178-615: The St. George Illawarra Dragons are an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing both the Illawarra and St George regions of New South Wales . The club has competed in the National Rugby League (NRL) since 1999 after a joint-venture was formed between the St. George Dragons (est. 1921) and the Illawarra Steelers (est. 1982). The club officially formed as
356-706: A fourth straight grand final (the first since Parramatta from 1981 to 1984). Against Parramatta, who had finished eighth in the home-and-away season but had won ten of its last eleven matches, the Storm led at one stage by 16 points, before finishing 23–16 winners. Slater won the Clive Churchill Medal , and they were named as the NRL Team of the Decade for the 2000s. In the late 2000s the Melbourne Storm were still running at
534-806: A schism in Rugby football resulted in the formation of the Northern Rugby Football Union (NRFU). The success of working class northern teams led to some compensating players who otherwise would be on their job and earning income on Saturdays. This led to the RFU reacting to enforce the amateur principle of the sport, preventing "broken time payments" to players who had taken time off work to play rugby. Northern teams typically had more working class players (coal miners, mill workers etc.) who could not afford to play without this compensation, in contrast to affluent southern teams who had other sources of income to sustain
712-591: A Finals spot, finishing up in 9th position. Several notable players departed from the club at the end of the season, including Ben Hornby and Dean Young , who both retired from the sport. The start of the 2013 NRL season saw the arrival of few key acquisitions, namely Gerard Beale from the Broncos and Tyson Frizell from the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks . The season was plagued by inconsistent form, alongside injuries and speculation regarding Price's future at
890-547: A boost in May when former dual-code international player Wendell Sailor joined the team. Several notable players departed at the end of the year including Jason Ryles and captain Mark Gasnier . The club finished the season in 7th place, however they lost in the first round of the finals to eventual premiers Manly (whom they defeated 20–18 in round 11) 34–6 at Brookvale Oval ending yet another disappointing season. The era under Brown
1068-426: A deeper V, with more navy blue in the jersey. Gold disappeared again along with most of the white, and the lightning bolts were changed to purple. During 2015 the jersey changed again, for the first time not featuring a V at all, but the V returned somewhat along with the lightning bolts in 2016 with a manufacturer change. In 2018 and 19 the club wore a traditional V uniform and all colours were present, however, for 2020
1246-418: A drop kick from their own goal line, and on the fifth tackle Brett Kimmorley kicked high towards St. George Illawarra's corner of the field. As Melbourne's winger Craig Smith caught the ball over the goal-line he was knocked unconscious in a tackle by Jamie Ainscough and lost the ball. Referee Bill Harrigan deferred to the video referee who ruled a penalty try on the grounds that contact had been made with
1424-420: A faster and more entertaining game to appeal to spectators, on whose income the new organisation and its members depended. In rugby league, points are scored by carrying an oval ball and touching it to the ground beyond the opposing team's goal line; this is called a try , and is the primary method of scoring, worth four points. The opposing team attempts to stop the attacking side scoring points by tackling
1602-635: A generic Adidas design – predominantly red with three white stripes down the sleeves – was adopted as the full-time alternate strip; before another re-design in 2008, which better reflected the old Steelers jersey. Reebok produced supporter and team kits from the 2010 season until 2013. Again the Red V was the Main jersey and the Alternate jersey was a red design with white slash marks. ISC became St George Illawarra's apparel partner in 2014 until 2017. XBlades became
1780-464: A grapple tackle on Brisbane's Sam Thaiday in the match, seeing him miss the rest of the finals, and Craig Bellamy was fined $ 50,000 for making scathing remarks against the judiciary's decision. Melbourne convincingly beat the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 28–0 to qualify for the grand final, but suffered the heaviest Grand Final defeat in league history, beaten 40–0 by Manly . Greg Inglis , Billy Slater , Cameron Smith and Israel Folau all won awards at
1958-579: A home Qualifying final against the Parramatta Eels 18–16 and a home Preliminary Final against Brisbane 30–0 to qualify them for their second consecutive Grand Final. The 2017 NRL Grand Final was played against the North Queensland Cowboys , which Melbourne dominated to earn them their 3rd official Premiership 34–6. Billy Slater won his second Clive Churchill medal. In December 2017, the NRL announced
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#17328631748172136-570: A loss of up to $ 6M per season, however despite this, they were voted the state of Victoria's most popular sports team by a national Roy Morgan Poll in October 2009. In 2010, a number of changes were made to senior management of the club, firstly Brian Waldron resigned his position as CEO to take up the same position at the Melbourne Rebels Super Rugby team, he was replaced by Chief Operating Officer, Matt Hanson. In April, following
2314-437: A mix of the two sports' rules. Much more so than rugby union, rugby league shares significant similarities with North American gridiron codes. Although described as evolving from both rugby and association football , the basic structures of American and Canadian football are remarkably similar to rugby league through a process of parallel evolution: a try-and-goal based scoring system, a set number of plays before handover of
2492-491: A new crowd record with the victorious return to WIN Jubilee against Cronulla. They were consistently placed first on the competition ladder in 2009, contributed by a continuous winning streak of seven games since their win against the North Queensland Cowboys on 14 June. They lost first position after a three-game losing streak while the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs won all games in that period, but remain in
2670-616: A new simpler game that was intended to be a faster-paced form of rugby football. Similar breakaway factions split from RFU-affiliated unions in Australia and New Zealand in 1907 and 1908, renaming themselves "rugby football league s" and introducing Northern Union rules. In 1922, the Northern Union also changed its name to the Rugby Football League and thus over time the sport itself became known as "rugby league" football. In 1895,
2848-461: A number of club songs that are either played over the PA system or exclusively sung by the players at each game; The main song, which was written by Jon Mol and Phil Wall, is called "We Are the Storm" and is played over the public address system following each home victory. In addition, AC/DC song " Thunderstruck " is played at every home game as the team enter the stadium. Lastly, after each victory,
3026-415: A number of league, club and personal records throughout the 2017 season including the NRL games record for the most games played, league record for the most wins as a captain, a personal best for the most points in a game and also scored his 2000th career point and 1000th career goal, the first time any player has achieved this. The Storm continued their success into the 2017 NRL finals and won their first two,
3204-399: A party in the midst of Covid-19 restrictions which were in breach of the code's bio security protocols. The season finished with the club finishing in 11th place, missing out on finals for the third consecutive year. The season started with four wins from the first five games, however over the next 19 games, the club only obtained another four victories, with the club losing eight matches in
3382-492: A place in the 2010 NRL Grand Final . In the 2010 NRL Grand Final , St. George Illawarra defeated the Sydney Roosters 32–8, to secure the club's first grand final victory. The club overcame a poor first half performance to pull a thrilling victory out of the hat. This victory made Wayne Bennett's grand final record at 7 wins from 8 and thus continuing Brian Smith's poor grand final record of 4 losses from 4. Darius Boyd won
3560-722: A premiership with Bennett and the Brisbane Broncos in 2006, won the Clive Churchill Medal for best on ground in the match. The Grand Final victory also ended 31 years of hurt for St. George fans as the club had lost previous finals in 1985, 1992, 1993, 1996 and 1999. St George Illawarra began their 2011 Season with pre-season wins in trials over Canterbury and South Sydney in the Charity Shield. The club also claimed its first World Club Challenge Championship, defeating Wigan Warriors 21–15 at DW Stadium . As of Round 14 2011,
3738-629: A professional level. 45 national teams are ranked by the RLIF and a further 32 are officially recognized and unranked. The strongest rugby league nations are Australia , England , New Zealand , Samoa and Tonga . The Rugby League World Cup is the highest form of representative rugby league. Countries that have contested are Australia , Cook Islands , England , Fiji , France , Ireland , Italy , Jamaica , Lebanon , New Zealand , Papua New Guinea , Russia , Samoa , Scotland , South Africa , Tonga , US and Wales . The 2021 Rugby League World Cup, which
