The 2006 NRL season was the 99th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the ninth run by the National Rugby League. The lineup of teams remained unchanged from the previous year, with fifteen clubs competing for the 2006 Telstra Premiership. Throughout the 26 rounds of the regular season ten teams from New South Wales (9 of them from the Sydney basin), two from Queensland and one each from Victoria, the ACT and New Zealand competed for the minor premiership. Eight of these teams qualified for the four-week finals series, with the Brisbane Broncos eventual victors over the Melbourne Storm in the grand final.[2] Melbourne finished the regular season first so were awarded the minor premiership, but this was later revoked due to the Melbourne Storm salary cap breach.

2006 National Rugby League
Teams15
Premiers Brisbane Broncos (6th title)
Minor premiers Melbourne[1]
Matches played189
Points scored8201
Average attendance16,485
Attendance3,115,700
Top points scorer(s) Hazem El Masri (296)
Dally M Medal Cameron Smith
Top try-scorer(s) Nathan Merritt (22)
← 2005
2007 →

Pre season

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  • Newcastle Knights coach Michael Hagan signed a three-year deal to coach the Parramatta Eels, beginning in 2007. Hagan replaced Brian Smith, who had coached the Eels since 1997 whilst Smith replaced Hagan at Newcastle in an unprecedented coach-swap. In other coaching moves, Matthew Elliott was confirmed as the coach of the Penrith Panthers, beginning in 2007.
  • Penrith Panthers halfback Craig Gower was fired as captain, suspended for four games and fined $100,000 ($90,000 to be paid to an NRL programme encouraging the responsible use of alcohol by league players and $10,000 to replace a destroyed golf cart) after a string of alcohol-fueled incidents at a charity golf function.
  • The Charity Shield heralded the unofficial start of the season, with the South Sydney Rabbitohs defeating St George Illawarra 14-12 in their first home game at Telstra Stadium on February 18. All NRL clubs engaged in a series of trials during the month of February.
  • Wests Tigers premiership-winning captain Scott Prince announced on March 3 he had signed a four-year deal with expansion team Gold Coast Titans, beginning in 2007. Prince relinquished the captaincy of the Tigers for the 2006 season.

New Zealand Warriors salary cap breach

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The salary cap for the 2006 season was A$3.366 million per club for their 25 highest-paid players.[3] The New Zealand Warriors were investigated by the National Rugby League over alleged salary cap breaches committed by the team's previous administrators. The club admitted to inflating its salary cap to the tune of nearly $1 million during the 2005 season. The National Rugby League fined the Warriors $430,000 and ordered the team to start the season with a four premiership point deficit. It was the first time in 99 years of rugby league in Australia that a team has started a season on less than zero premiership points.

The Warriors appealed the decision by the NRL to deduct the four competition points but accepted the financial penalty. Prior to the beginning of the season, the National Rugby League confirmed that the points penalty would stand. The penalty would prove the decisive factor in the Warriors missing the finals for the third year in succession.

Teams

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Brisbane Broncos
19th season
Ground: Suncorp Stadium
Coach: Wayne Bennett
Captain: Darren Lockyer
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
72nd season
Ground: Telstra Stadium
Coach: Steve Folkes
Captain: Andrew Ryan
Canberra Raiders
25th season
Ground: Canberra Stadium
Coach: Matthew Elliott
Captain: Clinton Schifcofske
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
40th season
Ground: Toyota Stadium
Coach: Stuart Raper
Captain: Brett Kimmorley
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
57th season
Ground: Brookvale Oval
Coach: Des Hasler
Captain: Ben Kennedy
Melbourne Storm
9th season
Ground Olympic Park Stadium
Coach: Craig Bellamy
Captain: various
New Zealand Warriors
12th season
Ground: Mt Smart Stadium
Coach: Ivan Cleary
Captain: Steve Price
Newcastle Knights
19th season
Ground: EnergyAustralia Stadium
Coach: Michael Hagan
Captain: Andrew Johns
North Queensland Cowboys
12th season
Ground: Dairy Farmers Stadium
Coach: Graham Murray
Captain: Travis Norton
Parramatta Eels
60th season
Ground: Parramatta Stadium
Coach: Brian SmithJason Taylor
Captain: Nathan Cayless
Penrith Panthers
40th season
Ground: CUA Stadium
Coach: John Lang
Captain: Tony Puletua
South Sydney Rabbitohs
97th season
Ground: Telstra Stadium
Coach: Shaun McRae
Captain: Peter Cusack
St. George Illawarra Dragons
8th season
Ground: OKI Jubilee Stadium & WIN Stadium
Coach: Nathan Brown
Captain: Trent Barrett
Sydney Roosters
99th season
Ground: Sydney Football Stadium
Coach: Ricky StuartChris Anderson
Captain: Craig Fitzgibbon
Wests Tigers
7th season
Ground: Campbelltown Stadium & Leichhardt Oval
Coach: Tim Sheens
Captain: Brett Hodgson

