The 2006 National Rugby League season consisted of 25 weekly regular season rounds starting on 11 March, followed by four weeks of play-offs that culminated in a grand final on 1 October.
Regular season
Round 1
HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd Wests Tigers24-15 St. George Illawarra Dragons11 March 2006 7:30 pmTelstra StadiumP. Simpkins27,865 Newcastle Knights25-6 Parramatta Eels12 March 2006 5:30 pmEnergy Australia StadiumR. Smith26,198 Canterbury Bulldogs22-24 Penrith Panthers12 March 2006 7:30 pmTelstra StadiumS. Hampstead17,510 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles14-27 Canberra Raiders12 March 2006 7:30 pmBrookvale OvalS. Hayne17,135 New Zealand Warriors16-22 Melbourne Storm13 March 2006 2:00 pmEricsson StadiumS. Clark10,031 Brisbane Broncos4-36 North Queensland Cowboys13 March 2006 2:00 pmSuncorp StadiumT. Archer46,229 South Sydney Rabbitohs22-40 Sydney Roosters13 March 2006 2:30 pmTelstra StadiumJ. Robinson16,741 Cronulla SharksBye
Round 2 Many records were broken in this round. The Cowboy's Matt Sing scores his 150th try in first-grade, the sixth player to do so. Canterbury's Hazem El Masri scored 34 points, a club record. The extremely hot conditions on the Sunday afternoon of this round affected two games in particular. In Wollongong, a slow-moving, somewhat sloppy game saw St George Illawarra in their first ever period of golden point extra time, going down to Penrith 13-12. On the other hand, at Canberra, an all-time premiership record 102 points were scored between Newcastle and Canberra. This surpasses the previous record of 97 points scored in St. George's 91-6 defeat of Canterbury in 1935.
HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd Canterbury Bulldogs47-12 Wests Tigers18 March 2006 7:30 pmTelstra StadiumStephen Clark32,578 New Zealand Warriors14-22 Parramatta Eels19 March 2006 5:30 pmEricsson StadiumSean Hampstead16,089 Cronulla Sharks12-16 Brisbane Broncos19 March 2006 7:30 pmToyota ParkRussell Smith14,221 North Queensland Cowboys20-16 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles19 March 2006 7:30 pmDairy Farmers StadiumPaul Simpkins23,296 Sydney Roosters18-22 Melbourne Storm20 March 2006 2:00 pmSydney Football StadiumTony Archer10,841 St. George Illawarra Dragons12-13 Penrith Panthers20 March 2006 3:00 pmWIN StadiumShayne Hayne12,098 Canberra Raiders32-70 Newcastle Knights20 March 2006 2:30 pmCanberra StadiumJason Robinson11,606 South Sydney RabbitohsBye
Round 3 The Newcastle Knights scored 116 points in the last two weeks with a 46-22 win over the Canterbury Bulldogs The Brisbane Broncos won their first back to back wins since rounds 18 and 19 of the previous season. The Raiders conceded 126 points in their last two games after a 56-20 loss to the Roosters.
HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd Newcastle Knights46-22 Canterbury Bulldogs24 March 2006 7:30 pmEnergyAustralia StadiumSteve Clark25,504 New Zealand Warriors26-10 Wests Tigers25 March 2006 5:30 pmJade StadiumRussel Smith21,346 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles20-18 Cronulla Sharks25 March 2006 7:30 pmBrookvale OvalSean Hampstead13,114 North Queensland Cowboys40-8 Melbourne Storm25 March 2006 7:30 pmDairy Farmers StadiumPaul Simpkins14,675 St. George Illawarra Dragons44-14 South Sydney Rabbitohs26 March 2006 2:00 pmTelstra StadiumJason Robinson16,049 Sydney Roosters56-20 Canberra Raiders26 March 2006 2:30 pmSydney Football StadiumShayne Hayne9,826 Brisbane Broncos30-10 Parramatta Eels26 March 2006 3:00 pmSuncorp StadiumTony Archer25,525 Penrith PanthersBye
