NRL State Championship

Last updated

NRL State Championship
2014 NRL State Championship logo.png
Sport Rugby league
Instituted2014
CountriesFlag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand
Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg  Papua New Guinea
Premiers South Sydney colours.svg South Sydney Rabbitohs (2023)
Website www.NRL.com
Broadcast partner
Related competition NSW Cup
Queensland Cup
National Rugby League

The NRL State Championship is a rugby league match contested by the premiers of the two elite second-tier competitions in Australia, the New South Wales Cup and the Queensland Cup. The match has been played as a curtain-raiser to the NRL Grand Final at Stadium Australia since it was introduced by the National Rugby League (NRL) in 2014. The match acts as Super Bowl-type to determine the National Reserve Grade Champions.

Contents

History

The origins of the NRL State Championship can be traced back to an idea from the Queensland media during the 1984 Brisbane Rugby League season when two club sides had agreed to play a one-off match.[ citation needed ] This was when the competitions of the Sydney Rugby League premiership and the Brisbane Rugby League premiership operated independently of each other with the only exception being State of Origin time, when players crossed paths. While the New South Wales media's general consensus was always that Sydney-based NSWRL was the premier and stronger of the two major rugby league competition, all seemed to be set for the one-off match before the NSWRL hierarchy stepped in and put a stop to the proposed match.[ citation needed ]

The 1984 Brisbane Rugby League Wynnum-Manly Seagulls team was unquestionably Queensland's best, the team defeated a Southern Suburbs Districts Magpies side coached by Wayne Bennett and boasting names such as Gary Belcher, Mal Meninga, Peter Jackson, Bob Lindner in the 1984 Brisbane Rugby League Grand Final by a record 42–8 scoreline. Many supporters north of the border believe they were also better than the 1984 Sydney Rugby League champion team the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. The Brisbane media were so confident about the strength of this super Wynnum side that they suggested a challenge match between the Seagulls and the Sydney Premiers Canterbury Bankstown.[ citation needed ]

It was an idea liked by the QRL, but if the suggestion is that the NSWRL were the roadblock, Canterbury prop Peter Tunks said the Bulldogs players and officials were just as keen to make the game happen as their northern rivals. "There was talk in the media about it and we were keen to play it because they obviously had a pretty good side with Wally, Gene Miles, Greg Dowling but we loved playing anybody back in those days", Tunks said. "We knew that it was a decent comp in Brisbane but we obviously didn't think it was as strong as the Sydney comp because this was the be-all and end-all. At Canterbury, we really loved a challenge and we would have loved the opportunity of going up against a team full of great players like they had. It's like anything, to be the best you have to beat the best and that was our attitude but unfortunately it didn't come off. I don't know where we were supposed to play but it would have been good fun." [1] [2]

The NRL State Championship is marketed as "The best New South Wales club versus the best Queensland club". However, in both the New South Wales and Queensland Cups there are or were clubs based outside their respective states:

In 2014 the Northern Queensland Pride representing the Queensland Cup defeated the Penrith Panthers representing the New South Wales Cup in the first NRL State Championship Grand Final. The match has been played every subsequent year, with the exception of 2020 when it was not held on account of both competitions being cancelled due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2021 with the remainder of the New South Wales Cup being cancelled also due to the COVID-19 lockdown in Sydney.

Results

The match is a curtain-raiser to the final match on NRL Grand Final day, with the winner crowned the NRL State Champions. Between 2014 and 2017 the match was played after the now-defunct NRL Youth Grand Final and before the NRL Grand Final. [3] [4] In 2018 the match was played after the NRL Women's Grand Final and before the NRL Grand Final. Since 2019 it has been played before the NRL Women's Grand Final and the NRL Grand Final. In 2020 the match was not played due to the cancellation of the state premierships after Round 1 caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, and wasn't played in 2021 due the COVID-19 lockdown in Sydney. The match made its return in 2022.

