1999 NRL season

1999 National Rugby League
Teams 17
Premiers Melbourne (1st title)
Minor premiers Cronulla-Sutherland (2nd title)
Matches played 213
Points scored 8857 (total)
41.582 (per match)
Attendance 3,273,372 (total)
15,368 (per match)
Top point scorer(s) Matt Geyer (242)
Top try scorer(s) Nathan Blacklock (24)

The 1999 NRL season was the 92nd season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the second to be run by the National Rugby League. With the exclusion of the Adelaide Rams and Gold Coast Chargers, and the merger of the St. George Dragons and Illawarra Steelers, seventeen teams competed for the NRL Premiership during the 1999 season, which culminated in the first grand final to be played at Stadium Australia. The St George Illawarra Dragons, the first joint-venture club to appear in the grand final, played against the Melbourne Storm, who won the premiership in only their second season.

Season summary

The 1999 National Rugby League season was historic for many reasons. The St George Illawarra Dragons played their inaugural game after forming the League's first joint venture, losing 10-20 to the Parramatta Eels. That game was the second of a double header, which was the first event to be held at Sydney's Stadium Australia, the central venue for the Olympic Games the following year. That game attracted a rugby league world record of 104,583 spectators.

During the season, the members of the Balmain Tigers and Western Suburbs Magpies voted to form another joint venture, to be named the Wests Tigers. After the conclusion of the season, the South Sydney Rabbitohs and North Sydney Bears were excluded from the premiership. The Bears would later form the game's third joint venture with the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, whilst South Sydney would fight a two-year legal battle for reinclusion.

In August the NRL's CEO Neil Whittaker announced that he would resign at the end of the season.[1]

The defending premiers, Brisbane endured their worst ever start to a season, with just one win and a draw from their first ten games, however they would miracuously recover and record 10 wins in a row before hitting a few hurdles along the way, including a draw against Manly in round 24 and a loss against then-bogey team Parramatta at home in round 25. Their champion halfback and captain Allan Langer retired mid-season as a result. The Newcastle Knights also lost an iconic player when 1997 premiership captain Paul Harragon retired mid-season due to a chronic knee injury. The Melbourne Storm's premiership victory saw their captain Glenn Lazarus become the only player to ever win grand finals for three different clubs.

Cliff Lyons, making a comeback from retirement for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, was the oldest player in the NRL in 1999.[2]

Teams

The exclusion of the Adelaide Rams and Gold Coast Chargers, and the merger of the St. George Dragons and Illawarra Steelers, saw a reduction in the League's teams from twenty to seventeen: the largest reduction in the number of teams in premiership history and the first reduction since the exclusion of Sydney's Newtown Jets at the end of the 1983 season.

Auckland Warriors
5th season
Ground: Ericsson Stadium
Coach: Mark Graham
Captain: Matthew RidgeJohn Simon
Balmain Tigers
92nd season
Ground: Leichhardt Oval
Coach: Wayne Pearce
Captain: Darren Senter
Brisbane Broncos
12th season
Ground: ANZ Stadium
Coach: Wayne Bennett
Captain: Allan LangerKevin Walters
Canberra Raiders
18th season
Ground: Bruce Stadium
Coach: Mal Meninga
Captain: Laurie Daley
Canterbury Bulldogs
65th season
Ground: Stadium Australia
Coach: Steve Folkes
Captain: Darren Britt
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
33rd season
Ground: Shark Park
Coach: John Lang
Captain: Andrew Ettinghausen
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
53rd season
Ground: Brookvale Oval
Coach: Peter Sharp
Captain: Geoff Toovey
Melbourne Storm
2nd season
Ground: Olympic Park Stadium
Coach: Chris Anderson
Captain: Glenn Lazarus
Newcastle Knights
12th season
Ground: Marathon Stadium
Coach: Warren Ryan
Captain: Paul HarragonTony Butterfield
North Queensland Cowboys
5th season
Ground: Malanda Stadium
Coach: Tim Sheens
Captain: Noel Goldthorpe
North Sydney Bears
92nd season
Ground: North Sydney Oval
Coach: Peter Louis → Keiran Dempsey
Captain: Jason Taylor
Parramatta Eels
53rd season
Ground: Parramatta Stadium
Coach: Brian Smith
Captain: Jarrod McCracken & Nathan Cayless
Penrith Panthers
33rd season
Ground: Penrith Stadium
Coach: Royce Simmons
Captain: Steve Carter
Sydney City Roosters
92nd season
Ground: Sydney Football Stadium
Coach: Phil Gould
Captain: Brad Fittler
South Sydney Rabbitohs
92nd season
Ground: Sydney Football Stadium
Coach: Craig Coleman
Captain: Sean Garlick
St. George Illawarra Dragons
1st season
Ground: Kogarah Oval & WIN Stadium
Coach: David Waite & Andrew Farrar
Captain: Paul McGregor
Western Suburbs Magpies
92nd season
Ground: Campbelltown Stadium
Coach: Tommy Raudonikis
Captain: Steve Georgallis

Advertising

In a move that polarised some fans, the NRL in its 1999 promotional campaign focussed on the game's grass roots supporters who perhaps had been overlooked and pained in the trauma of the Super League war. Sydney advertising agency VCD, in the third year of their four-year tenure with the NRL, produced an advertisement featuring Thomas Keneally reading his poem, "Ode to Rugby League", which had been commissioned by the NRL. It speaks of the innocent excitement that begins each season. The ad was used at season launch and there was minimal media budget to support it throughout the year. Keneally is a longtime supporter of the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.