Season summary

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The season began on March 10 with a match between defending premiers Wests Tigers and the St. George Illawarra Dragons, played at Telstra Stadium. The Melbourne Storm won 20 out of 24 regular season matches to win the minor premiership eight points clear of the Bulldogs.[4] However, in April 2010, the Storm were retroactively stripped of their minor premiership as a result of salary cap breaches occurring over the course of the 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 seasons.[5][6]

The grand finals:

  •   Brisbane Broncos vs   Melbourne Storm (NRL)
  •   Parramatta Eels vs   Newtown Jets (NSW Cup)
  •   Penrith Panthers vs   Newcastle Knights (NSW Jersey Flegg Cup)

The winners in all grades were:

  •   Brisbane Broncos (NRL)
  •   Parramatta Eels (NSW Cup)
  •   Penrith Panthers (NSW Jersey Flegg Cup)

The test match

  •   Australia vs   New Zealand

The tri-nations Series

  •   Australia vs   New Zealand
  •   Australia vs   Great Britain
  •   Great Britain vs   New Zealand

The State Of Origin Series

  •   Queensland vs   New South Wales

Venues

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Sixteen stadiums regularly hosted National Rugby league matches, with a further six hosting at least one match in season 2006.

Stadium name [7] City Host club(s) Capacity [8]
Suncorp Stadium Milton, Brisbane, Qld   Brisbane Broncos 52,500
Canberra Stadium Bruce, Canberra, ACT   Canberra Raiders 25,000
Olympic Park Stadium Melbourne, Vic   Melbourne Storm 18,500
EnergyAustralia Stadium Newcastle, NSW   Newcastle Knights 26,200
Sydney Football Stadium Moore Park, Sydney, NSW   Sydney Roosters 41,159
Brookvale Oval Brookvale, Sydney, NSW   Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 22,000
Campbelltown Stadium Campbelltown, Sydney, NSW   Wests Tigers 20,000
Leichhardt Oval Leichhardt, Sydney, NSW   Wests Tigers 20,000
Oki Jubilee Stadium Kogarah, Sydney, NSW   St George Illawarra Dragons 20,541
Parramatta Stadium Parramatta, Sydney, NSW   Parramatta Eels 20,500
CUA Stadium Penrith, Sydney, NSW   Penrith Panthers 21,000
Telstra Stadium Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, NSW   Bulldogs
  South Sydney Rabbitohs
  Wests Tigers
83,500
Toyota Park Cronulla, Sydney, NSW   Cronulla Sharks 21,500
Dairy Farmers Stadium Kirwan, Townsville, Qld   North Queensland Cowboys 25,000
Mt Smart Stadium Penrose, Auckland, New Zealand   New Zealand Warriors 25,000
WIN Stadium Wollongong, NSW   St George Illawarra Dragons 20,000
Hindmarsh Stadium Hindmarsh, Adelaide, SA 15,500
Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium Gosford, Central Coast, NSW 20,059
Jade Stadium Christchurch, New Zealand 36,500
Carrara Stadium Carrara, Gold Coast, Qld 22,000
Waikato Stadium Hamilton, New Zealand 26,350
Sydney Cricket Ground Moore Park, Sydney, NSW 43,562

Advertising

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In 2006 the NRL and their advertising agency MJW Hakuhodo stayed with the Hoodoo Gurus' "That's My Team" soundtrack for a fourth year, producing a treatment aimed to appeal to the fundamental hope of all players and fans: that it would be ‘their team’ who would win the Grand Final.