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#17328631748173916-471: A proposal for a joint venture which would see the St George Illawarra Dragons playing in both Kogarah and Wollongong. Essentially, St George would provide the money while Illawarra would provide a broader junior and fan base. With the NRL's intention to rationalise the competition from 20 teams down to 14 teams and with a $ 4M incentive and a relaxing of salary cap requirements for a joint venture,
4094-489: A record 22 points (one try and nine goals) for any first grade player on debut. St. George Illawarra, however, missed out of the finals series, and came 9th. Despite their poor season, Trent Barrett was awarded with the Dally M Medal . In 2003, Nathan Brown, the joint venture's first number 9 achieved the position of coach, becoming the youngest non-playing coach in premiership history at the age of 29. St. George Illawarra finished
4272-412: A result of the breach, NRL Chief Executive David Gallop stripped the club of all titles earned in this period including their 2007 and 2009 premierships, three minor premierships between 2006–08, heavily fined the club, deducted all premiership points earned to that point of the season and barred them from receiving any more for the rest of the season. The club ended up winning enough matches to make
4450-453: A result play stops much less frequently in rugby league, with the ball typically in play for 50 out of the 80 minutes compared to around 35 minutes for professional rugby union. Other differences include that there are fewer players in rugby league (13 compared to 15) and different rules for tackling . Rugby union has more detailed rules than rugby league and has changed less since the 1895 schism. Since rugby union turned professional in
4628-475: A result, St. George Illawarra won the minor premiership for the 2009 and Wayne Bennett's first season at the club, but the team was eliminated from the finals after losing both their finals matches, therefore becoming the first minor premiers since 1993. In the first match they were humbled in front of a packed Jubilee Stadium, before traveling to face Bennett's former team. Brisbane defeated the Saints. Season 2010 saw
4806-434: A row to close out the season after the infamous barbeque. It capped off a mediocre first year under Griffin's reign. St. George Illawarra finished the 2022 NRL season in 10th place and missed the finals. Between round 17 to round 22, the club managed to win only one match which saw them go from 8th to 11th on the table. St. George Illawarra would win their last three matches of the season to finish in 10th position. Before
4984-520: A second time to the Canberra Raiders in round 24. The team has been placed first since round five. The team won its second minor premiership in succession (the first NRL team to do so since the inception of the NRL in 1998) with victory against the Newcastle Knights in the penultimate round of the 2010 NRL season . The joint-venture club had led the competition from round five right through to
5162-415: A team's creative unit or 'playmakers'. During the interactions between a team's 'key' players (five-eighth, half-back, fullback, lock forward, and hooker), the five-eighth and half-back will usually be involved in most passing moves. These two positions are commonly called the "halves". The forwards' two responsibilities can be broken into "normal play" and "scrum play". For information on a forward's role in
5340-401: A value of 2 points when kicked from beyond the 40 metre line. Field position is crucial in rugby league, achieved by running with or kicking the ball. Passing in rugby league may only be in a backward or sideways direction. Teammates, therefore, have to remain on-side by not moving ahead of the player with the ball. The ball may be kicked ahead, but if teammates are in front of the kicker when
5518-472: Is a popular sport in countries such as England , Australia , New Zealand , France , Tonga , Fiji , Samoa , Lebanon , Jamaica , and Malta . The first Rugby League World Cup was held in France in 1954, the first World Cup of either rugby code, and has been held sporadically ever since, settling into a four-yearly cycle in the 2010s; as of 2023 , the holders are Australia . A short-sided version of
St. George Illawarra Dragons - Misplaced Pages Continue
5696-516: Is a shortened version of "Dragonslayers", the original nickname of St George. The emblem features a red shield with a silhouette of St. George , overlaid with a white stylised Dragon , with the words "ST. GEORGE" and "ILLAWARRA" above and below the shield respectively. It was originally intended for St George to face right and the Dragon to face left. In October 2024, the Dragons unveiled a digital rebrand of
5874-468: Is conducted under the direction of the Federation of International Touch (FIT). Though it shares similarities and history with rugby league , it is recognised as a sport in its own right due to its differences which have been developed over the sport's lifetime. Touch is a variation of rugby league with the tackling of opposing players replaced by a touch. As touches must be made with minimal force, touch
6052-521: Is one of the two major codes of rugby football , the other being rugby union . It originated in 1895 in Huddersfield , Yorkshire , England, as the result of a split from the Rugby Football Union (RFU) over the issue of payments to players. The rules of the game governed by the new Northern Rugby Football Union progressively changed from those of the RFU with the specific aim of producing
6230-432: Is the dominant winter sport in the eastern Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland . The game is also among the predominant sports of Tonga and is played in other Pacific nations such as Samoa and Fiji . Researchers have found that rugby league has been able to help with improving development in the islands. In Australia, and indeed the rest of the region, the annual State of Origin series ranks among
6408-536: Is therefore considered a limited-contact sport. The original basic rules of touch were established in the 1960s by members of the South Sydney Junior Rugby League Club in Sydney, Australia . OzTag is a non-contact form of rugby league, and can be seen as a variation of British tag rugby. Cronulla Sharks and St George Dragons halfback Perry Haddock introduced the sport in Australia while coaching
6586-413: Is worth. One of the main differences is the rules of possession. When the ball goes into touch , possession in rugby union is contested through a line-out , while in rugby league a scrum restarts play. The lesser focus on contesting possession means that play focuses more on powerful running, hard tackling, forward progression and the contest for field position (commonly compared to an "arm wrestle"); as
6764-579: The 1953–54 Challenge Cup Final replay at Odsal Stadium , Bradford , England, setting a new record for attendance at a rugby football match of either code. Also in 1954, the Rugby League World Cup, the first for either code of rugby, was formed at the instigation of the French. In 1966, the International Board introduced a rule that a team in possession was allowed three play-the-balls and on
6942-471: The 1999 NRL season . Figure shown is the total attendance which is officially counted for both games. ** The official attendance of the 1954 Challenge Cup Final replay was 102,569. Unofficial estimates put the attendance as high as 150,000, Bradford Police confirming 120,000. Melbourne Storm Melbourne Storm is a rugby league club based in Melbourne , Victoria , Australia that participates in
7120-460: The 2000 NRL season , the club went on to make the finals (finishing 6th), but were eventually knocked out by Newcastle in the quarter-finals. Between 2001 and 2002, the club's on field performances waned, resulting in a 10th-placed finish in 2002. Cracks were starting to appear between John Ribot and Anderson throughout the period, with Anderson quitting as coach after round 7, 2001. He was replaced by Mark Murray . The Melbourne club failed to make
7298-602: The 2007 and 2009 grand finals, but were stripped of those premierships following salary cap breaches . They also competed in the NRL's Under-20s competition (as Melbourne Thunderbolts) from 2008 until its demise in 2017 and in 2018 entered the Victorian Thunderbolts in the Hastings Deering Colts U20s QLD competition. The club has also expanded into netball in a joint venture with the University of
St. George Illawarra Dragons - Misplaced Pages Continue
7476-506: The 2022 NRL season strongly winning seven of their opening eight matches with their only defeat coming against Parramatta . In round 10 however, Melbourne were defeated 32–6 by Premiers Penrith . The following week, Melbourne suffered their biggest loss in the competition since round 18 of the 2013 NRL season when they were defeated 36–6 by North Queensland . In round 18 of the 2022 NRL season , Melbourne were defeated 20–16 by Canberra which meant they had lost three straight matches for
7654-451: The ARL and NZRL . Since rugby league was introduced to Australia in 1908, it has become the largest television sport and 3rd most attended sport in Australia. Neighbouring Papua New Guinea is one of two countries to have rugby league as its national sport (with Cook Islands ). Australia's elite club competition also features a team from Auckland , New Zealand's biggest city. Rugby league
7832-657: The Auckland Warriors (Now known as the New Zealand Warriors) They went on to make the finals, but were defeated by the eventual premiers, the Brisbane Broncos. In January 1999, Executive Director John Ribot negotiated a deal that saw Melbourne Storm games televised in China every weekend. The club won eight of their first eleven games of the 1999 NRL season , and went on to make the finals in third position on
8010-405: The Brisbane Broncos 48–18 at Suncorp Stadium . The following week, St George Illawarra played against South Sydney in week 2 of the finals series and were defeated 13–12 in a tight game. The match was also the first time since 1984 that the two clubs had played each other in the finals. The Intrust Super Premiership NSW St. George Illawarra also had a strong year finishing second at the end of
