2012 NRL season
The 2012 NRL season was the 105th season of professional rugby league club competition in Australia, and the first run by the newly formed Australian Rugby League Commission. The main competition, called the 2012 NRL Telstra Premiership due to sponsorship from Telstra Corporation was contested by the sixteen teams of the National Rugby League. The season started with the 2012 NRL All Stars match and culminated in the 2012 NRL grand final. The 2012 Toyota Cup season also took place alongside the Premiership. The McIntyre final eight system, in use since 1999, was replaced with the finals system previously used by the ARL in the 1990s.[1]
| 2012 National Rugby League | |
|---|---|
| Duration | March 1 – September 30, 2012 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Premiers |  Melbourne Storm (2nd title) |
| Minor premiers |  Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (7th title) |
| Matches played | 201 |
| Average attendance | 17,346 |
| Attendance | 3,486,494 |
| Top points scorer(s) |  Jarrod Croker (226) |
| Player of the year | Ben Barba (Dally M Medal) |
| Top try-scorer(s) | Ben Barba (22) |
The 2012 Premiership was won by the Melbourne Storm, officially the club's second following the removal of their 2007 and 2009 premierships, among other titles, due to salary cap breaches exposed in April 2010. They defeated minor premiers the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 14-4 in the Grand Final, which was held on Sunday 30 September at ANZ Stadium in Sydney.
Season summary
Halfway through the 2012 season, the NRL's Chief Executive Officer David Gallop stood down from his role after just over a decade in the role.
Records Set on 2012
- The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs won twelve consecutive matches between Rounds 11 and 24, the longest winning streak for the club in 8 years. They also won their first minor premiership in 18 years.
- The Melbourne Storm lost five consecutive matches from rounds 16 to 21 (around a bye in round 17), the longest losing streak in Craig Bellamy's coaching career and the second longest losing streak in the club's history.
- For the first time since 1989, the South Sydney Rabbitohs finished in the top four, and they also won their first finals match since 1987.
Teams
Ladder
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs |
24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 568 | 369 | +199 | 40 |
| 2 | Melbourne Storm (P) |
24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 579 | 361 | +218 | 38 |
| 3 |  South Sydney Rabbitohs |
24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 559 | 438 | +121 | 36 |
| 4 |  Manly Warringah Sea Eagles |
24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 497 | 403 | +94 | 36 |
| 5 |  North Queensland Cowboys |
24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 597 | 445 | +152 | 34 |
| 6 | Canberra Raiders |
24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 545 | 536 | +9 | 30 |
| 7 |  Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
24 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 445 | 441 | +4 | 29 |
| 8 |  Brisbane Broncos |
24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 481 | 447 | +34 | 28 |
| 9 |  St. George Illawarra Dragons |
24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 405 | 438 | -33 | 26 |
| 10 |  Wests Tigers |
24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 506 | 551 | -45 | 26 |
| 11 |  Gold Coast Titans |
24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 449 | 477 | -28 | 24 |
| 12 |  Newcastle Knights |
24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 448 | 488 | -40 | 24 |
| 13 |  Sydney Roosters |
24 | 8 | 1 | 15 | 2 | 462 | 626 | -164 | 21 |
| 14 |  New Zealand Warriors |
24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 497 | 609 | -112 | 20 |
| 15 |  Penrith Panthers |
24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 409 | 575 | -166 | 20 |
| 16 |  Parramatta Eels |
24 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 431 | 674 | -243 | 16 |
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 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 | Canterbury-Bankstown |
2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 34 | 36 | 38 | 38 | 40 |
| 2 | Melbourne |
2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 34 | 36 | 38 |
| 3 | South Sydney |
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 34 | 36 |
| 4 | Manly-Warringah |
2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 34 | 36 |
| 5 | North Queensland |
0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 34 |
| 6 | Canberra |
0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 |
| 7 | Cronulla-Sutherland |
0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 29 |
| 8 | Brisbane |
2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 28 |
| 9 | St. George Illawarra |
2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 26 |
| 10 | Wests |
2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 |
| 11 | Gold Coast |
2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 24 |
| 12 | Newcastle |
0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 |
| 13 | Sydney |
2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 21 |
| 14 |  New Zealand |
0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| 15 | Penrith |
0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 |
| 16 | Parramatta |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
Finals series
For details on the finals see 2012 NRL season results.
