Australian Rugby League season 1997
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| 1997 Australian Rugby League season | |
|---|---|
 Logo of the Australian Rugby League |
|
| Teams | 12 |
| Premiers |  Newcastle (1st title) |
| Minor Premiers |  Manly-Warringah (9th title) |
| Matches played | 141 |
| Points scored | 5370 (average 38.085 per match) |
| Attendance | 1,496,040 (average 10,610 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Jason Taylor (242 points) |
The 1997 Australian Rugby League premiership was the ninetieth season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney and the third season run under the Australian Rugby League. Eight teams from across Sydney, two from greater New South Wales and two from Queensland contested during the season.
The season is most notable for being run parallel to the rival Super League competition.
Contents |
[edit] Ladder
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manly |
22 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 521 | 366 | +155 | 32 |
| 2 | Newcastle |
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 | 429 | 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 |
[edit] Season Summary
The Newcastle Knights won the 1997 Australian Rugby League premiership, defeating the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 22-16 in the Grand Final, with Robbie O'Davis winning the Clive Churchill Medal. The match is best remembered for its classic finish - Darren Albert breaking a 16-16 deadlock with his try 7 seconds from fulltime. This win was a huge morale boost to the district following the closure of the area's biggest employer, the BHP Steelworks, being announced the same year. Seventy per cent of the winning squad were Newcastle juniors.
[edit] Finals
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Crowd | |||||
| Minor Qualifying Finals | ||||||||
 Illawarra Steelers |
14 - 25 |  Gold Coast Chargers |
5 September 1997 | Parramatta Stadium | D. Manson | 8,197 | ||
 North Sydney Bears |
21 - 33 |  Sydney City Roosters |
6 September 1997 | Sydney Football Stadium | K. Jeffes | 11,332 | ||
 Newcastle Knights |
28 - 20 |  Parramatta Eels |
7 September 1997 | Sydney Football Stadium | P. McBlane | 17,849 | ||
| Major Qualifying Finals | ||||||||
| Sydney City Roosters |
32 - 10 | Gold Coast Chargers |
12 September 1997 | Parramatta Stadium | P. McBlane | 10,466 | ||
| Parramatta Eels |
14 - 24 | North Sydney Bears |
13 September 1997 | Sydney Football Stadium | D. Manson | 17,025 | ||
 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
27 - 12 | Newcastle Knights |
14 September 1997 | Sydney Football Stadium | K. Jeffes | 26,531 | ||
| Preliminary Finals | ||||||||
| Newcastle Knights |
17 - 12 | North Sydney Bears |
20 September 1997 | Sydney Football Stadium | K. Jeffes | 22,540 | ||
| Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
17 - 16 | Sydney City Roosters |
21 September 1997 | Sydney Football Stadium | D. Manson | 30,794 | ||
| Grand Final | ||||||||
| Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
16 - 22 | Newcastle Knights |
28 September 1997 | Sydney Football Stadium | D. Manson | 42,482 | ||
[edit] National Rugby League
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. On September 23, 1997 the ARL announced that it was forming a new company to control the competition in 1998 and invited Super League clubs to participate. On October 7 Rupert Murdoch announced that he was confident that there would be a single competition in 1998 and in the following months the National Rugby League, jointly owned by the ARL and News Limited, was formed.
It was announced that the 1998 Season would have 20 teams competiting, 19 Super League/ARL teams and the Melbourne Storm, who were owned by News Limited. Clubs on both sides of the war were shut down. News decided to close the Hunter Mariners and the financially ruined Western Reds, who were $10million in debt at the end of 1997, while the ARL decided to close down the South Queensland Crushers, who were also in severe financial trouble. At the end of 1998 News Limited decided to close down the Adelaide Rams and the ARL closed down the Gold Coast Chargers, even though they were one of the few clubs to make a profit during the Super League war.
[edit] See also
Australian Rugby League
Super League (Australia)
Super League (Australia) season 1997
Brisbane Broncos 1997
[edit] References
- Rugby League Tables - Notes The World of Rugby League
- Rugby League Tables - Season 1997 The World of Rugby League
- Premiership History and Statistics RL1908