NRL State Championship winners

SeasonNRL State ChampionshipMan of the Match
NRL State Championship PremiersScoreNRL State Championship Runners-upVenue
2014 Northern Pride colours.png Northern Pride 32–28 Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Penrith Panthers ANZ Stadium Northern Pride colours.png Javid Bowen
2015 Ipswich Colours.svg Ipswich Jets 26–12 Newcastle colours.svg Newcastle Knights ANZ Stadium Ipswich Colours.svg Matt Parcell
2016 Illawarra colours.svg Illawarra Cutters 54–12 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Burleigh Bears ANZ Stadium Illawarra colours.svg Drew Hutchison
2017 Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Penrith Panthers 42–18 Port Moresby Vipers Colours.svg PNG Hunters ANZ Stadium Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Kaide Ellis
2018 Canterbury colours.svg Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 42–18 Redcliffe colours.svg Redcliffe Dolphins ANZ Stadium Canterbury colours.svg Josh Cleeland
2019 Newtown colours.svg Newtown Jets 20–16 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Burleigh Bears ANZ Stadium Newtown colours.svg Toby Rudolf
2020 Match was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [5]
2021 Match was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in NSW.
2022 Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Penrith Panthers 44–10 Norths Devils colours.svg Norths Devils Accor Stadium Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg J'maine Hopgood
2023 South Sydney colours.svg South Sydney Rabbitohs 42–22 Balmain colours.svg Brisbane Tigers (Easts Tigers) Accor Stadium South Sydney colours.svg Tyrone Munro

State Championship Teams

Rugby League TeamCity/TownSuburb/sDistrict/Region/State/TerritoryNation
Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Penrith Panthers Sydney Penrith New South Wales Australia
Northern Pride colours.png Northern Pride Cairns Barlow Park Queensland Australia
Ipswich Colours.svg Ipswich Jets Ipswich North Ipswich Queensland Australia
Illawarra colours.svg Illawarra Cutters Wollongong Wollongong New South Wales Australia
Canterbury colours.svg Canterbury Bulldogs Sydney Belmore New South Wales Australia
Newtown colours.svg Newtown Jets Sydney Marrickville New South Wales Australia
Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Burleigh Bears Gold Coast Miami Queensland Australia
Newcastle colours.svg Newcastle Knights Newcastle New Lambton New South Wales Australia
Port Moresby Vipers Colours.svg PNG Hunters Port Moresby Port Moresby National Capital District Papua New Guinea
Redcliffe colours.svg Redcliffe Dolphins Moreton Bay Redcliffe Queensland Australia
Norths Devils colours.svg Norths Devils Brisbane Nundah Queensland Australia
Balmain colours.svg Brisbane Tigers (Easts Tigers) Brisbane Coorparoo Queensland Australia
South Sydney colours.svg South Sydney Rabbitohs Sydney Redfern New South Wales Australia

State Championship Team Performance/s

Rugby League TeamGames PlayedGames WonGames LostYears PlayedYears WonYears Lost
Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Penrith Panthers 3212014, 2017, 20222017,20222014
Northern Pride colours.png Northern Queensland Pride 11020142014–
Ipswich Colours.svg Ipswich Jets 11020152015–
Illawarra colours.svg Illawarra Cutters 11020162016–
Canterbury colours.svg Canterbury Bulldogs 11020182018–
Newtown colours.svg Newtown Jets 11020192019–
Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Burleigh Bears 2022016, 2019–2016, 2019
Newcastle colours.svg Newcastle Knights 1012015–2015
Port Moresby Vipers Colours.svg PNG Hunters 1012017–2017
Redcliffe colours.svg Redcliffe Dolphins 1012018–2018
Norths Devils colours.svg Norths Devils 1012022–2022
Balmain colours.svg Brisbane Tigers (Easts Tigers) 1002023
South Sydney colours.svg South Sydney Rabbitohs 1002023

Media coverage

Live television coverage is broadcast by Australia's Fox Sports and Nine Network (including Nine's regional affiliates NBN Television, WIN Television and IMP Television until 2015 and mid 2016) [6] while live radio coverage is broadcast by Australia's ABC Grandstand around Australia via both the ABC Radio Mobile App (Digital Radio Stadion) and their network of FM and AM Local Radio Stations. [7]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "The greatest game never played". NRL - The official site of the National Rugby League. October 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  2. ↑ "Our Colourful History". WynnumSeagulls.com.au. 11 June 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  3. ↑ "State Championship preview: Panthers v Pride". NRL - The official site of the National Rugby League. October 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  4. ↑ "The greatest game never played". NRL - The official site of the National Rugby League. October 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  5. ↑ "NSWRL cancels nine competitions for 2020 season". New South Wales Rugby League. 27 March 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  6. ↑ "State Championship preview: Panthers v Pride". NRL.com. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  7. ↑ "Rugby League". ABC News Sport. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
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