Stadium Australia 80,156 Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Liam Martin

*Melbourne Storm were stripped of their 2007 and 2009 premierships, as well as their 2006, 2007 and 2008 minor premierships, due to salary cap breaches.

1Reduced crowd due to stadium capacity restrictions

The 2021 Grand Final was held in Brisbane for the first time in the competition's history due to an ongoing COVID-19 lockdown in New South Wales, which prompted the NRL to relocate it from Stadium Australia in Sydney, where every NRL Grand Final since 1999 had been hosted.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the match was attended by only 39,322 spectators because the Government of Queensland limited Lang Park to seventy-five percent of its maximum capacity.

Winners

ClubWinsWinning yearsRunners-UpRunners-Up YearsTotal Grand Finals
1 Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Penrith Panthers 52003, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024120206
2 Melbourne colours.svg Melbourne Storm 41999, 2012, 2017, 202052006, 2008, 2016, 2018, 202410
2 Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Sydney Roosters 42002, 2013, 2018, 201942000, 2003, 2004, 20108
4 Brisbane colours.svg Brisbane Broncos 31998, 2000, 200622015, 20235
5 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 22008, 201122007, 20134
6 Canterbury colours.svg Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 1200431998, 2012, 20144
6 North Queensland colours.svg North Queensland Cowboys 1201522005, 20173
8 St. George colours.svg St George Illawarra Dragons 12010119992
8 South Sydney colours.svg South Sydney Rabbitohs 12014120212
10 Newcastle colours.svg Newcastle Knights 1200101
10 Wests Tigers colours.svg Wests Tigers 1200501
10 Cronulla colours.svg Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 1201601
13 Parramatta colours.svg Parramatta Eels 032001, 2009, 20223
13 Auckland colours.svg New Zealand Warriors 022002, 20112
13 Canberra colours.svg Canberra Raiders 0120191

The Gold Coast Titans and Dolphins are the only teams currently competing in the competition who have not featured in a grand final since the start of the NRL (1998).

Notable grand finals

1909South Sydney win the premiership by forfeit over Balmain. There was an agreement that both sides would play the match; however, Balmain never showed up, and South Sydney kicked off to a side that did not turn up, scored a try and were declared premiers. [16]

1924Balmain defeat South Sydney 3–0 at the Sydney Cricket Ground in the lowest-scoring grand final of all time. [17]

1943Newtown defeat North Sydney 34–7 at the Sydney Cricket Ground in front of a then record crowd of 60,922. This grand final would be North Sydney's final appearance in a decider before exiting the competition in 1999 and also Newtown's last premiership before their exclusion at the end of 1983. [18]

1952Western Suburbs defeated South Sydney 22–10. The match was remembered due to its controversy with claims the referee George Bishop had put a big wager on Western Suburbs winning the game. Souths claimed that they were denied two fair tries and Wests had scored one try off a blatant knock on. Western Suburbs player Hec Farrell was sent off in the second half of the match. This would prove to be the last premiership Western Suburbs would win as a stand-alone entity before exiting the competition in 1999. South Sydney captain-coach Jack Rayner reportedly never spoke to George Bishop following the grand final, even though both men lived in the same suburb of Sydney for years after the match. [19] [20]

1956St. George beat Balmain to claim the first of a world record 11 straight premierships. [21]

1963St. George beat Western Suburbs 8–3 in a match famous for the iconic 'Gladiators' photo of Norm Provan and Arthur Summons covered in mud. It is also notable for a controversial try scored by Dragons winger Johnny King. Wests players tackled him and believed him to be held; however, the referee ruled play on. [22]

1965 – A then record crowd of 78,056 packed into the Sydney Cricket Ground to see St. George captain Norm Provan play his last NSWRFL game. It was also St. George's 10th straight premiership.[ citation needed ]

1966 – St. George win their 11th straight premiership, at the time a world record in any football code. [23]

1969Balmain win a controversial grand final 11–2 over South Sydney. The game causes controversy due to Balmain's lay down tactics. [24]

1975Eastern Suburbs beat St. George by a then record 38–0 score line. St. George fullback Graeme Langlands plays the game in white boots and has a painkiller injection go wrong. [25]

