 | |
| Sport | Rugby league |
|---|---|
| Location | Sydney,New South Wales |
| First meeting | 1908 (1998 NRL) |
| Latest meeting | 2024 |
| Broadcasters | Nine Network |
| Stadiums | Stadium Australia |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 106 |
| Most wins | South Sydney Rabbitohs (17)[1] |
TheNRL Grand Final is an annualrugby league match to determine the premiers of everyNational 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 atStadium 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]
The two teams that play in the grand final are determined from the precedingfinals 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 broadcasterNine 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 of2020, since 2001, it has been played the Sunday falling between 30 September and 6 October, preceding theLabour 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 aheadline musical act, aWelcome to Country, and a rendition of theAustralian national anthem sung by well-known Australasian and international artists. TheProvan-Summons Trophy, the NRL's premiership trophy, is usually delivered to the field by anAustralian Army helicopter shortly before kick off. At the conclusion of the grand final there is a presentation ceremony where the winning team are awardedpremiership rings.[5] The player judged to be the man of the match by the selectors of theARL national team is awarded the prestigiousClive Churchill Medal, and thePrime Minister of Australia is typically available to hand the Provan-Summons Trophy to the winning captain.
In 2019, theGovernment of New South Wales secured the grand final for Stadium Australia until at least 2046.[6]
First grade rugby league in NSW began in 1908, the first premiership deciding game was played at theRoyal Agricultural Society Showground, withSouths defeatingEasts 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 theArgus 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.
The NRL grand final is traditionally held inSydney, as mostNRL clubs are based in there and the current venue for the grand final,Stadium Australia is the second highest capacity stadium in Australia, after theMelbourne Cricket Ground.
It was announced in June 2019 that the 2020 and 2021 Grand Finals would be played at theSydney Cricket Ground, while Stadium Australia underwent redevelopment.[7] However, after theGovernment 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 atLang Park in Brisbane, as it was not possible for the match to be played at Stadium Australia due to theCOVID-19 lockdown in New South Wales.[9] It was the first major rugby league grand final to be played in Queensland since the1997 Super League grand final.
| City | Stadium | Years |
|---|---|---|
 Brisbane | Queensland Sport & Athletics Centre | 1997 (SL) |
| Brisbane | Lang Park | 2021 |
| Sydney | Sydney Cricket Ground | 1908–1987 |
| Sydney | Sydney Football Stadium | 1988–1998 |
| Sydney | Stadium Australia | 1999–2020, 2022– |
The winners of the grand final qualify to play the winners of theSuper League Grand Final in theWorld Club Challenge.
The Provan-Summons Trophy is the NRL's main prize, awarded to the team that wins the premiership. Its sculptured design is similar to theWinfield Cup trophy, which was introduced for the1982 NSWRFL season. It is a three-dimensional cast of a famous photo calledThe Gladiators,[10] which depicts a mud-soakedNorm Provan ofSt. George andArthur Summons ofWestern Suburbs embracing after the1963 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.
The Clive Churchill Medal is the award given to the player judged to be man-of-the-match in theNational Rugby League's annualgrand final. The award was created to honourClive 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 theAustralian 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 the1986 NSWRL season when its first recipient was Parramatta'sPeter Sterling. The only three players to have won the award more than once are Canberra'sBradley Clyde (1989 and1991), Melbourne Storm'sBilly Slater (2009 and2017) and Penrith Panthers'Nathan Cleary (2021 and2023). In 2010, theMelbourne Storm were stripped of the 2007 and 2009 premierships due tosalary cap breaches exposed by the NRL, however the Clive Churchill Medallists from those years still continue to be recognised.
The NRL presentpremiership rings for the players and coach of grand final winning sides. After the2004 NRL Grand Final which was won by the Bulldogs, one of their players,Johnathan Thurston gave his premiership ring to teammateSteve Price who missed the decider due to injury. TheMelbourne 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 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.
The following is a list of Grand Finals in the NRL era (1998–present).
*Melbourne Storm were stripped of their 2007 and 2009 premierships, as well as their 2006, 2007 and 2008 minor premierships, due tosalary 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 ongoingCOVID-19 lockdown in New South Wales, which prompted the NRL to relocate it fromStadium Australia inSydney, where every NRL Grand Final since 1999 had been hosted.
