2003 NRL season

The 2003 NRL premiership was the 96th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the sixth run by the National Rugby League. Fifteen teams competed, with the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles returning in place of their failed joint-venture club, the Northern Eagles. Ultimately, the Penrith Panthers defeated reigning champions, the Sydney Roosters in the 2003 NRL grand final, claiming their first premiership since 1991.

2003 National Rugby League
Teams15
Premiers Penrith (2nd title)
Minor premiers Penrith (2nd title)
Matches played189
Points scored8993
Attendance2965141
Top points scorer(s) Hazem El Masri (294)
Top try-scorer(s) Rhys Wesser (25)

Season summary

Season 2003 brought in the new "golden point" extra time rule, where after 80 minutes, if the game was drawn, then 10 minutes of extra time was played until one team scored the winning point(s). The salary cap for the 2003 season was A$3.25 million per club for their 25 highest-paid players.[1]

The first round of the Premiership improved on the previous year's in terms of attendance and television ratings.[2] The major story this season was the resurgence of the Penrith Panthers, who defied the critics and naysayers to win their second premiership in their illustrious history since joining the competition in 1967. Coached by John Lang and captained by Craig Gower, the Panthers were the surprise minor premiers, dominating the competition despite consistent disparagement from many sources, and would continue their outstanding form in the finals, beating the Broncos, Warriors and finally the Roosters in the grand final.

The Dally M Medal ceremony was cancelled by the NRL after negotiations with the players' union, the Rugby League Professionals Association, stalled. All votes for the award were destroyed. It was later revealed that with one round of the regular season to play, Craig Gower was leading both Brad Fittler and Clinton Schifcofske by one point in the overall points tally. However, with the ceremony officially cancelled more than a week out from the awards, no points were allocated in the final round of the season.[3]

At the end of the season, Chris Anderson would lose his job at Cronulla-Sutherland, while Peter Sharp was dismissed as the Sea Eagles coach. Trainer and former Manly star, Des Hasler would replace Sharp as head coach in 2004.

Also at the end of the season, a squad of players from the NRL premiership went on the 2003 Kangaroo tour.

A major flaw of the fixture was that the previous season's Grand Finalists, the New Zealand Warriors and Sydney Roosters, did not meet until the penultimate round of the regular season.[4]

Teams

The lineup of fifteen teams for the 2003 premiership remained unchanged from the previous season, except that the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles rejoined the competition since their merger with North Sydney Bears in 1999, taking the place of the failed Northern Eagles. This ended North Sydney's representation in the League.

Brisbane Broncos
16th season
Ground: Suncorp Stadium
Coach: Wayne Bennett
Captain: Gorden Tallis
Bulldogs
69th season
Ground: Sydney Showground & Telstra Stadium
Coach: Steve Folkes
Captain: Steve Price
Canberra Raiders
22nd season
Ground: Canberra Stadium
Coach: Matthew Elliott
Captain: Simon Woolford
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
37th season
Ground: Toyota Stadium
Coach: Chris Anderson
Captain: Brett Kimmorley
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
54th season
Ground: Brookvale Oval
Coach: Peter Sharp
Captain: Steve Menzies
Melbourne Storm
6th season
Ground Olympic Park Stadium
Coach: Craig Bellamy
Captain: Stephen Kearney
Newcastle Knights
16th season
Ground: EnergyAustralia Stadium
Coach: Michael Hagan
Captain: Andrew Johns
New Zealand Warriors
9th season
Ground: Ericsson Stadium
Coach: Daniel Anderson
Captain: Stacey Jones
North Queensland Cowboys
9th season
Ground: Dairy Farmers Stadium
Coach: Graham Murray
Captain: Paul Bowman
Parramatta Eels
57th season
Ground: Parramatta Stadium
Coach: Brian Smith
Captain: Nathan Cayless
Penrith Panthers
37th season
Ground: CUA Stadium
Coach: John Lang
Captain: Craig Gower
South Sydney Rabbitohs
94th season
Ground: Aussie Stadium
Coach: Paul Langmack
Captain: Bryan Fletcher
Sydney Roosters
96th season
Ground: Aussie Stadium
Coach: Ricky Stuart
Captain: Brad Fittler
St. George Illawarra Dragons
5th season
Ground: Kogarah Oval & WIN Stadium
Coach: Nathan Brown
Captain: Trent Barrett
Wests Tigers
4th season
Ground: Campbelltown Stadium & Leichhardt Oval
Coach: Tim Sheens
Captain: Darren Senter

