 Super League (Australia) was a rugby league football administrative body that conducted professional competition in Australasia for one season in 1997. Along with Super League (Europe), it was created by News Corporation during the Super League war which arose following an unsuccessful attempt to purchase the pay television rights to rugby league in Australia. After two years of legal battles the competition was played for a single season in 1997 alongside the rival Australian Rugby League (ARL) competition before the two merged in 1998 to form the National Rugby League (NRL). Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Rugby league is a team sport played by two teams of 17 players, with 13 on the field at any one time and 4 on the bench (reserves). ...
The 1997 Super League premiership (known as the Telstra Cup for sponsorship purposes) was the first and only premiership of the rugby league competition run by News Limited. ...
Super League (Europe) began in March 1996 and is the only full-time professional rugby league competition operating in the northern hemisphere. ...
News Corporation (abbreviated to News Corp) (NYSE: NWS, NYSE: NWSa, ASX: NWS, LSE: NCRA) is one of the worlds largest media conglomerates. ...
The Super League war was a battle for the control of broadcast rights for the sport of Rugby League. ...
The Australian Rugby League (ARL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. ...
Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ...
The National Rugby League (NRL) is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. ...
Super League competitions
Telstra Cup
 A ticket for the 1997 Super League Telstra Cup Grand Final. -
The Telstra Cup was a ten team competition held over eighteen rounds. The season was dominated by the minor premiers, the Brisbane Broncos, who won 14 of their 18 matches, losing only to the Penrith Panthers, the Hunter Mariners and eventual runners-up, the Cronulla Sharks. The Grand Final was played at Brisbane's ANZ Stadium in front of 58,912 people, the ground record for that venue. The Broncos defeated the Sharks 26-8 to win their third premiership. The Auckland Warriors had teams in both the Reserve grade and two age-group Grand Finals but lost all three. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (956x517, 129 KB) Summary A ticket to the 1997 Super League Grand Final. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (956x517, 129 KB) Summary A ticket to the 1997 Super League Grand Final. ...
The 1997 Super League premiership (known as the Telstra Cup for sponsorship purposes) was the first and only premiership of the rugby league competition run by News Limited. ...
This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ...
The Brisbane Broncos, at the then-ANZ Stadium The Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre, formerly ANZ Stadium (and also known as the QEII Stadium) is an athletics stadium located in Brisbane, Queensland; the former home of the Brisbane Broncos rugby league team. ...
The New Zealand Warriors (formerly Auckland Warriors) are a rugby league team based in Auckland, New Zealand who compete in the Australian based National Rugby League competition. ...
The winners in all grades were:
- First Grade: Brisbane Broncos
- Reserve Grade: Canterbury Bulldogs
- Under-19s: Penrith Panthers
- Under-17s: Brisbane Broncos
Tri-series -
The Super League Tri-series was contested by New South Wales, New Zealand and Queensland. Each team played the others once, with the best two teams playing a final. New South Wales defeated Queensland 23-22 in the final at ANZ Stadium It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Super League (Australia). ...
AKA QEII stadium is an olympic stadium in Brisbane, Queensland. ...
International matches - See also: List of results of the Australian national rugby league team
In 1997 the Super League Australia select team played two games against New Zealand, winning the inaugural ANZAC Test and losing the return match. Australia also won a three game series against Great Britain by two games to one. Although these matches are considered to be Tests by the New Zealand Rugby League and the European Rugby Football League, they are not recognised by the Australian Rugby League. The following list is a complete collection of results for the Australia national rugby league team. ...
The ANZAC Test is a rugby league match played annually around ANZAC Day between Australia and New Zealand. ...
The New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) is the governing body for the sport of Rugby League in New Zealand. ...
The Rugby Football League logo The Rugby Football League (RFL) is the governing body for rugby league in the United Kingdom. ...
The Australian Rugby League (ARL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. ...
As News had signed up most rugby league organisations outside of Australia, the ARL was starved of international competition. They had intended playing a team of players with New Zealand heritage but the New Zealand Rugby League took out an injunction in the Federal Court preventing the ARL from using the terms "Test", "Representative Team", "New Zealand" or "All Golds". [1] The ARL instead played Tests against rebel teams from Papua New Guinea and Fiji, as well as defeating a Rest of the World team in July 1997.
