2012 NRL season results

The 2012 NRL season consisted of 26 weekly regular season rounds starting on 1 March, followed by four weeks of play-offs that culminated in the grand final on 30 September.^[1] The finals format for 2012 was also changed, with the new ARL Commission dispensing with the McIntyre Final Eight System and replacing it with the finals system employed previously by the ARL in the 1990s.^[2]

Regular season

Round 1

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
Newcastle Knights	14 – 15	St. George Illawarra Dragons	1 March 2012, 7:30pm	Hunter Stadium	Matt Cecchin Ashley Klein	29,189
Parramatta Eels	6 – 18	Brisbane Broncos	2 March 2012, 7:30pm	Parramatta Stadium	Shayne Hayne Gavin Morris	11,399
Canberra Raiders	19 – 24	Melbourne Storm	3 March 2012, 5:30pm	Canberra Stadium	Gavin Badger Brett Suttor	7,862
Penrith Panthers	14 – 22	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	3 March 2012, 7:30pm	Centrebet Stadium	Jason Robinson Phil Haines	9,585
North Queensland Cowboys	0 – 18	Gold Coast Titans	3 March 2012, 8:30pm	Dairy Farmers Stadium	Steve Lyons Alan Shortall	16,311
New Zealand Warriors	20 – 26	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	4 March 2012, 2:00pm	Eden Park	Tony Archer Ben Cummins	37,502
Wests Tigers	17 – 16	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	4 March 2012, 2:00pm	Leichhardt Oval	Jarred Maxwell Chris James	19,762
South Sydney Rabbitohs	20 – 24	Sydney Roosters	5 March 2012, 7:00pm	ANZ Stadium	Gerard Sutton Adam Devcich	18,278

Source: NRL 2012 Round 1 – RL Project

• After five previous unsuccessful attempts, the St George Illawarra Dragons became the last club to win a match in golden point extra time.
• The North Queensland Cowboys were held scoreless for the first time since 2006, and at home since 2003.
• This round saw the NRL premiership coaching debuts of the Dragons' Steve Price, the Sea Eagles' Geoff Toovey, the Warriors' Brian McClennan and the Rabbitohs' Michael Maguire.
• 2012's Round 1 set a new record in television ratings for an opening round, up 9% on the previous season's.^[3]
• This Round was the 9th (and as of Round 15 2014, last) time since Golden Point's inception in 2003 that there were 2 Golden Point games in the same week.

Round 2

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	22 – 18	Wests Tigers	9 March 2012, 7:30pm	Bluetongue Stadium	Ben Cummins Gerard Sutton	17,532
Brisbane Broncos	26 – 28	North Queensland Cowboys	9 March 2012, 7:30pm	Suncorp Stadium	Jason Robinson Gavin Reynolds	43,171
Gold Coast Titans	12 – 24	Canberra Raiders	10 March 2012, 4:30pm	Skilled Park	Steve Lyons Alan Shortall	11,378
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	30 – 4	St. George Illawarra Dragons	10 March 2012, 7:30pm	ANZ Stadium	Matt Cecchin Ashley Klein	29,641
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	6 – 18	Newcastle Knights	11 March 2012, 2:00pm	Toyota Stadium	Tony Archer Phil Haines	15,564
Sydney Roosters	0 – 18	Penrith Panthers	11 March 2012, 3:00pm	Allianz Stadium	Adam Devcich Chris James	12,746[4]
Melbourne Storm	24 – 10	South Sydney Rabbitohs	11 March 2012, 7:00pm	AAMI Park	Shayne Hayne Gavin Morris	15,872
Parramatta Eels	20 – 36	New Zealand Warriors	12 March 2012, 7:00pm	Parramatta Stadium	Gavin Badger Brett Suttor	12,102

Source: NRL 2012 Round 2 – RL Project

• The Gold Coast lost at home to Canberra for the first time.
• Canterbury defeated St. George Illawarra for the first time since Round 6, 2008.
• Penrith prevented their opposition scoring a try for the first time since Round 17, 2003, breaking an alltime record streak of 208 games^[5]
• The Round 2 attendance total of 158,006 set a new record for Round 2, exceeding the previous high of 148,127 in 2009.
• The Round 2 attendance total exceeded the Round 1 total for the first time since 1996.

Round 3

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
St. George Illawarra Dragons	36 – 12	Wests Tigers	16 March 2012, 7:30pm	WIN Jubilee Oval	Tony Archer Phil Haines	18,726
Newcastle Knights	10 – 24	Brisbane Broncos	16 March 2012, 8:30pm	Hunter Stadium	Shayne Hayne Gavin Morris	23,894
Gold Coast Titans	6 – 30	Melbourne Storm	17 March 2012, 4:30pm	Skilled Park	Jason Robinson Gavin Reynolds	11,254
North Queensland Cowboys	42 – 6	Parramatta Eels	17 March 2012, 6:30pm	Dairy Farmers Stadium	Adam Devcich Chris James	8,239
New Zealand Warriors	18 – 32	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	18 March 2012, 2:00pm	Mt Smart Stadium	Matt Cecchin Ashley Klein	17,067[6]
Sydney Roosters	14 – 8	Canberra Raiders	18 March 2012, 2:00pm	Allianz Stadium	Steve Lyons Alan Shortall	10,343[7]
Penrith Panthers	24 – 40	South Sydney Rabbitohs	18 March 2012, 3:00pm	Centrebet Stadium	Gavin Badger Bernard Sutton	13,876
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	17 – 14	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	19 March 2012, 7:00pm	Toyota Stadium	Ben Cummins Chris Sutton	8,652