Capitalising on the enthusiasm generated by the Wests Tigers triumph of 2005 in only their sixth season, the campaign line and song chorus was changed to ‘That’s My Dream’.

All fifteen NRL club captains featured heavily in the television and outdoor ads holding aloft the Telstra trophy. Eight young real life fans also featured in the TV commercial reflecting the origins of the game from backyard football scenes to Sydney beaches. Each was a fan of one of eight clubs who had not till then won the Telstra Premiership trophy and four different broadcast versions of the ad told the stories of their love of the game and each's dream of their own team's victory.

Dally M Awards

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The Dally M Awards were introduced in 1980 by News Limited. The most prestigious of these awards is the Dally M Medal which is awarded to the Player Of The Year. The other prestigious award is the Provans Summons Medal which is the season's best player as voted by the public. As well as honouring the player of the year the awards night also recognises the premier player in each position, the best coach, the best captain, representative player of the year and the most outstanding rookie of the season. The awards night and Player of the Year medal are named in honour of Australian former rugby league great Herbert Henry "Dally" Messenger.

Position Award Player Club
Player of the Year Cameron Smith Melbourne Storm
Provans Summons Medal Nathan Hindmarsh Parramatta Eels
Rookie of the Year Jarryd Hayne Parramatta Eels
Captain of the Year Ben Kennedy Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Rep Player of the Year Darren Lockyer Brisbane Broncos
Coach of the Year Craig Bellamy Melbourne Storm

Team of the Year

Position Award Player Club
Best Fullback Clinton Schifcofske Canberra Raiders
Best Winger Brian Carney Newcastle Knights
Best Centre Mark Gasnier St George Illawarra Dragons
Best Five-Eighth Darren Lockyer Brisbane Broncos
Best Halfback Cooper Cronk Melbourne Storm
Best Lock Ben Kennedy Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Best Second-Rower Nathan Hindmarsh Parramatta Eels
Best Prop Roy Asotasi Bulldogs
Best Hooker Cameron Smith Melbourne Storm

Statistics and Records

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Ladder

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Pos Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts
1   Melbourne Storm 24 20 0 4 2 605 404 +201 441
2   Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 24 16 0 8 2 608 468 +140 36
3   Brisbane Broncos (P) 24 14 0 10 2 497 392 +105 32
4   Newcastle Knights 24 14 0 10 2 608 538 +70 32
5   Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 24 14 0 10 2 534 493 +41 32
6   St George Illawarra Dragons 24 14 0 10 2 519 481 +38 32
7   Canberra Raiders 24 13 0 11 2 525 573 -48 30
8   Parramatta Eels 24 12 0 12 2 506 483 +23 28
9   North Queensland Cowboys 24 11 0 13 2 450 463 -13 26
10   New Zealand Warriors 24 12 0 12 2 552 463 +89 242
11   Wests Tigers 24 10 0 14 2 490 565 -75 24
12   Penrith Panthers 24 10 0 14 2 510 587 -77 24
13   Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 24 9 0 15 2 515 544 -29 22
14   Sydney Roosters 24 8 0 16 2 528 650 -122 20
15   South Sydney Rabbitohs 24 3 0 21 2 429 772 -343 10

1 The Melbourne Storm were later stripped of this minor premiership due to gross salary cap breaches.
2 The New Zealand Warriors were deducted 4 competition points due to gross salary cap breaches.