8188-530: The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks . In early 2006, WIN Television Network bought a 25% stake in the Illawarra Steelers Club for $ 6.5 million, erasing most of the debt Illawarra had to St. George. This formalised the strong support the network has shown for the Steelers in years gone by and ensured that Wollongong continued to host world class rugby league matches. After a bad start to the 2006 NRL season ,
8366-584: The Grand Final . The Storm began its 2013 season with a trip to England where they defeated the Leeds Rhinos 18–14 in the World Club Challenge , to be crowned World Champions. Upon their return to Australia, the Storm began the home and away season where it left off in 2012 winning their first seven games, this combined with games won in late 2012 set a new club record for the most consecutive wins, with
8544-720: The Melbourne Cricket Ground , the Australian Rugby League (ARL) had planned to establish a Melbourne-based team in the Premiership by 1998. However, the disruption caused by the Super League war caused great change to the game in Australia. By May 1997, Super League boss John Ribot pushed for a Melbourne-based club for his competition, which was the rival of the ARL. Former Brisbane Broncos centre Chris Johns became
8722-511: The Minor Premiership finishing in first place at the end of the season, however the club failed to make the grand final losing the preliminary final to Penrith. The club also broke a number of other points scoring records throughout the season including finishing with the highest ever points differential (499 points). Individually, Josh Addo-Carr also scored a club record six tries in a single game against South Sydney . Melbourne started
8900-561: The Minor Premiership finishing six points ahead of the Sydney Roosters , however, their finals campaign was not as successful with ultimately exiting the finals after a defeat in the preliminary final once again to the Roosters. Club captain Cameron Smith also achieved a number of significant milestones throughout the 2019 season, including captaining his 300th game, becoming the game's highest points scorer and also playing his 400th NRL game –
9078-504: The National Rugby League (NRL). The club plays its home games at AAMI Park , and wears a purple and navy blue jersey with gold and white trim. The first fully professional rugby league team in the state, it debuted in 1997 during the Super League war . Following Super League's collapse, the team became part of the newly formed, united competition. They have won four premierships since their inception, in 1999 , 2012 , 2017 and 2020 , and have contested several more grand finals. They won
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#17328631748179256-670: The New South Wales Rugby Football League was founded at Bateman's Hotel in George Street. Unlike in England, where both codes maintained their own geographic areas of dominance, in Australia rugby league went on to displace rugby union entirely as the primary football code in New South Wales and Queensland , while Australian rules football dominated the rest of Australia. On 5 May 1954, 102,569 spectators watched
9434-722: The Ottawa Aces were scheduled to join the English league pyramid, becoming the only Canadian team in the system after the Wolfpack were denied re-entry. The club subsequently relocated to Penryn, Cornwall , and are now known as Cornwall R.L.F.C. In 2021, the North American Rugby League announced an attempt to be North America's professional championship, with Canadian club Toronto Wolfpack joining several USA Rugby League clubs, New York Freedom and Cleveland Rugby League to form
9612-577: The Parramatta Eels 20–10, but by the 4th round they had started to form some cohesion and would go on to achieve a top eight position on the competition ladder by the end of the regular season. In the semi-finals the Dragons won against the Melbourne Storm at Olympic Park, before returning to Sydney to dispose of the Sydney Roosters and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks to reach the Grand Final. In
9790-574: The Parramatta Eels on points difference. After progressing to the finals they defeated local rivals the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 28–22 in the quarter-final of the finals series though the Dragons eventually fell 12–20 to eventual champions the Wests Tigers in the Preliminary Final. The club broke the ground record at WIN Stadium twice in the 2005 season. First against rivals the Sydney Roosters and then at their home quarter final game against
9968-572: The Rugby League European Federation and Asia-Pacific Rugby League Confederation expanding the game to new areas such as Chile , Canada , Ghana , Philippines , Czech Republic , Germany , The Netherlands , Sweden , Norway , Spain , Sri Lanka , Hungary , Turkey , Thailand and Brazil to name a few. The two most prominent full-time professional leagues are the Australian National Rugby League and
10146-422: The St. George and Illawarra regions. In 2010, the Dragons won their second successive minor premiership and became the first team to be awarded the J. J. Giltinan Shield in consecutive years since the National Rugby League was formed in 1998. The Dragons won the 2010 NRL Grand Final against the Sydney Roosters 32–8 at Stadium Australia , Sydney . They then won the 2011 World Club Challenge , defeating
10324-613: The Wigan Warriors 21–15 at DW Stadium in the UK. With its World Club Challenge victory, the club became the first Australian team since the Brisbane Broncos in 1992–3 to win the minor premiership, premiership and World Club Challenge simultaneously. In the wake of the Super League war of the mid-1990s, and the resulting split competition of 1997 , the Illawarra Steelers found themselves struggling financially and seemed unlikely to survive past 1999. The St. George Dragons largely financed
10502-613: The Wooden Spoon after the club had finished 16th the previous year. The club would surprise many however earning victories over Melbourne, Penrith and the New Zealand Warriors who had made the preliminary final in 2023. With two matches left, the club needed just one victory to secure a finals spot but lost both games and finished 11th on the table. The team colours of the St. George Illawarra Dragons are red and white, colours shared by both
10680-466: The 1990s, when News Corporation paid for worldwide broadcasting rights. The media giant's "Super League" movement created changes for the traditional administrators of the game. In Europe, it resulted in a move from Rugby League being a winter sport to a summer one, as the new Super League competition tried to expand its market. In Australasia, the Super League war resulted in long and costly legal battles and changing loyalties, causing significant damage to
10858-518: The 1992 St George Jersey Flegg side. Together with Chris Parkes, the two took the sport to fields across Australia. Today, it is played by over 200,000 players in organised leagues across the country. League Tag replaces tackling with the removal of one of two tags carried on an opponent's hips, attached directly to specific League Tag shorts with Velcro patches, but otherwise retains almost all other rules of traditional rugby league (such as kicking). A number of additional rules are also added relating to
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#173286317481711036-464: The 1999 Grand Final, the club were leading by 14–0 at the break in front of a world record crowd of 107,999. A fairytale of a title in their first year as a joint venture seemed destined to come true; something of an advertisement to any other clubs considering the option of a joint venture, but Melbourne recovered from their poor start and went into the final minutes of the game with St. George Illawarra leading by 18–12. The Dragons were forced to perform
11214-518: The 2006 season – 26–12 at Wollongong in Round 4, 18–16 at Suncorp Stadium in Round 15 and the aforementioned qualifying final match. Season 2007 saw an early injury to Mark Gasnier in the Charity Shield match against South Sydney Rabbitohs creating another poor start for the Dragons. Combined with the loss of key players such as Luke Bailey , Trent Barrett and Shaun Timmins in the off-season,
11392-506: The 2017 Kingstone Press League 1 in their inaugural season and earned promotion to the 2018 Rugby League Championship. In 2019 The Wolfpack won promotion to the Super League, lasting only a few months before having to withdraw due to the ongoing worldwide COVID-19 pandemic . New ownership is currently trying to revive the club with matches against amateur clubs in the US and Canada. Beginning in 2022,
11570-424: The 2017 season. The only variation to this was when an informal logo for the 10th Anniversary was produced however this was only featured on supporter merchandise and not in an official capacity on the jersey. As part of the club's 20th Anniversary, the Storm introduced a new logo used throughout the 2018 season. The logo was a shield based logo with the storm man featured above the words "Melbourne Storm 20 Years". As
11748-647: The British Super League (with teams from New Zealand and France respectively). Other professional and semi professional leagues include Australia's Queensland Cup (which includes a team from Papua New Guinea ) and NSW Cup , the British RFL Championship and RFL League 1 , the French Super XIII and Elite 2 . The Papua New Guinea National Rugby League operates as a semi-professional competition and enjoys nationwide media coverage, being
