The 2004 NRL season (also known as the 2004 Telstra Premiership due to sponsorship from Telstra) was the 97th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the seventh run by the National Rugby League. Fifteen clubs competed during the regular season before the top eight finishing teams contested the finals series. The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs defeated the Sydney Roosters in the 2004 NRL grand final and in doing so claimed their eighth premiership.

2004 National Rugby League
Teams15
Premiers Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (8th title)
Minor premiers Sydney Roosters (16th title)
Matches played189
Points scored9,086
Average attendance15,929
Attendance3,010,639
Top points scorer(s) Hazem El Masri (342)
Dally M Medal Danny Buderus
Top try-scorer(s) Amos Roberts (23)
← 2003
2005 →

Pre-season

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The beginning of the season was largely overshadowed with several Bulldogs players questioned by police in relation to an alleged rape of a 20-year-old Coffs Harbour woman.[1] An independent investigator, former New South Wales chief of detectives, would later fail to find any evidence of misconduct on behalf of the players, and no charges were pressed.

The 2004 World Club Challenge was held on Friday, 13 February 2004, at the Alfred McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield, England. The game was contested by Bradford Bulls and Penrith Panthers and won by the home team.

The salary cap for the 2004 season was A$3.25 million per club for their 25 highest-paid players.[2]

Regular season

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Due to a perceived emphasis in the game on defence, NRL referees were instructed to call out "surrender tackle" this season when ball carriers submit at the ruck, signalling the defence to slow down the tackle in order for defenders to reset.[3]

The first round of the season began on Friday, 12 March with 2003 champions, the Penrith Panthers losing 14–20 to the Newcastle Knights before a crowd of 19,936 at Penrith Stadium.[4]

During a match between the Broncos and the Tigers, the Broncos fielded 14 men at one stage of the Campbelltown Stadium match. In the 60th minute, Brisbane's Shane Webcke knocked out by Tiger Bryce Gibbs. Corey Parker was brought onto the ground while Webcke was still being assisted off. Parker immediately scored off a Darren Lockyer pass and started a Broncos revival (they trailed 24–8 at halftime) which later saw them win 24–32. But, after the fourteenth man was investigated, the Broncos were stripped of the two competition points,[5] which were reinstated weeks later.

A significant comeback was seen in a round 25 clash between the St George Dragons and Manly. Trailing 34–10 after 53 minutes, St. George Illawarra came back to win the match 36–34. This match stood in second-place in the rankings of the biggest comebacks in Australian premiership history.

Several players and coaches also made the headlines for the wrong reasons. Jamie Lyon walked out on the Parramatta club after the first round citing burnout and dissatisfaction with living in Sydney, and would later move to the UK for a successful Super League career. Coaches Daniel Anderson and Paul Langmack would have their contracts terminated at the New Zealand Warriors and South Sydney Rabbitohs respectively.

Andrew Johns was injured in Newcastle's third game of the season against Parramatta, and subsequently missed the remainder of the season. The Knights missed the finals of the NRL for the first time since 1996.

2004 was also notable for the emergence of teenage players Sonny Bill Williams (Bulldogs) and Karmichael Hunt (Brisbane Broncos), and their performances, mature beyond their years, would be critical to the fortunes of their clubs.

A quirk of the draw meant that the Sydney Roosters did not play a premiership match in Queensland during the season, while there was only one Queensland derby contested during the regular season, in round six in Townsville.[6]

The grand finals:

  •   Canterbury Bulldogs vs   Sydney Roosters (NRL)
  •   St George Illawarra Dragons vs   Sydney Roosters (NSW Cup)
  •   Cronulla Sharks vs   Sydney Roosters (NSW Jersey Flegg Cup)

The winners in all grades were:

  •   Canterbury Bulldogs (Seniors Grade)
  •   Sydney Roosters (NSW Cup)
  •   Sydney Roosters (NSW Jersey Flegg Cup)

The test match

  •   Australia vs   New Zealand

The State Of Origin Series

  •   Queensland vs   New South Wales

Teams

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The line-up of fifteen teams for the 2004 premiership remained unchanged from the previous season.