The NRL returned to the top-eight system used by the ARL in the 1990s to decide the grand finalists from the top eight finishing teams. This replaced the McIntyre final eight system that was used for the past 12 seasons. Only four of last year's finalists were featured in this year's finals series: Melbourne Storm, Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, Brisbane Broncos and the North Queensland Cowboys. For the teams that did not feature last year, the Canberra Raiders last appeared in 2010, the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in 2009, the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in 2008 and South Sydney in 2007. South Sydney made only their second finals appearance since 1989 and also their second preliminary final since winning the premiership in 1971. The last time the club made the preliminary final was also in 1989.[2]
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time (Local) | Venue | Referees | Crowd | |||||
| QUALIFYING & ELIMINATION FINALS | ||||||||
| Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs |
16 – 10 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles |
7 September 2012, 7:45pm | ANZ Stadium | Ben Cummins Ashley Klein |
36,420 | ||
| Melbourne Storm |
24 – 6 | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
8 September 2012, 5:45pm | AAMI Park | Shayne Hayne Jason Robinson |
19,750 | ||
| North Queensland Cowboys |
33 – 16 | Brisbane Broncos |
8 September 2012, 7:45pm | Dairy Farmers Stadium | Matt Cecchin Gerard Sutton |
21,307 | ||
| Canberra Raiders |
34 – 16 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
9 September 2012, 4:00pm | Canberra Stadium | Tony Archer Chris James |
24,450 | ||
| SEMI FINALS | ||||||||
| Manly Warringah Sea Eagles |
22 – 12 | North Queensland Cowboys |
14 September 2012, 7:45pm | Allianz Stadium | Shayne Hayne Ben Cummins |
16,678 | ||
| South Sydney Rabbitohs |
38 – 16 | Canberra Raiders |
15 September 2012, 7:45pm | ANZ Stadium | Tony Archer Matt Cecchin |
35,874 | ||
| PRELIMINARY FINALS | ||||||||
| Melbourne Storm |
40 – 12 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles |
21 September 2012, 7:45pm | AAMI Park | Matt Cecchin Tony Archer |
25,543 | ||
| Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs |
32 – 8 | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
22 September 2012, 7:45pm | ANZ Stadium | Shayne Hayne Ben Cummins |
70,354 | ||
Chart
| Qualifying and elimination finals | Semi-finals | Preliminary finals | Grand Final | ||||||||||||||||
| 7 Sept, ANZ Stadium | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Canterbury-Bankstown | 16 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Manly-Warringah | 10 | 14 Sept, Allianz Stadium | ||||||||||||||||
| Manly-Warringah | 22 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 8 Sept, Dairy Farmers Stadium | North Queensland | 12 | 22 Sept, ANZ Stadium | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | North Queensland | 33 | Canterbury-Bankstown | 32 | |||||||||||||||
| 8 | Brisbane | 16 | South Sydney | 8 | 30 Sept, ANZ Stadium | ||||||||||||||
| Canterbury-Bankstown | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 9 Sept, Canberra Stadium | 21 Sept, AAMI Park | Melbourne | 14 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Canberra | 34 | Melbourne | 40 | |||||||||||||||
| 7 | Cronulla-Sutherland | 16 | 15 Sept, ANZ Stadium | Manly-Warringah | 12 | ||||||||||||||
| South Sydney | 38 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 8 Sept, AAMI Park | Canberra | 16 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Melbourne | 24 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | South Sydney | 6 | |||||||||||||||||
Grand final
| Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs |
4 – 14 | Melbourne Storm |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: 1 Perrett  25'Goals: Inu (0/1) |
1st: 4–14 2nd: 0–0 Report |
Tries: 3 Hoffman 7'Slater 32'O'Neill 39'Goals: 1 Smith  32' (1/3) |
ANZ Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 82,976 Referees: Tony Archer, Ben Cummins Clive Churchill Medal: Cooper Cronk (Melbourne) |
Regular season player statistics
The following statistics are correct as of the conclusion of Round 26.
|
Top 5 point scorers
Top 5 try scorers
|
Top 5 goal scorers
|
Attendance figures
Home ground figures
| Club | Total | Average | Best Crowd |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brisbane Broncos | 400,528 | 33,377 | 43,171 vs North Queensland Cowboys, Round 2 |
| Canterbury Bulldogs | 282,864 | 23,572 | 70,354 vs South Sydney Rabbitohs, Finals Week 3 |
| Newcastle Knights | 251,024 | 20,919 | 29,482 vs Canterbury Bulldogs, Round 22 |
| South Sydney Rabbitohs | 226,848 | 18,904 | 35,874 vs Canberra Raiders, Finals Week 2 |
| New Zealand Warriors | 205,334 | 17,111 | 37,502 vs Manly Sea Eagles, Round 1 2 |
| Parramatta Eels | 201,663 | 16,803 | 45,863 vs St George Illawarra Dragons, Round 26 |
| St George Illawarra Dragons | 197,111 | 16,426 | 40,164 vs Sydney Roosters, Round 8 3 |
| Wests Tigers | 194,726 | 16,227 | 25,608 vs South Sydney Rabbitohs, Round 5 |
| Manly Sea Eagles | 175,120 | 14,593 | 20,095 vs New Zealand Warriors, Round 21 4 |
| North Queensland Cowboys | 172,978 | 14,415 | 20,367 vs Brisbane Broncos, Round 15 |
| Gold Coast Titans | 172,865 | 14,405 | 20,187 vs South Sydney Rabbitohs, Round 22 |
| Cronulla Sharks | 158,802 | 13,234 | 21,380 vs St George Illawarra Dragons, Round 6 |
| Melbourne Storm | 152,217 | 12,685 | 25,534 vs Manly Sea Eagles, Finals Week 3 |
| Sydney Roosters | 149,790 | 12,482 | 19,934 vs South Sydney Rabbitohs, Round 19 |
| Penrith Panthers | 130,301 | 10,858 | 15,579 vs Wests Tigers, Round 7 |
| Canberra Raiders | 122,274 | 10,190 | 24,450 vs Cronulla Sharks, Finals Week 1 |
2012 Transfers
Players
Coaches
References
- AAP (22 February 2012). "NRL dumps McIntyre system". ABC News. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
- "Canterbury Bulldogs beat South Sydney Rabbitohs 32-8 to win through to NRL grand final". Adelaide Now.
External links
- NRL.com – Official site of the NRL, National Rugby League
- NRL final eight Calculator, footy.com.au