1997 ARL season
1997 Australian Rugby League | |
---|---|
Manly (9th title) | |
Matches played | 141 |
Points scored | 5,370 |
Average attendance | 10,610 |
Attendance | 1,496,040 |
Top points scorer(s) | Jason Taylor (242) |
Player of the year | Brad Fittler (Provan-Summons Medal) |
Top try-scorer(s) | Terry Hill (22) |
The 1997 Australian Rugby League season was the 90th season of professional
Pre season
The season is most notable for being run parallel to the rival
ARL chairman Ken Arthurson resigned in February 1997 in an effort to enable re-unification negotiations held during the season to succeed. It would not be 'til after the season's end in December that the boards of every ARL club would gather at the SCG in an unprecedented meeting to consider the proposed peace deal following five months of secret negotiations between Ian Frykberg and Neil Whittaker.
Regular season
In 1997 the official player of the year award, the
The grand finals:
- Manly Sea Eagles vs Newcastle Knights (Senior Grade)
- Balmain Tigers vs Parramatta Eels (Reserve Grade)
- Balmain Tigers vs Sydney City Roosters (Under-20s Grade)
The winners in all grades were:
The test match
The State of Origin Series
Teams
The eight ARL teams that had aligned themselves with Super League were absent from this year's ARL premiership, instead spending the year competing in the new Telstra Cup competition. The Balmain Tigers changed their name back from the Sydney Tigers this season.
Ladder
- (MP) - Minor Premiers
- (P) - Premiers
Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Manly (MP)
|
22 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 521 | 366 | +155 | 32 |
2 | Newcastle (P) | 22 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 512 | 320 | +192 | 29 |
3 | Parramatta | 22 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 431 | 359 | +72 | 29 |
4 | North Sydney | 22 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 529 | 341 | +188 | 27 |
5 | Sydney City | 22 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 487 | 366 | +121 | 27 |
6 | Illawarra | 22 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 423 | 376 | +47 | 23 |
7 | Gold Coast | 22 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 438 | 466 | −28 | 21 |
8 | Balmain | 22 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 339 | 340 | −1 | 20 |
9 | Western Suburbs | 22 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 355 | 424 | −69 | 20 |
10 | St. George | 22 | 9 | 1 | 12 | 331 | 392 | −61 | 19 |
11 | South Sydney | 22 | 4 | 1 | 17 | 323 | 630 | −307 | 9 |
12 | South Queensland | 22 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 321 | 630 | −309 | 8 |
Ladder progression
- Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 7.
- Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round.
- Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished in last place on the ladder in that round
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Manly | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 32 |
2 | Newcastle | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 121 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 27 | 29 |
3 | Parramatta | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 29 |
4 | North Sydney | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 27 |
5 | Sydney City | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 27 |
6 | Illawarra | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 23 |
7 | Gold Coast | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 21 |
8 | Balmain | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 |
9 | Western Suburbs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
10 | St. George | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 19 |
11 | South Sydney | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 61 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
12 | South Queensland | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 |
1 The round 10 match between Newcastle Knights and South Sydney Rabbitohs was postponed due to rain. This match was played during round 16.