Records and statistics

  • Anthony Minichiello ran 4,571 metres with the ball in 2003, more than any other player in the competition.[5]
  • Nathan Brown became the youngest non-playing coach in premiership history at the age of 29.[6] Brown had retired from playing in 2001 after a neck injury in a trial game.
  • Referee Bill Harrigan's tenth grand final in 2003, the final match of his career, stands as the record for the most grand finals officiated by a referee.
  • On 23 August the Parramatta Eels beat the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 74–4, at the time the third highest winning margin for a club game in Australian rugby league history.
  • Also on 23 August, the North Queensland Cowboys beat the South Sydney Rabbitohs 60–8, the biggest win and most points in a match in Cowboys history.
  • The Brisbane Broncos set a record for their longest losing streak, from round 20 to the 4th qualifying final.
  • The Penrith Panthers became the first team to win the minor premiership and hold bottom spot on the ladder in the same season.
  • The Penrith Panthers won 8 matches in a row from 19 April - 7 June, most wins in a row in the club's history.
  • The Bulldogs equalled their worst defeat with a 50–4 loss to the Melbourne Storm in round 22.
  • The Brisbane Broncos suffered their worst ever defeat at Suncorp Stadium, losing to the Bulldogs 40–4 in round 18. This was later eclipsed by a 56–18 loss to the New Zealand Warriors in Round 12 of season 2013. They also only recorded one victory at the Stadium in season 2003, which came two weeks earlier with a 10–8 win over the Sydney Roosters (who, at that time had not won at Suncorp since 1991, however this drought ended in 2005).

Advertising

In 2003 the NRL sacked their advertising agency of the previous two years, Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney, and took the unusual step of coming up with their own in-house creative concept. Former Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks player and then current Parramatta Eels assistant coach Alan Wilson hit upon the idea of using the Hoodoo Gurus' 1987 hit "What's My Scene?" with reworked lyrics as "That's My Team".

"and another thing, I'm discovering lately, I'm a bit crazy, for my rugby league team "

Wilson is a friend of Hoodoo Gurus singer Dave Faulkner and made the necessary arrangements which included re-uniting the band to re-record the track. Faulkner is a long-time supporter of the Sharks and the original film clip of "What's My Scene?" had included shots of band members in Wests and Cronulla-Sutherland jumpers.

The ad focuses on the grass roots supporters at all levels of the game and in its finished version includes shots of fans from the Cessnock Goannas, a proud Bulldogs supporter and a Penrith teenager with a broken leg signed by her heroes. These images are included with the usual fare of pre-season team training images, big-hits, clever passes and post-try celebrations.[7]

To produce the ad the League returned to the agency who created and produced the Tina Turner campaigns from 1989 to 1995 - Hertz Walpole Advertising by now renamed MJW Hakuhodo.

Ladder

Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts
1 Penrith Panthers (P) 2418062659527+13240
2 Sydney Roosters 2417072680445+23538
3 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 2416082702419+28336
4 Canberra Raiders 2416082620463+15736
5 Melbourne Storm 2415092564486+7834
6 New Zealand Warriors 2415092545510+3534
7 Newcastle Knights 24140102632635-332
8 Brisbane Broncos 24120122497464+3328
9 Parramatta Eels 24110132570582-1226
10 St George Illawarra Dragons 24110132548593-4526
11 North Queensland Cowboys 24100142606629-2324
12 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 2480162497704-20720
13 Wests Tigers 2470172470598-12818
14 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 2470172557791-23418
15 South Sydney Rabbitohs 2430212457758-30110

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 Penrith 002246810121416182020222426283030303234363840
2 Sydney 24468101012121416181820202022242628303234363638
3 Bulldogs 24466668101212121416181820222426283032343436
4 Canberra 246810121416161618202222222424262830303232343636
5 Melbourne 246688810121214141416161820222224262628303234
6 New Zealand 02468101010121414141616182020222426262828303234
7 Newcastle 2224681010121212141618182020222222242628283032
8 Brisbane 2468881012141618182022242626262828282828282828
9 Parramatta 00222444444668101012141618202222242626
10 St. George Illawarra 022446810101012121414161820202222242424242426
11 North Queensland 0244446881012141414141416161616181820222424
12 Cronulla-Sutherland 022222446810101012121414141414161618182020
13 Wests 22244444666888101012141416161618181818
14 Manly-Warringah 2222468881010121414161616161618181818181818
15 South Sydney 000022222222466666666888810

