2012 NRL season

The 2012 NRL season was the 105th season of professional rugby league club competition in Australia, and the first run by the newly formed Australian Rugby League Commission. The main competition, called the 2012 NRL Telstra Premiership due to sponsorship from Telstra Corporation was contested by the sixteen teams of the National Rugby League. The season started with the 2012 NRL All Stars match and culminated in the 2012 NRL grand final. The 2012 Toyota Cup season also took place alongside the Premiership. The McIntyre final eight system, in use since 1999, was replaced with the finals system previously used by the ARL in the 1990s.[1]

2012 National Rugby League
DurationMarch 1 – September 30, 2012
Teams16
Premiers Melbourne Storm (2nd title)
Minor premiers Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (7th title)
Matches played201
Average attendance17,346
Attendance3,486,494
Top points scorer(s) Jarrod Croker (226)
Player of the year Ben Barba (Dally M Medal)
Top try-scorer(s) Ben Barba (22)
← 2011
2013 →

The 2012 Premiership was won by the Melbourne Storm, officially the club's second following the removal of their 2007 and 2009 premierships, among other titles, due to salary cap breaches exposed in April 2010. They defeated minor premiers the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 14-4 in the Grand Final, which was held on Sunday 30 September at ANZ Stadium in Sydney.

Season summary edit

Halfway through the 2012 season, the NRL's Chief Executive Officer David Gallop stood down from his role after just over a decade in the role.

Records Set on 2012

  • The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs won twelve consecutive matches between Rounds 11 and 24, the longest winning streak for the club in 8 years. They also won their first minor premiership in 18 years.
  • The Melbourne Storm lost five consecutive matches from rounds 16 to 21 (around a bye in round 17), the longest losing streak in Craig Bellamy's coaching career and the second longest losing streak in the club's history.
  • For the first time since 1989, the South Sydney Rabbitohs finished in the top four, and they also won their first finals match since 1987.

Teams edit

Brisbane Broncos
25th season
Ground: Suncorp Stadium
Coach: Anthony Griffin
Captain: Justin Hodges
Canberra Raiders
31st season
Ground: Canberra Stadium
Coach: David Furner
Captain: Terry CampeseDavid Shillington
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
78th season
Ground: ANZ Stadium
Coach:Des Hasler
Captain: Michael Ennis
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
46th season
Ground: Toyota Stadium
Coach: Shane Flanagan
Captain: Paul Gallen
Gold Coast Titans
6th season
Ground: Skilled Park
Coach: John Cartwright
Captain: Scott Prince
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
63rd season
Grounds: Brookvale Oval
Coach: Geoff Toovey
Captains: Jamie Lyon & Jason King
Melbourne Storm
15th season
Ground: AAMI Park
Coach: Craig Bellamy
Captain: Cameron Smith
Newcastle Knights
25th season
Ground: Hunter Stadium
Coach: Wayne Bennett
Captain: Kurt GidleyDanny Buderus
New Zealand Warriors
18th season
Ground: Mt. Smart Stadium
Coach: Brian McClennanTony Iro
Captain: Simon Mannering
North Queensland Cowboys
18th season
Ground: Dairy Farmers Stadium
Coach: Neil Henry
Captains: Johnathan Thurston & Matt Scott
Parramatta Eels
66th season
Ground: Parramatta Stadium
Coach: Stephen Kearney→Brad Arthur
Captain: Nathan Hindmarsh
Penrith Panthers
46th season
Ground: Centrebet Stadium
Coach:Ivan Cleary
Captain: Luke LewisKevin Kingston
South Sydney Rabbitohs
103rd season
Ground: ANZ Stadium
Coach: Michael Maguire
Captains: Michael Crocker, Roy Asotasi, John Sutton, Matt King, Sam Burgess,
Sydney Roosters
105th season
Ground: Allianz Stadium
Coach: Brian Smith
Captain: Braith Anasta
St. George Illawarra Dragons
14th season
Grounds: WIN Jubilee Oval & WIN Stadium
Coach: Steve Price
Captain: Ben Hornby
Wests Tigers
13th season
Grounds: Allianz Stadium, Campbelltown Stadium & Leichhardt Oval
Coach: Tim Sheens
Captain: Robbie Farah

Ladder edit

PosTeamPldWDLBPFPAPDPts
1 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs2418062568369+19940
2 Melbourne Storm (P)2417072579361+21838
3 South Sydney Rabbitohs2416082559438+12136
4 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles2416082497403+9436
5 North Queensland Cowboys2415092597445+15234
6 Canberra Raiders24130112545536+930
7 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks24121112445441+429
8 Brisbane Broncos24120122481447+3428
9 St. George Illawarra Dragons24110132405438-3326
10 Wests Tigers24110132506551-4526
11 Gold Coast Titans24100142449477-2824
12 Newcastle Knights24100142448488-4024
13 Sydney Roosters2481152462626-16421
14 New Zealand Warriors2480162497609-11220
15 Penrith Panthers2480162409575-16620
16 Parramatta Eels2460182431674-24316