Due toCOVID-19 restrictions, the match was attended by only 39,322 spectators because theGovernment of Queensland limitedLang Park to seventy-five percent of its maximum capacity.
| Club | Wins | Winning years | Runners-Up | Runners-Up Years | Total Grand Finals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Penrith Panthers | 5 | 2003, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 | 1 | 2020 | 6 |
| 2 |  Melbourne Storm | 4 | 1999, 2012, 2017, 2020 | 5 | 2006, 2008, 2016, 2018, 2024 | 10 |
| 2 |  Sydney Roosters | 4 | 2002, 2013, 2018, 2019 | 4 | 2000, 2003, 2004, 2010 | 8 |
| 4 |  Brisbane Broncos | 3 | 1998, 2000, 2006 | 2 | 2015, 2023 | 5 |
| 5 |  Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 2 | 2008, 2011 | 2 | 2007, 2013 | 4 |
| 6 |  Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 1 | 2004 | 3 | 1998, 2012, 2014 | 4 |
| 6 |  North Queensland Cowboys | 1 | 2015 | 2 | 2005, 2017 | 3 |
| 8 |  St George Illawarra Dragons | 1 | 2010 | 1 | 1999 | 2 |
| 8 |  South Sydney Rabbitohs | 1 | 2014 | 1 | 2021 | 2 |
| 10 |  Newcastle Knights | 1 | 2001 | 0 | 1 | |
| 10 |  Wests Tigers | 1 | 2005 | 0 | 1 | |
| 10 |  Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 1 | 2016 | 0 | 1 | |
| 13 |  Parramatta Eels | 0 | 3 | 2001, 2009, 2022 | 3 | |
| 13 |  New Zealand Warriors | 0 | 2 | 2002, 2011 | 2 | |
| 13 |  Canberra Raiders | 0 | 1 | 2019 | 1 |
TheGold Coast Titans andDolphins are the only teams currently competing in the competition who have not featured in a grand final since the start of the NRL (1998).
1909 –South Sydney win the premiership by forfeit overBalmain. 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]
1924 –Balmain defeatSouth Sydney 3–0 at theSydney Cricket Ground in the lowest-scoring grand final of all time.[17]
1943 –Newtown defeatNorth Sydney 34–7 at theSydney 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 of1983.[18]
1952 –Western Suburbs defeatedSouth 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 playerHec 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-coachJack 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]
1956 –St. George beatBalmain to claim the first of a world record 11 straight premierships.[21]
1963 –St. George beatWestern Suburbs 8–3 in a match famous for the iconic 'Gladiators' photo ofNorm Provan andArthur Summons covered in mud. It is also notable for a controversial try scored by Dragons wingerJohnny 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 theSydney Cricket Ground to seeSt. George captain Norm Provan play his lastNSWRFL 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]
1969 –Balmain win a controversial grand final 11–2 overSouth Sydney. The game causes controversy due to Balmain's lay down tactics.[24]
1975 –Eastern Suburbs beatSt. George by a then record 38–0 score line. St. George fullbackGraeme Langlands plays the game in white boots and has a painkiller injection go wrong.[25]
1977 – St. George andParramatta play out the first drawn grand final, 9-all after extra time. They come back the next week for agrand final replay and St. George win 22–0.[26]
1978 –Manly andCronulla 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]
1987 –Manly defeatCanberra 18–8 in the last grand final played at theSydney 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 beatBalmain 19–14 in extra time.[citation needed] Canberra became the first team outside of NSW to win the competition.[citation needed]
1992 – TheBrisbane Broncos defeat St. George 28–8 to become the first Queensland team to win the grand final.[citation needed]
1997 –Newcastle wingerDarren Albert scored a try with six seconds left to deliver Newcastle their first ever premiership, 22–16 overManly.[29]
1997 (SL) – Brisbane defeat Cronulla for their third premiership in theSuper 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 clubsMelbourne Storm andSt George Illawarra Dragons battle it out. St. George Illawarra led 18–14 before a late penalty try to Melbourne wingerCraig 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]
2001 –Newcastle win the first night grand final inSydney, 30–24 over Parramatta.[32]
2002 – Pre-game entertainmentBilly 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 firstTrans-Tasman grand final.
2005 –Wests Tigers five-eighthBenji Marshall throws a magic flick pass to wingerPat Richards as the Tigers become the first joint venture to win the premiership, 30–16 over theNorth Queensland Cowboys.[citation needed]
2006 - Security and police kick out multiple fans for a brawl during the match.
2008 –Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles secure a record 40–0 win overMelbourne Storm.