Finals
With the score 12–8 in favor of Newcastle with under 10 minutes to play Jason Taylor set up Michael Buettner for a try which made the score 12–12. Normally a very reliable kicker and one of the most accurate in the competition, Taylor had already missed two previous conversions in the match but if he was to kick this goal it could send North Sydney through to their first grade final since 1943. Taylor ended up missing the goal. With the scores locked at 12–12, Newcastle player Matthew Johns kicked a field goal with 2 minutes to play to make it 13–12. With only seconds remaining Norths frantically threw the ball around and lost it, the ball was swooped up by Newcastle's Owen Craigie and he raced away to score a try and won the game.[2][3]
Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Crowd | |||||
Qualifying Finals | ||||||||
Illawarra | 14–25 | Gold Coast | 5 September 1997 | Parramatta Stadium | David Manson | 8,197 | ||
North Sydney | 21–33 | Sydney City | 6 September 1997 | Sydney Football Stadium | Kelvin Jeffes | 11,332 | ||
Newcastle | 28–20 | Parramatta | 7 September 1997 | Sydney Football Stadium | Paul McBlane | 17,849 | ||
Semi Finals | ||||||||
Sydney City | 32–10 | Gold Coast | 12 September 1997 | Parramatta Stadium | Paul McBlane | 10,466 | ||
Parramatta | 14–24 | North Sydney | 13 September 1997 | Sydney Football Stadium | David Manson | 17,025 | ||
Manly
|
27–12 | Newcastle | 14 September 1997 | Sydney Football Stadium | Kelvin Jeffes | 26,531 | ||
Preliminary Finals | ||||||||
Newcastle | 17–12 | North Sydney | 20 September 1997 | Sydney Football Stadium | Kelvin Jeffes | 22,540 | ||
Manly
|
17–16 | Sydney City | 21 September 1997 | Sydney Football Stadium | David Manson | 30,794 | ||
Grand Final | ||||||||
Manly
|
16–22 | Newcastle | 28 September 1997 | Sydney Football Stadium | David Manson | 42,482[4] |
Chart
Qualifying Finals | Major Semi Final | Preliminary Finals | Grand Final | ||||||||||||||||
14 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | |||||||||||||||||||
1 | Manly-Warringah | 27 | |||||||||||||||||
7 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | Newcastle | 12 | 20 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | ||||||||||||||||
2 | Newcastle | 28 | Newcastle | 17 | |||||||||||||||
3 | Parramatta | 20 | Minor Semi Finals | North Sydney | 12 | ||||||||||||||
28 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | |||||||||||||||||||
Manly-Warringah | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||
13 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | |||||||||||||||||||
Newcastle | 22 | ||||||||||||||||||
6 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | Parramatta | 14 | 21 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | ||||||||||||||||
4 | North Sydney | 21 | North Sydney | 24 | Manly-Warringah | 17 | |||||||||||||
5 | Sydney City | 33 | Sydney City | 16 | |||||||||||||||
12 Sept, Parramatta Stadium | |||||||||||||||||||
Sydney City | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||
5 Sept, Parramatta Stadium | Gold Coast | 10 | |||||||||||||||||
6 | Illawarra | 14 | |||||||||||||||||
7 | Gold Coast | 25 | |||||||||||||||||
Grand Final
1997 | ARL Grand Final|||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Date | 28 September 1997 | ||||||||||||
Stadium | Peter Sterling |
The fairytale came true for thousands of Novocastrians when the Knights won their first ever premiership, staging a comeback from 8–16 to shatter Manly's hopes.
1st half
The long-running duel between opposing front rowers Mark Carroll and Paul Harragon erupted once again in the 2nd minute when Carroll reacted to a Harragon shot on Geoff Toovey. Newcastle applied pressure early when they regained possession inside Manly's 20m and shortly after that Andrew Johns took a penalty attempt, but Manly's defence and luck stood firm and the score stayed nil-all. Manly scored first after rookie hooker Anthony Colella won a scrum against the feed. John Hopoate exploited a weakness in Newcastle's right side defence and got between Darren Albert and Mark Hughes to score. Nevin's sideline conversion gave the Sea Eagles a 6–0 lead. In 13th minute Manly suffered a blow when Toovey was steamrolled. He left the field concussed for Cliff Lyons to come on.
Johns went within inches of scoring for Newcastle in the 24th minute when his blindside break on the last tackle was stopped by a desperate Hopoate. Manly responded with a thrilling
2nd half
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | Position | Newcastle Knights |
---|---|---|
FB | ||
2. Danny Moore | WG | 2. Darren Albert |
3. Craig Innes | CE | 3. Adam MacDougall |
4. Terry Hill | CE | 4. Owen Craigie |
5. John Hopoate | WG | 5. Mark Hughes |
6. Geoff Toovey (c) | FE | 6. Matthew Johns |
7. Craig Field | HB | 7. Andrew Johns |
17. David Gillespie | PR | 8. Tony Butterfield |
15. Anthony Colella | HK | 9. Billy Peden |
10. Mark Carroll | PR | 10. Paul Harragon (c) |
11. Steve Menzies | SR | 11. Wayne Richards |
12. Daniel Gartner | SR | 12. Adam Muir |
13. Nik Kosef | LK | 13. Marc Glanville |
9. Cliff Lyons | Reserve | 15. Troy Fletcher |
8. Neil Tierney | Reserve | 16. Scott Conley |
14. Scott Fulton | Reserve | 18. Lee Jackson |
16. Andrew Hunter | Reserve | 19. Steve Crowe |
Bob Fulton | Coach | Malcolm "Mal" Reilly |
Early in the second half there was more concern for Toovey after he was stomped on by Adam MacDougall. Manly then almost put Newcastle away in the 51st minute when Steven Menzies powered through close to the line only to be stopped by Troy Fletcher scrambling well to effect a try- and match-saving tackle for the Knights. Andrew Johns booted a penalty goal in the 57th minute to claw Newcastle back to within a converted try. In the 61st minute Adam Muir dropped a pass from Andrew Johns a metre from Manly's line but it was a sign that the Knights were back in the game. Manly on the other hand, began to play conservatively to their own ultimate cost. They received a penalty after another Harragon high tackle and elected to kick at goal 32 metres out with a swirling breeze. Nevin missed and Darren Albert returned the kick with a 40-metre run. Manly applied pressure for the next ten minutes but came away empty handed. Colella and then Nik Kosef both dropped balls inside Newcastle's 30m line while trying to off-load. A 69th minute last tackle raid ten metres out by Manly also fell short when a field-goal might have sealed the game. Having withstood the pressure, Newcastle then lifted. Following a long break by Fletcher, Andrew Johns received the ball from his brother. He stood in a tackle, handed to O'Davis, who spun and planted the ball on the line. Johns' conversion levelled the scores 16–16 with five minutes remaining.
The match is ultimately best remembered for its classic grandstand finish. With 28 seconds remaining and on their last tackle, the Knights attempted a match-winning field goal. A charge-down by a Manly player foiled the field goal attempt but gave the Knights six more tackles. With 19 seconds left, Darren Albert played the ball on the first tackle of the next set of six, with Andrew Johns at dummy-half. At the play of the ball Johns unexpectedly went down the narrow blind-side, throwing a dummy and engaging several Manly players, before slipping a pass back inside to Albert whose try took the score to 20–16 only seven seconds from full-time.[5] The Knights players and their fans broke into celebration at having won their inaugural title, with Ray Warren proclaiming "Newcastle have won the Grand Final!"[6] With the after the siren conversion from Andrew Johns, the final score was 22-16.
Newcastle Knights 22
Tries: O'Davis 2, Albert
Goals: Johns 5/6
Manly Sea Eagles 16
Tries: Hopoate, Innes, Nevin
Goals: Nevin 2/4
Clive Churchill Medal: Robbie O'Davis[7]
Seventy per cent of the winning squad were Newcastle juniors. The win was a huge morale boost to the blue-collar Newcastle district in the same year that the area's biggest employer, the BHP steelworks had announced its closure.
Post game
A
Player statistics
The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 22.
Top 5 point scorers
Top 5 try scorers
|
Top 5 goal scorers
|
Post season
With twenty-two teams playing in two competitions in 1997 crowd attendances and corporate sponsorships were spread very thinly, and many teams found themselves in financial difficulty by the end of the season. Despite having the financial backing of
It was announced that the
1997 Transfers
Players
Coaches
Coach | 1996 Club | 1997 Club |
---|---|---|
Tim Sheens | Canberra Raiders | North Queensland Cowboys (Super League) |
Brian Smith | Super League: Bradford Bulls | Parramatta Eels |
See also
References
- ^ "Illawarra History". dragons.com.au. St. George Illawarra Dragons. Archived from the original on 28 May 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
- ^ Ferguson, Shawn Dollin and Andrew. "ARL 1997 – Prelim Final – Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Archived from the original on 1 August 2017.
- ^ "The Greatest Goalkickers in NRL History • Rugby League Opinions". Archived from the original on 12 February 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
- ^ NRL Grand Final History Archived 9 February 2010 at archive.today at rl1908.com
- ^ "Sydney Football Stadium Magic Moments". sydneycricketground.com.au. Sydney Cricket Ground Trust. Archived from the original on 16 August 2007. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
- ISBN 978-0-522-85547-0.
- ^ D'Souza, Miguel. "Grand Final History". wwos.ninemsn.com.au. Australian Associated Press. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- ^ "Broncos: Super Bowl no go". Illawarra Mercury. Fairfax Media. 19 September 1997. p. 85. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
External links
- Rugby League Tables – Notes The World of Rugby League
- Rugby League Tables – Season 1997 The World of Rugby League
- Premiership History and Statistics RL1908