11926-455: The CEO of the club and Ribot stepped down from the head of Super League to set up the club, with head of News Limited Ken Cowley as chairman. In September 1997, Melbourne announced that Chris Anderson would be their foundation coach, and then Super League announced that the new team would be named the Melbourne Storm. Melbourne teenager Cameron Duncan came up with the name Storm and his winning entry
12104-399: The Dally M Awards, and Slater and Smith finished equal second for the Dally M Medal . Billy Slater was awarded the international player of the year Golden Boot award for 2008, following on from Cameron Smith in 2007. In the 2009 season, Melbourne finished 4th on the ladder; they defeated Manly 40–12 in the first week of the finals and Brisbane 40–10 in the preliminary finals to qualify for
12282-470: The Dally M Medal, with Craig Bellamy and Cameron Smith also winning Coach of the year and Captain of the year respectively. In 2012 the club started very strongly with nine consecutive wins, the club's best start to a season up to that time. A five-game losing streak between Rounds 16 and 21 (the club's second worst losing streak to that time) saw them fall from the top of the ladder. However, from Round 22 forward they recovered their winning form and finished
12460-426: The Dragons and the Steelers ensured their survival by forming the League's first joint venture on 23 September 1998. A joint venture entity being a new concept in Australian rugby league, the public watched closely in anticipation of success or failure. No-one was certain how the top players sourced from the two clubs would perform when they ran out onto the field. They were unsuccessful in their first outing, losing to
12638-405: The Dragons confront fierce local rivals the Bulldogs RLFC . In 2004 and 2005, the club used a jersey similar to the Steelers main jersey for Heritage matches, acknowledging the rugby league history of the Illawarra region, though not as a full-time alternate strip. This jersey was predominantly red with white stripes on the sleeves. With Adidas producing the club's official merchandise from 2006,
12816-577: The Dragons faced NRL newcomers, the Gold Coast Titans , in Round 1. The joint-venture club won the historic match 20–18, however lost 6 more matches after that leaving the Saints sitting in 15th place on the NRL Ladder. This was a very inexperienced Dragons team that seemed destined for a poor injury plagued season. However, in Round 17 (vs Canberra Raiders at WIN Stadium ), the Saints scored four times more points than their previous game average, winning
12994-510: The Dragons have won 10 straight (excluding a 14–14 draw against Parramatta in Round 13). It was announced in March 2011 that Bennett would leave St. George Illawarra after the 2011 NRL season , signing a four-year deal with the Newcastle Knights from the 2012 season onwards. Steve Price was named as his successor. 2012 saw the club with a new coach. St. George Illawarra narrowly missed out on
13172-539: The Illawarra Steelers stake in the club before purchasing the rest of the Illawarra Steelers' share in August 2018. The Dragons reached the grand final in their first season in 1999 , losing to the Melbourne Storm . St. George Illawarra is one of only two clubs (the other being the Sydney Roosters in 1908) to finish runner-up in its inaugural season. St. George Illawarra also fields teams in local competitions within
13350-519: The Mavericks sounded too American. Trams and Flying Foxes were also some ideas that came up. However, CEO Chris Johns and Executive Director John Ribot decided to go with the themes of lightning, power and following a naming competition, the club eventually settled on the name Melbourne Storm. Melbourne teenager Cameron Duncan came up with the name "Storm", with his winning entry chosen from more than 1000 received. The Storm were always going to go with
13528-472: The Melbourne Storm Under 20s Team would play all of its home games at the new facility from 2016 onward. The 2016 season began well for the Storm finding themselves in third place on the ladder after 10 rounds. In Round 5 they scored their 300th NRL win and in Round 9, Craig Bellamy coached his 350th NRL game. On 23 May the Melbourne Storm announced that it had been one of three successful bidders and
13706-534: The Melbourne Storm get back on track from the previous lean years. Now, the Melbourne Storm are here to stay. They are not moving and News Limited is apparently committed to keeping them financially. I am OK with that. I hated Melbourne when they were in place of traditional teams that were expelled, but that's all over now. If they want to persevere in Melbourne, I have no argument. Phil Gould , 21 December 2003 Between 2003 and 2005, Melbourne consistently made
13884-542: The Melbourne club had some early hiccups adjusting to life after Smith, however, from round four, began a winning streak that lasted until Round 23 – 19 consecutive wins, becoming the first team since the Sydney Roosters in 1975 to complete this feat. This was made all the more remarkable because for the second consecutive season the club were forced to once again relocate to Queensland from Round 9 onwards due to COVID-19 outbreaks in NSW and Victoria. The winning run helped them to win
14062-507: The Melbourne team became part of the National Rugby League (NRL). The Melbourne Storm Rugby League Club was unveiled at a function at the Hyatt Hotel – Melbourne in February 1998. In their first game, they defeated the Illawarra Steelers , with Glenn Lazarus as their inaugural captain. Melbourne, in a complete shock to the rest of the competition, won their first four games, before losing to
14240-525: The National Rugby League, this was reduced to ten prior to the 2008 season and further reduced to eight prior to the 2016 season. If a team has to interchange a player due to the blood bin rule or due to injury, and this was the result of misconduct from the opposing team, the compromised team does not have to use one of its allocated interchanges to take the player in question off the field. The backs are generally smaller, faster and more agile than
14418-515: The Premiership ladder. The team was beaten convincingly 34–10 in the quarter final by St. George Illawarra . After narrow victories against the Canterbury Bulldogs and the Parramatta Eels ; however, Melbourne once more faced St. George Illawarra in the grand final. The Storm staged a late comeback in the game to win 20–18, securing their first premiership. Melbourne's Premiership defence began relatively slowly losing their first four games of
14596-620: The St George Dragons). Rugby league Rugby league football , commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby XIII in non- Anglophone Europe and South America, and referred to colloquially as football , footy , rugby , or league in its heartlands, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 m (74 yd) wide and 112–122 m (122–133 yd) long with H-shaped posts at both ends. It
14774-521: The St. George Dragons and Illawarra Steelers. The merged entity's logo was taken directly from that of St George, with the addition of "Illawarra" to the bottom of the emblem. The emblem reflected the rich history of the St George Dragons, including an unprecedented and unmatched 11 consecutive premierships from 1956 to 1966, and the future strength of the club with the Illawarra. The club name Dragons,
14952-650: The Storm also announced a new feeder partnership with the Sunshine Coast Falcons . This would complement their existing relationship with Brisbane Easts with a view to establishing a permanent footprint in the Sunshine Coast Area. 2015 began successfully for the Storm with the club finding itself on top of the ladder by Round 7. In April Storm CEO Mark Evans announced that he was returning to England and completed his tenure as CEO in June of that year. Dave Donaghy
15130-495: The Storm players also sing "We are the mighty Melbourne Storm" in the dressing rooms. The song is sung to the same tune as the US Marines' Hymn . The St. George Illawarra and Melbourne rivalry was at its highest in the years following the 1999 NRL Grand Final . In this game, Melbourne narrowly beat St. George Illawarra, with a late penalty try putting the Melbourne club in front. The following year, Anthony Mundine declared that
15308-646: The Storm since its inception in 1997. On 9 June 2013 Captain Cameron Smith played his 250th game for the club. The Storm managed to finish 3rd in 2013 ; however, successive losses to the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Newcastle Knights in the finals saw the Storm miss the Preliminary Finals for the first time since 2005 (excluding 2010 ). The 2014 season saw a number of milestones achieved, both Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk played their 250th games and Craig Bellamy reached 300 games as coach. In mid 2014
15486-518: The Storm sports Academy and in effect be a second Queensland Team. The announcement is to establish the Storm as not just a Rugby League club but a sporting and community club. "Melbourne Storm have partnered with the University of the Sunshine Coast for this project and we're both very proud and excited to have reached the preferred bidder stage for a licence in the new National Netball League ," At
15664-552: The Sunshine Coast . Since 2017 , Sunshine Coast Lightning have played in Suncorp Super Netball . I've always thought rugby league would be a success in Melbourne. They've got to start down here sometime and the earlier the better. Melburnians love their sport and I'm sure they'd get behind rugby league. But they won't accept rubbish and that's the key to it Ron Barassi , 1997 Following record attendances at State of Origin fixtures in Melbourne of 87,161 in 1994 at