Brisbane Broncos
17th season
Ground: Suncorp Stadium
Coach: Wayne Bennett
Captain: Gorden Tallis
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
70th season
Ground: Sydney Showground & Telstra Stadium
Coach: Steve Folkes
Captain: Steve Price
Canberra Raiders
23rd season
Ground: Canberra Stadium
Coach: Matthew Elliott
Captain: Simon Woolford
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
38th season
Ground: Toyota Stadium
Coach: Stuart Raper
Captain: Brett Kimmorley
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
55th season
Ground: Brookvale Oval
Coach: Des Hasler
Captain: Steve Menzies
Melbourne Storm
7th season
Ground Olympic Park
Coach: Craig Bellamy
Captain: Stephen Kearney
Newcastle Knights
17th season
Ground: EnergyAustralia Stadium
Coach: Michael Hagan
Captain: Andrew Johns
New Zealand Warriors
10th season
Ground: Ericsson Stadium
Coach: Daniel AndersonTony Kemp
Captain: Stacey Jones
North Queensland Cowboys
10th season
Ground: Dairy Farmers Stadium
Coach: Graham Murray
Captain: Travis Norton
Parramatta Eels
58th season
Ground: Parramatta Stadium
Coach: Brian Smith
Captain: Nathan Cayless
Penrith Panthers
38th season
Ground: Penrith Football Stadium
Coach: John Lang
Captain: Craig Gower
South Sydney Rabbitohs
95th season
Ground: Aussie Stadium
Coach: Paul LangmackArthur Kitinas
Captain: Bryan Fletcher
St. George Illawarra Dragons
6th season
Ground: OKI Jubilee Stadium & WIN Stadium
Coach: Nathan Brown
Captain: Trent Barrett
Sydney Roosters
97th season
Ground: Aussie Stadium
Coach: Ricky Stuart
Captain: Brad Fittler
Wests Tigers
5th season
Ground: Campbelltown Stadium & Leichhardt Oval
Coach: Tim Sheens
Captain: Scott Sattler & Darren Senter

Advertising

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In 2004 the NRL and their advertising agency MJW Hakuhodo continued with their use of the Hoodoo Gurus' 1987 hit "What's My Scene" with reworked lyrics as "That's My Team".

In addition to the big 60-second season launch TV commercial, three shorter executions were produced: one targeting young men, another targeting women and one aimed at families. In a year where sexual assault allegations damaged perceptions and the reputation of the code, retaining female fans was seen as a massive challenge.[7]

Statistics and records

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  • Anthony Minichiello ran 4,590 metres with the ball in 2004, more than any other player in the competition.[8]
  • Hazem El Masri's tally of 342 points from 2004 still stands as the individual record for most points scored in a season in Australian club rugby league history.
  • The St. George Illawarra Dragons's club record for their biggest comeback was set at 24 points when they came from 34–10 down with only 25 minutes remaining to win 36–34 against the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.
  • The Brisbane Broncos' 10–0 loss to the Cowboys was their first ever against the Townsville-based club, and the first time they had been held scoreless in Queensland.
  • The Wests Tigers were held scoreless in consecutive weeks (rounds 15 and 16), those two rounds, the Tigers conceded 50+ points, a 50–0 loss to St. George Illawarra Dragons in round 15 and a 56–0 loss to the Sydney Roosters in round 16. Also the Tigers were held scoreless twice against the Roosters, the other time, a 22–0 scoreline in round 9.
  • The North Queensland Cowboys' round 25 clash against the Wests Tigers was their first match broadcast by the Nine Network since round 1, 1995.

Ladder

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Pos Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts
1   Sydney Roosters 24 19 0 5 2 710 368 +342 42
2   Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (P) 24 19 0 5 2 760 491 +269 42
3   Brisbane Broncos 24 16 1 7 2 602 533 +69 37
4   Penrith Panthers 24 15 0 9 2 672 567 +105 34
5   St George Illawarra Dragons 24 14 0 10 2 624 415 +209 32
6   Melbourne Storm 24 13 0 11 2 684 517 +167 30
7   North Queensland Cowboys 24 12 1 11 2 526 514 +12 29
8   Canberra Raiders 24 11 0 13 2 554 613 −59 26
9   Wests Tigers 24 10 0 14 2 509 534 −25 24
10   Newcastle Knights 24 10 0 14 2 516 617 −101 24
11   Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 24 10 0 14 2 528 645 −117 24
12   Parramatta Eels 24 9 0 15 2 517 626 −109 22
13   Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 24 9 0 15 2 615 754 −139 22
14   New Zealand Warriors 24 6 0 18 2 427 693 −266 16
15   South Sydney Rabbitohs 24 5 2 17 2 455 812 −357 16