Finals series

Home Score Away Match Information
Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd
Qualifying Finals
Canberra Raiders 18 30 Melbourne Storm 12 September 2003 Canberra Stadium Tim Mander 14,094
Bulldogs 22 48 New Zealand Warriors 13 September 2003 Sydney Showground Bill Harrigan 18,312
Sydney Roosters 36 8 Newcastle Knights 13 September 2003 Aussie Stadium Sean Hampstead 23,853
Penrith Panthers 28 18 Brisbane Broncos 14 September 2003 Penrith Football Stadium Steve Clark 18,534
Semi-finals
New Zealand Warriors 17 16 Canberra Raiders 20 September 2003 Aussie Stadium Tim Mander 31,616
Bulldogs 30 0 Melbourne Storm 21 September 2003 Aussie Stadium Bill Harrigan 19,367
Preliminary Finals
Sydney Roosters 28 18 Bulldogs 27 September 2003 Aussie Stadium Bill Harrigan 41,123
Penrith Panthers 28 20 New Zealand Warriors 28 September 2003 Telstra Stadium Tim Mander 43,174

Finals Chart

  Qualifying Finals Semi Finals Preliminary Finals Grand Final
                                     
1 Penrith 28
8 Brisbane 18
  1W Penrith 28  
2 Sydney 36   4W New Zealand 17       New Zealand 20    
7 Newcastle 8   2L Canberra 16           Penrith 18
        Sydney 6
3 Bulldogs 22         2W Sydney 28    
6 New Zealand 48   3W Melbourne 0       Bulldogs 18  
  1L Bulldogs 30  
4 Canberra 18
5 Melbourne 30

Grand Final

Sunday, 5 October
7:05pm (AEST)
Penrith Panthers 18 6 Sydney Roosters
Tries:
Luke Rooney (31', 73') 2
Luke Priddis (66') 1
Goals:
Preston Campbell 2/2
(66', 74')
Ryan Girdler 1/1
(32')
Field Goals:
Craig Gower 0/1
1st: 6 - 0
2nd: 12 - 6
Report
Tries:
Shannon Hegarty (48') 1
Goals:
Craig Fitzgibbon 1/1
(50')