Source: NRL 2012 Round 3 – RL Project

Round 4

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
Parramatta Eels	6 – 39	Penrith Panthers	23 March 2012, 7:30pm	Parramatta Stadium	Matt Cecchin Gavin Reynolds	13,788
South Sydney Rabbitohs	12 – 20	Brisbane Broncos	23 March 2012, 6:00pm	nib Stadium	Ashley Klein Chris James	15,599
New Zealand Warriors	26 – 6	Gold Coast Titans	24 March 2012, 7:30pm	Mt Smart Stadium	Jarred Maxwell Gavin Morris	12,915
St. George Illawarra Dragons	17 – 6	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	24 March 2012, 7:30pm	WIN Jubilee Oval	Shayne Hayne Adam Devcich	17,893
North Queensland Cowboys	14 – 20	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	24 March 2012, 8:30pm	Dairy Farmers Stadium	Gerard Sutton Tony De Las Heras	11,364
Melbourne Storm	44 – 4	Sydney Roosters	25 March 2012, 2:00pm	AAMI Park	Tony Archer Gavin Badger	11,897
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	6 – 20	Newcastle Knights	25 March 2012, 3:00pm	ANZ Stadium	Ben Cummins Phil Haines	21,701
Wests Tigers	16 – 30	Canberra Raiders	26 March 2012, 7:00pm	Campbelltown Sports Stadium	Jason Robinson Brett Suttor	14,388

Source: NRL 2012 Round 4 – RL Project

• Parramatta's four losses to begin a season is the first time it has done so since 1991.
• Canberra defeated the Wests Tigers for the first time since Round 5, 2008, and at Campbelltown for the first time since Round 23, 2006. This loss was also the first for Benji Marshall against Canberra.

Round 5 - Heritage Round

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
Melbourne Storm	34 – 22	Newcastle Knights	30 March 2012, 7:30pm	AAMI Park	Matt Cecchin Adam Devcich	11,369
Brisbane Broncos	28 – 20	St. George Illawarra Dragons	30 March 2012, 7:30pm	Suncorp Stadium	Ben Cummins Brett Suttor	38,012
Penrith Panthers	14 – 15	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	31 March 2012, 5:30pm	Centrebet Stadium	Ashley Klein Henry Perenara	13,920
Parramatta Eels	29 – 20	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	31 March 2012, 7:30pm	Parramatta Stadium	Grant Maxwell Gavin Reynolds	13,158
Sydney Roosters	26 – 8	New Zealand Warriors	31 March 2012, 7:30pm	Allianz Stadium	Tony Archer Tony De Las Heras	13,201
Gold Coast Titans	20 – 30	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	1 April 2012, 2:00pm	Skilled Park	Gerard Sutton Gavin Badger	14,344
Wests Tigers	16 – 17	South Sydney Rabbitohs	1 April 2012, 3:00pm	Allianz Stadium	Shayne Hayne Gavin Morris	25,608
Canberra Raiders	6 – 22	North Queensland Cowboys	2 April 2012, 7:00pm	Canberra Stadium	Steve Lyons Chris James	12,135

Source: NRL 2012 Round 5 – RL Project

Round 6

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
South Sydney Rabbitohs	20 – 10	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	6 April 2012, 4:00pm	ANZ Stadium	Ben Cummins Gavin Badger	35,221
Wests Tigers	14 – 18	Brisbane Broncos	6 April 2012, 7:35pm	Allianz Stadium	Ashley Klein Steve Lyons	17,556
Gold Coast Titans	12 – 18	Sydney Roosters	7 April 2012, 5:30pm	Skilled Park	Brett Suttor Chris James	11,478
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	12 – 0	St. George Illawarra Dragons	7 April 2012, 7:30pm	Toyota Stadium	Matt Cecchin Adam Devcich	21,380
Canberra Raiders	32 – 12	New Zealand Warriors	8 April 2012, 2:00pm	Canberra Stadium	Shayne Hayne Alan Shortall	10,800
Newcastle Knights	14 – 6	Parramatta Eels	8 April 2012, 3:00pm	Hunter Stadium	Tony Archer Tony De Las Heras	24,158
North Queensland Cowboys	18 – 42	Melbourne Storm	8 April 2012, 7:00pm	Dairy Farmers Stadium	Jared Maxwell Gavin Reynolds	20,206
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	30 – 0	Penrith Panthers	9 April 2012, 7:00pm	Brookvale Oval	Gerard Sutton Henry Perenara	14,255

Source: NRL 2012 Round 6 – RL Project

• The Round 6 attendance total of 155,054 set a new record for Round 6, exceeding the previous high of 152,371 in 1995 (10 games).

Round 7

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
St. George Illawarra Dragons	12 – 4	Newcastle Knights	13 April 2012, 7:35pm	WIN Jubilee Oval	Jarred Maxwell Gavin Reynolds	15,291
Brisbane Broncos	30 – 6	Canberra Raiders	13 April 2012, 7:35pm	Suncorp Stadium	Ben Cummins Gavin Badger	30,017
Melbourne Storm	12 – 6	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	14 April 2012, 5:30pm	AAMI Park	Matt Cecchin Adam Devcich	14,912
Sydney Roosters	12 – 50	North Queensland Cowboys	14 April 2012, 7:00pm	TIO Stadium	Ashley Klein Gavin Morris	10,758[8]
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	14 – 26	Gold Coast Titans	14 April 2012, 7:30pm	Brookvale Oval	Jason Robinson Tony De Las Heras	11,619
New Zealand Warriors	44 – 22	South Sydney Rabbitohs	15 April 2012, 2:00pm	Mt Smart Stadium	Shayne Hayne Alan Shortall	15,378
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	24 – 18	Parramatta Eels	15 April 2012, 2:00pm	Toyota Stadium	Steve Lyons Henry Perenara	14,327
Penrith Panthers	0 – 30	Wests Tigers	15 April 2012, 3:00pm	Centrebet Stadium	Tony Archer Chris James	15,759