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 in 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   Melbourne 2 4 4 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 40 42 44
2   Bulldogs 0 2 2 4 6 8 8 10 12 14 16 16 18 18 20 20 24 24 26 28 30 32 34 34 34 36
3   Brisbane 0 2 4 4 6 8 10 12 12 14 16 18 20 20 20 22 22 24 26 26 26 26 26 28 30 32
4   Newcastle 2 4 6 6 8 8 8 10 12 14 16 16 16 18 18 18 20 20 20 22 24 26 26 28 30 32
5   Manly-Warringah 0 0 2 4 6 6 8 10 10 10 12 14 16 18 18 18 18 20 22 24 24 26 28 30 32 32
6   St George Illawarra 0 0 2 4 4 6 8 8 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 26 26 26 26 26 28 30 32
7   Canberra 2 2 2 4 4 6 8 8 10 10 10 12 14 16 16 18 18 18 20 22 22 24 26 28 28 30
8   Parramatta 0 2 2 2 2 4 6 6 6 6 6 8 8 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 28 28
9   North Queensland 2 4 6 8 10 12 12 12 14 14 16 16 16 16 16 16 18 20 20 22 22 22 22 22 24 26
10   New Zealand -4 -4 -2 0 0 0 2 2 4 4 6 6 6 8 10 12 14 14 14 16 16 18 20 22 24 24
11   Wests 2 2 2 4 4 6 6 8 10 10 10 12 14 14 16 16 16 18 18 18 20 20 20 20 22 24
12   Penrith 2 4 6 6 8 8 8 8 8 10 12 12 12 12 14 16 16 18 20 20 22 22 22 24 24 24
13   Cronulla-Sutherland 2 2 2 4 4 4 6 8 10 12 12 14 16 18 20 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22
14   Sydney 2 2 4 4 6 6 6 8 8 10 12 12 12 12 12 12 14 14 16 16 18 18 20 20 20 20
15   South Sydney 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 6 8 10 10 10 10


Finals series

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The Melbourne Storm went into the finals for the first time as Minor Premiers. They had a week off after their first finals win against the Parramatta Eels 12-6 to prepare for a preliminary final encounter, again the St. George Illawarra Dragons which was won by the Storm 24-10, earning them a spot in the Grand final against the Brisbane Broncos. The Broncos had surprised everyone in the previous two months. After a slight hiccup in the qualifying Final, going down against St. George Illawarra Dragons 20-4, they came back in the next two weeks, beating the Newcastle Knights 50-6 in the Semi-final and coming from 20-6 down at halftime to win 37-20 against the Bulldogs in the preliminary final.

Home Score Away Match information
Date and time Venue Referee Crowd
Qualifying Finals
  Newcastle Knights 25–18   Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 8 September 2006 8:00pm EnergyAustralia Stadium Sean Hampstead 23,752
  Brisbane Broncos 4–20   St. George Illawarra Dragons 9 September 2006 6:30pm Suncorp Stadium Paul Simpkins 50,387
  Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 30–12   Canberra Raiders 9 September 2006 8:30pm Telstra Stadium Shayne Hayne 14,628
  Melbourne Storm 12–6   Parramatta Eels 10 September 2006 4:00pm Olympic Park Steve Clark 15,690
Semi-finals
  St. George Illawarra Dragons 28–0   Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 15 September 2006 7:45pm Sydney Football Stadium Paul Simpkins 30,907
  Newcastle Knights 6–50   Brisbane Broncos 16 September 2006 7:45pm Sydney Football Stadium Steve Clark 22,081
Preliminary Finals
  Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 20–37   Brisbane Broncos 22 September 2006 7:45pm Sydney Football Stadium Paul Simpkins 29,511
  Melbourne Storm 24–10   St. George Illawarra Dragons 23 September 2006 7:45pm Telstra Stadium Steve Clark 40,901

Finals Chart

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Qualifying finalsSemifinalsPreliminary finalsFinal
1  Melbourne12
8  Parramatta61W  Melbourne24
4W  St. George Illawarra28  St. George Illawarra10
2  Canterbury302L  Manly0
  Melbourne8
7  Canberra12
  Brisbane15
3  Brisbane42W  Canterbury20
6  St. George Illawarra203W  Newcastle6  Brisbane37
1L  Brisbane50
4  Newcastle25
5  Manly18