The Oceania Cup was run by Super League in place of the Pacific Cup. It was contested by Cook Islands, Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand Māori, New Zealand XIII and Papua New Guinea. New Zealand XIII defeated New Zealand Maori 20-15 in the final. The Pacific Cup is a rugby league competition for international teams from the pacific region. ...
New Zealand MÄori is the name of a rugby league team that traditionally plays teams touring New Zealand. ...
World Club Challenge -
The World Club Challenge, which had been contested occasionally since 1975, was expanded in 1997 to include all ten Australian Super League clubs competing against all twelve European clubs. The European teams were outclassed, winning only 8 of 83 matches, and suffering many heavy defeats. The competition was unpopular in Australia, and it lost $6,000,000 due to small crowds and heavy travel expenses. The Brisbane Broncos won the final defeating the Hunter Mariners 36-12 at Ericsson Stadium, Auckland. In 1997, the World Club Challenge was restructured to included 22 clubs from the Australian and European Super League competitions. ...
1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ...
This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ...
The Hunter Mariners were a rugby league team, based in Newcastle who participated in the single Australasian Super League season in 1997. ...
Mt Smart Stadium, formerly Ericsson Stadium, is a stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. ...
Schematic map of Auckland. ...
Super League Challenge Cup The Super League Challenge Cup competition was played between the Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia. The Australian Capital Territory won the competition, defeating the Northern Territory 40-14 at ANZ Stadium Brisbane on 19 May 1997. Capital Canberra Government Constitutional monarchy Administrator none Chief Minister Jon Stanhope (ALP) Federal representation - House seats 2 - Senate seats 2 Gross Territorial Product (2006) - Product ($m) $19,167 (6th) - Product per capita $57,303/person (1st) Population (End of November 2006) - Population 333,667 (7th) - Density 137. ...
Capital Darwin Government Const. ...
Capital Adelaide Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Marjorie Jackson-Nelson Premier Mike Rann (ALP) Federal representation - House seats 11 - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05) - Product ($m) $59,819 (5th) - Product per capita $38,838/person (7th) Population (End of September 2006) - Population 1,558,200 (5th) - Density 1. ...
Capital Perth Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Ken Michael Premier Alan Carpenter (ALP) Federal representation - House seats 15 - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05) - Product ($m) $100,900 (4th) - Product per capita $50,355/person (3rd) Population (December 2006) - Population 2,050,900 (4th) - Density 0. ...
The Brisbane Broncos, at the then-ANZ Stadium The Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre, formerly ANZ Stadium (and also known as the QEII Stadium) is an athletics stadium located in Brisbane, Queensland; the former home of the Brisbane Broncos rugby league team. ...
Brisbane (pronounced ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, as well as the third largest city in Australia, with a greater metropolitan population of 1. ...
May 19 is the 139th day of the year (140th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
World Nines In 1996 and 1997 the Gatorade Super League World Nines Comepetition was held. Nines rugby league is a faster form of the game with only nine players on the field at a time playing in shorter halves. The World Nines competition were held as an alternative to the ARL's World Sevens. Rugby league nines is a version of rugby league played with 9 players on each side. ...
The 1996 World Nines were held in Suva, Fiji from February 22 to February 24. The winner of this competition was New Zealand. The 1996 World Nines marked the first time that a video referee was used for a game of rugby league. The 1997 World Nines were held in Townsville, Queensland from January 31 to February 2. New Zealand won this competition for the second year in a row. Suva is the capital city of Fiji. ...
February 22 is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
February 24 is the 55th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Townsville (Postcodes: 4810-4819) is a city on the north-eastern coast of Australia, located in the state of Queensland. ...
January 31 is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
February 2 is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Super League (Europe) -
As the Rugby Football League had signed with News Corporation, a twelve team club competition was held from 1996 in Europe. Super League (Europe) began in March 1996 and is the only full-time professional rugby league competition operating in the northern hemisphere. ...
The Rugby Football League logo The Rugby Football League (RFL) is the governing body for rugby league in the United Kingdom. ...
Legacy Although Super League damaged the public perceptions and financial standing of rugby league in Australia, a number of concepts that it introduced lived on into the new millennium.