Source: NRL 2012 Round 7 – RL Project

• For the first time since Round 26, 2005, St. George Illawarra defeated Newcastle on any of its home grounds.
• For the first time since Round 13 2005, the Cowboys scored 50 or more points against an opponent.
• For the first time in the Panthers history and the 10th time in NRL history, they were held to nil in 2 consecutive games, becoming the first team since West Tigers in Rounds 15 & 16 2004 to do this, it was also the first time the West Tigers held a team to nil in the joint venture's history, and the first time since Round 18 1998 either team in the merger held a team to nil.

Round 8

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
St. George Illawarra Dragons	28 – 24	Sydney Roosters	25 April 2012, 4:00pm	Allianz Stadium	Matt Cecchin Ben Cummins	40,164
Melbourne Storm	32 – 14	New Zealand Warriors	25 April 2012, 7:00pm	AAMI Park	Tony Archer Chris James	20,333
Brisbane Broncos	26 – 6	Gold Coast Titans	27 April 2012, 7:35pm	Suncorp Stadium	Jarred Maxwell Adam Devcich	30,083
Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs	10 – 12	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	27 April 2012, 7:35pm	ANZ Stadium	Shayne Hayne Brett Suttor	24,743
South Sydney Rabbitohs	20 – 16	North Queensland Cowboys	28 April 2012, 7:30pm	ANZ Stadium	Steve Lyons Henry Perenara	12,213
Canberra Raiders	22 – 44	Cronulla Sutherland Sharks	29 April 2012, 2:00pm	Canberra Stadium	Jason Robinson Tony De Las Heras	12,227
Parramatta Eels	30 – 31	Wests Tigers	29 April 2012, 3:00pm	Parramatta Stadium	Ashley Klein Gavin Morris	19,654
Newcastle Knights	34 – 14	Penrith Panthers	30 April 2012, 7:00pm	Hunter Stadium	Gerard Sutton Gavin Badger	16,892

Source: NRL 2012 Round 8 – RL Project

• The Melbourne Storm became the first team since the Sydney Roosters in 1996 to open a season with eight successive wins.
• The South Sydney Rabbitohs won their 1,000th ever premiership match.
• Parramatta scored 30 points in 13 minutes, as they fell short of what would have been the greatest ever comeback in NRL history.^[9]

Round 9

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
Parramatta Eels	12 – 46	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	4 May 2012, 7:35pm	ANZ Stadium	Ashley Klein Brett Suttor	28,214
North Queensland Cowboys	30 – 6	St. George Illawarra Dragons	4 May 2012, 7:35pm	Dairy Farmers Stadium	Tony Archer Gavin Badger	15,006
New Zealand Warriors	30 – 20	Brisbane Broncos	5 May 2012, 7:30pm	Mt Smart Stadium	Ben Cummins Jason Robinson	19,012
Gold Coast Titans	14 – 15	Wests Tigers	5 May 2012, 7:30pm	Skilled Park	Gerard Sutton Alan Shortall	14,254
Penrith Panthers	10 – 44	Melbourne Storm	5 May 2012, 7:30pm	Centrebet Stadium	Steve Lyons Henry Perenara	9,517
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	18 – 12	Canberra Raiders	6 May 2012, 2:00pm	Brookvale Oval	Jarred Maxwell Tony De Las Heras	15,033
Sydney Roosters	24 – 6	Newcastle Knights	6 May 2012, 3:00pm	Allianz Stadium	Shayne Hayne Gavin Morris	12,728
South Sydney Rabbitohs	34 – 28	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	7 May 2012, 7:00pm	ANZ Stadium	Matt Cecchin Chris James	13,281

Source: NRL 2012 Round 9 – RL Project

• Parramatta recorded its worst start to a season since 1960.
• Matt Prior became the first player to be sent off this season for his elbow hit to Cowboys captain Johnathan Thurston.

Round 10

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
Brisbane Broncos	22 – 24	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	11 May 2012, 7:00pm	Suncorp Stadium	Tony Archer Shayne Hayne	41,273
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	14 – 25	Gold Coast Titans	11 May 2012, 8:30pm		Jarred Maxwell Brett Suttor
New Zealand Warriors	30 – 26	Sydney Roosters	12 May 2012, 7:30pm	Mt Smart Stadium	Steve Lyons Henry Perenara	16,220
Newcastle Knights	12 – 32	North Queensland Cowboys	12 May 2012, 7:30pm	Hunter Stadium	Matt Cecchin Gavin Morris	18,191
Canberra Raiders	40 – 34	Parramatta Eels	13 May 2012, 2:00pm	Canberra Stadium	Gavin Badger Adam Devcich	9,210
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	12 – 10	Melbourne Storm	13 May 2012, 3:00pm	Toyota Stadium	Ben Cummins Jason Robinson	14,595
Penrith Panthers	13 – 12	St. George Illawarra Dragons	14 May 2012, 7:00pm	Centrebet Stadium	Gerard Sutton Tony De Las Heras	10,367
Bye: South Sydney Rabbitohs & Wests Tigers

Source: NRL 2012 Round 10 – RL Project

Round 11

Players selected for Game I of the 2012 State of Origin series were not available for this round.