Ladder progression edit

  • Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 8.
  • Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round.
  • Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished last place on the ladder in that round.
  • Underlined numbers indicate that the team had a bye during that round.
Team1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526
1 Canterbury-Bankstown24668888101012141618202224262830323436383840
2 Melbourne246810121416181820222424262628282828283032343638
3 South Sydney00224668101214161618202022242628303232323436
4 Manly-Warringah24444668101214141618182022242424262830323436
5 North Queensland02446688101214141416182020222426262628303234
6 Canberra022446666810101012141416181820202224262830
7 Cronulla-Sutherland0024681012121414161618202224252525252727292929
8 Brisbane22468101214141416161820202222242626262626262628
9 St. George Illawarra224666810101010121214141616182020222222222426
10 Wests2222224681012141618181820202222222426262626
11 Gold Coast22222244468101212141416161820222222242424
12 Newcastle022446688810101010121416161820222224242424
13 Sydney22446888101010101212141416171717171919192121
14 New Zealand0224446681010121214141618202020202020202020
15 Penrith0224444446681010101010121214161616182020
16 Parramatta0000222222446881010101012141416161616


Finals series edit

For details on the finals see 2012 NRL season results.

The NRL returned to the top-eight system used by the ARL in the 1990s to decide the grand finalists from the top eight finishing teams. This replaced the McIntyre final eight system that was used for the past 12 seasons. Only four of last year's finalists were featured in this year's finals series: Melbourne Storm, Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, Brisbane Broncos and the North Queensland Cowboys. For the teams that did not feature last year, the Canberra Raiders last appeared in 2010, the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in 2009, the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in 2008 and South Sydney in 2007. South Sydney made only their second finals appearance since 1989 and also their second preliminary final since winning the premiership in 1971. The last time the club made the preliminary final was also in 1989.[2]

HomeScoreAwayMatch Information
Date and Time (Local)VenueRefereesCrowd
QUALIFYING & ELIMINATION FINALS
Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs16 – 10 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles7 September 2012, 7:45pmANZ StadiumBen Cummins
Ashley Klein
36,420
Melbourne Storm24 – 6 South Sydney Rabbitohs8 September 2012, 5:45pmAAMI ParkShayne Hayne
Jason Robinson
19,750
North Queensland Cowboys33 – 16 Brisbane Broncos8 September 2012, 7:45pmDairy Farmers StadiumMatt Cecchin
Gerard Sutton
21,307
Canberra Raiders34 – 16 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks9 September 2012, 4:00pmCanberra StadiumTony Archer
Chris James
24,450
SEMI FINALS
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles22 – 12 North Queensland Cowboys14 September 2012, 7:45pmAllianz StadiumShayne Hayne
Ben Cummins
16,678
South Sydney Rabbitohs38 – 16 Canberra Raiders15 September 2012, 7:45pmANZ StadiumTony Archer
Matt Cecchin
35,874
PRELIMINARY FINALS
Melbourne Storm40 – 12 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles21 September 2012, 7:45pmAAMI ParkMatt Cecchin
Tony Archer
25,543
Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs32 – 8 South Sydney Rabbitohs22 September 2012, 7:45pmANZ StadiumShayne Hayne
Ben Cummins
70,354

Chart edit

Qualifying and elimination finalsSemi-finalsPreliminary finalsGrand Final
7 Sept, ANZ Stadium
1 Canterbury-Bankstown16
4 Manly-Warringah1014 Sept, Allianz Stadium
Manly-Warringah22
8 Sept, Dairy Farmers Stadium North Queensland1222 Sept, ANZ Stadium
5 North Queensland33 Canterbury-Bankstown32
8 Brisbane16 South Sydney830 Sept, ANZ Stadium
Canterbury-Bankstown4
9 Sept, Canberra Stadium21 Sept, AAMI Park Melbourne14
6 Canberra34 Melbourne40
7 Cronulla-Sutherland1615 Sept, ANZ Stadium Manly-Warringah12
South Sydney38
8 Sept, AAMI Park Canberra16
2 Melbourne24
3 South Sydney6

Grand final edit

2012 NRL Grand Final
Sunday, 30 September
17:00 AEST (UTC+10)
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 4 – 14 Melbourne Storm
Tries: 1
Perrett  25'
Goals:
Inu (0/1)
1st: 4–14
2nd: 0–0
Report
Tries: 3
Hoffman  7'
Slater  32'
O'Neill  39'
Goals: 1
Smith  32' (1/3)


Regular season player statistics edit

The following statistics are correct as of the conclusion of Round 26.