Ladder Progression

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  • 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 4 6 6 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 20 22 24 26 28 28 30 32 34 34 36 38 40 42
2   Bulldogs 2 4 4 6 8 10 12 14 14 16 16 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 38 40 42
3   Brisbane 2 2 4 6 8 10 12 12 14 14 16 18 18 20 22 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 34 36 37 37
4   Penrith 0 2 4 6 8 8 8 10 12 14 16 18 18 18 20 22 22 22 24 26 26 28 28 30 32 34
5   St. George-Illawarra 0 2 2 4 6 8 8 10 10 10 12 12 12 14 16 18 20 20 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34
6   Melbourne 2 2 4 4 4 6 8 8 8 10 12 14 16 16 18 20 22 22 22 24 24 24 26 28 30 30
7   North Queensland 0 2 2 2 4 4 4 6 8 9 9 11 13 15 17 17 17 17 19 21 23 23 25 25 27 29
8   Canberra 2 2 4 6 8 8 10 10 10 10 10 12 12 14 14 16 18 20 20 22 22 22 22 22 24 26
9   Wests 2 2 2 4 4 6 8 8 8 10 12 14 14 16 16 16 16 16 18 18 20 22 24 24 24 24
10   Newcastle 2 4 4 4 6 6 6 8 10 12 14 14 14 14 14 16 16 18 18 18 20 22 22 22 22 24
11   Cronulla-Sutherland 0 0 2 2 2 4 6 6 8 8 10 12 14 14 14 16 18 20 20 20 20 22 22 24 24 24
12   Parramatta 0 2 4 4 6 8 8 8 10 10 10 10 12 14 14 14 14 16 16 16 16 18 20 22 22 22
13   Manly-Warringah 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 4 6 8 8 8 10 10 10 10 10 12 14 14 16 16 18 20 20 22
14   New Zealand 0 0 0 2 2 2 4 6 6 6 8 8 10 10 10 10 12 12 14 14 16 16 16 16 16 16
15   South Sydney 0 2 4 6 6 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 9 11 13 13 13 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 16 16


Finals series

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To decide the grand finalists from the top eight finishing teams, the NRL adopts the McIntyre final eight system.

The North Queensland Cowboys qualified for the finals for the first time in their ten-year history, and shocked everybody by finishing just one game short of the grand final. During the finals, they won their first ever game against Queensland rivals Brisbane, thus ending the career of Brisbane stalwart Gorden Tallis. Also retiring after the 2004 finals series were Brad Fittler, Ryan Girdler and Kevin Campion.

St. George Illawarra Dragons almost capped a remarkable comeback when they trailed 24–0 only after half an hour of play to come back to only lose 31–30 against the Penrith Panthers in the first Qualifying Final. In doing so St. George Illawarra became the first team to finish fifth to bow out after the first week of the finals, giving Penrith a home preliminary final; despite leading 8–4 at halftime in their preliminary final against Canterbury, they lost 30–14, thus ending their premiership defence.

Another notable game was the seventh-placed North Queensland Cowboys reaching the finals for the first time and upsetting the second-placed and competition favourites the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 30–22 in the 3rd qualifying final. North Queensland also defeated the Brisbane Broncos for the first time ever during the semi-finals but were unable to reach the grand final when they lost to the Sydney Roosters in the Preliminary Final.

The North Queensland vs Brisbane semi-final was originally fixtured to be played at Aussie Stadium, however, at the behest of both clubs, and in accordance with Aussie Stadium management, the NRL agreed to move the game to Dairy Farmers Stadium in Townsville.[9] North Queensland won the game 10–0, giving them their first ever win over Brisbane and eliminating from the finals in the process. The game was Broncos' captain and club legend Gorden Tallis' last, who coincidentally was born and raised in Townsville.[10]

The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs claimed their 8th premiership title by beating the Sydney Roosters in the grand final.

