| 2011 National Rugby League | |
|---|---|
| Duration | 11 March – 2 October 2011 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Premiers |  Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (8th title) |
| Minor premiers |  Melbourne Storm (1st title) |
| Matches played | 201 |
| Average attendance | 17,235 |
| Attendance | 3,464,207 |
| Top points scorer(s) |  Benji Marshall (211) |
| Dally M Medal | Billy Slater |
| Top try-scorer(s) |  Nathan Merritt (23) Ben Barba (23) |
← 2010 2012 → | |
The2011 NRL season was the 104th season of professionalrugby league football club competition in Australia, and the fourteenth and last run by theNational Rugby League's partnership committee of theAustralian Rugby League andNews Ltd. The NRL's main championship, called the2011 Telstra Premiership due to sponsorship fromTelstra, was contested bysixteen teams for the fifth consecutive year. Alongside was the fourth season of theToyota Cup taking place.
The season'sPremiership title was awarded to theManly Warringah Sea Eagles who took out their 8th title, only three years after their previous title, defeating theNew Zealand Warriors in the grand final.
The 2011 competition draw was announced on Thursday, 7 October 2010,[1] with the season's first match between NRL teams to be played on Friday, 11 March. The first round of the premiership season became the highest attended round in NRL history, with 201,212 fans attending.[2]However, the first NRL match of the year was the second annualNRL All Stars vs Indigenous All Stars game played atSkilled Park on theGold Coast on 12 February. The annualANZAC Test was also held at Skilled Park, on 6 May, withCity vs Country Origin held on the same night at theLavington Sports Ground inAlbury. The Test match was to have been held atChristchurch in New Zealand, but was moved due to the destruction wrought on that city by theearthquake in February 2011.[3] Byes began on 6 May, being the day of those representative matches, and continued throughout the2011 State of Origin series, covering in total rounds 9 to 18. Themed rounds included theHeritage Round (round 5),Women in League Round (round 16), andRivalry Round (round 19).
The regular 26 round season finished with theMelbourne Storm winning theJ. J. Giltinan Shield for being the minor premiers. However thegrand final match-up ended up between the second placedManly Warringah Sea Eagles and the sixth placedNew Zealand Warriors in which the Sea Eagles sought victory and claimed their8th premiership title.
The covetedDally M Medal award for player of the year in 2011 was awarded toMelbourne Storm fullbackBilly Slater, who becomes the second Storm player to be given the award. (see2011 Dally M Awards for full award listing)
The number of teams in the NRL remained unchanged for the fourth consecutive season, with sixteen participating in the regular season: ten fromNew South Wales, three fromQueensland and one from each ofVictoria, theAustralian Capital Territory and New Zealand. Of the ten from New South Wales, eight are from Sydney's metropolitan area, with St. George-Illawarra being a Sydney andWollongong joint venture. Just two foundation clubs fromNew South Wales Rugby League season 1908 played in the competition: theSydney Roosters (formerly known as Eastern Suburbs) and theSouth Sydney Rabbitohs.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | F1 | F2 | F3 | GF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brisbane Broncos | NQL −2 | CAN +16 | GCT +6 | PEN +8 | NEW +11 | SYD +18 | WTI +13 | CBY +8 | MEL −7 | PEN −23 | X | MAN −24 | CRO +18 | CAN +1* | SGI +7 | SOU −4 | PAR +4 | X | GCT +20 | MEL −20 | CRO +30 | NZL +1 | NQL +18 | NEW +20 | SOU +12 | MAN +8 | NZL +30 | SGI +1* | MAN −12 | |
| Canberra Raiders | CRO +28 | BRI −16 | WTI −10 | GCT −1* | PEN −26 | NQL −8 | NEW −10 | WTI −37 | MAN −20 | MEL +8 | CBY +8 | X | NQL −16 | BRI −1* | X | PAR +13 | SYD +26 | CRO −14 | MEL −26 | SGI +5 | NZL −19 | NEW −32 | SOU −29 | GCT −8 | PEN −1 | CBY −14 | ||||
| Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | WTI +10 | SOU +9 | SYD +4 | MEL −14 | SGI −19 | PAR +20 | SOU +12 | BRI −8 | X | SGI −5 | CAN −8 | GCT +22 | MAN −34 | X | CRO −16 | WTI +10 | PEN −14 | MEL −10 | NZL −24 | PAR +1* | SYD −4 | NQL +8 | CRO +7 | MAN −11 | NEW +10 | CAN +14 | ||||
| Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | CAN −28 | SGI +6 | PEN +32 | NZL −8 | MAN −6 | NEW −4 | NQL −18 | SOU −19 | X | SYD +14 | PAR −34 | MEL −6 | BRI −18 | X | CBY +16 | GCT +24 | SOU +22 | CAN +14 | SGI −30 | NEW −18 | BRI −30 | GCT −4 | CBY −7 | SYD −11 | NQL −8 | WTI −8 | ||||
| Gold Coast Titans | SGI −9 | MEL −28 | BRI −6 | CAN +1* | NQL −10 | WTI +6 | PAR −4 | SYD +11 | NZL −20 | MAN −4 | X | CBY −22 | PEN −13 | SGI +14 | SOU −23 | CRO −24 | X | NZL −16 | BRI −20 | NQL −8 | NEW −30 | CRO +4 | MEL −24 | CAN +8 | WTI −29 | PAR −20 | ||||
| Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | MEL −12 | SYD +11 | NEW +14 | SOU −2 | CRO +6 | NZL +10 | PEN +6 | NQL −2 | CAN +20 | GCT +4 | X | BRI +24 | CBY +34 | NQL +20 | PAR +4 | SGI −18 | X | SOU +14 | NEW +22 | PEN +4 | WTI −2 | SYD +28 | PAR +6 | CBY +11 | MEL +14 | BRI −8 | NQL +34 | X | BRI +12 | NZL +14 |
| Melbourne Storm | MAN +12 | GCT +28 | NQL −28 | CBY +14 | PAR +38 | PEN +15 | NZL −4 | NEW +30 | BRI +7 | CAN −8 | X | CRO +6 | SOU +10 | SYD +17 | WTI +8 | NZL +8 | X | CBY +10 | CAN +26 | BRI +20 | PAR +4 | PEN +20 | GCT +24 | SGI +2 | MAN −14 | SYD −32 | NEW +10 | X | NZL −8 | |
| Newcastle Knights | PEN +34 | NQL +12 | MAN −14 | SGI −2 | BRI −11 | CRO +4 | CAN +10 | MEL −30 | X | NZL −9 | SYD −2 | PAR +2 | WTI −1* | X | PEN +4 | SYD +8 | SGI +4 | NQL −10 | MAN −22 | CRO +18 | GCT +30 | CAN +32 | NZL −8 | BRI −20 | CBY −10 | SOU +16 | MEL −10 | |||
| New Zealand Warriors | PAR −6 | WTI −8 | SGI −13 | CRO +8 | SYD +12 | MAN −10 | MEL +4 | PEN +8 | GCT +20 | NEW +9 | SOU +6 | X | SYD −7 | WTI −4 | NQL −20 | MEL −8 | X | GCT +16 | CBY +24 | SOU +32 | CAN +19 | BRI −1 | NEW +8 | PEN +14 | SGI −4 | NQL +12 | BRI −30 | WTI +2 | MEL +8 | MAN −14 |
| North Queensland Cowboys | BRI +2 | NEW −12 | MEL +28 | PAR −2 | GCT +10 | CAN +8 | CRO +18 | MAN +2 | SGI −14 | PAR +14 | X | SYD +14 | CAN +16 | MAN −20 | NZL +20 | PEN −10 | X | NEW +10 | WTI −20 | GCT +8 | PEN +12 | CBY −8 | BRI −18 | SOU −2* | CRO +8 | NZL −12 | MAN −34 | |||
| Parramatta Eels | NZL +6 | PEN −14 | SOU −14 | NQL +2 | MEL −38 | CBY −20 | GCT +4 | SGI −30 | X | NQL −14 | CRO +34 | NEW −2 | SGI 0* | X | MAN −4 | CAN −13 | BRI −4 | WTI +16 | PEN −1* | CBY −1* | MEL −4 | SOU −50 | MAN −6 | WTI −19 | SYD −1* | GCT +20 | ||||
| Penrith Panthers | NEW −34 | PAR +14 | CRO −32 | BRI −8 | CAN +26 | MEL −15 | MAN −6 | NZL −8 | X | BRI +23 | WTI −2 | SOU +12 | GCT +13 | X | NEW −4 | NQL +10 | CBY +14 | SYD −8 | PAR +1* | MAN −4 | NQL −12 | MEL −20 | WTI −14 | NZL −14 | CAN +1 | SGI −20 | ||||
| South Sydney Rabbitohs | SYD −11 | CBY −9 | PAR +14 | MAN +2 | WTI −24 | SGI −16 | CBY −12 | CRO +19 | X | WTI +11 | NZL −6 | PEN −12 | MEL −10 | X | GCT +23 | BRI +4 | CRO −22 | MAN −14 | SYD +1* | NZL −32 | SGI +10 | PAR +50 | CAN +29 | NQL +2* | BRI −12 | NEW −16 | ||||
| St. George Illawarra Dragons | GCT +9 | CRO −6 | NZL +13 | NEW +2 | CBY +19 | SOU +16 | SYD +14 | PAR +30 | NQL +14 | CBY +5 | X | WTI +6 | PAR 0* | GCT −14 | BRI −7 | MAN +18 | NEW −4 | X | CRO +30 | CAN −5 | SOU −10 | WTI −2 | SYD −8 | MEL −2 | NZL +4 | PEN +20 | WTI −9 | BRI −1* | ||
| Sydney Roosters | SOU +11 | MAN −11 | CBY −4 | WTI +18 | NZL −12 | BRI −18 | SGI −14 | GCT −11 | X | CRO −14 | NEW +2 | NQL −14 | NZL +7 | MEL −17 | X | NEW −8 | CAN −26 | PEN +8 | SOU −1* | WTI −7 | CBY +4 | MAN −28 | SGI +8 | CRO +11 | PAR +1* | MEL +32 | ||||
| Wests Tigers | CBY −10 | NZL +8 | CAN +10 | SYD −18 | SOU +24 | GCT −6 | BRI −13 | CAN +37 | X | SOU −11 | PEN +2 | SGI −6 | NEW +1* | NZL +4 | MEL −8 | CBY −10 | X | PAR −16 | NQL +20 | SYD +7 | MAN +2 | SGI +2 | PEN +14 | PAR +19 | GCT +29 | CRO +8 | SGI +9 | NZL −2 | ||
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | F1 | F2 | F3 | GF |
Bold – Home game
X – Bye
* –Golden point game
Opponent for round listed above margin
| Pos. | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melbourne Storm | 24 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 521 | 308 | 213 | 42 |
| 2 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles(P) | 24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 539 | 331 | 208 | 40 |
| 3 |  Brisbane Broncos | 24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 511 | 372 | 139 | 40 |
| 4 | Wests Tigers | 24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 519 | 430 | 89 | 34 |
| 5 |  St. George Illawarra Dragons | 24 | 14 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 483 | 341 | 142 | 33 |
| 6 |  New Zealand Warriors | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 504 | 393 | 111 | 32 |
| 7 |  North Queensland Cowboys | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 532 | 480 | 52 | 32 |
| 8 |  Newcastle Knights | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 478 | 443 | 35 | 28 |
| 9 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 449 | 489 | -40 | 28 |
| 10 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 531 | 562 | -31 | 26 |
| 11 |  Sydney Roosters | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 417 | 500 | -83 | 24 |
| 12 |  Penrith Panthers | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 430 | 517 | -87 | 22 |
| 13 |  Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 428 | 557 | -129 | 18 |
| 14 |  Parramatta Eels | 24 | 6 | 1 | 17 | 2 | 385 | 538 | -153 | 17 |
| 15 |  Canberra Raiders | 24 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 423 | 623 | -200 | 16 |
| 16 |  Gold Coast Titans | 24 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 363 | 629 | -266 | 16 |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melbourne | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 34 | 36 | 38 | 40 | 42 | 42 | 42 |
| 2 | Manly-Warringah | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 34 | 36 | 38 | 40 | 40 |
| 3 | Brisbane | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 34 | 36 | 38 | 40 |
| 4 | Wests | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 34 |
| 5 | St George Illawarra | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 33 |
| 6 | New Zealand | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 32 |
| 7 | North Queensland | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 32 | 32 |
| 8 | Newcastle | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 28 |
| 9 | Canterbury-Bankstown | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 28 |
| 10 | South Sydney | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 26 |
| 11 | Sydney | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 |
| 12 | Penrith | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 22 |
| 13 | Cronulla-Sutherland | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| 14 | Parramatta | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 17 |
| 15 | Canberra | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| 16 | Gold Coast | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
To decide the grand finalists from the top eight finishing teams, the NRL adopts theMcIntyre final eight system. The 2011 finals series sees theManly Warringah Sea Eagles,Wests Tigers,St George Illawarra Dragons and theNew Zealand Warriors all return from last year. TheMelbourne Storm andBrisbane Broncos both return after last year's absence whilst theNorth Queensland Cowboys and theNewcastle Knights appear in this year's finals for the first time since 2007 and 2009, respectively.