Grand Final

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2006 NRL Grand Final
Sunday, 1 October
19:00 AEST (UTC+10)
Melbourne Storm   8 – 15   Brisbane Broncos
Tries: 2
Turner   14'
King   49'
Goals:
C Smith (0/1)
Geyer (0/1)
1st: 4–8
2nd: 4–7
Report
Tries: 2
Hodges   19'
Tate   62'
Goals: 3
Lockyer   pen 9', 20' (2/2)
Parker   pen 60' (1/2)
Field goals: 1
Lockyer   73'
Telstra Stadium, Sydney
Attendance: 79,609[11]
Referee: Paul Simpkins
Touch judges: Rod Lawrence, Steve Carrall
Clive Churchill Medal: Shaun Berrigan (Brisbane)


Player statistics

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

2006 Transfers

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Players

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Player 2005 Club 2006 Club
Stuart Kelly   Brisbane Broncos Retirement
Darren Mapp   Brisbane Broncos   Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Darren Smith   Brisbane Broncos Retirement
Matt Adamson   Canberra Raiders Retirement
Ben Cross   Canberra Raiders   Melbourne Storm
Matt Gafa   Canberra Raiders   Super League: Harlequins RL
Ian Hindmarsh   Canberra Raiders   Super League: Catalans Dragons
Ryan O'Hara   Canberra Raiders   Wests Tigers
Michael Robertson   Canberra Raiders   Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Tyran Smith   Canberra Raiders Retirement
Braith Anasta   Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs   Sydney Roosters
Jamahl Lolesi   Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs   Wests Tigers
Keith Galloway   Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks   Wests Tigers
Sam Isemonger   Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks   St. George Illawarra Dragons
Ryan McGoldrick   Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks   Super League: Castleford Tigers
Paul Mellor   Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks   South Sydney Rabbitohs
Nathan Merritt   Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks   South Sydney Rabbitohs
David Peachey   Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks   South Sydney Rabbitohs
Jason Stevens   Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Retirement
Michael Sullivan   Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks   Super League: Warrington Wolves
Scott Donald   Manly Warringah Sea Eagles   Super League: Leeds Rhinos
Sam Harris   Manly Warringah Sea Eagles   Wests Tigers
Daniel Heckenberg   Manly Warringah Sea Eagles   Super League: Harlequins RL
Terry Hill   Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Retirement
John Hopoate   Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Suspension
Chad Randall   Manly Warringah Sea Eagles   Super League: Harlequins RL
Steven Bell   Melbourne Storm   Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Alex Chan   Melbourne Storm   Super League: Catalans Dragons
Robbie Kearns   Melbourne Storm Retirement
Jamie McDonald   Melbourne Storm Toulouse Olympique
Matt Orford   Melbourne Storm   Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Peter Robinson   Melbourne Storm Retirement
Dennis Scott   Melbourne Storm Retirement
Mark Hughes   Newcastle Knights   Super League: Catalans Dragons
Andrew Price   Newcastle Knights   St. George Illawarra Dragons
Monty Betham   New Zealand Warriors   Super League: Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Stacey Jones   New Zealand Warriors   Super League: Catalans Dragons
Francis Meli   New Zealand Warriors   Super League: St. Helens
Iafeta Palea'aesina   New Zealand Warriors   Super League: Wigan Warriors
Karl Te Mata   New Zealand Warriors   Super League: Harlequins RL
Richard Villasanti   New Zealand Warriors   Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Jaiman Lowe   North Queensland Cowboys   South Sydney Rabbitohs
Micheal Luck   North Queensland Cowboys   New Zealand Warriors
Leigh McWilliams   North Queensland Cowboys Retirement
David Myles   North Queensland Cowboys Toulouse Olympique
Paul Rauhihi   North Queensland Cowboys   Super League: Warrington Wolves
Chris Sheppard   North Queensland Cowboys   St. George Illawarra Dragons
Ashley Graham   Parramatta Eels   North Queensland Cowboys
Garret Crossman   Penrith Panthers   Melbourne Storm
Shannon Donato   Penrith Panthers Retirement
Paul Franze   Penrith Panthers   Super League: Castleford Tigers
Joe Galuvao   Penrith Panthers   South Sydney Rabbitohs
Brett Howland   Penrith Panthers Retirement
Ben Ross   Penrith Panthers   Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Bryan Fletcher   South Sydney Rabbitohs   Super League: Wigan Warriors
Glenn Hall   South Sydney Rabbitohs   Sydney Roosters
Ashley Harrison   South Sydney Rabbitohs   Sydney Roosters
Lee Hookey   South Sydney Rabbitohs   Penrith Panthers
Brett Kearney   South Sydney Rabbitohs   Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Scott Logan   South Sydney Rabbitohs   Super League: Wigan Warriors
Michael Ennis   St. George Illawarra Dragons   Brisbane Broncos
Willie Manu   St. George Illawarra Dragons   Super League: Castleford Tigers
Shane Marteene   St. George Illawarra Dragons Retirement
Lance Thompson   St. George Illawarra Dragons   Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Albert Torrens   St. George Illawarra Dragons   Super League: Huddersfield Giants
Ned Catic   Sydney Roosters   Super League: Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Jason Cayless   Sydney Roosters   Super League: St. Helens
Michael Crocker   Sydney Roosters   Melbourne Storm
Richie Faʻaoso   Sydney Roosters   Super League: Castleford Tigers
Luke Ricketson   Sydney Roosters Retirement
Chris Walker   Sydney Roosters   Melbourne Storm
Stuart Webb   Sydney Roosters   South Sydney Rabbitohs
Robert Miles   Wests Tigers Retirement
Mark O'Neill   Wests Tigers   Super League: Leeds Rhinos
Pat Richards   Wests Tigers   Super League: Wigan Warriors
Matthew Rieck   Wests Tigers Retirement
John Wilson   Wests Tigers   Super League: Catalans Dragons
Craig Stapleton   Super League: Leigh Centurions   Penrith Panthers
Mark O'Halloran   Super League: London Broncos   Penrith Panthers
Darren Albert   Super League: St. Helens   Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
Mark Edmondson   Super League: St. Helens   Sydney Roosters
Andrew Emelio   Super League: Widnes Vikings   Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Brian Carney   Super League: Wigan Warriors   Newcastle Knights
Shane Muspratt North Queensland Young Guns (Queensland Cup)   North Queensland Cowboys
Matt Bickerstaff N/A   St. George Illawarra Dragons
Luke Davico N/A   Newcastle Knights
John Doyle N/A   Sydney Roosters
George Gatis N/A   New Zealand Warriors