Home Score Away Match Information
Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd
Qualifying Finals
  Penrith Panthers 31 – 30   St. George Illawarra Dragons 10 September 2004 Penrith Football Stadium Sean Hampstead 21,963
  Brisbane Broncos 14 – 31   Melbourne Storm 11 September 2004 Suncorp Stadium Steve Clark 31,100
  Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 22 – 30   North Queensland Cowboys 11 September 2004 Telstra Stadium Tim Mander 18,371
  Sydney Roosters 38 – 12   Canberra Raiders 12 September 2004 Aussie Stadium Paul Simpkins 18,375
Semi-finals
  North Queensland Cowboys 10 – 0   Brisbane Broncos 18 September 2004 Dairy Farmers Stadium¹ Tim Mander 24,989
  Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 43 – 18   Melbourne Storm 19 September 2004 Aussie Stadium Paul Simpkins 23,750
Preliminary Finals
  Penrith Panthers 14 – 30   Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 25 September 2004 Aussie Stadium Tim Mander 37,868
  Sydney Roosters 19 – 16   North Queensland Cowboys 26 September 2004 Telstra Stadium Paul Simpkins 43,048

¹ Game relocated to Dairy Farmers Stadium, the Cowboys' home ground, from Aussie Stadium. Cowboys designated home team despite the Broncos finishing higher on the table.

Finals Chart

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Qualifying finalsSemifinalsPreliminary finalsFinal
1  Sydney38
8  Canberra121W  Sydney19
4W  North Queensland10  North Queensland16
2  Canterbury222L  Brisbane0
  Sydney13
7  North Queensland30
  Canterbury16
3  Brisbane142W  Penrith14
6  Melbourne313W  Melbourne18  Canterbury30
1L  Canterbury43
4  Penrith31
5  St. George Illawarra30

Grand Final

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2004 NRL Grand Final
Sunday, 3 October
19:00 AEST (UTC+10)
Sydney Roosters   13 – 16   Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Tries: 2
Walker   14'
Minichiello   35'
Goals: 2
Fitzgibbon   15', 36' (2/2)
Field goals: 1
Finch   34'
1st: 13–6
2nd: 0–10
Report[11]
Tries: 3
Utai   23'44'
El Masri   53'
Goals: 2
El Masri   pen 29', 45' (2/4)
Telstra Stadium, Sydney
Attendance: 82,127
Referee: Tim Mander
Touch judges: Steve Chiddy, Matt Cecchin
Clive Churchill Medal: Willie Mason (Canterbury)