1977 – St. George and Parramatta play out the first drawn grand final, 9-all after extra time. They come back the next week for a grand final replay and St. George win 22–0. [26]

1978Manly and Cronulla play out the second consecutive drawn grand final, 11–11. There is no extra time and the replay is played on the following Tuesday, won by Manly 16–0. [27]

1987Manly defeat Canberra 18–8 in the last grand final played at the Sydney Cricket Ground. [28]

1989 – Known by many as the best grand final ever—a year coincidentally believed to be the greatest by some, Canberra come from 14–2 down to beat Balmain 19–14 in extra time.[ citation needed ] Canberra became the first team outside of NSW to win the competition.[ citation needed ]

1992 – The Brisbane Broncos defeat St. George 28–8 to become the first Queensland team to win the grand final.[ citation needed ]

1997Newcastle winger Darren Albert scored a try with six seconds left to deliver Newcastle their first ever premiership, 22–16 over Manly. [29]

1997 (SL) – Brisbane defeat Cronulla for their third premiership in the Super League grand final. This was the first night grand final, the first top level rugby league grand final to be played outside of Sydney before a record crowd for any sporting event in Queensland of 58,912. [30]

1999 – A record crowd of 107,999 watch the two newest clubs Melbourne Storm and St George Illawarra Dragons battle it out. St. George Illawarra led 18–14 before a late penalty try to Melbourne winger Craig Smith gave the Storm a 20–18 win to become the first Victorian team to win a NRL premiership and the quickest NRL club to win their first-ever premiership, which they accomplished in only their second season. [31]

2001Newcastle win the first night grand final in Sydney, 30–24 over Parramatta. [32]

2002 – Pre-game entertainment Billy Idol arrived on ground on board a hovercraft, but due to technical issues – "waiting for some power" – he did not perform. It was also the first year that a New Zealand–based team played in a grand final, making this the first Trans-Tasman grand final.

2005Wests Tigers five-eighth Benji Marshall throws a magic flick pass to winger Pat Richards as the Tigers become the first joint venture to win the premiership, 30–16 over the North Queensland Cowboys.[ citation needed ]

2006 - Security and police kick out multiple fans for a brawl during the match.

2008Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles secure a record 40–0 win over Melbourne Storm.

2011 – Lights at the stadium accidentally go out, causing the post-game ceremony to become delayed.

2014South Sydney Rabbitohs win their first premiership in 43 years, beating Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 30–6, [33] with Clive Churchill Medallist Sam Burgess playing almost the entirety of the match with a broken cheekbone and eye socket after sustaining the injuries in the first tackle of the match.

2015 – The North Queensland Cowboys' first premiership after 21 seasons in the NRL and widely regarded as one of the all-time best (along with the Raiders' 1989 win). The first all-Queensland NRL grand final sparked talk of future deciders being held in Queensland.[ citation needed ] It was also notable as Brisbane Broncos ended their biggest drought from a grand final since entering the competition (in 1988) and it was Bennett's first season back in Brisbane after leaving in 2008.[ citation needed ] North Queensland Cowboys winger Kyle Feldt scored a try from a Michael Morgan try-assist after the full-time siren to level the game at 16–16. After Jonathan Thurston missed the sideline conversion, hitting the right post, the match went to golden point extra time, the first grand final to do so. The Kyle Feldt kick-off to begin golden point was dropped by the Broncos' Ben Hunt. From the ensuing set of six, Thurston kicked the winning field goal, and he was subsequently awarded the Clive Churchill Medal. It also ended Brisbane's undefeated streak in grand finals, having won all six previous deciders.

2016Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks win their first premiership in their 50th season by defeating Melbourne Storm 14–12. This was also only their fourth grand final appearance since entering the competition in 1967. Their other grand final appearances came in 1973, 1978 and 1997 Super League Grand Final. The Sharks won only one of their final five regular-season games. However, it was enough to break through for their inaugural premiership.