Round 4 Cronulla Sharks won their first game of the season win a 24-22 win over the South Sydney Rabbitohs The Panthers became the first team to play back to back Golden Point matches. HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd Parramatta Eels18-26 North Queensland Cowboys31 March 2006 7:30 pmParramatta StadiumPaul Simpkins14,131 Cronulla Sharks24-22 South Sydney Rabbitohs1 April 2006 5:30 pmToyota ParkShayne Hayne12,274 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles30-22 Sydney Roosters1 April 2006 7:30 pmBrookvale OvalTony Archer17,117 Canberra Raiders21-20 Penrith Panthers2 April 2006 7:30 pmCanberra StadiumGavin Badger9,399 Wests Tigers30-28 Melbourne Storm3 April 2006 2:00 pmLeichhardt OvalJason Robinson17,803 St. George Illawarra Dragons26-12 Brisbane Broncos3 April 2006 2:30 pmWIN StadiumSean Hampstead13,708 Newcastle Knights22-26 New Zealand Warriors3 April 2006 3:00 pmEnergyAustralia StadiumRussell Smith18,359 Canterbury BulldogsBye
Round 5 It was a Grand Final rematch between the North Queensland Cowboys and the Wests Tigers, this time the previous season's runners-up North Queensland taking the game 32-12. The Bulldogs became the first team to win after a Bye this year with a comprehensive 12-30 drubbing of the Raiders in Canberra HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd North Queensland Cowboys32-12 Wests Tigers7 April 2006 7:30 pmDairy Farmers StadiumS. Clark20,262 Brisbane Broncos30-12 South Sydney Rabbitohs8 April 2006 5:30 pmSuncorp StadiumG. Badger20,816 Cronulla Sharks24-28 Sydney Roosters8 April 2006 7:30 pmToyota ParkS. Hampstead12,331 St. George Illawarra Dragons6-54 Newcastle Knights8 April 2006 7:30 pmWIN StadiumT. Archer17,367 New Zealand Warriors8-22 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles9 April 2006 2:00 pmEricsson StadiumR. Smith7,888 Canberra Raiders12-30 Canterbury Bulldogs9 April 2006 2:00 pmCanberra StadiumJ. Robertson12,125 Parramatta Eels18-44 Penrith Panthers9 April 2006 2:30 pmParramatta StadiumS. Hayne14,194 Melbourne StormBye
Round 6 A very rare event occurred in Round 6 – a referee was injured during a match. In the 28th minute of the Newcastle vs Nth Qld match, referee Paul Simpkins blew time off and made his way off the field with an injured calf muscle. A replacement referee was organised – Tony De Las Heras, who had refereed the Jersey Flegg (third-tier competition) match earlier, was brought onto the field to take control of the rest of the match. Coincidentally, De Las Heras was the subject of the next instance a referee was injured in an NRL match, in Round 19, 2009.
Also, for the first time in 8 years, first grade competitive rugby league returned to Adelaide after the Adelaide Rams were excluded from the competition after the 1998 season. The Penrith Panthers hosted the Melbourne Storm at Hindmarsh Stadium, which was won by Melbourne 40-18. However, Rugby league officials were hoping for an attendance of at least 10,000, and were disappointed with the attendance of only 7,017.
HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd Sydney Roosters6-24 Brisbane Broncos14 April 2006 7:30 pmSydney Football StadiumS. Clark21,246 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles24-26 St. George Illawarra Dragons15 April 2006 5:30 pmBrookvale OvalS. Hayne18,069 Canberra Raiders18-14 New Zealand Warriors15 April 2006 7:30 pmCanberra StadiumG. Badger7,174 Penrith Panthers18-40 Melbourne Storm15 April 2006 7:30 pmHindmarsh StadiumT. Archer7,017 Wests Tigers42-16 Cronulla Sharks16 April 2006 2:00 pmCampbelltown StadiumJ. Robinson15,550 Newcastle Knights16-18 North Queensland Cowboys16 April 2006 2:00 pmEnergyAustralia StadiumP. Simpkins, Tom Les Das Heras26,048 Canterbury Bulldogs26-18 South Sydney Rabbitohs17 April 2006 2:30 pmTelstra StadiumR. Smith19,529 Parramatta EelsBye
Round 7 HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd Parramatta Eels28-16 Wests Tigers21 April 2006 7:30 pmParramatta StadiumT. Archer21,141 New Zealand Warriors46-14 South Sydney Rabbitohs22 April 2006 5:30 pmEricsson StadiumJ. Robinson8,015 Cronulla Sharks24-22 North Queensland Cowboys22 April 2006 7:30 pmToyota ParkG. Badger9,025 Melbourne Storm52-6 Newcastle Knights22 April 2006 7:30 pmOlympic ParkR. Smith9,084 Canterbury Bulldogs14-40 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles23 April 2006 2:00 pmTelstra StadiumS. Hampstead13,621 Brisbane Broncos30-6 Penrith Panthers23 April 2006 3:00 pmSuncorp StadiumS. Hayne25,133 St. George Illawarra Dragons22-12 Sydney Roosters25 April 2006 2:30 pmSydney Football StadiumS. Clark31,105 Canberra RaidersBye
