The 2015 NRL season was the 108th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 18th season of the National Rugby League in Australia and New Zealand. The season started in New Zealand with the annual Auckland Nines, which was followed by the Rugby League All Stars Match, returning after a one-year hiatus, and the World Club Series.[1] North Queensland Cowboys won their first premiership in only the second Grand Final to be decided in extra time and their second ever grand final.[2]
| 2015 National Rugby League | |
|---|---|
| Duration | March 5 – October 4, 2015 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Premiers |  North Queensland Cowboys (1st title) |
| Minor premiers |  Sydney Roosters (19th title) |
| Matches played | 201 |
| Points scored | 8157 |
| Average attendance | 16,074 |
| Attendance | 3,230,867 |
| Top points scorer(s) |  Jarrod Croker (236) |
| Player of the year | Johnathan Thurston (Dally M Medal) |
| Top try-scorer(s) |  Semi Radradra (24) |
Season launch and advertising edit
The season launched with a gala event at the Queens Wharf, Auckland on 29 January attended by a selection of the code's stars including Shaun Johnson and Greg Inglis. It was the first time the event had been held outside Australia.[3][4]
The NRL and their longstanding ad agency MJW Haukuhodo used, for the second year running, Robbie Williams' "Let Me Entertain You" as the commercial soundtrack. The launch commercial takes members and supporters on a journey from the outback plains of Western Queensland to an inner city boot camp in Sydney and features more than fifty NRL club members and fans in a range of scenarios that include a rendition of a Haka on a Sydney train and a focus on Greg Inglis' trademark Goanna post-try celebration.[5]
The second Sunday afternoon match began at 4:10 pm instead of the traditional 3:10 pm. This change was to allow the Nine Network to show the match live into New South Wales and Queensland, and use it as a lead-in to their respective 6:00 pm news bulletins.
Teams edit
The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 9th consecutive year. The NRL's salary cap for the clubs' top 25 players will be $A6.3M for 2015.[6]
Pre-season edit
The 2015 pre-season featured the second Auckland Nines tournament, held over a weekend at Auckland's Eden Park in which the South Sydney Rabbitohs defeated the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the final. This tournament took place on the last weekend of January, and the All Stars match was played on Friday 13 February at Cbus Super Stadium in Robina.[1] The 2015 World Club Series took place in England with 2014 premiers the South Sydney Rabbitohs taking on Super League champions St. Helens in the showpiece match, which South Sydney won.
Regular season edit
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | F1 | F2 | F3 | GF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brisbane Broncos | SOU 30 | CRO 8 | NQL 22 | NZL 8 | GCT 10 | SYD 4 | SGI 2 | PAR 12 | PEN 3 | NQL 11 | NEW 13 | CAN 12 | MAN 34 | X | MEL 2 | NEW 22 | X | CBY 8 | WTI 26 | GCT 34 | MAN 30 | CBY 2 | SGI 26 | SYD 2 | SOU 35 | MEL 7 | NQL 4 | X | SYD 19 | NQL 1 |
| Canberra Raiders | CRO 4 | NZL 12 | SGI 2 | SYD 28 | MAN 13 | MEL 4 | WTI 8 | SOU 8 | GCT 40 | SGI 14 | CBY 7 | BRI 12 | NEW 22 | X | NQL 1 | NZL 22 | X | NEW 14 | CRO 1 | PEN 10 | NQL 8 | WTI 2 | MAN 2 | GCT 16 | PEN 16 | PAR 4 | ||||
| Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | PEN 6 | PAR 20 | MAN 4 | WTI 1 | SOU 1 | SGI 25 | MAN 12 | WTI 24 | NQL 7 | SYD 14 | CAN 7 | X | SGI 13 | GCT 14 | PEN 12 | MEL 16 | X | BRI 8 | PAR 24 | CRO 2 | SYD 10 | BRI 2 | GCT 22 | SOU 14 | NEW 2 | NZL 4 | SGI 1 | SYD 26 | ||
| Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | CAN 4 | BRI 8 | MEL 18 | GCT 2 | SYD 8 | NEW 16 | SOU 8 | PEN 8 | NZL 4 | GCT 1 | X | SGI 36 | SYD 6 | X | NEW 2 | NQL 6 | MAN 12 | SGI 20 | CAN 1 | CBY 2 | NZL 4 | NQL 12 | MEL 28 | WTI 22 | PAR 7 | MAN 2 | SOU 16 | NQL 39 | ||
| Gold Coast Titans | WTI 1 | PEN 40 | NEW 2 | CRO 2 | BRI 10 | PAR 22 | PEN 26 | NZL 4 | CAN 40 | CRO 1 | X | SOU 6 | WTI 7 | CBY 14 | NZL 22 | SYD 10 | X | MAN 32 | NEW 28 | BRI 34 | PAR 10 | MEL 22 | CBY 22 | CAN 16 | SGI 2 | NQL 30 | ||||
| Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | PAR 30 | MEL 2 | CBY 4 | SGI 8 | CAN 13 | PEN 10 | CBY 12 | MEL 2 | NEW 20 | PEN 1 | X | NQL 4 | BRI 34 | X | WTI 10 | SOU 12 | CRO 12 | GCT 32 | NQL 18 | NZL 20 | BRI 30 | SOU 20 | CAN 2 | PAR 4 | SYD 36 | CRO 2 | ||||
| Melbourne Storm | SGI 8 | MAN 2 | CRO 18 | NQL 1 | NZL 16 | CAN 4 | SYD 1 | MAN 2 | PAR 18 | SOU 4 | X | SYD 22 | PEN 20 | PAR 4 | BRI 2 | CBY 16 | X | NZL 14 | PEN 42 | SGI 18 | WTI 18 | GCT 22 | CRO 28 | NEW 14 | NQL 8 | BRI 7 | SYD 2 | X | NQL 20 | |
| Newcastle Knights | NZL 10 | NQL 2 | GCT 2 | PEN 12 | SGI 13 | CRO 16 | PAR 6 | NQL 2 | MAN 20 | WTI 10 | BRI 13 | NZL 4 | CAN 22 | X | CRO 2 | BRI 22 | X | CAN 14 | GCT 28 | SOU 46 | SGI 22 | SYD 16 | WTI 6 | MEL 14 | CBY 2 | PEN 18 | ||||
| New Zealand Warriors | NEW 10 | CAN 12 | PAR 13 | BRI 8 | MEL 16 | WTI 10 | NQL 4 | GCT 4 | CRO 4 | PAR 4 | X | NEW 4 | SOU 32 | SYD 4 | GCT 22 | CAN 22 | X | MEL 14 | SYD 24 | MAN 20 | CRO 4 | SGI 36 | PEN 14 | NQL 34 | WTI 34 | CBY 4 | ||||
| North Queensland Cowboys | SYD 24 | NEW 2 | BRI 22 | MEL 1 | PEN 20 | SOU 18 | NZL 4 | NEW 2 | CBY 7 | BRI 11 | WTI 8 | MAN 4 | PAR 6 | X | CAN 1 | CRO 6 | SGI 6 | X | MAN 18 | PAR 42 | CAN 8 | CRO 12 | SOU 13 | NZL 34 | MEL 8 | GCT 30 | BRI 4 | CRO 39 | MEL 20 | BRI 1 |
| Parramatta Eels | MAN 30 | CBY 20 | NZL 13 | SOU 13 | WTI 16 | GCT 22 | NEW 6 | BRI 12 | MEL 18 | NZL 4 | SOU 2 | PEN 6 | NQL 6 | MEL 4 | X | SGI 4 | WTI 12 | X | CBY 24 | NQL 42 | GCT 10 | PEN 6 | SYD 10 | MAN 4 | CRO 7 | CAN 4 | ||||
| Penrith Panthers | CBY 6 | GCT 40 | SYD 8 | NEW 12 | NQL 20 | MAN 10 | GCT 26 | CRO 8 | BRI 3 | MAN 1 | X | PAR 6 | MEL 20 | X | CBY 12 | WTI 23 | SOU 14 | SYD 20 | MEL 42 | CAN 10 | SOU 4 | PAR 6 | NZL 14 | SGI 7 | CAN 16 | NEW 18 | ||||
| South Sydney Rabbitohs | BRI 30 | SYD 8 | WTI 14 | PAR 13 | CBY 1 | NQL 18 | CRO 8 | CAN 8 | SGI 6 | MEL 4 | PAR 2 | GCT 6 | NZL 32 | WTI 28 | X | MAN 12 | PEN 14 | X | SGI 16 | NEW 46 | PEN 4 | MAN 20 | NQL 13 | CBY 14 | BRI 35 | SYD 30 | CRO 16 | |||
| St. George Illawarra Dragons | MEL 8 | WTI 18 | CAN 2 | MAN 8 | NEW 13 | CBY 25 | BRI 2 | SYD 2 | SOU 6 | CAN 14 | X | CRO 36 | CBY 13 | X | SYD 5 | PAR 4 | NQL 6 | CRO 20 | SOU 16 | MEL 18 | NEW 22 | NZL 36 | BRI 26 | PEN 7 | GCT 2 | WTI 2 | CBY 1 | |||
| Sydney Roosters | NQL 24 | SOU 8 | PEN 8 | CAN 28 | CRO 8 | BRI 4 | MEL 1 | SGI 2 | WTI 32 | CBY 14 | X | MEL 22 | CRO 6 | NZL 4 | SGI 5 | GCT 10 | X | PEN 20 | NZL 24 | WTI 25 | CBY 10 | NEW 16 | PAR 10 | BRI 2 | MAN 36 | SOU 30 | MEL 2 | CBY 26 | BRI 19 | |
| Wests Tigers | GCT 1 | SGI 18 | SOU 14 | CBY 1 | PAR 16 | NZL 10 | CAN 8 | CBY 24 | SYD 32 | NEW 10 | NQL 8 | X | GCT 7 | SOU 28 | MAN 10 | PEN 23 | PAR 12 | X | BRI 26 | SYD 25 | MEL 18 | CAN 2 | NEW 6 | CRO 22 | NZL 34 | SGI 2 | ||||