2019Sydney Roosters become the first team to win back-to-back premierships in 26 years by defeating the Canberra Raiders 14–8. The last team to achieve successive premierships in a unified competition was the Brisbane Broncos in 1992–93. The Roosters' win did not come without any controversy during the game. In the third minute, a Luke Keary kick was charged down, only for the ball to ricochet off the head of the Roosters' trainer who was on the field at the time; a scrum feed was then awarded to the Roosters, and 3 minutes later Roosters' Sam Verrills scored a try adjacent to the goalposts. The Raiders then started to dominate the match, with their five-eighth Jack Wighton scoring a try in the 31st minute. Roosters' Cooper Cronk was sent to the sin bin for 10 minutes for a professional foul (tackling a player not in possession of the football). With a man down, the Roosters' defence was stoic; despite numerous attacks, the Raiders were unable to score. The 72nd minute saw what was arguably one of the most controversial moments in a rugby league match (let alone for a NRL grand final): A Jack Wighton bomb kick saw the ball bounce off the shoulder off a Raiders player (who was contesting the ball against the Roosters' fullback James Tedesco) and the ball bounced back to the Raiders. Initially, the head referee Ben Cummins believed that the ball was touched by Tedesco and subsequently Cummins called that the Raiders had another set of six tackles while the ball was still in play; however, Cummins was quickly notified by other match officials that the Roosters had not touched the ball, and, as such, the Raiders were still on their last tackle. Wighton was tackled, and despite his protests to the referees, handed the ball over to the Roosters. Four tackles later, the Roosters ran 80 metres, the ball passing between Keary, Latrell Mitchell, Daniel Tupou, and finally Tedesco, who scored the match-winning try.

2020 – Contested on 25 October, three weeks later than originally scheduled due to the season being suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic. [34]

2021 – The NRL Grand Final was played at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, the first time ever outside of Sydney, as it was not possible for the match to be played at Stadium Australia due to the COVID-19 lockdown in New South Wales.

2023 - Penrith Panthers become the first team in 40 years, and the first in the modern NRL era, to win three premierships in a row (2021, 2022 and 2023). This rare feat is known as a three-peat. This grand final is remembered for the biggest comeback ever in an NRL grand final, with Penrith down 24–8 with 18 minutes remaining to go on to win 26–24 thanks to a Nathan Cleary try and conversion in the 77th minute.

2024 - Penrith Panthers become the first team in 58 years, and the first in the modern NRL era, to win four premierships in a row (2021, 2022 and 2023 and 2024). This hyper-rare feat is known as a four-peat.

Kickoff times

TimeYears
3pm1908–2000
5pm2008–2012
6:30pm2021**
7pm1997*, 2002–2007
7:30pm2013–2020, 2022–present
8pm2001

*The 1997 Super League grand final was a nighttime match.

**The 2021 NRL Grand Final was played at Suncorp Stadium and kicked off at a time of 6:30pm local time (7:30pm in New South Wales/Victoria) due to daylight savings time.

Television broadcast

The match is always broadcast on free-to-air television in Australia, with live rights currently held by the Nine Network. Exclusive replay rights for the 12 hours following the game are held by subscription channel Fox League and streaming service Kayo Sports.

Figures for broadcasts were originally measured across the five metropolitan areas (Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane and Sydney) from 2001 to 2023. However, following changes to the TV ratings measurement system in Australia in 2024, metropolitan figures were replaced by a new nationwide 'Total TV' figure, which includes regional and broadcaster video on demand (BVOD) streaming numbers in a single figure. [35]

Australian metropolitan television viewers
YearViewersRankNetworkRef.
1998 Nine Network [36]
1999
2000
2001 2.097 million17
2001 2.177 million10
2002 2.352 million8
2004 2.107 million13
2005 2.563 million5
2006 2.553 million7
2007 2.422 million3
2008 2.051 million10
2009 2.528 million6
2010 2.168 million14 [37]
2011 2.172 million13 [38]
2012 2.568 million11 [39]
2013 2.240 million14 [40]
2014 2.621 million4 [41]
2015 2.458 million3 [42]
2016 2.670 million4 [43]
2017 2.310 million8 [44]
2018 2.141 million4 [45]
2019 1.868 million8 [46]
2020 2.106 million4 [47]
2021 2.206 million5 [48]
2022 1.671 million9

[49]