Attendance figures edit

Home ground figures edit

ClubTotalAverageBest Crowd
Brisbane Broncos400,52833,37743,171 vs North Queensland Cowboys, Round 2
Canterbury Bulldogs282,86423,57270,354 vs South Sydney Rabbitohs, Finals Week 3
Newcastle Knights251,02420,91929,482 vs Canterbury Bulldogs, Round 22
South Sydney Rabbitohs226,84818,90435,874 vs Canberra Raiders, Finals Week 2
New Zealand Warriors205,33417,11137,502 vs Manly Sea Eagles, Round 1 2
Parramatta Eels201,66316,80345,863 vs St George Illawarra Dragons, Round 26
St George Illawarra Dragons197,11116,42640,164 vs Sydney Roosters, Round 8 3
Wests Tigers194,72616,22725,608 vs South Sydney Rabbitohs, Round 5
Manly Sea Eagles175,12014,59320,095 vs New Zealand Warriors, Round 21 4
North Queensland Cowboys172,97814,41520,367 vs Brisbane Broncos, Round 15
Gold Coast Titans172,86514,40520,187 vs South Sydney Rabbitohs, Round 22
Cronulla Sharks158,80213,23421,380 vs St George Illawarra Dragons, Round 6
Melbourne Storm152,21712,68525,534 vs Manly Sea Eagles, Finals Week 3
Sydney Roosters149,79012,48219,934 vs South Sydney Rabbitohs, Round 19
Penrith Panthers130,30110,85815,579 vs Wests Tigers, Round 7
Canberra Raiders122,27410,19024,450 vs Cronulla Sharks, Finals Week 1

