2003 NRL season
The 2003 NRL premiership was the 96th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the sixth run by the National Rugby League. Fifteen teams competed, with the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles returning in place of their failed joint-venture club, the Northern Eagles. Ultimately, the Penrith Panthers defeated reigning champions, the Sydney Roosters in the 2003 NRL grand final, claiming their first premiership since 1991.
Season summary
Season 2003 brought in the new "golden point" extra time rule, where after 80 minutes, if the game was drawn, then 10 minutes of extra time was played until one team scored the winning point. The salary cap for the 2003 season was A$3.25 million per club for their 25 highest-paid players.The first round of the Premiership improved on the previous year's in terms of attendance and television ratings. The major story this season was the resurgence of the Penrith Panthers, who defied the critics and naysayers to win their second premiership in their illustrious history since joining the competition in 1967. Coached by John Lang and captained by Craig Gower, the Panthers were the surprise minor premiers, dominating the competition despite consistent disparagement from many sources, and would continue their outstanding form in the finals, beating the Broncos, Warriors and finally the Roosters in the grand final.
The Dally M Medal ceremony was cancelled by the NRL after negotiations with the players' union, the Rugby League Professionals Association, stalled. All votes for the award were destroyed. It was later revealed that with one round of the regular season to play, Craig Gower was leading both Brad Fittler and Clinton Schifcofske by one point in the overall points tally. However, with the ceremony officially cancelled more than a week out from the awards, no points were allocated in the final round of the season.
At the end of the season, Chris Anderson would lose his job at Cronulla-Sutherland, while Peter Sharp was dismissed as the Sea Eagles coach. Trainer and former Manly star, Des Hasler would replace Sharp as head coach in 2004.
Also at the end of the season, a squad of players from the NRL premiership went on the 2003 Kangaroo tour.
A major flaw of the fixture was that the previous season's Grand Finalists, the New Zealand Warriors and Sydney Roosters, did not meet until the penultimate round of the regular season.
Teams
The lineup of fifteen teams for the 2003 premiership remained unchanged from the previous season, except that the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles rejoined the competition since their merger with North Sydney Bears in 1999, taking the place of the failed Northern Eagles. This ended North Sydney's representation in the League.Records and statistics
- Anthony Minichiello ran 4,571 metres with the ball in 2003, more than any other player in the competition.
- Nathan Brown became the youngest non-playing coach in premiership history at the age of 29. Brown had retired from playing in 2001 after a neck injury in a trial game.
- Referee Bill Harrigan's tenth grand final in 2003, the final match of his career, stands as the record for the most grand finals officiated by a referee.
- On 23 August the Parramatta Eels beat the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 74–4, at the time the third highest winning margin for a club game in Australian rugby league history.
- Also on 23 August, the North Queensland Cowboys beat the South Sydney Rabbitohs 60–8, the biggest win and most points in a match in Cowboys history.
- The Brisbane Broncos set a record for their longest losing streak, from round 20 to the 4th qualifying final.
- The Penrith Panthers became the first team to win the minor premiership and hold bottom spot on the ladder in the same season.
- The Penrith Panthers won 8 matches in a row from 19 April - 7 June, most wins in a row in the club's history.
- The Bulldogs equalled their worst defeat with a 50–4 loss to the Melbourne Storm in round 22.
- The Brisbane Broncos suffered their worst ever defeat at Suncorp Stadium, losing to the Bulldogs 40–4 in round 18. This was later eclipsed by a 56–18 loss to the New Zealand Warriors in Round 12 of season 2013. They also only recorded one victory at the Stadium in season 2003, which came two weeks earlier with a 10–8 win over the Sydney Roosters.
Advertising
"and another thing, I'm discovering lately, I'm a bit crazy, for my rugby league team "
Wilson is a friend of Hoodoo Gurus singer Dave Faulkner and made the necessary arrangements which included re-uniting the band to re-record the track. Faulkner is a long-time supporter of the Sharks and the original film clip of "What's My Scene?" had included shots of band members in Wests and Cronulla-Sutherland jumpers.
The ad focuses on the grass roots supporters at all levels of the game and in its finished version includes shots of fans from the Cessnock Goannas, a proud Bulldogs supporter and a Penrith teenager with a broken leg signed by her heroes. These images are included with the usual fare of pre-season team training images, big-hits, clever passes and post-try celebrations.
To produce the ad the League returned to the agency who created and produced the Tina Turner campaigns from 1989 to 1995 - Hertz Walpole Advertising by now renamed MJW Hakuhodo.