2023 2.045 million
Australian total television viewers
YearViewersRankNetworkRef.
1998 Nine Network [36]
1999
2000
2001 Metro only recorded
2002 Metro only recorded
2003 3.824 million
2004 Metro only recorded
2005 4.103 million
2006 2.560 million [50]
2007 3.748 million [51]
2008 3.050 million [52]
2009 3.490 million [51]
2010 3.100 million [53]
2011 3.178 million [54]
2012 3.958 million [39]
2013 3.928 million [55]
2014 3.986 million1 [41]
2015 3.667 million [56]
2016 3.733 million [57]
2017 3.390 million [58]
2018 3.030 million [52]
2019 2.725 million [46]
2020 3.119 million [47]
2021 3.596 million [48]
2022 2.756 million [49]
2023 3.412 million7 [59]
2024 3.422 millionTBA [60]
NRL Grand Final Broadcasters
PeriodFree to Air BroadcasterSubscription Replay
1967 Nine Network/Network 10/Seven Network/ABC None
1968–1974 Nine Network/ABC
1975–1982 Seven Network/ABC
1983–1991 Network 10/ABC
1992–1997 Nine Network
1997 (SL) Fox Sports (broadcast the match live)
1998–2016 Fox Sports
2017–present Fox League, Kayo Sports

Audience

The 1999 NRL Grand Final saw a new rugby league world record crowd of 107,999, which was achieved at Stadium Australia. [61] The attendance, which saw 67,142 more people attend than had done so for the 1998 NRL Grand Final at the Sydney Football Stadium the year before, broke the record attendance for a grand final by nearly 30,000 people, with the previous record of 78,065 being set in 1965 when St George defeated South Sydney 12–8 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

The 2014 NRL Grand Final had a crowd of 83,833, which was the largest attendance at a sporting event at Stadium Australia since its 2001 reconfiguration saw its spectator capacity drop from 110,000 to 83,500. [62] [63]

Entertainment

Early NRL grand finals featured a halftime show consisting of marching bands; but, as the popularity of the game increased, a trend started where popular singers and musicians performed during its pre-game ceremonies, and thus the modern halftime show emerged. Traditionally, the Australia's national anthem, "Advance Australia Fair", is sung before every match. When the New Zealand Warriors play, "God Defend New Zealand" is also sung.

NRL Grand Final Performers

YearPerformer(s)
1986 Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan
1987 John Williamson
1988 Glenn Shorrock
1990 John Farnham
1991 Village People
1992 Debbie Byrne, Jodie Gillies, Yothu Yindi and Peter Allen*
1993 Tina Turner
1996 The Delltones, Glenn Shorrock, Ross Wilson, Christine Anu, Kate Ceberano and Peter Allen*
1997 (ARL) Jimmy Barnes
1997 (SL) Jon Stevens and Olivia Newton-John
1998 Jimmy Barnes and David Campbell
1999 Hugh Jackman
2000 Tom Jones
2001 Jimmy Barnes and Mahalia Barnes
2002 Billy Idol
2003 Meat Loaf, Hoodoo Gurus and Kelly Clarkson
2004 Grinspoon, Chris Isaak
2005 The Veronicas, Bodyjar and Pete Murray
2006 Hoodoo Gurus, INXS
2007 Hoodoo Gurus, Shannon Noll, Vanessa Amorosi
2008 The Living End and Jon Stevens
2009 Wolfmother, Wes Carr, The Script
2010 You Am I, Jessica Mauboy, Justice Crew Dan Sultan and Phil Jamieson
2011 Kelly Clarkson and Eskimo Joe
2012 Good Charlotte
2013 Ricky Martin and Jessica Mauboy
2014 Slash and Train
2015 Cold Chisel and Jess Mauboy
2016 Keith Urban, Richie Sambora, Orianthi
2017 Macklemore
2018 Gang of Youths and Darryl Braithwaite
2019 OneRepublic, Darryl Braithwaite and Christine Anu
2020 Amy Shark
2021 Kate Miller-Heidke, Ian Moss, Stafford Brothers, Timmy Trumpet, William Barton
2022 Jimmy Barnes, Mahalia Barnes, Diesel, Josh Teskey, Emma Donovan, Sheldon Riley and Bliss n Eso
2023 Tina: The Tina Turner Musical and King Stingray
2024 The Kid Laroi

* Peter Allen died in June 1992 and appeared posthumously on video.