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
Wests Tigers	24 – 22	New Zealand Warriors	18 May 2012, 7:45pm	Leichhardt Oval	Tony Archer Jason Robinson	16,406
North Queensland Cowboys	30 – 28	Penrith Panthers	19 May 2012, 7:30pm	Dairy Farmers Stadium	Steve Lyons Chris James	11,648
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	18 – 10	Sydney Roosters	20 May 2012, 2:00pm	Brookvale Oval	Ashley Klein Jarred Maxwell	12,633
St. George Illawarra Dragons	18 – 19	South Sydney Rabbitohs	20 May 2012, 3:00pm	WIN Jubilee Oval	Shayne Hayne Brett Suttor	14,894
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	26 – 6	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	21 May 2012, 7:00pm	ANZ Stadium	Gerard Sutton Gavin Badger	12,012
Bye: Brisbane Broncos, Canberra Raiders, Gold Coast Titans, Melbourne Storm, Newcastle Knights & Parramatta Eels

Source: NRL 2012 Round 11 – RL Project

• The Dragons became the 5th team to play Golden Point in consecutive weeks.

Round 12

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
Melbourne Storm	34 – 10	Brisbane Broncos	25 May 2012, 7:35pm	AAMI Park	Tony Archer Gerard Sutton	10,054
South Sydney Rabbitohs	36 – 18	Canberra Raiders	25 May 2012, 7:35pm	ANZ Stadium	Ashley Klein Chris James	13,200
Newcastle Knights	14 – 24	Gold Coast Titans	26 May 2012, 5:30pm	Hunter Stadium	Shayne Hayne Alan Shortall	15,792
St. George Illawarra Dragons	14 – 12	Parramatta Eels	26 May 2012, 7:30pm	WIN Jubilee Oval	Jarred Maxwell Tony De Las Heras	12,756
Penrith Panthers	22 – 4	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	27 May 2012, 2:00pm	Centrebet Stadium	Matt Cecchin Gavin Reynolds	11,844
Wests Tigers	26 – 18	North Queensland Cowboys	27 May 2012, 3:00pm	Campbelltown Sports Stadium	Ben Cummins Brett Suttor	13,059
Sydney Roosters	12 – 30	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	28 May 2012, 7:00pm	Allianz Stadium	Adam Devcich Jason Robinson	11,343
Bye: Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks & New Zealand Warriors

Source: NRL 2012 Round 12 – RL Project

Round 13

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
Gold Coast Titans	28 – 12	North Queensland Cowboys	1 June 2012, 7:35pm	Skilled Park	Shane Hayne Alan Shortall	12,092
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	20 – 8	St. George Illawarra Dragons	1 June 2012, 7:35pm	Brookvale Oval	Tony Archer Chris James	11,855
Canberra Raiders	0 – 40	Wests Tigers	2 June 2012, 5:30pm	Canberra Stadium	Gavin Badger Phil Haines	9,210
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	23 – 18	South Sydney Rabbitohs	2 June 2012, 7:30pm	ANZ Stadium	Ben Cummins Gavin Morris	19,409
Brisbane Broncos	50 – 24	Newcastle Knights	3 June 2012, 3:00pm	Suncorp Stadium	Ashley Klein Gavin Reynolds	26,683
New Zealand Warriors	12 – 22	Melbourne Storm	3 June 2012, 4:00pm	Mt Smart Stadium	Matt Cecchin Adam Devcich	20,487
Parramatta Eels	29 – 20	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	4 June 2012, 7:00pm	Parramatta Stadium	Steve Lyons Henry Perenara	10,009
Bye: Penrith Panthers & Sydney Roosters

Source: NRL 2012 Round 13 – RL Project

Round 14

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
Melbourne Storm	6 – 10	Wests Tigers	8 June 2012, 7:45pm	AAMI Park	Shane Hayne Gerard Sutton	11,274
Newcastle Knights	16 – 32	Canberra Raiders	9 June 2012, 7:30pm	Hunter Stadium	Ashley Klein Jared Maxwell	15,114
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	22 – 12	Gold Coast Titans	10 June 2012, 2:00pm	Toyota Stadium	Gavin Badger Jason Robinson	8,635
Sydney Roosters	22 – 40	Brisbane Broncos	10 June 2012, 3:00pm	Allianz Stadium	Adam Devcich Matt Cecchin	9,738
Penrith Panthers	16 – 30	New Zealand Warriors	11 June 2012, 5:30pm	Centrebet Stadium	Steve Lyons Brett Suttor	5,778
Bye: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, North Queensland Cowboys, Parramatta Eels, South Sydney Rabbitohs & St. George Illawarra Dragons

Source: NRL 2012 Round 14 – RL Project

Round 15

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
St. George Illawarra Dragons	20 – 28	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	15 June 2012, 7:35pm	WIN Stadium	Shane Hayne Chris James	16,928
North Queensland Cowboys	12 – 0	Brisbane Broncos	15 June 2012, 7:35pm	Dairy Farmers Stadium	Gavin Morris Jason Robinson	20,367
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	20 – 19	New Zealand Warriors	16 June 2012, 5:30pm	Toyota Stadium	Ashley Klein Steve Lyons	9,271
Parramatta Eels	6 – 24	South Sydney Rabbitohs	16 June 2012, 7:30pm	ANZ Stadium	Alan Shortall Brett Suttor	14,212
Gold Coast Titans	36 – 18	Penrith Panthers	17 June 2012, 2:00pm	Skilled Park	Gerard Sutton Phil Haines	11,591
Wests Tigers	28 – 42	Sydney Roosters	17 June 2012, 3:00pm	Leichhardt Oval	Gavin Badger Ben Cummins	20,327
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	22 – 26	Melbourne Storm	18 June 2012, 7:00pm	Brookvale Oval	Tony Archer Jared Maxwell	12,106
Bye: Canberra Raiders & Newcastle Knights

Source: NRL 2012 Round 15 – RL Project

• For only the second time in the club's history, the Brisbane Broncos were held scoreless in Queensland, it was also the first time the Cowboys have held a team scoreless since the 2005 Preliminary Final.

