2013 NRL season
The 2013 NRL season was the 106th season of professional rugby league club competition in Australia. The National Rugby League's main competition, named the 2013 Telstra Premiership after major sponsors Telstra Corporation, was contested by sixteen teams during the regular season, which lasted from March to September, and resulted in the top eight finishing teams, who went on to contest the finals. The season culminated in the Grand Final, in which the Sydney Roosters defeated the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 26-18 to win their first NRL premiership since 2002.
| 2013 National Rugby League | |
|---|---|
| Duration | March 7 – October 6, 2013 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Premiers |  Sydney Roosters (13th title) |
| Minor premiers | Sydney Roosters (17th title) |
| Matches played | 201 |
| Points scored | 8210 |
| Attendance | 3345248 |
| Top points scorer(s) | James Maloney (252) |
| Player of the year |  Cooper Cronk (Dally M Medal) |
| Top try-scorer(s) |  David Williams (20) Jorge Taufua (20) Michael Jennings (20) |
The NRL season started with the 2013 NRL All Stars match, which was played in February. The 2013 Holden Cup, the NRL's Under-20s competition, also took place alongside the Premiership, with most matches held before the first grade competition. The Parramatta Eels picked up the wooden spoon for the second consecutive season after winning only five matches for the season.
Season summary
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks supplements saga
The 2013 NRL season was marred by a major investigation involving the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks' supplements program, which was alleged to have taken place during the 2011 season. Following an almost year-long investigation by ASADA and the NRL, a series of penalties were applied on the club, including, among others, the 12-month suspension of Shane Flanagan as the club's head coach, as well as a $1,000,000 fine (with $400,000 suspended) and the deregistration of Trent Elkin as the club's trainer.[1]
Despite the off-field controversy, the Sharks were still able to reach the NRL finals for the second consecutive year, losing to eventual grand finalists Manly in the second week.
Teams
The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 7th consecutive year. A report conducted by Brand Finance valued the Penrith Panthers club at $46.2m, the highest of any Australian sporting brand, while the Brisbane Broncos had the highest brand equity.[2]
Ladder
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sydney Roosters (P) |
24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 640 | 325 | +315 | 40 |
| 2 |  South Sydney Rabbitohs |
24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 588 | 384 | +204 | 40 |
| 3 | Melbourne Storm |
24 | 16 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 589 | 373 | +216 | 37 |
| 4 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles |
24 | 15 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 588 | 366 | +222 | 35 |
| 5 |  Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 468 | 460 | +8 | 32 |
| 6 |  Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs |
24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 529 | 463 | +66 | 30 |
| 7 |  Newcastle Knights |
24 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 528 | 422 | +106 | 29 |
| 8 |  North Queensland Cowboys |
24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 507 | 431 | +76 | 28 |
| 9 |  Gold Coast Titans |
24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 500 | 518 | −18 | 26 |
| 10 |  Penrith Panthers |
24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 495 | 532 | −37 | 26 |
| 11 |  New Zealand Warriors |
24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 495 | 554 | −59 | 26 |
| 12 |  Brisbane Broncos |
24 | 10 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 434 | 477 | −43 | 25 |
| 13 |  Canberra Raiders |
24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 434 | 624 | −190 | 24 |
| 14 |  St. George Illawarra Dragons |
24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 379 | 530 | −151 | 18 |
| 15 |  Wests Tigers |
24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 386 | 687 | −301 | 18 |
| 16 |  Parramatta Eels |
24 | 5 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 326 | 740 | −414 | 14 |
Ladder progression
| 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 | Sydney | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 34 | 36 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 40 |
| 2 | South Sydney | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 36 | 38 | 40 | 40 |
| 3 | Melbourne | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 31 | 33 | 35 | 35 | 37 |
| 4 | Manly-Warringah | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 33 | 35 | 35 |
| 5 | Cronulla-Sutherland | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 32 |
| 6 | Canterbury-Bankstown | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 30 |
| 7 | Newcastle | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 29 |
| 8 | North Queensland | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 |
| 9 | Gold Coast | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 26 |
| 10 | Penrith | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 26 |
| 11 | New Zealand | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 |
| 12 | Brisbane | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 25 |
| 13 | Canberra | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 |
| 14 | St. George Illawarra | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 |
| 15 | Wests | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| 16 | Parramatta | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 |
Finals series
For the second year the NRL uses the finals system previously implemented by the ARL competition from the 1990s (also used as the AFL final eight system) to decide the grand finalists from the top eight finishing teams. Both the seventh-placed Newcastle Knights and minor premiers Sydney Roosters return the finals after last featuring respectively in 2011 and 2010, whilst the other six teams (Bulldogs, Storm, Rabbitohs, Sea Eagles, Cowboys & Sharks) were featured in the preceding finals series.