Ladder
Finals series
Finals Chart
Grand Final
2003 Transfers
Players
| Player | 2002 Club | 2003 Club |
| Ashley Harrison | Brisbane Broncos | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Allan Langer | Brisbane Broncos | Retirement |
| Shane Walker | Brisbane Broncos | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Brett Finch | Canberra Raiders | Sydney Roosters |
| Ken Nagas | Canberra Raiders | Retirement |
| Todd Payten | Canberra Raiders | Sydney Roosters |
| Brett Howland | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Penrith Panthers |
| Paul Rauhihi | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | North Queensland Cowboys |
| Darren Smith | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Super League: St. Helens |
| Nathan Sologinkin | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Melbourne Storm |
| Darrell Trindall | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Retirement |
| Preston Campbell | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Penrith Panthers |
| Matthew Johns | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Retirement |
| Chris McKenna | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Super League: Leeds Rhinos |
| William Leyshon | Melbourne Storm | Parramatta Eels |
| Henry Perenara | Melbourne Storm | St. George Illawarra Dragons |
| Matt Rua | Melbourne Storm | N/A |
| Richard Swain | Melbourne Storm | Brisbane Broncos |
| John Morris | Newcastle Knights | Parramatta Eels |
| Bill Peden | Newcastle Knights | Super League: London Broncos |
| Kevin Campion | New Zealand Warriors | North Queensland Cowboys |
| Ivan Cleary | New Zealand Warriors | Retirement |
| Shontayne Hape | New Zealand Warriors | Super League: Bradford Bulls |
| David Myles | New Zealand Warriors | North Queensland Cowboys |
| Tim Brasher | North Queensland Cowboys | Bath |
| John Doyle | North Queensland Cowboys | N/A |
| Peter Jones | North Queensland Cowboys | Retirement |
| Tim Maddison | North Queensland Cowboys | Newcastle Knights |
| Ken McGuinness | North Queensland Cowboys | Retirement |
| Lenny Beckett | Northern Eagles | ACT Brumbies |
| Shayne Dunley | Northern Eagles | Parramatta Eels |
| Jason Ferris | Northern Eagles | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Wade Forrester | Northern Eagles | Retirement |
| Jamie Goddard | Northern Eagles | Retirement |
| John Hopoate | Northern Eagles | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Nik Kosef | Northern Eagles | Retirement |
| Tasesa Lavea | Northern Eagles | Auckland |
| Danny Lima | Northern Eagles | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Nathan Long | Northern Eagles | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Ben MacDougall | Northern Eagles | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Steve Menzies | Northern Eagles | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Robert Miles | Northern Eagles | Wests Tigers |
| Scott Pethybridge | Northern Eagles | Retirement |
| Brendon Reeves | Northern Eagles | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Mark Shipway | Northern Eagles | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Albert Torrens | Northern Eagles | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
| David Westley | Northern Eagles | Retirement |
| Luke Williamson | Northern Eagles | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Michael Buettner | Parramatta Eels | Wests Tigers |
| Scott Donald | Parramatta Eels | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Brad Drew | Parramatta Eels | Canberra Raiders |
| Ian Hindmarsh | Parramatta Eels | Canberra Raiders |
| Ben Kusto | Parramatta Eels | Retirement |
| Andrew McFadden | Parramatta Eels | Melbourne Storm |
| Andrew Ryan | Parramatta Eels | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs |
| Ned Catic | Penrith Panthers | Sydney Roosters |
| John Cross | Penrith Panthers | St. George Illawarra Dragons |
| Lee Hopkins | Penrith Panthers | Parramatta Eels |
| Chris Caruana | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Retirement |
| Anthony Colella | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Super League: Huddersfield Giants |
| Andrew King | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Super League: London Broncos |
| Paul McNicholas | South Sydney Rabbitohs | North Queensland Cowboys |
| Adam Muir | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Retirement |
| Adam Peek | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Parramatta Eels |
| Luke Felsch | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Retirement |
| Lee Hookey | St. George Illawarra Dragons | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Jason Hooper | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Super League: St. Helens |
| Shane Millard | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Super League: Widnes Vikings |
| Willie Peters | St. George Illawarra Dragons | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Justin Smith | St. George Illawarra Dragons | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Bryan Fletcher | Sydney Roosters | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Paul Green | Sydney Roosters | Parramatta Eels |
| David Kidwell | Sydney Roosters | Melbourne Storm |
| Brett Mullins | Sydney Roosters | Retirement |
| Luke Phillips | Sydney Roosters | Retirement |
| Steven Crouch | Wests Tigers | Parramatta Eels |
| Kevin McGuinness | Wests Tigers | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Hassan Saleh | Wests Tigers | St. George Illawarra Dragons |
| Matt Seers | Wests Tigers | Super League: Wakefield Trinity Wildcats |
| Robbie Beckett | Super League: Halifax Blue Sox | Wests Tigers |
| Tonie Carroll | Super League: Leeds Rhinos | Brisbane Broncos |
| Ben Walker | Super League: Leeds Rhinos | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Darren Treacy | Super League: Salford City Reds | Parramatta Eels |
| Solomon Haumono | Hiatus | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |