2006 NRL season

The 2006 NRL season was the 99th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the ninth run by the National Rugby League. The lineup of teams remained unchanged from the previous year, with fifteen clubs competing for the 2006 Telstra Premiership. Throughout the 26 rounds of the regular season ten teams from New South Wales (9 of them from the Sydney basin), two from Queensland and one each from Victoria, the ACT and New Zealand competed for the minor premiership. Eight of these teams qualified for the four-week finals series, with the Brisbane Broncos eventual victors over the Melbourne Storm in the grand final.[2] Melbourne finished the regular season first so were awarded the minor premiership, but this was later revoked due to the Melbourne Storm salary cap breach.

2006 National Rugby League
Teams15
Premiers Brisbane Broncos (6th title)
Minor premiers Melbourne[1]
Matches played189
Points scored8201
Average attendance16,485
Attendance3,115,700
Top points scorer(s) Hazem El Masri (296)
Player of the year Cameron Smith (Dally M Medal)
Top try-scorer(s) Nathan Merritt (22)

Pre season

  • Newcastle Knights coach Michael Hagan signed a three-year deal to coach the Parramatta Eels, beginning in 2007. Hagan replaced Brian Smith, who had coached the Eels since 1997 whilst Smith replaced Hagan at Newcastle in an unprecedented coach-swap. In other coaching moves, Matthew Elliott was confirmed as the coach of the Penrith Panthers, beginning in 2007.
  • Penrith Panthers halfback Craig Gower was fired as captain, suspended for four games and fined $100,000 ($90,000 to be paid to an NRL programme encouraging the responsible use of alcohol by league players and $10,000 to replace a destroyed golf cart) after a string of alcohol-fueled incidents at a charity golf function.
  • The Charity Shield heralded the unofficial start of the season, with the South Sydney Rabbitohs defeating St George Illawarra 14-12 in their first home game at Telstra Stadium on February 18. All NRL clubs engaged in a series of trials during the month of February.
  • Wests Tigers premiership-winning captain Scott Prince announced on March 3 he had signed a four-year deal with expansion team Gold Coast Titans, beginning in 2007. Prince relinquished the captaincy of the Tigers for the 2006 season.

New Zealand Warriors salary cap breach

The salary cap for the 2006 season was A$3.366 million per club for their 25 highest-paid players.[3] The New Zealand Warriors were investigated by the National Rugby League over alleged salary cap breaches committed by the team's previous administrators. The club admitted to inflating its salary cap to the tune of nearly $1 million during the 2005 season. The National Rugby League fined the Warriors $430,000 and ordered the team to start the season with a four premiership point deficit. It was the first time in 99 years of rugby league in Australia that a team has started a season on less than zero premiership points.

The Warriors appealed the decision by the NRL to deduct the four competition points but accepted the financial penalty. Prior to the beginning of the season, the National Rugby League confirmed that the points penalty would stand. The penalty would prove the decisive factor in the Warriors missing the finals for the third year in succession.

Teams

Brisbane Broncos
19th season
Ground: Suncorp Stadium
Coach: Wayne Bennett
Captain: Darren Lockyer
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
72nd season
Ground: Telstra Stadium
Coach: Steve Folkes
Captain: Andrew Ryan
Canberra Raiders
25th season
Ground: Canberra Stadium
Coach: Matthew Elliott
Captain: Clinton Schifcofske
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
40th season
Ground: Toyota Stadium
Coach: Stuart Raper
Captain: Brett Kimmorley
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
57th season
Ground: Brookvale Oval
Coach: Des Hasler
Captain: Ben Kennedy
Melbourne Storm
9th season
Ground Olympic Park Stadium
Coach: Craig Bellamy
Captain: various
New Zealand Warriors
12th season
Ground: Mt Smart Stadium
Coach: Ivan Cleary
Captain: Steve Price
Newcastle Knights
19th season
Ground: EnergyAustralia Stadium
Coach: Michael Hagan
Captain: Andrew Johns
North Queensland Cowboys
12th season
Ground: Dairy Farmers Stadium
Coach: Graham Murray
Captain: Travis Norton
Parramatta Eels
60th season
Ground: Parramatta Stadium
Coach: Brian SmithJason Taylor
Captain: Nathan Cayless
Penrith Panthers
40th season
Ground: CUA Stadium
Coach: John Lang
Captain: Tony Puletua
South Sydney Rabbitohs
97th season
Ground: Telstra Stadium
Coach: Shaun McRae
Captain: Peter Cusack
St. George Illawarra Dragons
8th season
Ground: OKI Jubilee Stadium & WIN Stadium
Coach: Nathan Brown
Captain: Trent Barrett
Sydney Roosters
99th season
Ground: Aussie Stadium
Coach: Ricky StuartChris Anderson
Captain: Craig Fitzgibbon
Wests Tigers
7th season
Ground: Campbelltown Stadium & Leichhardt Oval
Coach: Tim Sheens
Captain: Brett Hodgson

Season summary

The season began on March 10 with a match between defending premiers Wests Tigers and the St. George Illawarra Dragons, played at Telstra Stadium. The Melbourne Storm won 20 out of 24 regular season matches to win the minor premiership eight points clear of the Bulldogs.[4] However, in April 2010, the Storm were retroactively stripped of their minor premiership as a result of salary cap breaches occurring over the course of the 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 seasons.[5][6]

The grand finals:

  • Brisbane Broncos vs Melbourne Storm (NRL)
  • Parramatta Eels vs Newtown Jets (NSW Cup)
  • Penrith Panthers vs Newcastle Knights (NSW Jersey Flegg Cup)

The winners in all grades were:

  • Brisbane Broncos (NRL)
  • Parramatta Eels (NSW Cup)
  • Penrith Panthers (NSW Jersey Flegg Cup)

The test match

  • Australia vs New Zealand

The tri-nations Series

  • Australia vs New Zealand
  • Australia vs Great Britain
  • Great Britain vs New Zealand

The State Of Origin Series

  • Queensland vs New South Wales

Venues

Sixteen stadiums regularly hosted National Rugby league matches, with a further six hosting at least one match in season 2006.

Stadium name [7] City Host club(s) Capacity [8]
Suncorp Stadium Milton, Brisbane, Qld Brisbane Broncos 52,500
Canberra Stadium Bruce, Canberra, ACT Canberra Raiders 25,000
Olympic Park Stadium Melbourne, Vic Melbourne Storm 18,500
EnergyAustralia Stadium Newcastle, NSW Newcastle Knights 26,200
Aussie Stadium Moore Park, Sydney, NSW Sydney Roosters 41,159
Brookvale Oval Brookvale, Sydney, NSW Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 22,000
Campbelltown Stadium Campbelltown, Sydney, NSW Wests Tigers 20,000
Leichhardt Oval Leichhardt, Sydney, NSW Wests Tigers 20,000
Oki Jubilee Stadium Kogarah, Sydney, NSW St George Illawarra Dragons 20,541
Parramatta Stadium Parramatta, Sydney, NSW Parramatta Eels 20,500
CUA Stadium Penrith, Sydney, NSW Penrith Panthers 21,000
Telstra Stadium Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, NSW Bulldogs
South Sydney Rabbitohs
Wests Tigers
83,500
Toyota Park Cronulla, Sydney, NSW Cronulla Sharks 21,500
Dairy Farmers Stadium Kirwan, Townsville, Qld North Queensland Cowboys 25,000
Mt Smart Stadium Penrose, Auckland, New Zealand New Zealand Warriors 25,000
WIN Stadium Wollongong, NSW St George Illawarra Dragons 20,000
Hindmarsh Stadium Hindmarsh, Adelaide, SA 15,500
Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium Gosford, Central Coast, NSW 20,059
Jade Stadium Christchurch, New Zealand 36,500
Carrara Stadium Carrara, Gold Coast, Qld 22,000
Waikato Stadium Hamilton, New Zealand 26,350
Sydney Cricket Ground Moore Park, Sydney, NSW 43,562

Advertising

In 2006 the NRL and their advertising agency MJW Hakuhodo stayed with the Hoodoo Gurus' "That's My Team" soundtrack for a fourth year, producing a treatment aimed to appeal to the fundamental hope of all players and fans: that it would be ‘their team’ who would win the Grand Final.

Capitalising on the enthusiasm generated by the Wests Tigers triumph of 2005 in only their sixth season, the campaign line and song chorus was changed to ‘That’s My Dream’.

All fifteen NRL club captains featured heavily in the television and outdoor ads holding aloft the Telstra trophy. Eight young real life fans also featured in the TV commercial reflecting the origins of the game from backyard football scenes to Sydney beaches. Each was a fan of one of eight clubs who had not till then won the Telstra Premiership trophy and four different broadcast versions of the ad told the stories of their love of the game and each's dream of their own team's victory.