See also

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ Stuart Honeysett and Brent Read (23 April 2010) Shocking end to the Melbourne Storm era The Australian
  2. ^ Bernard, Grantley (2006-10-02). "Storm laments lost opportunity". Fox Sports. Premier Media Group Pty Ltd. Retrieved 2009-12-17.
  3. ^ Budge, Dale (2006-02-22). "NRL salary cap guide". tvnz.co.nz. Television New Zealand Limited. Archived from the original on 2012-10-05. Retrieved 2009-12-17.
  4. ^ "Broncos claim premiership". Television New Zealand Limited. Australian Associated Press. 2 October 2001. Retrieved 17 December 2009.
  5. ^ "Melbourne Storm breach NRL Salary Cap". National Rugby League. 22 April 2010. Archived from the original on 25 April 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
  6. ^ McDonald, Margie (22 April 2010). "Melbourne Storm stripped of two rugby league titles over salary cap fraud". The Australian. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
  7. ^ During the 2006 season, many of the stadiums were known by different names to their traditional ones, as some were sponsored by various organisations. For example, Aussie Stadium was also formerly known as the "Sydney Football Stadium", likewise, Mt Smart Stadium was known as 'Ericsson Stadium' for the majority of the season, until the naming rights expired.
  8. ^ This includes both seated and standing spots.
  9. ^ Proszenko, Adrian (6 May 2012). "Gallen set to smash record". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  10. ^ Champions in poor teams, Sydney Morning Herald, September 2006
  11. ^ Middleton, David. 2006 Official Rugby League Annual. Surrey Hills: News Magazines. p. 112.
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