Round 16 - Women in League Round

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
St. George Illawarra Dragons	8 – 6	Gold Coast Titans	22 June 2012, 7:35pm	WIN Stadium	Gavin Morris Jason Robinson	10,194
Brisbane Broncos	26 – 12	South Sydney Rabbitohs	22 June 2012, 7:35pm	Suncorp Stadium	Tony Archer Chris James	33,602
North Queensland Cowboys	40 – 18	Canberra Raiders	23 June 2012, 5:30pm	Dairy Farmers Stadium	Alan Shortall Brett Suttor	14,344
Penrith Panthers	18 – 19	Parramatta Eels	23 June 2012, 7:30pm	Centrebet Stadium	Adam Devcich Jared Maxwell	15,275
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	20 – 4	Melbourne Storm	24 June 2012, 2:00pm	Virgin Australia Stadium	Gavin Badger Ben Cummins	11,876
Sydney Roosters	14 – 52	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	24 June 2012, 3:00pm	Allianz Stadium	Shayne Hayne Steve Lyons	13,531
Newcastle Knights	38 – 20	Wests Tigers	25 June 2012, 7:00pm	Hunter Stadium	Phil Haines Gerard Sutton	18,637
Bye: Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks & New Zealand Warriors

Source: NRL 2012 Round 16 – RL Project

• Petero Civoniceva (Brisbane) became the 17th player in premiership history to play 300 games.^[10]

Round 17

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
Brisbane Broncos	12 – 26	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	29 June 2012, 7:35pm	Suncorp Stadium	Gavin Badger Jason Robinson	26,268
Parramatta Eels	12 – 20	Newcastle Knights	30 June 2012, 7:30pm	Parramatta Stadium	Matt Cecchin Phil Haines	12,022
South Sydney Rabbitohs	38 – 12	Penrith Panthers	1 July 2012, 3:00pm	ANZ Stadium	Steve Lyons Gerard Sutton	13,096
New Zealand Warriors	35 – 18	North Queensland Cowboys	1 July 2012, 4:00pm	Mt Smart Stadium	Ashley Klein Brett Suttor	15,374
Canberra Raiders	22 – 18	St. George Illawarra Dragons	2 July 2012, 7:00pm	Canberra Stadium	Adam Devcich Jared Maxwell	10,462
Bye: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Gold Coast Titans, Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, Melbourne Storm, Sydney Roosters & Wests Tigers

Source: NRL 2012 Round 17 – RL Project

Round 18

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
Wests Tigers	20 – 32	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	6 July 2012, 7:45pm	Allianz Stadium	Gavin Morris Jason Robinson	19,034
Melbourne Storm	12 – 40	Canberra Raiders	7 July 2012, 5:30pm	AAMI Park	Adam Devcich Gerard Sutton	12,214
Gold Coast Titans	14 – 32	New Zealand Warriors	7 July 2012, 7:30pm	Skilled Park	Matt Cecchin Phil Haines	17,134
South Sydney Rabbitohs	34 – 14	Newcastle Knights	8 July 2012, 2:00pm	ANZ Stadium	Ashley Klein Brett Suttor	16,104
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	40 – 24	Parramatta Eels	8 July 2012, 3:00pm	Brookvale Oval	Shayne Hayne Alan Shortall	16,065
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	14 – 14	Sydney Roosters	9 July 2012, 7:00pm	Toyota Stadium	Chris James Jared Maxwell	13,139
Bye: Brisbane Broncos, North Queensland Cowboys, Penrith Panthers & St. George Illawarra Dragons

Source:

Round 19 - Rivalry Round #1

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
Brisbane Broncos	10 – 8	New Zealand Warriors	13 July 2012, 7:35pm	Suncorp Stadium	Ben Cummins Chris James	32,148
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	32 – 12	Parramatta Eels	13 July 2012, 7:35pm	ANZ Stadium	Matt Cecchin Phil Haines	31,102
Newcastle Knights	32 – 6	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	14 July 2012, 5:30pm	Hunter Stadium	Jason Robinson Tony De Las Heras	20,154
Melbourne Storm	16 – 20	North Queensland Cowboys	14 July 2012, 5:30pm	AAMI Park	Tony Archer Gavin Morris	10,688
Wests Tigers	26 – 18	Penrith Panthers	14 July 2012, 7:30pm	Campbelltown Sports Stadium	Gavin Badger Henry Perenara	12,384
Canberra Raiders	26 – 38	Gold Coast Titans	15 July 2012, 2:00pm	Canberra Stadium	Steve Lyons Gavin Reynolds	8,240
St. George Illawarra Dragons	18 – 10	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	15 July 2012, 3:00pm	WIN Stadium	Ashley Klein Adam Devcich	18,282
Sydney Roosters	22 – 24	South Sydney Rabbitohs	16 July 2012, 7:00pm	Allianz Stadium	Shayne Hayne Alan Shortall	19,934

Source:

Round 20 - Rivalry Round #2

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	12 – 20	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	20 July 2012, 7:35pm	Brookvale Oval	Ben Cummins Brett Suttor	16,820
Gold Coast Titans	14 – 10	Brisbane Broncos	20 July 2012, 7:35pm	Skilled Park	Jared Maxwell Alan Shortall	20,067
New Zealand Warriors	19 – 24	Newcastle Knights	21 July 2012, 7:30pm	Mt Smart Stadium	Adam Devcich Gerard Sutton	15,112
South Sydney Rabbitohs	36 – 14	St. George Illawarra Dragons	21 July 2012, 7:30pm	ANZ Stadium	Tony Archer Gavin Morris	21,019
Parramatta Eels	16 – 10	Melbourne Storm	21 July 2012, 7:30pm	Parramatta Stadium	Tony De Las Heras Steve Lyons	9,029
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	4 – 36	Canberra Raiders	22 July 2012, 2:00pm	Toyota Stadium	Shayne Hayne Henry Perenara	12,139
Penrith Panthers	28 – 16	Sydney Roosters	22 July 2012, 3:00pm	Centrebet Stadium	Ashley Klein Gavin Reynolds	9,646
North Queensland Cowboys	29 – 16	Wests Tigers	23 July 2012, 7:00pm	Dairy Farmers Stadium	Gavin Badger Matt Cecchin	12,357

Source:

Round 21

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
St. George Illawarra Dragons	26 – 18	Melbourne Storm	27 July 2012, 7:35pm	WIN Stadium	Ben Cummins Chris James	11,477
Sydney Roosters	16 – 36	Gold Coast Titans	27 July 2012, 7:35pm	Allianz Stadium	Phil Haines Jason Robinson	8,134
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	32 – 18	North Queensland Cowboys	28 July 2012, 5:30pm	ANZ Stadium	Shayne Hayne Gerard Sutton	15,650
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	24 – 22	New Zealand Warriors	28 July 2012, 5:30pm	Patersons Stadium	Henry Perenara Luke Potter	20,095
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	20 – 21	Penrith Panthers	28 July 2012, 7:30pm	Toyota Stadium	Gavin Badger Steve Lyons	7,848
Canberra Raiders	6 – 36	Newcastle Knights	29 July 2012, 2:00pm	Canberra Stadium	Matt Cecchin Gavin Reynolds	10,260
South Sydney Rabbitohs	32 – 6	Wests Tigers	29 July 2012, 3:00pm	ANZ Stadium	Tony Archer Brett Suttor	29,863
Brisbane Broncos	22 – 42	Parramatta Eels	30 July 2012, 7:00pm	Suncorp Stadium	Tony De Las Heras Ashley Klein	22,626

Source:

• The Warriors became the first team in history to surrender an 18-point lead 2 weeks in a row.

Round 22 - Close the Gap Round

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
Sydney Roosters	26 – 10	St. George Illawarra Dragons	3 August 2012, 7:35pm	Allianz Stadium	Matt Cecchin Gavin Morris	12,528
Melbourne Storm	46 – 6	Penrith Panthers	4 August 2012, 3:30pm	AAMI Park	Adam Devcich Ashley Klein	9,223
Newcastle Knights	10 – 26	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	4 August 2012, 5:30pm	Hunter Stadium	Jason Robinson Brett Suttor	29,482
North Queensland Cowboys	6 – 8	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	4 August 2012, 7:30pm	Dairy Farmers Stadium	Shayne Hayne Gerard Sutton	14,401
New Zealand Warriors	4 – 45	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	5 August 2012, 2:00pm	Mt Smart Stadium	Tony Archer Alan Shortall	13,812
Canberra Raiders	28 – 12	Brisbane Broncos	5 August 2012, 2:00pm	Canberra Stadium	Gavin Badger Chris James	9,850
Gold Coast Titans	18 – 22	South Sydney Rabbitohs	5 August 2012, 3:00pm	Skilled Park	Ben Cummins Phil Haines	20,187
Wests Tigers	51 – 26	Parramatta Eels	6 August 2012, 7:00pm	Campbelltown Sports Stadium	Tony De Las Heras Jared Maxwell	14,822

Source:

• The Sharks win over the Warriors was the biggest winning margin in the entire 2012 NRL Season.

Round 23

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
South Sydney Rabbitohs	6 – 23	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	10 August 2012, 7:35pm	Bluetongue Stadium	Ben Cummins Phil Haines	17,947
Melbourne Storm	24 – 16	Gold Coast Titans	10 August 2012, 7:35pm	AAMI Park	Shayne Hayne Alan Shortall	9,108
Parramatta Eels	36 – 22	Sydney Roosters	11 August 2012, 5:30pm	Parramatta Stadium	Jared Maxwell David Munro	12,193
Wests Tigers	22 – 12	St. George Illawarra Dragons	11 August 2012, 7:30pm	Allianz Stadium	Adam Devcich Gerard Sutton	10,546
North Queensland Cowboys	52 – 12	New Zealand Warriors	11 August 2012, 7:30pm	Dairy Farmers Stadium	Chris James Ashley Klein	13,616
Penrith Panthers	10 – 20	Canberra Raiders	12 August 2012, 2:00pm	Centrebet Stadium	Jason Robinson Brett Suttor	7,437
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	22 – 14	Brisbane Broncos	12 August 2012, 3:00pm	ANZ Stadium	Tony Archer Gavin Badger	19,870
Newcastle Knights	26 – 4	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	13 August 2012, 7:00pm	Hunter Stadium	Matt Cecchin Gavin Morris	15,394

Source: NRL 2012 Round 23 – RL Project

Round 24

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
Brisbane Broncos	18 – 19	Melbourne Storm	17 August 2012, 7:35pm	Suncorp Stadium	Matt Cecchin Chris James	41,467
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	23 – 22	Wests Tigers	17 August 2012, 7:35pm	ANZ Stadium	Ben Cummins Jarred Maxwell	29,194
Canberra Raiders	24 – 20	Sydney Roosters	18 August 2012, 5:30pm	Canberra Stadium	Shayne Hayne Alan Shortall	8,860
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	20 – 7	South Sydney Rabbitohs	18 August 2012, 7:30pm	Toyota Stadium	Tony Archer Brett Suttor	16,463
New Zealand Warriors	16 – 18	Penrith Panthers	19 August 2012, 2:00pm	Mt Smart Stadium	Gavin Badger David Munro	11,014
Gold Coast Titans	24 – 16	Parramatta Eels	19 August 2012, 2:00pm	Skilled Park	Gerard Sutton Steve Lyons	14,159
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	42 – 20	Newcastle Knights	19 August 2012, 3:00pm	Brookvale Oval	Jason Robinson Phil Haines	14,191
St. George Illawarra Dragons	22 – 32	North Queensland Cowboys	20 August 2012, 7:00pm	WIN Stadium	Adam Devcich Ashley Klein	9,245

Source:

• This Round Dragons and Knights both had their finals hopes killed off this week against the Cowboys and Sea Eagles respectively.
• The Tigers played their 4th Golden point game in the season, becoming just the 3rd team to do so.

Round 25

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	16 – 6	Brisbane Broncos	24 August 2012, 7:35pm	Brookvale Oval	Tony Archer Jason Robinson	12,886
Canberra Raiders	34 – 6	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	24 August 2012, 7:35pm	Canberra Stadium	Matt Cecchin Chris James	13,158
Penrith Panthers	36 – 22	Gold Coast Titans	25 August 2012, 3:30pm	Centrebet Stadium	Gavin Badger Steve Lyons	7,297
St. George Illawarra Dragons	38 – 6	New Zealand Warriors	25 August 2012, 5:30pm	WIN Stadium	Adam Gee Jared Maxwell	11,261
North Queensland Cowboys	22 – 14	Newcastle Knights	25 August 2012, 7:30pm	Dairy Farmers Stadium	Ben Cummins Brett Suttor	15,119
Sydney Roosters	44 – 20	Wests Tigers	26 August 2012, 2:00pm	Allianz Stadium	Adam Devcich Ashley Klein	15,736
South Sydney Rabbitohs	38 – 6	Parramatta Eels	26 August 2012, 3:00pm	ANZ Stadium	Phil Haines Gerard Sutton	24,121
Melbourne Storm	20 – 18	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	27 August 2012, 7:00pm	AAMI Park	Shayne Hayne Alan Shortall	12,847

Source: NRL 2012 Round 25 – RL Project

• Parramatta's loss made it mathematically impossible for them to avoid their first wooden spoon since 1972, after Penrith had beaten the Titans the day before to go 2 wins clear and kill off the Titans finals aspirations in the process.

Round 26

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
Newcastle Knights	6 – 18	South Sydney Rabbitohs	31 August 2012, 7:35pm	Hunter Stadium	Matt Cecchin Chris James	24,127
Brisbane Broncos	19 – 12	Penrith Panthers	31 August 2012, 7:35pm	Suncorp Stadium	Shayne Hayne Alan Shortall	35,178
Gold Coast Titans	16 – 24	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	1 September 2012, 5:30pm	Skilled Park	Phil Haines Gerard Sutton	14,927
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	42 – 10	Sydney Roosters	1 September 2012, 7:30pm	ANZ Stadium	Gavin Badger Jared Maxwell	23,391
Wests Tigers	6 – 26	Melbourne Storm	1 September 2012, 7:30pm	Leichhardt Oval	Tony Archer Brett Suttor	10,834
New Zealand Warriors	22 – 42	Canberra Raiders	2 September 2012, 2:00pm	Mt Smart Stadium	Adam Devcich Jason Robinson	11,455
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	22 – 36	North Queensland Cowboys	2 September 2012, 3:00pm	Toyota Stadium	Ben Cummins Ashley Klein	16,829
Parramatta Eels	8 – 29	St. George Illawarra Dragons	2 September 2012, 6:30pm	ANZ Stadium	Grant Atkins Steve Lyons	45,863

Source:

• The Final 8 was confirmed after the Tigers-Storm game, which the Tigers lost 26-6, meaning from this point on no other team could make the 8.
• The Bulldogs won their first Minor Premiership since 1994 with their 42-10 win over the Roosters.

Finals

Week 1 - Qualifying and Elimination Finals

1st Qualifying Final

7 September 2012 7:45pm

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	16 – 10	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Tries: Wright (8') 1 Keating (47') 1 Barba (56') 1 Goals: Inu (10', 49') 2/3	Report	Tries: 1 (27') Taufua 1 (30') B Stewart Goals: 1/2 (31') Cherry-Evans

ANZ Stadium Attendance: 36,420 Referee/s: Ben Cummins, Ashley Klein

• This was the first Finals meeting between these 2 clubs since the 1995 Grand Final.

2nd Qualifying Final

8 September 2012 5:45pm

Melbourne Storm	24 – 6	South Sydney Rabbitohs
Tries: Hoffman (7') 1 Slater (24') 1 Fonua (35') 1 Waqa (46') 1 Goals: Smith (9', 12' pen, 26', 48') 4/5	Report	Tries: 1 (72') Pettybourne Goals: 1/1 (73') Reynolds

AAMI Park Attendance: 19,750 Referee/s: Shayne Hayne, Jason Robinson

• This was the first Finals game between these 2 sides.

1st Elimination Final

8 September 2012 7:45pm

North Queensland Cowboys	33 – 16	Brisbane Broncos
Tries: Morgan (17', 34', 76') 3 Bowen (5') 1 Tate (57') 1 Goals: Thurston (19', 28' pen, 35', 54' pen, 58', 77') 6/7 Field Goals Bowen (79') 1	Report	Tries: 1 (46') Norman 1 (64') Thaiday 1 (71') Copley Goals: 2/3 (47', 66') Wallace

Dairy Farmers Stadium Attendance: 21,307 Referee/s: Matt Cecchin, Gerard Sutton

• This was the first Finals game since 2004 between these 2 sides.

2nd Elimination Final

9 September 2012 4:00pm

Canberra Raiders	34 – 16	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Tries: Earl (19', 22') 2 Ferguson (67', 75') 2 Papalii (36') 1 Buttriss (70') 1 Williams (79') 1 Goals: Croker (23', 38', 56' pen) 3/4 Dugan 0/3 Ferguson 0/1	Report	Tries: 1 (6') Leutele 1 (48') Graham 1 (60') Stapleton Goals: 1/1 (7') Carney 1/2 (50') Stapleton

Canberra Stadium Attendance: 24,450 Referee/s: Tony Archer, Chris James

Week 2 - Semi Finals

1st Semi Final

14 September 2012 7:45pm

Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	22 – 12	North Queensland Cowboys
Tries: Oldfield (5', 63') 2 B Stewart (19') 1 Taufua (52') 1 Goals: Lyon (18' pen, 21', 64') 3/5	Report	Tries: 1 (30') Tamou 1 (45') Winterstein Goals: 2/2 (32', 47') Thurston

Allianz Stadium Attendance: 16,678 Referee/s: Shayne Hayne, Ben Cummins

2nd Semi Final

15 September 2012 7:45pm

South Sydney Rabbitohs	38 – 16	Canberra Raiders
Tries: Everingham (23', 68') 2 Reynolds (8') 1 S Burgess (37') 1 Farrell (44') 1 Inglis (64' pen) 1 Goals: Reynolds (9', 19' pen, 25', 39', 45', 61' pen, 65') 7/8	Report	Tries: 1 (29') Williams 1 (32') Earl 1 (53') Ferguson Goals: 2/3 (30',55') Dugan

ANZ Stadium Attendance: 35,874 Referee/s: Tony Archer, Matt Cecchin

• This was the first Final between these 2 clubs since 1989, and Souths first Finals win since 1987.

Week 3 - Preliminary Finals

1st Preliminary Final

22 September 2012 7:45pm

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	32 – 8	South Sydney Rabbitohs
Tries: Perret (36', 54') 2 Inu (3') 1 Wright (40') 1 Pritchard (50') 1 Eastwood (80') 1 Goals: Inu (38' pen, 40', 61', 80') 4/7	Report	Tries: 1 (8') Luke Goals: 2/2 (9', 22' pen) Reynolds

ANZ Stadium Attendance: 70,354 Referee/s: Ben Cummins, Shayne Hayne

• Souths' loss was their 917th in first grade, surpassing the previous record held by Norths
• This was the first time since 1988 these 2 teams played each other in a Finals match.

^[11] 2nd Preliminary Final

21 September 2012 7:45pm

Melbourne Storm	40 – 12	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Tries: Cronk (5', 44') 2 Slater (9', 66') 2 Chambers (19') 1 Bromwich (60') 1 Proctor (76') 1 Goals: Smith (45', 51' pen, 62', 67', 73' pen) 5/8 Widdop (78') 1/1	Report	Tries: 2 (37', 52') Lyon Goals: 2/2 (38', 53') Lyon

AAMI Park Attendance: 25,543 Referee/s: Tony Archer, Matt Cecchin

Week 4 - Grand Final

30 September 2012 5:00pm

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	4 – 14	Melbourne Storm
Tries: Perrett (25') 1 Goals: Inu 0/1	Report	Tries: 1 (7') Hoffman 1 (32') Slater 1 (39') O'Neill Goals: 1/5 (33') Smith

ANZ Stadium Attendance: 82,976 Referee/s: Tony Archer, Ben Cummins Man of the Match: Cooper Cronk (MEL)

• This was the first Grand Final meeting between these 2 sides.
• It was the Storm's first Grand Final since 2009 which they won 23-16, although it was stripped the next year after they were found guilty of Salary Cap cheating, for the Bulldogs it was their first decider since 2004 where they defeated the Roosters 16-13, it was the first time since the 2006 Grand Final that both Grand Finalists won their last Grand Final.
• Melbourne won their first legal title since 1999.
• For the first time since 2008, the first and second placed teams at the end of the regular season played off in the Grand Final, and like that decider, the 2nd placed team prevailed over the Minor Premiers.

References

1. "2012 Telstra Premiership Draw". NRL.com. Telstra. 5 November 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
2. AAP (22 February 2012). "NRL dumps McIntyre system". ABC News. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
3. Read, Brent (8 March 2012). "Ratings rise augurs well for $1bn TV deal". The Australian (News Limited).
4. "NRL Game Report (Round 2: Roosters&emdash;Panthers)". The Courier-Mail (Brisbane: News Queensland). 11 March 2012.
5. "Rugby League Tables / Streaks". Stats.rleague.com. Retrieved 2013-09-04.
6. "Bulldogs repel Warriors fightback". Wwos.ninemsn.com.au. Retrieved 2013-09-04.
7. https://web.archive.org/20120329211041/http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/game?matchid=NRL20120306. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2012. Missing or empty |title= (help)
8. Mactaggart, Gregor (16 April 2012). "Cowboys want more time on top". NT News.
10. Heming, Wayne (June 19, 2012). "Civoniceva joins elite 300 NRL game club". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
11. http://www.stats.rleague.com/rl/teams/all/overall_wl.html