2003 Transfers

Players

Player 2002 Club 2003 Club
Ashley Harrison Brisbane Broncos South Sydney Rabbitohs
Allan Langer Brisbane Broncos Retirement
Lote Tuqiri Brisbane Broncos New South Wales Waratahs (Super 12)
Shane Walker Brisbane Broncos South Sydney Rabbitohs
Brett Finch Canberra Raiders Sydney Roosters
Ken Nagas Canberra Raiders Retirement
Todd Payten Canberra Raiders Sydney Roosters
Brett Howland Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Penrith Panthers
Paul Rauhihi Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs North Queensland Cowboys
Darren Smith Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Super League: St. Helens
Nathan Sologinkin Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Melbourne Storm
Darrell Trindall Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Retirement
Colin Best Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Super League: Hull F.C.
Preston Campbell Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Penrith Panthers
Nick Graham Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Super League: Wigan Warriors
Matthew Johns Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Retirement
Chris McKenna Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Super League: Leeds Rhinos
Paul Mellor Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Super League: Castleford Tigers
Andrew Pierce Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Retirement
Dean Treister Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Super League: Hull F.C.
William Leyshon Melbourne Storm Parramatta Eels
Henry Perenara Melbourne Storm St. George Illawarra Dragons
Matt Rua Melbourne Storm N/A
Richard Swain Melbourne Storm Brisbane Broncos
Julian Bailey Newcastle Knights Super League: Huddersfield Giants
John Morris Newcastle Knights Parramatta Eels
Clinton O'Brien Newcastle Knights Super League: Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Bill Peden Newcastle Knights Super League: London Broncos
Kevin Campion New Zealand Warriors North Queensland Cowboys
Ivan Cleary New Zealand Warriors Retirement
Shontayne Hape New Zealand Warriors Super League: Bradford Bulls
David Myles New Zealand Warriors North Queensland Cowboys
Tim Brasher North Queensland Cowboys Bath (English rugby union)
John Doyle North Queensland Cowboys N/A
Peter Jones North Queensland Cowboys Retirement
Tim Maddison North Queensland Cowboys Newcastle Knights
Ken McGuinness North Queensland Cowboys Retirement
Lenny Beckett Northern Eagles ACT Brumbies (Super 12)
Shayne Dunley Northern Eagles Parramatta Eels
Jason Ferris Northern Eagles Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Wade Forrester Northern Eagles Retirement
Jamie Goddard Northern Eagles Retirement
John Hopoate Northern Eagles Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Nik Kosef Northern Eagles Retirement
Tasesa Lavea Northern Eagles Auckland (New Zealand rugby union)
Danny Lima Northern Eagles Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Nathan Long Northern Eagles Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Ben MacDougall Northern Eagles Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Steve Menzies Northern Eagles Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Robert Miles Northern Eagles Wests Tigers
Scott Pethybridge Northern Eagles Retirement
Brendon Reeves Northern Eagles Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Mark Shipway Northern Eagles Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Albert Torrens Northern Eagles Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
David Westley Northern Eagles Retirement
Luke Williamson Northern Eagles Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Michael Buettner Parramatta Eels Wests Tigers
Scott Donald Parramatta Eels Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Brad Drew Parramatta Eels Canberra Raiders
Ian Hindmarsh Parramatta Eels Canberra Raiders
Ben Kusto Parramatta Eels Retirement
Andrew McFadden Parramatta Eels Melbourne Storm
Andrew Ryan Parramatta Eels Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Ned Catic Penrith Panthers Sydney Roosters
John Cross Penrith Panthers St. George Illawarra Dragons
Jody Gall Penrith Panthers Retirement
Lee Hopkins Penrith Panthers Parramatta Eels
Justin Brooker South Sydney Rabbitohs Retirement
Chris Caruana South Sydney Rabbitohs Retirement
Anthony Colella South Sydney Rabbitohs Super League: Huddersfield Giants
Glenn Grief South Sydney Rabbitohs Retirement
Andrew King South Sydney Rabbitohs Super League: London Broncos
Paul McNicholas South Sydney Rabbitohs North Queensland Cowboys
Adam Muir South Sydney Rabbitohs Retirement
Adam Peek South Sydney Rabbitohs Parramatta Eels
Luke Felsch St. George Illawarra Dragons Retirement
Lee Hookey St. George Illawarra Dragons South Sydney Rabbitohs
Jason Hooper St. George Illawarra Dragons Super League: St. Helens
Shane Millard St. George Illawarra Dragons Super League: Widnes Vikings
Willie Peters St. George Illawarra Dragons South Sydney Rabbitohs
Justin Smith St. George Illawarra Dragons South Sydney Rabbitohs
Bryan Fletcher Sydney Roosters South Sydney Rabbitohs
Paul Green Sydney Roosters Parramatta Eels
David Kidwell Sydney Roosters Melbourne Storm
Brett Mullins Sydney Roosters Retirement
Luke Phillips Sydney Roosters Retirement
Steven Crouch Wests Tigers Parramatta Eels
Kevin McGuinness Wests Tigers Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Hassan Saleh Wests Tigers St. George Illawarra Dragons
Matt Seers Wests Tigers Super League: Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Robbie Beckett Super League: Halifax Blue Sox Wests Tigers
Tonie Carroll Super League: Leeds Rhinos Brisbane Broncos
Ben Walker Super League: Leeds Rhinos Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Darren Treacy Super League: Salford City Reds Parramatta Eels
Solomon Haumono Hiatus Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles

Sources and footnotes

  1. "NRL salary cap guide | | ONE SPORT". tvnz.co.nz. 22 February 2006. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  2. Masters, Roy (17 March 2003). "The circus is back in town". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Digital. Retrieved 12 December 2009.
  3. Pace, Daniel (7 September 2003). "Freddie sympathises with Gower but backs players' stance". Australian Associated Press. Retrieved 10 September 2007.
  4. "Dogs on top but grand final rematch is way down track". The Sydney Morning Herald. 22 November 2002. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  5. Proszenko, Adrian (6 May 2012). "Gallen set to smash record". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  6. Henderson, Philip; Fitzgibbon, Liam (1 April 2008). "Bennett, Furner set for new Roles". The Age. Archived from the original on 2 April 2008. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  7. B&T magazine article 2003 Archived 26 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  8. 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.
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