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | F1 | F2 | F3 | GF |
Bold – Opposition's Home game
X – Bye
Opponent for round listed above margin
Ladder edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sydney Roosters | 24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 591 | 300 | +291 | 40 |
| 2 |  Brisbane Broncos | 24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 574 | 379 | +195 | 38 |
| 3 | North Queensland Cowboys (P) | 24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 587 | 454 | +133 | 38 |
| 4 |  Melbourne Storm | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 467 | 348 | +119 | 32 |
| 5 |  Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 522 | 480 | +42 | 32 |
| 6 |  Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 469 | 476 | −7 | 32 |
| 7 |  South Sydney Rabbitohs | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 465 | 467 | −2 | 30 |
| 8 |  St. George Illawarra Dragons | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 435 | 408 | +27 | 28 |
| 9 |  Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 458 | 492 | −34 | 26 |
| 10 | Canberra Raiders | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 577 | 569 | +8 | 24 |
| 11 |  Penrith Panthers | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 399 | 477 | −78 | 22 |
| 12 | Parramatta Eels | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 448 | 573 | −125 | 22 |
| 13 |  New Zealand Warriors | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 445 | 588 | −143 | 22 |
| 14 |  Gold Coast Titans | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 439 | 636 | −197 | 22 |
| 15 |  Wests Tigers | 24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 487 | 562 | −75 | 20 |
| 16 |  Newcastle Knights | 24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 458 | 612 | −154 | 20 |
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.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sydney | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 34 | 36 | 38 | 40 |
| 2 | Brisbane | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 36 | 36 | 38 | 38 |
| 3 | North Queensland (P) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 36 | 36 | 38 |
| 4 | Melbourne | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 32 |
| 5 | Canterbury-Bankstown | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 32 |
| 6 | Cronulla-Sutherland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 32 |
| 7 | South Sydney | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| 8 | St. George Illawarra | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 28 |
| 9 | Manly-Warringah | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 26 |
| 10 | Canberra | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 24 |
| 11 | Penrith | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 22 |
| 12 | Parramatta | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| 13 | New Zealand | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| 14 | Gold Coast | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 22 |
| 15 | Wests | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 |
| 16 | Newcastle | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
Finals series edit
A new record was set for overall attendance in Week 1 of the Finals with a combined total of 131,794.