Round 8 Brisbane Broncos recorded their biggest comeback in the club's history when they came from 18-0 down at halftime to win 30-28 against the Canberra Raiders at Suncorp Stadium. HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd Cronulla Sharks40-12 Penrith Panthers28 April 2006 7:30 pmToyota ParkS. Hampstead16,268 North Queensland Cowboys18-22 Sydney Roosters29 April 2006 5:30 pmDairy Farmers StadiumS. Hayne21,175 Melbourne Storm24-10 St. George Illawarra Dragons29 April 2006 7:30 pmOlympic ParkT. Archer8.694 Brisbane Broncos30-28 Canberra Raiders29 April 2006 7:30 pmSuncorp StadiumR. Smith23,582 New Zealand Warriors16-30 Canterbury Bulldogs30 April 2006 12:00 pmEricsson StadiumG. Badger11,604 South Sydney Rabbitohs18-24 Newcastle Knights30 April 2006 2:00 pmTelstra StadiumJ. Robinson8,649 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles23-22 Parramatta Eels30 April 2006 3:00 pmSCGS. Clark19,208 Wests TigersBye
Round 9 HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd North Queensland Cowboys22-6 Penrith Panthers6 May 2006 5:30 pmDairy Farmers StadiumBen Cummins16,808 South Sydney Rabbitohs14-38 Melbourne Storm6 May 2006 7:30 pmTelstra StadiumGavin Badger8,083 Parramatta Eels10-30 Canberra Raiders6 May 2006 7:30 pmParramatta StadiumJason Robinson10,146 Cronulla Sharks30-12 St. George Illawarra Dragons7 May 2006 12:00 pmToyota ParkStephen Clark18,845 Wests Tigers24-18 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles7 May 2006 2:00 pmLeichhardt OvalRussell Smith20,231 Newcastle Knights32-30 Brisbane Broncos7 May 2006 2:00 pmEnergyAustralia StadiumTony Archer21,252 Sydney Roosters14-30 Canterbury Bulldogs7 May 2006 3:00 pmSydney Football StadiumSean Hampstead16,121 New Zealand WarriorsBye
Round 10 HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd St George Illawarra Dragons22-16 New Zealand Warriors13 May 2006 5:30 pmWIN StadiumG. Badger10,117 Melbourne Storm18-6 North Queensland Cowboys13 May 2006 7:30 pmOlympic ParkS. Clark10,830 Brisbane Broncos32-10 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles13 May 2006 7:30 pmSuncorp StadiumJ. Robinson24,991 Canterbury Bulldogs22-18 Parramatta Eels14 May 2006 2:30 pmTelstra StadiumS. Hayne13,159 Penrith Panthers32-20 South Sydney Rabbitohs14 May 2006 3:00 pmCUA StadiumJ. Maxwell10,991 Wests Tigers16-18 Newcastle Knights14 May 2006 3:00 pmCampbelltown StadiumS. Hampstead14,499 Canberra Raiders28-38 Cronulla Sharks14 May 2006 3:00 pmCanberra StadiumB. Cummins9,695 Sydney RoostersBye
Round 11 Parramatta played their first game under stand-in coach Jason Taylor, following Brian Smith's resignation earlier in the week.National Rugby League Smith Resigns as Eels Coach Monday, 15 May 2006 – 5:22 pm Following this announcement, star Parramatta players Mark Riddell and Tim Smith were fined $5000 each and relegated to Premier League by Parramatta after turning up to Monday morning training intoxicated.National Rugby League Riddell and Smith Fined Monday, Tuesday, 16 May 2006 – 3:11 pm All six home teams won their respective matches over the weekend.
HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd Penrith Panthers30-20 Parramatta Eels19 May 2006 7:30 pmCUA StadiumS. Clark16,764 New Zealand Warriors34-12 Wests Tigers20 May 2006 7:30 pmEricsson StadiumJ. Maxwell8,210 Newcastle Knights22-12 Canberra Raiders20 May 2006 7:30 pmEnergy Australia StadiumJ. Robinson18,236 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles34-12 Melbourne Storm20 May 2006 7:30 pmBrookvale OvalG. Badger9,338 Canterbury Bulldogs32-24 Cronulla Sharks21 May 2006 2:30 pmTelstra StadiumT. Archer12,728 Sydney Roosters28-26 South Sydney Rabbitohs21 May 2006 3:00 pmSydney Football StadiumS. Hayne13,221 Brisbane BroncosBye St George Illawarra DragonsBye North Queensland CowboysBye
Round 12