2011 – Lights at the stadium accidentally go out, causing the post-game ceremony to become delayed.
2014 –South Sydney Rabbitohs win their first premiership in 43 years, beatingCanterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 30–6,[33] with Clive Churchill MedallistSam 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 asBrisbane Broncos ended their biggest drought from a grand final since entering the competition (in 1988) and it wasBennett's first season back in Brisbane after leaving in 2008.[citation needed]North Queensland Cowboys wingerKyle Feldt scored a try from aMichael Morgan try-assist after the full-time siren to level the game at 16–16. AfterJonathan Thurston missed the sideline conversion, hitting the right post, the match went togolden 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 theClive Churchill Medal. It also ended Brisbane's undefeated streak in grand finals, having won all six previous deciders.
2016 –Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks win their first premiership in their 50th season by defeatingMelbourne Storm 14–12. This was also only their fourth grand final appearance since entering the competition in 1967. Their other grand final appearances came in1973,1978 and1997 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.
2019 –Sydney Roosters become the first team to win back-to-back premierships in 26 years by defeating theCanberra Raiders 14–8. The last team to achieve successive premierships in a unified competition was theBrisbane Broncos in 1992–93. The Roosters' win did not come without any controversy during the game. In the third minute, aLuke 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-eighthJack 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' fullbackJames Tedesco) and the ball bounced back to the Raiders. Initially, the head refereeBen 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 theseason being suspended during theCOVID-19 pandemic.[34]
2021 – The NRL Grand Final was played atSuncorp 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 theCOVID-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 athree-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 aNathan 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.
| Time | Years |
|---|---|
| 3pm | 1908–2000 |
| 5pm | 2008–2012 |
| 6:30pm | 2021** |
| 7pm | 1997*, 2002–2007 |
| 7:30pm | 2013–2020, 2022–present |
| 8pm | 2001 |
*The 1997Super League grand final was a nighttime match.
**The2021 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 todaylight savings time.
The match is always broadcast onfree-to-air television in Australia, with live rights currently held by theNine Network. Exclusive replay rights for the 12 hours following the game are held by subscription channelFox League and streaming serviceKayo 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]
| Year | Viewers | Rank | Network | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | — | Nine Network | [36] | |
| 1999 | ||||
| 2000 | ||||
| 2001 | 2.097 million | 17 | ||
| 2001 | 2.177 million | 10 | ||
| 2002 | 2.352 million | 8 | ||
| 2004 | 2.107 million | 13 | ||
| 2005 | 2.563 million | 5 | ||
| 2006 | 2.553 million | 7 | ||
| 2007 | 2.422 million | 3 | ||
| 2008 | 2.051 million | 10 | ||
| 2009 | 2.528 million | 6 | ||
| 2010 | 2.168 million | 14 | [37] | |
| 2011 | 2.172 million | 13 | [38] | |
| 2012 | 2.568 million | 11 | [39] | |
| 2013 | 2.240 million | 14 | [40] | |
| 2014 | 2.621 million | 4 | [41] | |
| 2015 | 2.458 million | 3 | [42] | |
| 2016 | 2.670 million | 4 | [43] | |
| 2017 | 2.310 million | 8 | [44] | |
| 2018 | 2.141 million | 4 | [45] | |
| 2019 | 1.868 million | 8 | [46] | |
| 2020 | 2.106 million | 4 | [47] | |
| 2021 | 2.206 million | 5 | [48] | |
| 2022 | 1.671 million | 9 | ||
| 2023 | 2.045 million | |||
| Year | Viewers | Rank | Network | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 million | 1 | [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 million | 7 | [59] | |
| 2024 | 3.422 million | TBA | [60] | |
| Period | Free to Air Broadcaster | Subscription 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 |
The1999 NRL Grand Final saw a new rugby league world record crowd of 107,999, which was achieved atStadium Australia.[61] The attendance, which saw 67,142 more people attend than had done so for the1998 NRL Grand Final at theSydney 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 in1965 whenSt George defeatedSouth Sydney 12–8 at theSydney Cricket Ground.
The2014 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]
Early NRL grand finals featured ahalftime show consisting ofmarching 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 theNew Zealand Warriors play, "God Defend New Zealand" is also sung.
* Peter Allen died in June 1992 and appeared posthumously on video.
... however grand finals were transferred to the much larger Olympic Stadium at Homebush when it opened in 1999.
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