Player statistics

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

2004 Transfers

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Players

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Player 2003 Club 2004 Club
Andrew Gee   Brisbane Broncos Retirement
Scott Prince   Brisbane Broncos   Wests Tigers
Richard Swain   Brisbane Broncos   Super League: Hull F.C.
Rod Jensen   Canberra Raiders   North Queensland Cowboys
Jamahl Lolesi   Canberra Raiders   Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Michael Monaghan   Canberra Raiders   Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Sean Rutgerson   Canberra Raiders   Super League: Salford City Reds
Shane Marteene   Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs   South Sydney Rabbitohs
Travis Norton   Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs   North Queensland Cowboys
Steve Reardon   Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Retirement
Nigel Vagana   Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs   Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Aaron Cannings   Manly Warringah Sea Eagles   Parramatta Eels
Luke Dorn   Manly Warringah Sea Eagles   Sydney Roosters
Tony Jensen   Manly Warringah Sea Eagles   St. George Illawarra Dragons
Danny Lima   Manly Warringah Sea Eagles   Super League: Warrington Wolves
Nathan Long   Manly Warringah Sea Eagles   St. George Illawarra Dragons
Ben MacDougall   Manly Warringah Sea Eagles   Melbourne Storm
Kevin McGuinness   Manly Warringah Sea Eagles   Super League: Salford City Reds
Mark Shipway   Manly Warringah Sea Eagles   Super League: Salford City Reds
Marcus Bai   Melbourne Storm   Super League: Leeds Rhinos
Junior Langi   Melbourne Storm   Parramatta Eels
Aaron Moule   Melbourne Storm   Super League: Widnes Vikings
Robbie Ross   Melbourne Storm Retirement
Mitchell Sargent   Melbourne Storm   North Queensland Cowboys
Adam MacDougall   Newcastle Knights   South Sydney Rabbitohs
Tim Maddison   Newcastle Knights Retirement
Sean Rudder   Newcastle Knights   Super League: Castleford Tigers
John Carlaw   New Zealand Warriors   St. George Illawarra Dragons
Ali Lauiti'iti   New Zealand Warriors   Super League: Leeds Rhinos
Logan Swann   New Zealand Warriors   Super League: Bradford Bulls
John Buttigieg   North Queensland Cowboys Retirement
Paul Dezolt   North Queensland Cowboys   New Zealand Warriors
Paul McNicholas   North Queensland Cowboys   Super League: Hull F.C.
Chris Muckert   North Queensland Cowboys   Parramatta Eels
Shane Muspratt   North Queensland Cowboys   Parramatta Eels
David Thompson   North Queensland Cowboys   South Sydney Rabbitohs
Alex Chan   Parramatta Eels   Melbourne Storm
Shayne Dunley   Parramatta Eels   Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Paul Green   Parramatta Eels   Brisbane Broncos
Daniel Heckenberg   Parramatta Eels   Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Brett Hodgson   Parramatta Eels   Wests Tigers
Jason Moodie   Parramatta Eels   Wests Tigers
Pat Richards   Parramatta Eels   Wests Tigers
David Solomona   Parramatta Eels   Super League: Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Darren Treacy   Parramatta Eels Retirement
Geoff Bell   Penrith Panthers Retirement
Shane Elford   Penrith Panthers   Wests Tigers
Chris Hicks   Penrith Panthers   Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Ben Roarty   Penrith Panthers   Super League: Huddersfield Giants
Scott Sattler   Penrith Panthers   Wests Tigers
Colin Ward   Penrith Panthers Retirement
Jamie Fitzgerald   South Sydney Rabbitohs   Newcastle Knights
Andrew Hart   South Sydney Rabbitohs   Super League: London Broncos
Duncan MacGillivray   South Sydney Rabbitohs   Super League: Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Wade McKinnon   South Sydney Rabbitohs   Parramatta Eels
Frank Puletua   South Sydney Rabbitohs   Penrith Panthers
Russell Richardson   South Sydney Rabbitohs   Newcastle Knights
John Cross   St. George Illawarra Dragons Retirement
Chris Leikvoll   St. George Illawarra Dragons   Super League: Warrington Wolves
Amos Roberts   St. George Illawarra Dragons   Penrith Panthers
Hassan Saleh   St. George Illawarra Dragons   Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Craig Stapleton   St. George Illawarra Dragons   Parramatta Eels
Eric Grothe Jr.   Sydney Roosters   Parramatta Eels
Andrew Lomu   Sydney Roosters   Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Todd Payten   Sydney Roosters   Wests Tigers
Robbie Beckett   Wests Tigers Retirement
Nick Bradley-Qalilawa   Wests Tigers   Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Terry Hill   Wests Tigers N/A
Willie Manu   Wests Tigers   South Sydney Rabbitohs
Luke O'Donnell   Wests Tigers   North Queensland Cowboys
Corey Pearson   Wests Tigers   Parramatta Eels
Steve Trindall   Wests Tigers   Super League: London Broncos
Lincoln Withers   Wests Tigers   St. George Illawarra Dragons
Mark Lennon   Super League: Castleford Tigers   Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Andrew Frew   Super League: Halifax   St. George Illawarra Dragons
Scott Logan   Super League: Hull F.C.   South Sydney Rabbitohs
Tony Martin   Super League: London Broncos   New Zealand Warriors
Chris Thorman   Super League: London Broncos   Parramatta Eels
Darren Smith   Super League: St. Helens   Brisbane Broncos
Nick Graham   Super League: Wigan Warriors   Wests Tigers
Andrew Walker ACT Brumbies (Super 12)   Manly Warringah Sea Eagles

Sources and Footnotes

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  1. ^ abc.net.au (24 February 2004). "Bulldogs' accuser gives statement to police". ABC News. Australia: ABC. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
  2. ^ "NRL salary cap guide | | ONE SPORT". tvnz.co.nz. 22 February 2006. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  3. ^ Masters, Roy (20 January 2005). "Attacking ploy beaten into submission". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australia: Fairfax Digital. Retrieved 27 December 2009.
  4. ^ Masters, Roy (13 March 2004). "Knights clean up as Penrith discovers success is a wet cake of soap". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australia: Fairfax Media. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
  5. ^ Gould, Phil (4 April 2004). "Winning the war on error". The Sun-Herald. Australia: Fairfax. Retrieved 4 December 2009.
  6. ^ "NRL 2004 - Results". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  7. ^ "B&T magazine article 2004". Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 5 June 2007.
  8. ^ Proszenko, Adrian (6 May 2012). "Gallen set to smash record". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  9. ^ "NRL confirms Townsville final". ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). 13 September 2004. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  10. ^ Franklin, Katie (18 September 2004). "Cowboys one win away from grand final". ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  11. ^ Middleton, David. 2004 Official Rugby League Annual. Sydney: News Magazines. pp. 110–111.
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