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 NRL season</span> Rugby league competition

The 2007 NRL season was the one hundredth season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the tenth run by the National Rugby League. Sixteen teams contested the NRL's 2007 Telstra Premiership, and with the inclusion of a new team, the Gold Coast Titans, the competition was the largest run since the 1999 NRL season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Morris (rugby league)</span> Australia international rugby league footballer

Joshua Morris is a former Australian professional rugby league footballer who last played as a centre for the Sydney Roosters in the NRL and Australia at international level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 NRL season</span> 101st season of National Rugby League

The 2008 NRL season was the 101st season of professional rugby league club competition in Australia, and the eleventh run by the National Rugby League. For the second year, sixteen teams competed for the 2008 Telstra Premiership title. The season commenced with the first matches played on 14 March and ended with the grand final, played on 5 October. The premiership was won by the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles who set the record for the biggest grand final winning margin (40–0) in Australia's rugby league history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitchell Aubusson</span> Australian rugby league footballer

Mitchell Aubusson is a former Australian professional rugby league footballer who played as a second-row and centre, spending his entire career with the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League (NRL). He won three NRL premierships with the Sydney Roosters in 2013, 2018 and 2019. He has also played for NSW Country at representative level. Aubusson is the Sydney Roosters 2nd highest capped player with 306 matches played.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will Chambers</span> Australia international rugby league and union footballer

William Chambers is an Australian retired rugby league and union footballer who last played for the LA Giltinis in Major League Rugby (MLR) in the United States. After winning two titles with the Melbourne Storm, he retired from Australia's NRL in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jared Waerea-Hargreaves</span> NZ international rugby league footballer

Jared Waerea-Hargreaves is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for Hull KR in the Super League and New Zealand at international level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 NRL Grand Final</span> Australian rugby league championship match

The 2006 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding match of the NRL's 2006 Telstra Premiership season. It was played between the first-placed Melbourne Storm and the third-placed Brisbane Broncos clubs on the night of Sunday, 1 October. The 2006 grand final was the first ever to feature teams which were both from cities outside the borders of New South Wales, in this case the capitals of Queensland and Victoria, yet was played at the traditional venue of Sydney's Telstra Stadium. It was the first time the two sides had met in a grand final. They had played each other twice during the 2006 regular season, with Melbourne winning both times. The Melbourne side went into the grand final as heavy favorites, having won the minor premiership. Both teams were looking to keep their perfect grand final records intact: Brisbane with 5/5 and the Melbourne side with 1/1 heading into the game.

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nat Butcher</span> Australian rugby league footballer

Nathaniel Butcher is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a second-rower and lock for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League (NRL). He won an NRL premiership with the Roosters in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lindsay Collins</span> Australia international rugby league footballer

Lindsay Collins is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League (NRL) and Australia at international level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victor Radley</span> England international rugby league footballer

Victor Derrick Radley is an England international rugby league footballer who plays as a lock for the Sydney Roosters in the NRL. He won back-to-back NRL premierships with the Roosters in 2018 and 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 NRL Grand Final</span> Deciding game of the 2019 NRL season

The 2019 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2019 National Rugby League season and was played at Sydney's ANZ Stadium. The match was contested between defending premiers the Sydney Roosters and the Canberra Raiders. The match was won by the Sydney Roosters 14–8 in a tight contest to claim their 15th premiership title, making them the first club in 26 years to win consecutive premierships in a unified competition since the Brisbane Broncos in 1993, and the first Sydney Roosters side to win consecutive titles since 1975. The Clive Churchill Medal was awarded to Raiders five-eighth Jack Wighton as the game's man of the match.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Papenhuyzen</span> Australian rugby league footballer

Ryan Papenhuyzen is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a fullback for the Melbourne Storm of the National Rugby League (NRL) in Australia. He is a NRL premiership winning player of 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicho Hynes</span> Australian rugby league footballer

Nicholas Michael Hynes is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a halfback for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the National Rugby League (NRL).

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