| Home | Score | Away | Match information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and time (local) | Venue | Referees | Crowd | |||||
| QUALIFYING & ELIMINATION FINALS | ||||||||
| Sydney Roosters | 18 – 20 | Melbourne Storm | 11 September 2015, 8:00 pm | Allianz Stadium | Ben Cummins Alan Shortall | 20,521 | ||
| Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs † | 11 – 10 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 12 September 2015, 5:55 pm | ANZ Stadium | Jared Maxwell Gavin Morris | 33,854 | ||
| Brisbane Broncos | 16 – 12 | North Queensland Cowboys | 12 September 2015, 8:00 pm | Suncorp Stadium | Gerard Sutton Gavin Badger | 50,388 | ||
| Cronulla Sutherland Sharks | 28 – 12 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 13 September 2015, 4:10 pm | Allianz Stadium | Matt Cecchin Ashley Klein | 27,031 | ||
| SEMI FINALS | ||||||||
| Sydney Roosters | 38 – 12 | Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs | 18 September 2015, 7:55 pm | Allianz Stadium | Matt Cecchin Ben Cummins | 35,711 | ||
| North Queensland Cowboys | 39 – 0 | Cronulla Sutherland Sharks | 19 September 2015, 7:45 pm | 1300SMILES Stadium | Gerard Sutton Gavin Badger | 21,683 | ||
| PRELIMINARY FINALS | ||||||||
| Brisbane Broncos | 31 – 12 | Sydney Roosters | 25 September 2015, 8:00 pm | Suncorp Stadium | Gerard Sutton Gavin Badger | 51,826 | ||
| Melbourne Storm | 12 – 32 | North Queensland Cowboys | 26 September 2015, 7:45 pm | AAMI Park | Matt Cecchin Ben Cummins | 29,315 | ||
† Match decided in golden point extra time.
Chart edit
| Qualifying and elimination finals | Semi-finals | Preliminary finals | Grand Final | ||||||||||||||||
| 11 Sept, Allianz Stadium | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Sydney | 18 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Melbourne | 20 | 18 Sept, Allianz Stadium | ||||||||||||||||
| Sydney | 38 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 12 Sept, ANZ Stadium | Canterbury-Bankstown | 12 | 26 Sept, AAMI Park | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Canterbury-Bankstown | 11 | Melbourne | 12 | |||||||||||||||
| 8 | St. George Illawarra | 10 | North Queensland | 32 | 4 Oct, ANZ Stadium | ||||||||||||||
| Brisbane | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 13 Sept, Allianz Stadium | 25 Sept, Suncorp Stadium | North Queensland | 17 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Cronulla-Sutherland | 28 | Brisbane | 31 | |||||||||||||||
| 7 | South Sydney | 12 | 19 Sept, 1300SMILES Stadium | Sydney | 12 | ||||||||||||||
| North Queensland | 39 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 12 Sept, Suncorp Stadium | Cronulla-Sutherland | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Brisbane | 16 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | North Queensland | 12 | |||||||||||||||||
Grand final edit
Sunday, 4 October 7:30pm AEDT |
| Brisbane Broncos | 16 – 17 Golden Point | North Queensland Cowboys |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Corey Oates (7') 1 Jack Reed (34') 1 Goals: Corey Parker 2/2 (6' pen, 9') Jordan Kahu 2/2 (35', 43' pen) | 1st: 14 - 12 2nd: 2 - 4 GP: 0 - 1 | Tries: Justin O'Neill (10') 1 James Tamou (25') 1 Kyle Feldt (80') 1 Goals: Johnathan Thurston 2/3 (12', 26') Field Goals: Johnathan Thurston (83') 1 |
ANZ Stadium Attendance: 82,758 Clive Churchill Medalist: Johnathan Thurston Referee: Gerard Sutton, Ben Cummins |
Regular season player statistics edit
The following statistics are of the conclusion of Round 26.
Top 5 point scorers
Top 5 try scorers
| Top 5 goal scorers
Top 5 tacklers
|
2015 Transfers edit
Players edit
Coaches edit
| Coach | 2014 Club | 2015 Club |
|---|---|---|
| Wayne Bennett | Newcastle Knights | Brisbane Broncos |
References edit
- ^ a b NRL Nines to kick off 2015 season in January, Sydney Morning Herald, 6 May 2014
- ^ Kennedy, Chris (4 October 2015). "Thurston kicks Cowboys to premiership". NRL.com.
- ^ Auckland welcomes NRL season launch nrl.com, 30 January 2015
- ^ NRL season to launch in New Zealand nrl.com, 5 December 2014
- ^ Season launch
- ^ Phil Gould (12 July 2014). "NRL's ludicrous and unfair second-tier salary cap holding back young players". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
- ^ MacSmith, James (24 February 2015). "Dogs captaincy won't change me: Graham". NRL.com.
- ^ Brady, Jack (20 January 2015). "Inglis appointed South Sydney captain". NRL.com.
- ^ Brady, Jack (16 February 2015). "Pearce, Friend named Roosters co-captains". NRL.com.
- ^ "Rugby League Tables / Season 2015". afltables.com.au. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
- ^ Rugby League Tables / Ladders / Year by Year
- ^ "NRL transfer centre: Your guide to player movement ahead of the 2015 season". The Daily Telegraph. 5 February 2015.