We go to the cupboard, we take out club colours.
And the air sings. The season's close.
Our boys are running up sandhills, their legs pump.
This season, this season, this is our season.
This year we all start equal.
Kids paint signs, and I am seven again.
I know I will see heroes soon.
I feel the excitement.
I have hope in March, and I might share in the glory of September.
Blow that whistle, ref.
Send that ball soaring.
Blow that whistle, ref.

Ladder

Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts
1 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 2418062586332+25440
2 Parramatta Eels 2417072500294+20638
3 Melbourne Storm (P) 2416082639392+24736
4 Sydney City Roosters 2416082592377+21536
5 Canterbury Bulldogs 2415182520462+5835
6 St. George Illawarra Dragons 2415092588416+17234
7 Newcastle Knights 2414192575484+9133
8 Brisbane Broncos 2413292510368+14232
9 Canberra Raiders 24131102618439+17931
10 Penrith Panthers 24111122492428+6427
11 Auckland Warriors 24100142538498+4024
12 South Sydney Rabbitohs 24100142349556-20724
13 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 2491142454623-16923
14 North Sydney Bears 2480162490642-15220
15 Balmain Tigers 2480162345636-29120
16 North Queensland Cowboys 2441192398588-19013
17 Western Suburbs Magpies 2430212285944-65910

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 Cronulla-Sutherland 2 4 6 8 10 12 12 14 16 18 20 22 22 24 24 26 26 26 28 30 30 32 34 36 38 40
2 Parramatta 2 4 4 6 6 6 8 8 10 12 14 14 16 18 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 34 36 38
3 Melbourne 2 2 4 6 6 8 8 10 12 14 16 18 18 18 18 20 22 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 34 36
4 Sydney City 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 14 16 18 20 22 22 24 24 24 26 28 30 30 32 32 34 34 36
5 Canterbury 0 2 4 4 6 6 8 10 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 22 22 24 24 26 28 30 32 33 35 35
6 St. George Illawarra 0 0 2 2 4 6 8 8 10 10 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 28 30 30 30 32 34
7 Newcastle 2 2 2 4 6 6 8 9 9 11 13 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 29 29 31 33 33 33
8 Brisbane 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 3 3 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 30 30 32
9 Canberra 2 2 2 4 6 8 8 9 11 11 11 13 13 15 17 17 19 21 21 21 23 25 27 29 29 31
10 Penrith 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 14 16 16 16 18 18 20 20 20 20 20 20 22 24 24 25 27 27
11 Auckland 2 2 4 4 4 4 4 6 6 6 8 8 8 10 10 12 14 14 14 14 16 16 18 20 22 24
12 South Sydney 2 4 4 6 8 8 8 8 10 10 12 14 16 16 18 18 20 22 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24
13 Manly-Warringah 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 6 6 8 8 10 10 10 10 12 14 16 18 18 20 21 23 23
14 North Sydney 2 4 6 8 8 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 12 14 14 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 18 20
15 Balmain 0 2 4 4 6 6 8 10 10 12 12 12 12 12 14 16 16 16 16 16 18 18 18 20 20 20
16 North Queensland 2 2 2 2 2 2 4 5 7 7 7 9 9 9 9 9 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 13 13
17 Western Suburbs 0 2 2 2 2 4 6 6 6 6 6 8 8 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10

Finals series

Home Score Away Match Information
Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd
Qualifying Finals
Sydney City Roosters 8–12 Canterbury Bulldogs 3 September 1999 Sydney Football Stadium Sean Hampstead 23,478
Melbourne Storm 10–34 St George Illawarra Dragons 4 September 1999 Olympic Park Steve Clark 22,053
Parramatta Eels 30–16 Newcastle Knights 4 September 1999 Parramatta Stadium Bill Harrigan 15,653
Cronulla Sharks 42–20 Brisbane Broncos 5 September 1999 Shark Park Tim Mander 13,713
Semi Finals
St George Illawarra Dragons 28–18 Sydney City Roosters 11 September 1999 Sydney Football Stadium Bill Harrigan 31,506
Canterbury Bulldogs 22–24 Melbourne Storm 12 September 1999 Sydney Football Stadium Steve Clark 20,075
Preliminary Finals
Parramatta Eels 16–18 Melbourne Storm 18 September 1999 Sydney Football Stadium Bill Harrigan 27,555
Cronulla Sharks 8–24 St George Illawarra Dragons 19 September 1999 Stadium Australia Steve Clark 51,827
Grand Final
St George Illawarra Dragons 18-20 Melbourne Storm 26 September 1999 Stadium Australia Bill Harrigan 107,999

Chart

  Qualifying Finals Semi Finals Preliminary Finals Grand Final
                                     
1   Cronulla 42
8   Brisbane 20
  1W   Cronulla 8  
2   Parramatta 30   4W   St. George Illawarra 28       St. George Illawarra 24    
7   Newcastle 16   2L   Sydney City 18           St. George Illawarra 18
        Melbourne 20
3   Melbourne 10         2W   Parramatta 16    
6   St. George Illawarra 34   3W   Canterbury 22       Melbourne 18  
  1L   Melbourne 24  
4   Sydney City 8
5   Canterbury 12

Grand Final

Main article: 1999 NRL Grand Final

References & links

  1. sportsillustrated.cnn.com (1999-08-13). "NRL boss Neil Whittaker quits". CNN Sports Illustrated (Australia: Reuters). Retrieved 2009-12-24.
  2. Toohey, Barry (2 February 2011). "Still some bite in old Mad Dog". The Daily Telegraph (Australia: News Limited). Retrieved 2 February 2011.
  3. Mahoney, Blair (2009). Poetry Reloaded. Australia: Cambridge University Press. p. 72. ISBN 9780521746618.
  4. 1999 National Rugby League at rleague.com
  5. D'Souza, Miguel. "Grand Final History". wwos.ninemsn.com.au. AAP. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
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