Dally M Awards

The Dally M Awards were introduced in 1980 by News Limited. The most prestigious of these awards is the Dally M Medal which is awarded to the Player Of The Year. The other prestigious award is the Provans Summons Medal which is the season's best player as voted by the public. As well as honouring the player of the year the awards night also recognises the premier player in each position, the best coach, the best captain, representative player of the year and the most outstanding rookie of the season. The awards night and Player of the Year medal are named in honour of Australian former rugby league great Herbert Henry "Dally" Messenger.

Position Award Player Club
Player of the Year Cameron SmithMelbourne Storm
Provans Summons Medal Nathan HindmarshParramatta Eels
Rookie of the Year Jarryd HayneParramatta Eels
Captain of the Year Ben KennedyManly Warringah Sea Eagles
Rep Player of the Year Darren LockyerBrisbane Broncos
Coach of the Year Craig BellamyMelbourne Storm

Team of the Year

Position Award Player Club
Best Fullback Clinton SchifcofskeCanberra Raiders
Best Winger Brian CarneyNewcastle Knights
Best Centre Mark GasnierSt George Illawarra Dragons
Best Five-Eighth Darren LockyerBrisbane Broncos
Best Halfback Cooper CronkMelbourne Storm
Best Lock Ben KennedyManly Warringah Sea Eagles
Best Second-Rower Nathan HindmarshParramatta Eels
Best Prop Roy AsotasiBulldogs
Best Hooker Cameron SmithMelbourne Storm

Statistics and Records

Ladder

Pos Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts
1 Melbourne Storm 2420042605404+201441
2 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 2416082608468+14036
3 Brisbane Broncos (P) 24140102497392+10532
4 Newcastle Knights 24140102608538+7032
5 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 24140102534493+4132
6 St George Illawarra Dragons 24140102519481+3832
7 Canberra Raiders 24130112525573-4830
8 Parramatta Eels 24120122506483+2328
9 North Queensland Cowboys 24110132450463-1326
10 New Zealand Warriors 24120122552463+89242
11 Wests Tigers 24100142490565-7524
12 Penrith Panthers 24100142510587-7724
13 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 2490152515544-2922
14 Sydney Roosters 2480162528650-12220
15 South Sydney Rabbitohs 2430212429772-34310

1 The Melbourne Storm were later stripped of this minor premiership due to gross salary cap breaches.
2 The New Zealand Warriors were deducted 4 competition points due to gross salary cap breaches.

Ladder progression

  • Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 8.
  • 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
  • Underlined numbers indicate that the team had a bye during 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 23 24 25 26
1 Melbourne 2444681012141616182022242628303234363840404244
2 Bulldogs 022468810121416161818202024242628303234343436
3 Brisbane 0244681012121416182020202222242626262626283032
4 Newcastle 246688810121416161618181820202022242626283032
5 Manly-Warringah 002466810101012141618181818202224242628303232
6 St George Illawarra 0024468881012141618202224262626262626283032
7 Canberra 22244688101010121416161818182022222426282830
8 Parramatta 02222466666888101214161820222426282828
9 North Queensland 246810121212141416161616161618202022222222222426
10 New Zealand -4-4-200022446668101214141416161820222424
11 Wests 22244668101010121414161616181818202020202224
12 Penrith 2466888881012121212141616182020222222242424
13 Cronulla-Sutherland 22244468101212141618202222222222222222222222
14 Sydney 2244666881012121212121214141616181820202020
15 South Sydney 022222222222244444446810101010

Finals series

The Melbourne Storm went into the finals for the first time as Minor Premiers. They had a week off after their first finals win against the Parramatta Eels 12-6 to prepare for a preliminary final encounter, again the St. George Illawarra Dragons which was won by the Storm 24-10, earning them a spot in the Grand final against the Brisbane Broncos. The Broncos had surprised everyone in the previous two months. After a slight hiccup in the qualifying Final, going down against St. George Illawarra Dragons 20-4, they came back in the next two weeks, beating the Newcastle Knights 50-6 in the Semi-final and coming from 20-6 down at halftime to win 37-20 against the Bulldogs in the preliminary final.

