NRL History

The NRL has provided Australian fans, spectators and punters with some of the most thrilling wins, devastating upsets, lucrative bets, and unforgettable moments in Australian sport. The history of the NRL is extensive, dating back to the origins of the traditional Rugby League competitions held in Australia, including the New South Wales Rugby League that begun in 1908. Since then Australia has run a leading domestic Rugby League competition every year, amassing millions of admirers and enthusiasts and becoming an iconic part of the nation’s identity and one of the highest rating sporting contests.

The National Rugby League (NRL) competition, as we know and love it today, began in 1998 when the Australian Rugby League and the News Ltd. Super League joined in partnership, forever changing the quality and profile of the game.

There are many things to learn and love about the NRL, and the most successful punters are those who know its history. Who are the teams in the NRL competition? What teams have had premiership success? What are and when did the milestones and key historical events in the competition take place? These are the types of things people must know before placing a bet on the NRL, in order to fully understand the nature of the competition and what the form and trends of the game’s leaders have been. This way, wagers and predictions on future NRL games are made with the appreciation and knowledge of the competition’s history. So read on to have all these questions answered and then you will be able to get on board the diverse and exciting NRL betting action!

NRL History – Clubs and Teams:

From its inaugural year until now, 23 different clubs have played in the NRL. Only 11 of these clubs have competed every year. When the NRL was established in 1998, a number of the previous teams in the competition were made redundant including the Hunter Mariners, Western Reds, South Queensland Crushers, Adelaide Rams and the Gold Coast Chargers. There are currently 16 teams that make up the NRL Telstra Premiership competition, and they are:

Brisbane Broncos, Canberra Raiders, Canterbury Bulldogs, Cronulla Sharks, Gold Coast Titans, Manly Sea Eagles, Melbourne Storm, Newcastle Knights, New Zealand Warriors, North Queensland Cowboys, Parramatta Eels, Penrith Panthers, South Sydney Rabbitohs, St George Illawarra Dragons, Sydney Roosters, and Wests Tigers.

NRL History – Premiers:

Below is a list of all the winners and runners-up in the NRL Premiership grand final matches from 1998. Also included are the match score, as well as the teams to win the minor premiership each season, and the wooden spoon teams who ended up in the bottom spot of the ladder board each year. Remember, there are a whole heap of different bet types you can place on the NRL’s stirring games, including Premiership Winners and the Wooden Spoon, so looking at these past results is a great way to get ahead of the pack and place that winning wager!

Year Winner Runner-Up Score Minor Premiers Wooden Spooners

2009 Melbourne Storm Parramatta Eels 23-16 St. George Illawarra Sydney Roosters

2008 Manly Sea Eagles Melbourne Storm 40-0 Melbourne Storm Canterbury Bulldogs

2007 Melbourne Storm Manly Sea Eagles 34-8 Melbourne Storm Penrith Panthers

2006 Brisbane Broncos Melbourne Storm 15-8 Melbourne Storm South Sydney Rabbitohs

2005 Wests Tigers North QLD Cowboys 30-16 Parramatta Eels Newcastle Knights

2004 Canterbury Bulldogs Sydney Roosters 16-13 Sydney Roosters South Sydney Rabbitohs

2003 Penrith Panthers Sydney Roosters 18-6 Penrith Panthers South Sydney Rabbitohs

2002 Sydney Roosters New Zealand Warriors 30-8 New Zealand Warriors Canterbury Bulldogs

2001 Newcastle Knights Parramatta Eels 30-24 Parramatta Eels Penrith Panthers

2000 Brisbane Broncos Sydney Roosters 14-6 Brisbane Broncos North QLD Cowboys

1999 Melbourne Storm St George Illawarra Dragons 20-18 Cronulla Sharks Wests Tigers

1998 Brisbane Broncos Canterbury Bulldogs 38-12 Brisbane Broncos Wests Tigers

NRL History – Milestones of the Competition:

1998: The NRL was formed.

1999: The St George Dragons and Illawarra Steelers merged into the St George Illawarra Dragons, becoming the first merged team in the NRL competition.

The 1999 Grand Final was a match full of firsts and records! The Melbourne Storm became the first Victorian team, and being only in their second season the fastest expansion team, to win the NRL premiership, triumphing over the first joint venture team to make a NRL grand final, St George Illawarra Dragons, 20-18 in front of a world record Rugby League crowd attendance of 107, 999 spectators.

At the end of the 1999 season the South Sydney Rabbitohs were excluded from the NRL in a controversial move.

2000: The Balmain Tigers and Western Suburbs, two of the Australian Rugby League’s foundation clubs, merged to become the Wests Tigers.

2001: The NRL competition is renamed the NRL Telstra Premiership, after Telstra took over major sponsorship.

The traditional afternoon timeslot for the grand final match is abolished, and the first night-time NRL decider is held.

2002: After the 1999 decision to drop the club from the NRL is appealed, the South Sydney Rabbitohs are reinstalled into the competition.

David Gallop becomes the new NRL CEO, replacing David Moffett.

2003: The first year two Sydney teams contested the NRL grand final, when Penrith Panthers beat the Sydney Roosters 18-6.

2005: The Wests Tigers shocked the competition when they defeated the North Queensland Cowboys 30-16 in the 2005 grand final, becoming the first merged team to win the premiership in front of a record national audience of 4.1 million television viewers.

The greatest ever crowd average for a standard NRL season is recorded, with an average of 16 468 spectators attending every game in the 2005 season.

2004: When the Sydney Roosters were defeated by the Canterbury Bulldogs 16-13 in the NRL’s second non-NSW grand final, the Roosters became the team to collect the highest number of Grand Final losses of any NRL club.

2006: For the first time in Rugby League history, two teams outside of the founding state NSW compete in the grand final, when the Brisbane Broncos defeated Melbourne Storm 15-8.

2007: The Gold Coast Titans join the NRL Premiership competition, bringing the total number of contending teams to 16.

2008: The centenary year of Rugby League in Australia was marked by the Manly Sea Eagles’ amazing 40-0 victory over Melbourne Strom in the decider, the biggest winning margin in NRL grand final history. It was also the first time a team had been kept scoreless in a Rugby League Grand Final match since 1978.

Now you know the history of the competition why not see if you can select the next premiers by betting on your favourite! Secure yourself and your team in the history books with a big win!