2012 Transfers edit

Players edit

Player2011 Club2012 Club
Nick Kenny Brisbane BroncosRetirement
Darren Lockyer Brisbane BroncosRetirement
Shane Tronc Brisbane BroncosRetirement
Danny Galea Canberra Raiders Penrith Panthers
Josh Miller Canberra Raiders St. George Illawarra Dragons
David Milne Canberra RaidersMackay Cutters (Intrust Super Cup)
Matt Orford Canberra RaidersRetirement
Alan Tongue Canberra RaidersRetirement
Daniel Vidot Canberra Raiders St. George Illawarra Dragons
Chris Armit Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Penrith Panthers
Michael Hodgson Canterbury-Bankstown BulldogsRetirement
Jamal Idris Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Gold Coast Titans
Grant Millington Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Super League: Castleford Tigers
Mickey Paea Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Super League: Hull Kingston Rovers
Ben Roberts Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Parramatta Eels
Andrew Ryan Canterbury-Bankstown BulldogsRetirement
Gary Warburton Canterbury-Bankstown BulldogsRetirement
Paul Aiton Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Super League: Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Dean Collis Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Super League: Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Josh Cordoba Cronulla-Sutherland SharksN/A
Luke Douglas Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Gold Coast Titans
Tim Smith Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Super League: Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Kade Snowden Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Newcastle Knights
Taulima Tautai Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Parramatta Eels
Riley Brown Gold Coast TitansRetirement
Preston Campbell Gold Coast TitansRetirement
Luke Capewell Gold Coast Titans Brisbane Broncos
Nathan Friend Gold Coast Titans New Zealand Warriors
Anthony Laffranchi Gold Coast Titans Super League: St. Helens
Will Matthews Gold Coast Titans St. George Illawarra Dragons
Brad Meyers Gold Coast TitansRetirement
Mat Rogers Gold Coast TitansRetirement
Sam Tagataese Gold Coast Titans Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Joe Tomane Gold Coast TitansACT Brumbies (Super Rugby)
Esikeli Tonga Gold Coast Titans Parramatta Eels
Clinton Toopi Gold Coast TitansRetirement
Michael Robertson Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Super League: London Broncos
Shane Rodney Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Super League: London Broncos
Terence Seu Seu Manly Warringah Sea EaglesRetirement
Adam Blair Melbourne Storm Wests Tigers
Beau Champion Melbourne Storm Gold Coast Titans
Chase Stanley Melbourne Storm St. George Illawarra Dragons
Troy Thompson Melbourne StormRetirement
Adam Woolnough Melbourne StormRetirement
Cameron Ciraldo Newcastle Knights Penrith Panthers
Isaac De Gois Newcastle Knights Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Antonio Kaufusi Newcastle Knights Super League: London Broncos
Keith Lulia Newcastle Knights Super League: Bradford Bulls
Adam MacDougall Newcastle KnightsRetirement
Shannon McDonnell Newcastle Knights Super League: Hull Kingston Rovers
Cory Paterson Newcastle Knights North Queensland Cowboys
Ben Rogers Newcastle KnightsRetirement
Steve Southern Newcastle Knights Super League: Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Mark Taufua Newcastle Knights Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Daniel Tolar Newcastle KnightsRetirement
Shaun Berrigan New Zealand Warriors Canberra Raiders
Aaron Heremaia New Zealand Warriors Super League: Hull F.C.
Lance Hohaia New Zealand Warriors Super League: St. Helens
Krisnan Inu New Zealand Warriors Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Jeremy Latimore New Zealand Warriors St. George Illawarra Dragons
Joel Moon New Zealand Warriors Super League: Salford City Reds
Brett Seymour New Zealand Warriors Super League: Hull F.C.
Leeson Ah Mau North Queensland Cowboys St. George Illawarra Dragons
Willie Tonga North Queensland Cowboys Parramatta Eels
Chris Hicks Parramatta EelsRetirement
Manase Manuokafoa Parramatta Eels Super League: Bradford Bulls
Daniel Mortimer Parramatta Eels Sydney Roosters
Joel Reddy Parramatta Eels Wests Tigers
Jeff Robson Parramatta Eels Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Shane Shackleton Parramatta Eels Penrith Panthers
Chris Walker Parramatta EelsRetirement
Carl Webb Parramatta EelsRetirement
Paul Whatuira Parramatta EelsRetirement
Matthew Bell Penrith Panthers Wests Tigers
Petero Civoniceva Penrith Panthers Brisbane Broncos
Yileen Gordon Penrith PanthersRetirement
Masada Iosefa Penrith Panthers Wests Tigers
Joseph Paulo Penrith Panthers Parramatta Eels
Adrian Purtell Penrith Panthers Super League: Bradford Bulls
Timana Tahu Penrith Panthers Newcastle Knights
Trent Waterhouse Penrith Panthers Super League: Warrington Wolves
Beau Falloon South Sydney Rabbitohs Gold Coast Titans
Shannan McPherson South Sydney Rabbitohs Super League: Salford City Reds
Ben Ross South Sydney Rabbitohs Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Chris Sandow South Sydney Rabbitohs Parramatta Eels
Luke Stuart South Sydney RabbitohsRetirement
Rhys Wesser South Sydney RabbitohsRetirement
Darius Boyd St. George Illawarra Dragons Newcastle Knights
Adam Cuthbertson St. George Illawarra Dragons Newcastle Knights
Mark Gasnier St. George Illawarra DragonsRetirement
Jon Green St. George Illawarra Dragons Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Michael Greenfield St. George Illawarra Dragons Melbourne Storm
Reece Simmonds St. George Illawarra DragonsRetirement
Todd Carney Sydney Roosters Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Daniel Conn Sydney RoostersRetirement
Phil Graham Sydney Roosters Gold Coast Titans
Nate Myles Sydney Roosters Gold Coast Titans
Sam Perrett Sydney Roosters Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Mark Riddell Sydney RoostersRetirement
Jason Ryles Sydney Roosters Melbourne Storm
Geoff Daniela Wests Tigers Penrith Panthers
Andrew Fifita Wests Tigers Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Mark Flanagan Wests Tigers Super League: St. Helens
Bryce Gibbs Wests Tigers Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Robert Lui Wests Tigers North Queensland Cowboys
Wade McKinnon Wests Tigers Super League: Hull F.C.
Todd Payten Wests TigersRetirement
Clint Newton Super League: Hull Kingston Rovers Penrith Panthers
Danny Buderus Super League: Leeds Rhinos Newcastle Knights
Luke Burgess Super League: Leeds Rhinos South Sydney Rabbitohs
Ray Cashmere Super League: Salford City Reds Wests Tigers
James Graham Super League: St. Helens Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Matt King Super League: Warrington Wolves South Sydney Rabbitohs
Ryan Hoffman Super League: Wigan Warriors Melbourne Storm
Luke MacDougallSaracens F.C. (English rugby union) Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Dimitri PeloMontpellier Hérault (French rugby union) Canberra Raiders
Willie MasonRC Toulonnais (French rugby union) Newcastle Knights
Will ChambersMunster (Irish rugby union) Melbourne Storm

Coaches edit

Coach2011 Club2012 Club
Des Hasler Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Ivan Cleary New Zealand Warriors Penrith Panthers
Wayne Bennett St. George Illawarra Dragons Newcastle Knights
Michael Maguire Super League: Wigan Warriors South Sydney Rabbitohs
Brian McClennanN/A New Zealand Warriors

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ AAP (22 February 2012). "NRL dumps McIntyre system". ABC News. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  2. ^ "Canterbury Bulldogs beat South Sydney Rabbitohs 32-8 to win through to NRL grand final". Adelaide Now.

External links edit