15842-523: The amateur principle. In 1895, a decree by the RFU banning the playing of rugby at grounds where entrance fees were charged led to twenty-two clubs (including Stockport, who negotiated by telephone) meeting at the George Hotel, Huddersfield , on 29 August 1895 and forming the "Northern Rugby Football Union". Within fifteen years of that first meeting in Huddersfield, more than 200 RFU clubs had left to join
16020-447: The ball comes into contact with the ground. An attacking team gets a maximum of six tackles to progress up the field before possession is changed over. Once the tackle is completed, the ball-carrier must be allowed to get to his feet to ' play-the-ball '. Ball control is also important in rugby league, as a fumble of the ball on the ground forces a handover, unless the ball is fumbled backwards. The ball can also be turned over by going over
16198-421: The ball is kicked, they are deemed off-side. Tackling is a key component of rugby league play. Only the player holding the ball may be tackled. A tackle is complete, for example, when the player is held by one or more opposing players in such a manner that he can make no further progress and cannot part with the ball, or when the player is held by one or more opposing players and the ball or the hand or arm holding
16376-580: The bodies that split to create a new form of rugby, distinct from that run by the Rugby Football Unions, in Britain, Australia, and New Zealand between 1895 and 1908. The first of these, the Northern Rugby Football Union , was established in 1895 as a breakaway faction of England's Rugby Football Union (RFU). Both organisations played the game under the same rules at first, although the Northern Union began to modify rules almost immediately, thus creating
16554-408: The celebrations concluded, the club rebranded and replaced the 20th Anniversary logo with another new logo. The current Logo is a derivation of the 20-year logo featuring no shield and a more bold "Melbourne Storm" and the club has also dropped the colour Yellow from the logo. There is also a second official version of this logo in all white which features on the home jersey. The Melbourne Storm have
16732-508: The club and rugby league in general with immediate effect to pursue a career in boxing . The Dragons were not going well in the first half of the 2000 season, and the main coach David Waite was replaced with assistant coach, Andrew Farrar . Soon after the replacement of coaches, St. George Illawarra recorded their best ever win. They defeated the New Zealand Warriors 54–0 in round 14 at WIN Stadium, with debutant Amos Roberts scoring
16910-407: The club as the head coach until the end of the 2021 NRL season after the side had won four of their first six games. St. George Illawarra would then go to only win three of their next 17 matches which left them second last on the table above the last placed Gold Coast. On 2 September 2019, it was revealed that McGregor's position at head coach would be coming under review following the conclusion of
17088-526: The club lose seven matches – the same tally as in the 2009 home-and-away season, against eventual wooden spooners the Melbourne Storm , 2008 premiers the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles , their perennial bogey team the Canberra Raiders , 2003 premiers the Penrith Panthers in round 17, the Gold Coast Titans in extra time in round 20, Bennett's old team the Brisbane Broncos in round 21 and
17266-400: The club put on a midseason seven/game winning streak. This was followed by a form slump, with a record five consecutive losses, only to return to form with a victory over the Wests Tigers , and continue this positive form leading into the finals. The club ended the regular season in sixth position. In the finals campaign, St George Illawarra faced the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium in
17444-500: The club returning to the finals in 2015 and enjoying a successful year. In the 2017 NRL season , St George Illawarra lead the competition after the first eight rounds before a dramatic slide which saw the club record only six wins for the rest of the season. In the final match of the regular season, St George Illawarra played against Canterbury with a win guaranteeing them a finals spot and jumping ahead of North Queensland. With under ten minutes to play, St George Illawarra were ahead on
17622-542: The club's future. A notable incident that occurred during 2004 was the 18-game suspension of Danny Williams following a king-hit on Wests Tigers ' player Mark O'Neill . It was the longest suspension in Australian rugby league since 1987. By 2005, Storm coach Craig Bellamy, in his third season as an NRL coach, gained representative honours when he was selected to start coaching the Country Origin team. Season 2006 saw
17800-460: The club. Melbourne finished on top of the ladder after the 26 rounds of regular competition and despite becoming the first minor premiers since the McIntyre final eight system was introduced to lose their opening finals game (15–18 to the New Zealand Warriors ), they then defeated the Brisbane Broncos 16–14, scoring in the last minute of their semi-final. Cameron Smith was suspended for two matches for
17978-483: The club. After winning three straight matches on the lead up to the annual Anzac Day clash with the Sydney Roosters , it was announced that Price would be signed for another year with an option for a second at the clubs disposal. Despite the clubs faith in Price as well as the arrival of star fullback Josh Dugan from Canberra – in a mid-season transfer, the club was unable to string together consistent performances and finished
18156-469: The code in an extremely competitive sporting market. In 1997 two competitions were run alongside each other in Australia, after which a peace deal in the form of the National Rugby League was formed. The NRL has since become recognised as the sport's flagship competition and since that time has set record TV ratings and crowd figures. The objective in rugby league is to score more points through tries , goals and field goals (also known as drop goals) than
18334-450: The colours of their state, Victoria (navy blue with a white 'V'), but club consultant at the time, Peter McWhirter of the JAG fashion house, suggested that they should also have purple and gold to make their merchandise more attractive. Therefore, the official colours of the Storm are navy blue and purple (main colours) and white and yellow (minor colours). All four of these colours appeared in
18512-537: The conclusion of the 2016 NRL season Melbourne finished in first place claiming their second legitimate Minor Premiership. They qualified for the NRL Finals series winning their first two finals and thus making it through to the 2016 NRL Grand Final against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks . The game was a very hard-fought match, as the game hung in the balance until the dying second but the Cronulla side hung on to win. 2017
18690-457: The final round, spending 21 consecutive weeks on top of the ladder and therefore spending the longest period of time on top of the ladder in NRL history (not including the Melbourne Storm). St George Illawarra met Manly in the first week of the 2010 finals and produced a 28–0 victory. St. George Illawarra then defeated Wests Tigers 13–12 with Jamie Soward kicking the winning field goal for
18868-511: The finals in 2001. Johns left the club as CEO at the end of 2002 and coach Murray was sacked due to Melbourne's poor form, with the club missing the finals for the second year in a row. Wayne Bennett 's assistant coach at the Brisbane Broncos, Craig Bellamy was announced as the new coach of Melbourne for 2003, and in addition, a new captain in Kiwi international skipper Stephen Kearney . Bellamy's strict coaching had an almost immediate effect and saw
19046-447: The finals, but automatically finished in last place due to the penalties. Melbourne did have something to celebrate in 2010 with the opening of their new home ground AAMI Park in May. The stadium was expected to be used right from the beginning of the season, however, construction delays postponed the opening. Following the salary cap scandal, the club needed to shed a number of players and rebuild. They managed this successfully and over
19224-476: The finals, but lost games in the semi-finals which prevented them from reaching the grand final. This period also saw the arrival and rise of young Queenslanders Billy Slater , Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk . Unheard of at the start of 2003, the steady hooker and dummy-half Smith provided solid support to existing established players in Matt Orford and his forwards and also provided supporters with confidence of
19402-461: The first 20 years during a gala evening at Crown Casino. Continuing on from the success in 2017, the Storm once again played very well throughout the year ultimately being pipped for the Minor Premiership on points difference. The Storm once again made the grand final, however, lost to the Sydney Roosters to end the season runner-up. In 2019, the club returned to the top of the table, winning
19580-660: The first NRL player to do so. The Storm were looking to continue their success into 2020 but 2020 became somewhat of an extraordinary year. The global COVID-19 pandemic hit Australia in late February forcing all games behind closed doors and then a total suspension and reorganization of the season. After the situation in Victoria deteriorated in June, the Storm were forced to relocate to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland to complete their season. Melbourne would go on to finish second on
19758-482: The first round, St. George Illawarra won the game 20–4. In the second round, they met the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles at the Sydney Football Stadium winning 28–0. In the grand final qualifier, they played the Melbourne Storm , where the club went down 24–10 bowing out of season 2006. St. George Illawarra could take solace from the fact that they did defeat the eventual premiers, Brisbane, three times during
19936-517: The first time since the 2015 NRL season . Melbourne would finish the 2022 regular season in fifth place on the table which was their lowest finish since the 2014 NRL season . In the elimination final, Melbourne were upset 28–20 by Canberra which ended their season. Originally, the club favoured the name Melbourne Mavericks with a gunslinger logo holding a fistful of dollars. The club officials were all set to go with this until News Limited's Lachlan Murdoch told them to go with something else because
20114-611: The five years prior to the Second World War , the sport's popularity increased as Frenchmen became disenchanted with the state of French rugby union in the 1930s. However, after the Allied Forces were defeated by Germany in June 1940, the Vichy regime in the south seized assets belonging to rugby league authorities and clubs and banned the sport for its association with the left-wing Popular Front government that had governed France before
20292-530: The football, each play restarting from a set piece position and ended by a tackle. Although the Canadian Football League in particular maintained the word 'rugby' in its name for many years, alluding to that shared past, the introduction of the forward pass and unlimited substitution in North American games created a fundamentally different species of game from either original rugby code. Although
20470-514: The formation of a women's competition with Melbourne Storm expressing their interest in applying for a licence to participate in the inaugural NRL Women's season. Following the club's premiership in 2017, the Storm hosted the 2018 World Club Challenge at AAMI Park in February and also defeated the Leeds Rhinos to win the title 38–4. 2018 was also a special year for the club as it celebrated its 20th anniversary and in March announced their team of
20648-407: The forwards. They are often the most creative and evasive players on the field, relying on running, kicking and handling skills, as well as tactics and set plays, to break the defensive line, instead of brute force. Generally forwards play a more collision oriented game, making ground by pure strength, and tackling near the play-the-ball. Usually, the stand-off/five-eighth and scrum-half/half-back are
20826-406: The fourth tackle a scrum was to be formed. This was increased to six tackles in 1972 and in 1983 the scrum was replaced by a handover. 1967 saw the first professional Sunday matches of rugby league played. The first sponsors, Joshua Tetley and John Player , entered the game for the 1971–72 Northern Rugby Football League season . Television had an enormous impact on the sport of rugby league in
21004-616: The game's first joint-venture club on 23 September 1998 and remains the only inter-city team in the NRL. The team has its headquarters and leagues clubs in both Wollongong and the Sydney suburb of Kogarah , and trains and plays games regularly at WIN Stadium in Wollongong, as well as at Jubilee Oval in Kogarah. From 1999 to 2006 the club was jointly owned by the St. George Dragons 50% and Illawarra Steelers 50%. In 2006 WIN Corporation purchased 50% of
21182-526: The head, giving Melbourne a 20–18 lead and the premiership title. In the 2000 NRL season though they had a rough start, and in Round 5, St. George Illawarra recorded their worst defeat for the club, losing 70–10 against the Melbourne Storm . This was the first game these two teams played against each other since the 1999 grand final, and was played at the MCG . On 3 May to the surprise and shock of fans and club officials, Anthony Mundine announced his retirement from
21360-411: The historic link between the codes continues to be acknowledged, neither Canadian or American football is commonly considered a rugby code today except in the broadest sense, and are more commonly referred to collectively as gridiron codes, or simply as 'football' within their respective countries. Players on the pitch are divided into forwards and backs , although the game's rules apply to all players
21538-424: The iconic primary logo, which has defined the St George Illawarra Dragons since the club's inception. The primary shield logo continues to feature prominently on club jerseys, ensuring that the heritage and essence of the club remain firmly rooted in their visual identity. However, it is in the digital space where the new logo will take centre stage. This update aims to simplify the logo, while respecting and preserving
21716-405: The jersey chest, while maintaining the players' names on the back until the end of 2001. In 2002, the Storm removed the players' names and displayed Adecco's logo on the back. Since then the Storm have had varying sponsors adorning the jersey. The club's original logo of "Storm Man" riding over storm clouds and throwing a bolt of lightning was in place from the club's inception through to the end of
21894-464: The jersey has returned to an all navy blue and purple jersey. Between 1998 and 2001, Melbourne was the only club to display player names on the back of jerseys. This was because there was no major sponsor for the Storm to display on the chest or back at the time. It also helped supporters new to the game identify the players. In 2001, Melbourne gained its first major sponsor in Adecco, which was displayed on
22072-634: The kicker. The Super League in Europe and the National Rugby League (NRL) in Australasia are the world's premier club competitions. Globally, rugby league is played internationally , predominantly by European , Australasian , and Pacific Island countries, and is governed by the International Rugby League . Rugby league is the national sport of Papua New Guinea and the Cook Islands and
22250-406: The ladder for the first time. Melbourne only lost four games in the season, making them outright leaders by four wins. They went on to win their two finals matches, and were favourites in the 2006 NRL Grand Final , but lost 15–8 to the Brisbane Broncos, in a match where controversial refereeing decisions against Melbourne caused much media coverage. In 2007, the Storm finished the season on top of
22428-415: The landscape. The Sunday Age , 1999 The Melbourne club then went forward with signing players, mainly from folding Super League clubs Perth Reds and Hunter Mariners . These players included Rodney Howe , Robbie Kearns , Matt Geyer , Paul Bell , Robbie Ross , Glenn Lazarus , Brett Kimmorley and Scott Hill . With the Super League and ARL joining into one competition for the 1998 season,
22606-504: The league's inaugural season. Several brand new clubs from Western USA were scheduled to join in 2022 but never played. The new competition is sanctioned by Canada Rugby League , but not yet by the United States governing body. Unfortunately, while some exhibition matches were played in 2021 and 2022, NARL was defunct by 2023 The early 21st century has seen other countries take up the game and compete in international rugby league with
22784-405: The logo until yellow was removed in 2018. In the home jersey, the colours have varied over the years. Between 1998 and 2004 these four colours appeared on various designs but between 2005 and 2009, gold was completely removed and silver introduced. Between 2010 and 2012, gold returned, silver was omitted and purple became the dominant colour in the jersey. For 2013 a new design was announced featuring
22962-504: The main jersey for the new club. The red used was changed to the scarlet tone used by the Steelers. The alternate jersey initially used by the club was red and white horizontal stripes, similar to the 1921 St George Jersey known as the "blood and bandages". Since 2006, this Jersey has been reserved for use as the St George Illawarra Heritage Jersey for special occasions. This Jersey is worn during Heritage Round , when
23140-463: The main supplier for the 2018 season and ended their contract in 2020. Classic Sportswear currently produce the club's team kits and supporter gear. The Dragons have two home grounds, reflecting the joint nature of the club: Half of the Dragons home matches are played at WIN Stadium (previously the home ground of the Illawarra Steelers) and the half at Jubilee Oval (previously the home of
23318-425: The match 58–16, equalling their highest ever score and their largest victory in three years. The club's season ended with a 28–24 loss to the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles at Brookvale Oval, finishing in 13th place, their lowest finish to date. 2008 saw the end of an era, with coach Nathan Brown 's contract not renewed after yet another poor start to the season, winning one of their first six matches. The club received
23496-453: The mid-1990s, it has increasingly borrowed techniques, tactics and even laws from rugby league, while high-profile players and coaches from the league game have increasingly gone on to success in the union code in those countries where both codes are popular (e.g. Andy Farrell , Jason Robinson and Henry Paul ). The inherent similarities between rugby league and rugby union have at times led to experimental hybrid games being played that use
23674-530: The most popular sporting events. The Rugby League European Federation are responsible for developing rugby league in Europe . In England, rugby league has traditionally been associated with the historic northern counties of Yorkshire , Lancashire , and Cumberland , where the game originated, especially in towns and cities along the M62 corridor . Its popularity has also increased elsewhere. As of 2024 , only two of
23852-413: The national sport of the country. Five main variant sports of rugby league exist worldwide; Touch , OzTag , League tag , Nines , and Sevens . Touch, OzTag, and League Tag are all non-contact versions of the sport, where as Nines and Sevens are both reduced form (shorter match times and smaller teams) of the sport. Touch (also known as touch football or touch rugby) is a variant of rugby league that
24030-498: The new Super League, although the club was dissolved in 1997. In 2006, the Super League admitted the Catalans Dragons, a team from Perpignan in the southern Languedoc-Roussillon region. They have subsequently reached the 2007 Challenge Cup Final and made the playoffs of the 2008 Super League XIII season. The success of the Dragons in Super League has initiated a renaissance in French rugby league, with new-found enthusiasm for
24208-402: The next two years the Storm returned to the top of the ladder. In 2011 the club won what, after the salary cap penalties, was considered the club's first Minor Premiership and that season also included a club record twelve consecutive wins, however, Melbourne fell just short the grand final, losing the preliminary final against New Zealand . At the 2011 Dally M Awards night, Billy Slater won
24386-455: The north of England there have been complaints about its lack of profile in the British media. On the eve of the 2017 Rugby League World Cup final where England would face Australia, English amateur rugby league coach Ben Dawson stated, "we're in the final of a World Cup. First time in more than 30 years and there's no coverage anywhere". France first played rugby league as late as 1934, where in
24564-404: The only NRL club to gain a licence to field a Netball side in a new expanded Australian Netball League to commence in 2017. The Melbourne club were nominated by Netball Australia as a preferred bidder for one of three new team licences under their expansion plans and on 17 August 2016 it was announced that the new team will be called Sunshine Coast Lightning and be based on the Sunshine Coast at
24742-475: The opposition within the 80 minutes of play. If after two-halves of play, each consisting of forty minutes, the two teams are drawing , a draw may be declared, or the game may enter extra time under the golden point rule, depending on the relevant competition's format. The try is the most common form of scoring, and a team will usually attempt to score one by running and kicking the ball further upfield or passing from player-to-player in order to manoeuvre around
24920-400: The opposition's defence. A try involves touching the ball to the ground on or beyond the defending team's goal-line and is worth four points. A goal is worth two points and may be gained from a conversion or a penalty . A field goal, or drop goal, is only worth one point and is gained by dropping and then kicking the ball on the half volley between the uprights in open play. A field goal has
25098-471: The parent sport, and retains key aspects of that sport such as an egg shaped ball, the forward-pass rule and conversions. While not a Paralympic sport, the sport has its own Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup . A further variation for ambulatory disabled players, physical disability rugby league , was created and had its first world cup in 2022 to coincide with the rescheduled 2021 Rugby League World Cup competitions. Rugby league football takes its name from
25276-403: The player carrying the ball and denying forward progress. On occasion, where a clear try scoring opportunity has been thwarted by foul play, a penalty try may be awarded without the ball being grounded over the try line. In addition to tries, points can be scored by kicking goals. Drop goals (or field goals) can be attempted from the hand at any time for a single point. Following a successful try,
25454-542: The position they play, similarly to association football . Substitutes (generally referred to as "the bench") are allowed in the sport, and are typically used when a player gets tired or injured , although they can also be used tactically. Each team is currently allowed four substitutes, and in Australia and New Zealand, these players occupy shirt numbers 14 to 22. There are no limitations on which players must occupy these interchangeable slots. Generally, twelve interchanges are allowed in any game from each team, although in
25632-484: The regular season were they made the preliminary final but were defeated 28–26 by Canterbury. In August 2018 WIN Corporation purchased the Illawarra Steelers remaining 25% stake in the club for a "commercially in confidence" sum. The St George Dragons and WIN Corporation now have a 50% stake each. WIN Corporation has paid off the $ 6 million debt the St. George Illawarra Dragons owed the NRL. The club's home venues will continue to be WIN Stadium and Jubilee Stadium. Before
25810-433: The regular season with five straight wins, ending the regular season in second place on the table. Storm began their finals campaign with a 24–6 win over South Sydney Rabbitohs . Storm played its fifth Preliminary Final in six years, this time defeating Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 40–12 at AAMI Park . Following this they went on to claim their second official Premiership defeating the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 14 – 4 in
25988-493: The retirement of captain Robbie Kearns and the emergence of talented rookie halfback Cooper Cronk who took over the position from Matt Orford and in addition, the recruitment of hard-man Michael Crocker . The club also moved away from a single captain, electing to use a rotating captains policy, including Cameron Smith for the first time. Contrary to expectation, 2006 was a standout year for the Melbourne team, finishing on top of
26166-402: The rich heritage of the Dragons. The dragon in the new secondary logo has been adapted directly from the one within the traditional shield, ensuring a respectful tribute to the past while meeting the demands of today’s digital world. When the St George Illawarra Dragons were formed in 1998, it was decided that the jersey of St George (first used in 1945), the famous "Red V" on white, would become
26344-577: The rugby league. In 1897, the line-out was abolished and in 1898 professionalism introduced. In 1906, the Northern Union changed its rules, reducing teams from 15 to 13 a side and replacing the ruck formed after tackles with the play-the-ball . By this point, rule changes meant the game organised by the RFL was distinct as a sport from its union cousin. A similar schism to that which occurred in England took place in Sydney , Australia. There, on 8 August 1907
26522-454: The salary cap revelations, Matt Hanson was then stood down and Ron Gauci appointed. On field, the Storm's first match of the season was the 2010 World Club Challenge against equally dominant English side, the Leeds Rhinos ; in very cold and wet conditions the Storm prevailed 18 – 10. On 22 April 2010 the club admitted that it had breached the NRL's salary cap. The NRL estimated the breach to be in excess of $ 1.7 million over five years. As
26700-501: The same way. Each position has a designated number to identify himself from other players. These numbers help to identify which position a person is playing. The system of numbering players is different depending on which country the match is played in. In Australia and New Zealand, each player is usually given a number corresponding to their playing position on the field. However, since 1996 European teams have been able to grant players specific squad numbers, which they keep without regard to
26878-510: The scoreboard before two quick tries gave Canterbury a 26–20 victory. The 2018 NRL season saw the arrival of two star signings, English international James Graham and the Australian and Queensland halfback Ben Hunt . These signings and a successful season culminated in the club returning to the finals in 2018 and enjoyed a successful year. On 9 September 2018, St. George Illawarra Dragons won their first qualifying final in 8 years, defeating
27056-400: The scoring team gains a free kick to try at goal with a conversion worth a further two points. Penalty kicks at goal, known simply as penalties, may also be awarded for general foul play, and are also worth two points. Unlike drop goals, penalty kicks and conversions are taken from the ground, with the ball usually set in a kicking tee , and the opposing team not allowed to directly challenge
27234-496: The scrum see rugby league scrummage . Forward positions are traditionally named after the player's position in the scrum yet are equal with respect to "normal play" with the exception of the hooker. Forward positions are traditionally assigned as follows: Rugby league is played in over 70 nations throughout the world. Papua New Guinea is the only country to have rugby league as its national sport . Four countries – Australia, England, France, and New Zealand – have teams that play at
27412-402: The season 10th. Nathan Brown was also involved in a sideline incident when he had slapped Trent Barrett in Wollongong during a game against Manly, and was issued a $ 5000 fine. 2004 saw the final season of the try scoring talent Nathan Blacklock . An extraordinary scoreline was seen in the round 25 clash with Manly. Trailing 34–10 after 53 minutes the club came back to win the match 36–34. This
27590-414: The season. St. George Illawarra finished 15th on the ladder and did not qualify for the finals after having a horror season. On 13 August 2020, McGregor was terminated as head coach of St. George Illawarra after a poor start to the season left the club with four wins in thirteen games, he was subsequently replaced by Dean Young . At the end of the 2020 NRL season , the club finished a disappointing 12th on
27768-524: The sideline. Rugby league and rugby union are distinct sports with many similarities and a shared origin. Both have the same fundamental rules, are played for 80 minutes and feature an oval-shaped ball and H-shaped goalposts. Both have rules that the ball cannot be passed forward, and dropping it forwards leads to a scrum. Both use tries as the central scoring method and conversion kicks , penalty goals and drop goals as additional scoring methods. However, there are differences in how many points each method
27946-526: The specific issues associated with a tag based game. Rugby League played with nine players per team with nine minutes per half, in addition to slight rule modifications to aid the game. Rugby League played with seven players per team with seven minutes per half, in addition to slight rule modifications to aid the game. The top five attendances for rugby league test matches (International) are: The top five attendances for domestic based rugby league matches are: * NRL double header played to open Round 1 of
28124-633: The sport in the south of the country where most of the Super XIII teams are based. In other parts of Europe, the game is played at semi-professional and amateur level. As of 2023, there is no professional rugby league in North America. From 2017 to 2020, the Toronto Wolfpack were North America 's only active professional Rugby League team, competing in the English Rugby League system. They won
28302-441: The sport, rugby league nines , using modified rugby league rules also exists, and is comparable to rugby sevens . Wheelchair rugby league is a mixed-gender sport using heavily modified rugby league rules for disabled and able-bodied players. Unlike wheelchair rugby which adopted its name after the invention of the sport previously called murderball and is not directly linked to rugby union, wheelchair rugby league has grown out of
28480-520: The start of the 2019 NRL season , St. George Illawarra were expected by many to reach the finals and continue their good form from the previous year. A few weeks out from the club's first match, Jack de Belin was stood down indefinitely by the NRL in relation to an incident which happened in December 2018. On 18 April 2019, McGregor was granted a two-year contract extension by St. George Illawarra, keeping him at
28658-504: The start of the 2023 NRL season , many experts and pundits predicted St. George Illawarra to finish with the Wooden Spoon . After having a bye in the first round, the club defeated the Gold Coast in round 2 by a score of 32–18. In March 2023, it was revealed that Griffin had been told by club officials that they were looking for a potential coaching replacement in 2024 and that Griffin would have to re-apply for his position. On 16 May 2023, it
28836-506: The streak ending at 15 games with a loss in Round 8. On 21 May 2013 the Storm announced that, News Limited had sold the club to Holding M.S. Australia Pty Limited, an organisation made up of internationally experienced and successful businessmen. This change included replacement of the News Ltd Board and Executive, which included the replacement of Chairman Stephen Rue with Bart Campbell and CEO Ron Gauci with Mark Evans. News Limited had owned
29014-423: The table and missed out on the finals. On 7 September 2020, Anthony Griffin was appointed the coach for 2021 NRL season on a two-year deal. On 1 June 2021, it was announced that Jack de Belin would return from his 987-day hiatus after charges against him were dropped. On 5 July 2021, the NRL handed out a total of $ 305,000 in fines to 13 players of the club after they attended Paul Vaughan 's property for
29192-430: The table at the end of the 2020 regular season behind Minor Premiers Penrith , before beating Penrith in the 2020 NRL Grand Final to win their fourth official premiership, and cementing their status as one of the most successful clubs of the modern NRL era. In 2021, long term captain Cameron Smith announced his retirement after 430 game and both Jesse Bromwich and Dale Finucane were announced as co-captains. On-field,
29370-437: The table for the second year in a row. They progressed through the finals series with wins over Brisbane, 40–0, and then Parramatta 26–10, in the preliminary final. This secured a berth in the 2007 NRL Grand Final against the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles which they won 34–8, with Greg Inglis winning the Clive Churchill Medal for best on ground. In 2008, foundation player Matt Geyer became the first player to play 250 games for
29548-476: The top three. However, in the final round of the 2009 regular season, St. George Illawarra defeated in-form Parramatta Eels 37–0, a game in which winger Brett Morris obtained a hat-trick and man of the match honours, while Canterbury lost 34–12 to the Wests Tigers. In the same game, St. George Illawarra five-eighth Jamie Soward surpassed Harry Bath 's record for most points in a season by a St. George player. As
29726-559: The twelve Super League teams are based outside of these traditional counties: Catalans Dragons and London Broncos . One other team from outside the United Kingdom, Toulouse Olympique , competes in the British rugby league system , although not at the highest tier Super League level, but rather in the second tier Championship . Super League average attendances are in the 8,000 to 9,500 range. The average Super League match attendance in 2014
29904-517: The war. The sport was unbanned after the Liberation of Paris in August 1944 and the collapse of the Vichy regime, although it was still actively marginalised by the French authorities until the 1990s. Despite this, the national side appeared in the finals of the 1954 and 1968 World Cups, and the country hosted the 1954 event. In 1996, a French team, Paris Saint-Germain was one of eleven teams which formed
30082-419: The year at 14th position. Star five-eighth Gareth Widdop joined the club for 2014, but by late May 2014, just after the star signing of Benji Marshall , the board sacked Price as coach due to some embarrassing defeats to start the season. Assistant coach Paul McGregor was named as his replacement until the end of the season, and was eventually employed full-time following improved results. This culminated in
30260-424: Was 8,365. In 2018 average Super League match attendance was 8,547. Ranked the eighth most popular sport in the UK overall, rugby league is the 27th most popular participation sport in England according to figures released by Sport England ; the total number of rugby league participants in England aged 16 and over was 44,900 in 2017. This is a 39% drop from 10 years ago. While the sport is largely concentrated in
30438-421: Was announced as his replacement. In round 19 a major milestone was achieved with Cameron smith playing his 300th game becoming only the 24th player in history to do so. In August 2015 the storm announced that they would create an Academy on the Sunshine Coast to develop and nurture developing talent in the region with a view to progressing through the Storm ranks. Part of the establishment of this Academy meant that
30616-467: Was announced that St. George Illawarra had terminated Griffin's contract effective immediately. Griffin was informed of the decision at 8AM just before the players training session. On 14 June 2023, it was announced that former Cronulla head coach Shane Flanagan had signed a three-year deal to be St. George Illawarra's new coach starting in 2024. In late June 2023, star player Ben Hunt requested an immediate release from his St. George Illawarra contract. It
30794-477: Was another successful year for the Melbourne Storm, the club's 20th season in the NRL. Following on from the heartbreak of losing the grand final in 2016, the club went from strength to strength recruiting well in the off season and dominated the 2017 NRL season to finish in first place earning them their third legitimate minor premiership. Melbourne won 20 and lost four games throughout the season making it their most dominant season in 10 years. Cameron Smith also broke
30972-510: Was chosen from more than 1000 entries received in a competition run in conjunction with the Herald Sun . In 1997, there were 21 rugby league teams running around Australia (and one in New Zealand), but none in the country's second-largest city. In 1998, with the game reunited, three clubs had been jettisoned and the Melbourne Storm had bobbed up as an unexpected and initially curious addition to
31150-476: Was hosted by England during October and November 2022, staged the Men's , Women's and Wheelchair competitions together for the first time. The competition formerly featured 16 teams, but has been cut down to 10 for the upcoming 2026 Rugby League World Cup . The Asia-Pacific Rugby League Confederation 's purpose is to spread the sport of rugby league throughout their region along with other governing bodies such as
31328-428: Was one of frustration for Dragons fans, as there were high expectations for the strong side, but ultimately no premierships. 2009, a new season a new coach and ground sponsor WIN at Jubilee Oval. Several new faces joined the club, including Jeremy Smith, Darius Boyd, Neville Costigan, Michael Weyman and Luke Priddis. The season opener against the Storm ended in a thrilling golden point extra time loss (17–16). Round 3 set
31506-418: Was reported that Hunt, became unhappy after head coach, Anthony Griffin, was sacked by the club. On 26 June, Hunt's request to be released by St. George Illawarra was denied by the club. St. George Illawarra would finish the 2023 NRL season in 16th place, just two points above wooden spooners the Wests Tigers . Before the start of the 2024 NRL season , many pundits predicted St. George Illawarra to finish with
31684-499: Was the second biggest comeback in Australian Rugby League history. Finishing 5th, the club were eliminated in the first round of the finals after losing in a thrilling game 30–31 to 4th placed Penrith. In 2005, after their worst start to a season yet (losing 5 of their first 6 games), the St. George Illawarra side finished second in a close season on the ladder at completion of the 2005 NRL season , just behind minor premiers
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