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time (Local) | Venue | Referees | Crowd | |||||
| QUALIFYING & ELIMINATION FINALS | ||||||||
| South Sydney Rabbitohs |
20 – 10 | Melbourne Storm |
13 September 2013, 7:45pm | ANZ Stadium | Shane Hayne Jared Maxwell |
21,609 | ||
| Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
20 – 18 | North Queensland Cowboys |
14 September 2013, 4:00pm | Allianz Stadium | Matt Cecchin Henry Peranara |
32,747 | ||
| Sydney Roosters |
4 – 0 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
14 September 2013, 7:00pm | Ben Cummins Gerard Sutton | ||||
| Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs |
6 – 22 | Newcastle Knights |
15 September 2013, 4:00pm | ANZ Stadium | Ashley Klein Gavin Badger |
23,086 | ||
| SEMI FINALS | ||||||||
| Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
24 – 18 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
20 September 2013, 7:45pm | Allianz Stadium | Shayne Hayne Ashley Klein |
23,837 | ||
| Melbourne Storm |
16 – 18 | Newcastle Knights |
21 September 2013, 7:45pm | AAMI Park | Ben Cummins Gerard Sutton |
19,649 | ||
| PRELIMINARY FINALS | ||||||||
| South Sydney Rabbitohs |
20 – 30 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
27 September 2013, 7:45pm | ANZ Stadium | Ben Cummins Gerard Sutton |
44,546 | ||
| Sydney Roosters |
40 – 14 | Newcastle Knights |
28 September 2013, 7:45pm | Allianz Stadium | Shayne Hayne Ashley Klein |
37,752 | ||
Chart
| Qualifying / Elimination finals | Semi-finals | Preliminary finals | Grand final | ||||||||||||||
| QF1: 14 Sept, Allianz Stadium | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Sydney |
4 | |||||||||||||||
| 4 | Manly-Warringah |
0 | SF1: 20 Sept, Allianz Stadium | ||||||||||||||
| Manly-Warringah |
24 | ||||||||||||||||
| EF1: 14 Sept, Allianz Stadium | Cronulla-Sutherland |
18 | PF1: 28 Sept, Allianz Stadium | ||||||||||||||
| 5 | Cronulla-Sutherland |
20 | Sydney |
40 | |||||||||||||
| 8 | North Queensland |
18 | Newcastle |
14 | GF: 6 Oct, ANZ Stadium | ||||||||||||
| Sydney |
26 | ||||||||||||||||
| EF2: 15 Sept, ANZ Stadium | PF2: 27 Sept, ANZ Stadium | Manly-Warringah |
18 | ||||||||||||||
| 6 | Canterbury-Bankstown |
6 | South Sydney |
20 | |||||||||||||
| 7 | Newcastle |
22 | SF2: 21 Sept, AAMI Park | Manly-Warringah |
30 | ||||||||||||
| Melbourne |
16 | ||||||||||||||||
| QF2: 13 Sept, ANZ Stadium | Newcastle |
18 | |||||||||||||||
| 2 | South Sydney |
20 | |||||||||||||||
| 3 | Melbourne |
10 | |||||||||||||||
Grand final
Sunday, 2 October 19:15 |
| Sydney Roosters |
26 – 18 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Daniel Tupou Aidan Guerra Shaun Kenny-Dowall Michael Jennings Goals: James Maloney (5/5) |
Half Time: 8 – 6 |
Tries: Jorge Taufua Jamie Lyon Steve Matai Goals: (2/3) Jamie Lyon |
ANZ Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 81,491 Referee: Shayne Hayne, Ben Cummins Clive Churchill Medal: Daly Cherry-Evans |
Regular season player statistics
The following statistics are of the conclusion of round 26.
|
Top 5 point scorers
Top 5 try scorers
|
Top 5 goal scorers
|
2013 Transfers
Players
Coaches
| Coach | 2012 Club | 2013 Club |
|---|---|---|
| Mick Potter |  Super League: Bradford Bulls |
Wests Tigers |
| Trent Robinson |  Super League: Catalans Dragons |
Sydney Roosters |
| Ricky Stuart |  New South Wales |
Parramatta Eels |
References
- Sharks fined $1m, Flanagan suspended Archived 2013-12-17 at the Wayback Machine, NRL.com official website, 17 December 2013
- Baker, Rosie (5 December 2013). "NRL versus AFL: Penrith Panthers 'most valuable Aussie sport brand'". adnews.com.au. Retrieved 5 December 2013.