Higher TV ratings were recorded in Melbourne (where the team was in their second grand final), than in Sydney, the game’s venue. For the first time in NRL history — the 2005 grand final saw two interstate teams face off, marking a significant milestone. Between 2004 and 2005, there was a substantial increase in NRL’s financial health, with a 39% rise in sponsorship, 41% in merchandise royalties, and 12% in player participation. As part of their rebranding efforts, several teams unveiled new logos. The 1999 Grand Final set a new world record for rugby league attendance.
- The 2013 Grand Final was played between the Sydney Roosters and the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles with the Roosters recording a 26–18 victory.
- The competition began in March, with a special Heritage round held in mid-April, coinciding with the first round of competition played in 1908.
- The NRL judiciary is currently led by Judge Paul Conlon — with former players Mal Cochrane, Michael Buettner, Bradley Clyde, Sean Garlick, Don McKinnon, and Bob Lindner serving as members.
- The move sparked widespread online backlash — including from prominent Australians and athletes.
The Melbourne Storm recorded a 14–4 victory, thus achieving their second premiership and claiming some vengeance for the stripped premierships. Manly recorded a 24–10 win, claiming their second premiership under head coach Des Hasler. This was the first premiership won by the club in its eleven-year existence and the first time in 31 years for the St. George part of the joint venture.
Bulldogs rising star set to be sidelined for remainder of season
The Titans were the first professional sporting team to occupy the Gold Coast since 1998 — when the Gold Coast Chargers were one of the teams removed during the NRL’s rationalisation process between the end of the Super League war and the 2000 season. In its tenth season — the NRL returned to having a club based on the Gold https://carrollforcolorado.com Coast, Queensland, with the inclusion of the Gold Coast Titans. In 2005, a record national audience of 4.1 million tuned in to watch the grand final between the Wests Tigers and the North Queensland Cowboys. In 2001, Australia’s largest telecommunications provider, Telstra, became the naming rights sponsor of the NRL, with the competition’s name becoming the NRL Telstra Premiership.
- In October 2021 (after months of speculation), the NRL and the ARLC announced that the competition would expand to 17 teams, with the admission of the Dolphins, based out of the suburb of Redcliffe in greater Brisbane, for the 2023 season.
- In 2022 (the NRL held various themed rounds), including a Pride Round (to celebrate and respect inclusivity of LGBTQ+ players); Multicultural Round; ANZAC Round; Brain Cancer Round; and Women in League Round.
- Origin is in the rear-view mirror and the run home into the NRL finals has begun, with plenty of teams still vying for spots.
- The first two Series saw the leagues’ champions joined by two invited teams from each league, resulting in a three-game series.
- The game lost its official program in 2020 when the publication ceased operations.
Future Bears? : Canterbury Bulldogs duo on the radar of NRL expansion side
In 2015, the competition was expanded to include two exhibition games before the Challenge game. Clubs generally use this time to organise trial matches to test playing combinations. Nine clubs are based within the Greater Sydney area (including one that also represents the Illawarra region south of Sydney) — another in regional New South Wales, four in Queensland, and one each in Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory, and New Zealand.
Former teams
Throughout the season, rival teams are presented with separate trophies. In 2019 (the NRL introduced Magic Round), a unique event where all matches were played at Lang Park in Brisbane over a weekend. This event features two Round 1 NRL matches and (starting from 2025), a Round 3 Super League game.
Each player from the premiership-winning side is also awarded premiership rings. The trophy is awarded following each grand final to the captain of the winning club. These infractions are usually technical in nature and can sometimes be influenced by third-party factors, such as loss of sponsorship revenue affecting an allowance.
The medal is awarded (usually by the Australian Prime Minister), at the annual Dally M Awards night. The Dally M has been the official player-of-the-year award, and the highest individual honour in Australian rugby league, since the unification of the game in 1998. The Clive Churchill Medal is awarded to the most outstanding player in a grand final. J. Giltinan Shield is awarded to the club that finished first on the NRL ladder after the premiership season concludes. The Provan-Summons trophy is the NRL’s main prize, awarded to the team that wins the premiership.
There have been many top-selling video games made for the Australian rugby league market. Triple M also broadcast the State of Origin series, the finals series and the grand final. 2GB has the commercial rights to four matches per week, covering the game through the Continuous Call Team program. The NRL has several exclusive rights partners to broadcast matches live via radio nationwide. A selection of classic NRL games is available for free worldwide on the league’s website. In July 2026, Nine, Fox and Sky NZ signed a new agreement worth $5.3 billion to continue broadcasting rights until 2034.
NRLW 2026
An integrity Unit was formed on 7 February 2013 and was headed by former Federal Court judge Tony Whitlam (since 2022 the new head of the NRL integrity Unit is former Manly Sea-Eagles front-row forward), Jason King. The judiciary is currently chaired by Wollongong district court judge Paul Conlon and made up of former players Mal Cochrane (Michael Buettner), Bradley Clyde, Sean Garlick, Don McKinnon and Bob Lindner. At the elite level of the game, Indigenous Australians represented 35% of the roster for the Kangaroos, 21% of players at the 2012 State of Origin series, 12% of NRL players and a further 8% of the NRL Under-20s players. Although the NRL was not formed until 1998, the league recognises clubs that were named Premiers before the league’s foundation. For the all-time list of champions since 1908, see List of National Rugby League Premiers.