ANZAC Test -
An addition to the regular Tests played between Australia and New Zealand, the ANZAC Test was introduced by Super League. There was some controversy at the time for the use of the word ANZAC, as many considered it inappropriate to compare sportspeople to soldiers. Although it was dropped from the annual schedule in the early years of the new millennium, it was revived in 2004, and is now contested each year. The ANZAC Test is a rugby league match played annually around ANZAC Day between Australia and New Zealand. ...
Night Grand Finals The Super League Telstra Cup Grand Final was played on a Saturday night in Brisbane, whereas all NSWRL and ARL Grand Finals were traditionally played on a Sunday afternoon. From 2001 the NRL has played its Grand Finals on the Sunday night in October, to coincide with a Public Holiday in New South Wales the following day. A Grand Final is the culmination of a series of final matches played between a number of sporting teams to decide the premier team. ...
Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Capital Sydney Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Professor Marie Bashir Premier Morris Iemma (ALP) Federal representation - House seats 50 - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05) - Product ($m) $305,437 (1st) - Product per capita $45,153/person (4th) Population (End of March 2006) - Population 6,817,100 (1st) - Density 8. ...
Although a ratings success for the Nine Network, this scheduling continues to upset traditionalists, who believe that having the Grand Final on a Sunday afternoon allows people to better celebrate the day, particularly with a Grand Final BBQ. Some in Sydney also believe that holding the Grand Final at night disuades parents with young children attending. It is also very unpopular outside of New South Wales, as there is no Public Holiday in Queensland the following day, and the Grand Final begins late in the evening in New Zealand. The Nine Network is an Australian television network, available in major markets across Australia. ...
The Sydney Opera House on Sydney Harbour Sydney (pronounced ) is the most populous city in Australia, with a metropolitan area population of over 4,200,000 people, and 151,920 within the city centre. ...
Capital Brisbane Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Quentin Bryce Premier Peter Beattie (ALP) Federal representation - House seats 28 - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05) - Product ($m) $158,506 (3rd) - Product per capita $40,170/person (6th) Population (End of September 2006) - Population 4,070,400 (3rd) - Density 2. ...
Video Referees At the Super League World Nines in 1996 the video referee was used for the first time. The Video referee allows an official to check the veracity of tries scored using footage from the television broadcasters. The NRL used Video Referees from its first season in 1998. 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...
Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ...
Rule Changes A number of rule changes were introduced in both the Super League and the ARL during the war that have been adopted by the NRL. Super League innovations include: - Zero tackle rule (in a modified form).
- Scrums packed 20 metres in from touch.
An ARL rule change for the 1997 season that was adopted by the NRL and is still in force is the popular 40/20 rule. Under this rule, attacking teams kicking the ball into touch 'on the bounce' from inside the 40 metres closest to their goal line, with the ball crossing the sideline inside the opposing team's 20 metre area, receives a scrum feed. Previously the defending team received the scrum feed. Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. ...
A rugby union scrum In rugby football, a scrummage or scrum is a way of restarting the game, either after an accidental infringement (a set scrum, in rugby union and rugby league), or when the ball has gone into touch (in rugby league only). ...
See also The 1997 Super League premiership (known as the Telstra Cup for sponsorship purposes) was the first and only premiership of the rugby league competition run by News Limited. ...
The Super League war was a battle for the control of broadcast rights for the sport of Rugby League. ...
The Australian Rugby League (ARL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. ...
The National Rugby League (NRL) is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. ...
Super League (Europe) began in March 1996 and is the only full-time professional rugby league competition operating in the northern hemisphere. ...
References
Background - Colman, Mike (1996). Super League: The Inside Story. Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Ltd. ISBN 0-330-35863-4.
- Gallaway, Jack (2001). The Brisbane Broncos: The Team To Beat. University of Queensland Press. ISBN 0-7022-3275-0.
- Jon, A. Asbjorn (1997). 'Professional Sport and Popular Culture', in Australian Folklore 12. University of New England. ISBN 1-86389-461-6.
- "How The War Unfolded", Sydney Morning Herald, March 26, 2005
- "Channel Nine and Fox extend NRL rights", Sydney Morning Herald, July 1, 2005
- "News plotter used NRL spot to outbid C7", Sydney Morning Herald, September 14, 2005
- "PBL Buys 25% of Foxtel", Australian Cybermalls News, October 30, 2005
- Leeming, Mark (1996) "The Super League Case", Australian Parliamentary Library Research Paper No. 23, 1996
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