Home Score Away Match information
Date and time Venue Referee Crowd
Qualifying Finals
Newcastle Knights 2518 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 8 September 2006 8:00pm EnergyAustralia Stadium Sean Hampstead 23,752
Brisbane Broncos 420 St. George Illawarra Dragons 9 September 2006 6:30pm Suncorp Stadium Paul Simpkins 50,387
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 3012 Canberra Raiders 9 September 2006 8:30pm Telstra Stadium Shayne Hayne 14,628
Melbourne Storm 126 Parramatta Eels 10 September 2006 4:00pm Olympic Park Steve Clark 15,690
Semi-finals
St. George Illawarra Dragons 280 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 15 September 2006 7:45pm Aussie Stadium Paul Simpkins 30,907
Newcastle Knights 650 Brisbane Broncos 16 September 2006 7:45pm Aussie Stadium Steve Clark 22,081
Preliminary Finals
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 2037 Brisbane Broncos 22 September 2006 7:45pm Aussie Stadium Paul Simpkins 29,511
Melbourne Storm 2410 St. George Illawarra Dragons 23 September 2006 7:45pm Telstra Stadium Steve Clark 40,901

Finals Chart

Qualifying finalsSemifinalsPreliminary finalsFinal
1 Melbourne12
8 Parramatta61W Melbourne24
4W St. George Illawarra28 St. George Illawarra10
2 Canterbury302L Manly0
Melbourne8
7 Canberra12
Brisbane15
3 Brisbane42W Canterbury20
6 St. George Illawarra203W Newcastle6 Brisbane37
1L Brisbane50
4 Newcastle25
5 Manly18

Grand Final

2006 NRL Grand Final
Sunday, 1 October
19:00 AEST (UTC+10)
Melbourne Storm 8 – 15 Brisbane Broncos
Tries: 2
Turner rugby ball 14'
King rugby ball 49'
Goals:
C Smith (0/1)
Geyer (0/1)
1st: 4–8
2nd: 4–7
Report
Tries: 2
Hodges rugby ball 19'
Tate rugby ball 62'
Goals: 3
Lockyer rugby goalposts icon pen 9', 20' (2/2)
Parker rugby goalposts icon pen 60' (1/2)
Field goals: 1
Lockyer rugby goalposts icon 73'
Telstra Stadium, Sydney
Attendance: 79,609[11]
Referee: Paul Simpkins
Touch judges: Rod Lawrence, Steve Carrall
Clive Churchill Medal: Shaun Berrigan (Brisbane)

Player statistics

The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 26.

2006 Transfers

Players

Player 2005 Club 2006 Club
Stuart Kelly Brisbane Broncos Retirement
Darren Mapp Brisbane Broncos Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Darren Smith Brisbane Broncos Retirement
Matt Adamson Canberra Raiders Retirement
Ben Cross Canberra Raiders Melbourne Storm
Matt Gafa Canberra Raiders Super League: Harlequins RL
Ian Hindmarsh Canberra Raiders Super League: Catalans Dragons
Ryan O'Hara Canberra Raiders Wests Tigers
Michael Robertson Canberra Raiders Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Tyran Smith Canberra Raiders Retirement
Braith Anasta Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Sydney Roosters
Jamahl Lolesi Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Wests Tigers
Keith Galloway Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Wests Tigers
Sam Isemonger Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks St. George Illawarra Dragons
Ryan McGoldrick Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Super League: Castleford Tigers
Paul Mellor Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks South Sydney Rabbitohs
Nathan Merritt Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks South Sydney Rabbitohs
David Peachey Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks South Sydney Rabbitohs
Jason Stevens Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Retirement
Michael Sullivan Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Super League: Warrington Wolves
Scott Donald Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Super League: Leeds Rhinos
Sam Harris Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Wests Tigers
Daniel Heckenberg Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Super League: Harlequins RL
Terry Hill Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Retirement
John Hopoate Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Suspension
Chad Randall Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Super League: Harlequins RL
Steven Bell Melbourne Storm Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Alex Chan Melbourne Storm Super League: Catalans Dragons
Robbie Kearns Melbourne Storm Retirement
Jamie McDonald Melbourne Storm Toulouse Olympique
Matt Orford Melbourne Storm Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Peter Robinson Melbourne Storm Retirement
Dennis Scott Melbourne Storm Retirement
Mark Hughes Newcastle Knights Super League: Catalans Dragons
Andrew Price Newcastle Knights St. George Illawarra Dragons
Monty Betham New Zealand Warriors Super League: Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Stacey Jones New Zealand Warriors Super League: Catalans Dragons
Francis Meli New Zealand Warriors Super League: St. Helens
Iafeta Palea'aesina New Zealand Warriors Super League: Wigan Warriors
Karl Te Mata New Zealand Warriors Super League: Harlequins RL
Richard Villasanti New Zealand Warriors Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Jaiman Lowe North Queensland Cowboys South Sydney Rabbitohs
Micheal Luck North Queensland Cowboys New Zealand Warriors
Leigh McWilliams North Queensland Cowboys Retirement
David Myles North Queensland Cowboys Toulouse Olympique
Paul Rauhihi North Queensland Cowboys Super League: Warrington Wolves
Chris Sheppard North Queensland Cowboys St. George Illawarra Dragons
Ashley Graham Parramatta Eels North Queensland Cowboys
Garret Crossman Penrith Panthers Melbourne Storm
Shannon Donato Penrith Panthers Retirement
Paul Franze Penrith Panthers Super League: Castleford Tigers
Joe Galuvao Penrith Panthers South Sydney Rabbitohs
Brett Howland Penrith Panthers Retirement
Ben Ross Penrith Panthers Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Bryan Fletcher South Sydney Rabbitohs Super League: Wigan Warriors
Glenn Hall South Sydney Rabbitohs Sydney Roosters
Ashley Harrison South Sydney Rabbitohs Sydney Roosters
Lee Hookey South Sydney Rabbitohs Penrith Panthers
Brett Kearney South Sydney Rabbitohs Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Scott Logan South Sydney Rabbitohs Super League: Wigan Warriors
Michael Ennis St. George Illawarra Dragons Brisbane Broncos
Willie Manu St. George Illawarra Dragons Super League: Castleford Tigers
Shane Marteene St. George Illawarra Dragons Retirement
Lance Thompson St. George Illawarra Dragons Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Albert Torrens St. George Illawarra Dragons Super League: Huddersfield Giants
Ned Catic Sydney Roosters Super League: Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Jason Cayless Sydney Roosters Super League: St. Helens
Michael Crocker Sydney Roosters Melbourne Storm
Richie Faʻaoso Sydney Roosters Super League: Castleford Tigers
Luke Ricketson Sydney Roosters Retirement
Chris Walker Sydney Roosters Melbourne Storm
Stuart Webb Sydney Roosters South Sydney Rabbitohs
Robert Miles Wests Tigers Retirement
Mark O'Neill Wests Tigers Super League: Leeds Rhinos
Pat Richards Wests Tigers Super League: Wigan Warriors
Matthew Rieck Wests Tigers Retirement
John Wilson Wests Tigers Super League: Catalans Dragons
Craig Stapleton Super League: Leigh Centurions Penrith Panthers
Mark O'Halloran Super League: London Broncos Penrith Panthers
Darren Albert Super League: St. Helens Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Mark Edmondson Super League: St. Helens Sydney Roosters
Andrew Emelio Super League: Widnes Vikings Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Brian Carney Super League: Wigan Warriors Newcastle Knights
Shane Muspratt North Queensland Young Guns (Queensland Cup) North Queensland Cowboys
Matt Bickerstaff N/A St. George Illawarra Dragons
Luke Davico N/A Newcastle Knights
John Doyle N/A Sydney Roosters
George Gatis N/A New Zealand Warriors

See also

Footnotes

  1. Stuart Honeysett and Brent Read (23 April 2010) Shocking end to the Melbourne Storm era The Australian
  2. Bernard, Grantley (2006-10-02). "Storm laments lost opportunity". Fox Sports. Premier Media Group Pty Ltd. Retrieved 2009-12-17.
  3. Budge, Dale (2006-02-22). "NRL salary cap guide". tvnz.co.nz. Television New Zealand Limited. Archived from the original on 2012-10-05. Retrieved 2009-12-17.
  4. "Broncos claim premiership". Television New Zealand Limited. Australian Associated Press. 2 October 2001. Retrieved 17 December 2009.
  5. "Melbourne Storm breach NRL Salary Cap". National Rugby League. 22 April 2010. Archived from the original on 25 April 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
  6. McDonald, Margie (22 April 2010). "Melbourne Storm stripped of two rugby league titles over salary cap fraud". The Australian. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
  7. During the 2006 season, many of the stadiums were known by different names to their traditional ones, as some were sponsored by various organisations. For example, Aussie Stadium was also formerly known as the "Sydney Football Stadium", likewise, Mt Smart Stadium was known as 'Ericsson Stadium' for the majority of the season, until the naming rights expired.
  8. This includes both seated and standing spots.
  9. Proszenko, Adrian (6 May 2012). "Gallen set to smash record". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  10. Champions in poor teams, Sydney Morning Herald, September 2006
  11. Middleton, David. 2006 Official Rugby League Annual. Surrey Hills: News Magazines. p. 112.
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