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time (Local) | Venue | Referees | Crowd | |||||
| QUALIFYING FINALS | ||||||||
| Wests Tigers | 21 – 12 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 9 September 2011, 7:45pm | ANZ Stadium | Tony Archer Matt Cecchin | 45,631 | ||
| Brisbane Broncos | 40 – 10 | New Zealand Warriors | 10 September 2011, 6:45pm | Suncorp Stadium | Jared Maxwell Shayne Hayne | 48,943 | ||
| Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 42 – 8 | North Queensland Cowboys | 10 September 2011, 8:30pm | Sydney Football Stadium | Ben Cummins Gavin Badger | 13,972 | ||
| Melbourne Storm | 18 – 8 | Newcastle Knights | 11 September 2011, 4:00pm | AAMI Park | Ashley Klein Adam Devcich | 14,845 | ||
| SEMI FINALS | ||||||||
| Wests Tigers | 20 – 22 | New Zealand Warriors | 16 September 2011, 7:45pm | Sydney Football Stadium | Shayne Hayne Jared Maxwell | 27,109 | ||
| Brisbane Broncos † | 13 – 12 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 17 September 2011, 6:45pm | Suncorp Stadium | Tony Archer Matt Cecchin | 48,474 | ||
| PRELIMINARY FINALS | ||||||||
| Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 26 – 14 | Brisbane Broncos | 23 September 2011, 7:45pm | Sydney Football Stadium | Shayne Hayne Jared Maxwell | 31,894 | ||
| Melbourne Storm | 12 – 20 | New Zealand Warriors | 24 September 2011, 7:45pm | AAMI Park | Tony Archer Matt Cecchin | 28,580 | ||
† - Match decided ingolden point extra time
| Qualifying finals | Semifinals | Preliminary finals | Final | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | Melbourne | 18 | ||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Newcastle | 8 | 1W | Melbourne | 12 | |||||||||||||
| 4W | Wests | 20 |  New Zealand | 20 | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | Manly | 42 | 2L | New Zealand | 22 | |||||||||||||
| Manly | 24 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | North Queensland | 8 | ||||||||||||||||
| New Zealand | 10 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Brisbane | 40 | 2W | Manly | 26 | |||||||||||||
| 6 | New Zealand | 10 | 3W | Brisbane | 13 | Brisbane | 14 | |||||||||||
| 1L | St. George Illawarra | 12 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Wests | 21 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | St. George Illawarra | 12 | ||||||||||||||||
Sunday, 2 October 5:00pm (AEDT) |
| Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 24 – 10 | New Zealand Warriors |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Brett Stewart (30')1 Daly Cherry-Evans (40')1 Glenn Stewart (57')1 Jamie Lyon (79')1 Goals: Jamie Lyon3/3 (32', 40', 58') Michael Robertson1/1 (80') | 1st: 12 - 2 2nd: 12 - 8 report | Tries: Manu Vatuvei (62')1 Elijah Taylor (68')1 Goals: James Maloney1/3 (28' pen) |
The following statistics are correct as of the conclusion of Round 26.
Top 5-point scorers
Top 5 try scorers
| Top 5 goal scorers
|
Most points in a match by an individual
| Points | Player | Tries | Goals | FG | Opponent | Score | Venue | Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Luke Burt | 2 | 6/7 | 0 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 40–6 | Sydney Football Stadium | Round 11 |
| 20 | Nathan Merritt | 5 | 0 | 0 | Parramatta Eels | 56–6 | ANZ Stadium | Round 22 |
| 20 | Chris Sandow | 1 | 8/10 | 0 | Parramatta Eels | 56–6 | ANZ Stadium | Round 22 |
| 20 | Johnathan Thurston | 2 | 6/7 | 0 | Parramatta Eels | 40–26 | Dairy Farmers Stadium | Round 10 |
Most tries in a match by an individual
| Tries | Player | Opponent | Score | Venue | Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Nathan Merritt | Parramatta Eels | 56–6 | ANZ Stadium | Round 22 |
| 4 | Ben Barba | Canberra Raiders | 36–22 | ANZ Stadium | Round 26 |
| 4 | Akuila Uate | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 40–24 | Ausgrid Stadium | Round 26 |
Paul Gallen ran 3,670 metres with the ball in 2011, more than any other player in the competition.[4]
The regular season attendances for the 2011 season aggregated to a total of 3,123,055 (average 16,267), becoming the second highest attended NRL season (after 2010).
The highest twenty regular season match attendances:
