National Rugby League season 2004
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| 2004 National Rugby League season | |
|---|---|
| Image:NRLlogo.gif Logo of the NRL | |
| Teams | 15 |
| Premiers | Image:Canterbury colours.png Bulldogs (8th title) |
| Minor Premiers | Image:Eastern Suburbs colours.png Sydney (16th title) |
| Matches played | 189 |
| Points scored | 9086 (average 48.074 per match) |
| Attendance | 2,942,231 (average 15,567 per match) |
| Top points scorer(s) | Image:Canterbury colours.png Hazem El Masri (342 points) |
| Top try scorer(s) | Image:Penrith colours.png Amos Roberts (23 tries) |
Fifteen clubs contested the seventh National Rugby League season, the 97th season of professional rugby league football in Australia. The Bulldogs defeated the Sydney Roosters in the grand final, and is doing so claimed their eighth premiership.
Contents |
[edit] Season Summary
The beginning of the season was largely overshadowed with several Bulldogs players questioned by police in relation to an alleged rape of a 20-year old Coffs Harbour woman. An independent investigator, former New South Wales chief of detectives, would later fail to find any evidence of misconduct on behalf of the players, and no charges were pressed.
It would not be the last unsavoury headline for rugby league in 2004, with a crowd incident at a Bulldogs-Roosters game on March 26, whilst two New South Wales State of Origin players were stood down from the squad on May 21 for unprofessional conduct.
During a match between the Broncos and the Tigers, the Broncos fielded 14 men at one stage of the Campbelltown Stadium match. In the 60th minute, Brisbane's Shane Webcke was taken off the ground after being KO'd by Tiger Bryce Gibbs. In the interim, Corey Parker was brought on, with Webcke still being assisted off. Parker immediately scored off a Darren Lockyer pass and started a Broncos revival (they trailed 24-8 at halftime) which later saw them win 24-32. But, an investigation days later stripped the Broncos of two competition points, which were reinstated weeks later.
Rounds 15-16 saw the Wests Tigers kept to zero whilst conceding over 50 points in the space of six days (Dragons 50-0, 20/6/04, Roosters 56-0, 25/6/04). They were also kept to zero by the Sydney Roosters twice in 2004, losing 22-0 in round 9 and 56-0 in round 16. An extra-ordinary scoreline was also seen in a round 25 clash between the St George Dragons and Manly. Trailing 34-10 after 53 minutes the Dragons came back to win the match 36-34. This match stills stands in second-place in the rankings of the biggest comebacks in NRL/NSWRL premiership history.
Several players and coaches also made the headlines for the wrong reasons. Jamie Lyon walked out on the Parramatta club after the first round citing burnout and dissatisfaction with living in Sydney, and would later be linked with Manly in 2006. Coaches Daniel Anderson and Paul Langmack would have their contracts terminated at the New Zealand Warriors and South Sydney Rabbitohs respectively.
Andrew Johns was injured in Newcastle's third game of the season against Parramatta, and subsequently missed the remainder season. The Knights missed the finals of the NRL for the first time since 1996.
Hazem El Masri's tally of 342 points from 2004 still stands as the individual record for most points scored in a season in Australian club rugby league history.
2004 was also notable for the emergence of teenage players Sonny Bill Williams (Bulldogs) and Karmichael Hunt (Brisbane Broncos), and their performances, mature beyond their years, would be critical to the fortunes of their clubs.
The North Queensland Cowboys qualified for the finals for the first time in their ten-year history, and shocked everybody by finishing just one game short of the grand final. During the finals, they won their first ever game against Queensland rivals, Brisbane, thus ending the career of Broncos stalwart Gorden Tallis. Also retiring in 2004 were Brad Fittler, Ryan Girdler, Kevin Campion, Scott Sattler and Robbie O'Davis.
[edit] Season Advertising
In 2004 the NRL and their advertising agency MJW Hakuhodo continued with their use of the Hoodoo Gurus' 1987 hit "What's My Scene" with reworked lyrics as "That's My Team".
In addition to the big 60 second season launch TVC, three shorter executions were produced one targeting young men, another targeting women and one aimed at families. In a year where sexual assault allegations damaged perceptions and the reputation of the code retaining female fans was seen as a massive challenge.[1].
[edit] Ladder
[edit] Finals Series
¹ Game relocated to Dairy Farmers Stadium, the Cowboys' home ground, from Aussie Stadium. Cowboys designated home team despite the Broncos finishing higher on the table.
[edit] Grand Final
| Roosters | Position | Bulldogs |
|---|---|---|
| Anthony Minichiello | FB | Luke Patten |
| Shannon Hegarty | WG | Hazem El Masri |
| Ryan Cross | CE | Ben Harris |
| Justin Hodges | CE | Willie Tonga |
| Chris Walker | WG | Matt Utai |
| Brad Fittler (c) | FE | Braith Anasta |
| Brett Finch | HB | Brent Sherwin |
| Jason Cayless | PR | Mark O'Meley |
| Craig Wing | HK | Adam Perry |
| Adrian Morley | PR | Roy Asotasi |
| Michael Crocker | SR | Willie Mason |
| Craig Fitzgibbon | SR | Andrew Ryan (c) |
| Chris Flannery | LK | Tony Grimaldi |
| Peter Cusack | Bench | Johnathan Thurston |
| Ned Catic | Bench | Corey Hughes |
| Anthony Tupou | Bench | Reni Maitua |
| Chad Robinson | Bench | Sonny Bill Williams |
| Ricky Stuart | Coach | Steve Folkes |
The Bulldogs ended a season of wildly fluctuating fortunes with a 16-13 win over the Sydney Roosters in the last match played of superstar Brad Fittler's glittering 15 season career. Maligned for their disreputable pre-season and incidents of unseemly conduct by players and fans, the Bulldogs showed resilience and character to take out their first premiership since 1995.
Canterbury didn't have the title secure until the final seconds when second-rower Andrew Ryan ankle-tapped runaway Rooster Michael Crocker in a match winning play. Ryan took over the captaincy from departing prop Steve Price who was ruled out days before the decider after tearing his medial ligament the week before.
It was the Roosters' second consecutive grand final loss.
Canterbury Bulldogs 16 (Tries: Utai 2, El Masri. Goals: El Masri 2)
defeated
Sydney Roosters 13 (Tries: Walker, Minichello. Goals: Fitzgibbon 2. Fld Goal: Finch)
Clive Churchill Medallist: Willie Mason
