1997 Queensland Cup

The 1997 Queensland Cup season was the 2nd season of top-level statewide rugby league competition in Queensland, Australia.

The competition, then known as the Channel Nine Queensland Cup for sponsorship purposes, was contested by fourteen teams over a 23-week-long season (including finals) which was eventually won by the Redcliffe Dolphins, who defeated the Easts Tigers 18–16 in the Grand Final at Suncorp Stadium.

Teams The number of teams in the Queensland Cup was reduced from 16 to 14 teams in 1997. The Burleigh Bears joined the competition, becoming the first Gold Coast-based side, while the Bundaberg Grizzlies, Mackay Sea Eagles and Sunshine Coast Falcons all withdrew.

Colours Club Home ground(s) Burleigh Bears Pizzey Park Cairns Cyclones Barlow Park Central Capras Browne Park Easts Tigers Langlands Park Ipswich Jets North Ipswich Reserve Logan City Scorpions Meakin Park Norths Devils Bishop Park Pine Rivers Brothers Bray Park Port Moresby Vipers Lloyd Robson Oval Redcliffe Dolphins Dolphin Oval Souths Magpies Davies Park Toowoomba Clydesdales Athletic Oval Wests Panthers Purtell Park Wynnum Seagulls Kougari Oval

Ladder 1997 Queensland Cup Team 1 Wynnum Seagulls181413498235+263292 Redcliffe Dolphins (P)181404573271+302283 Easts Tigers181314521328+192274 Burleigh Bears181314427347+80275 Wests Panthers181224468271+197266 Central Capras181026455398+57227 Norths Devils18909460346+114188 Port Moresby Vipers18909433518-85189 Cairns Cyclones187110318352-341510 Toowoomba Clydesdales186111312354-421311 Souths Magpies186111315424−1091312 Pine Rivers Brothers186012391524-1331213 Ipswich Jets181116276657−381314 Logan City Scorpions180117226648−4221

Finals series HomeScore AwayMatch InformationDateVenue Week 1 Semi-finals Wests Panthers 38 – 10 Central Capras 9 August 1997 Purtell Park Easts Tigers 14 – 8 Burleigh Bears 9 August 1997 Langlands Park Wynnum Seagulls 12 – 17 Redcliffe Dolphins 11 August 1997 Kougari Oval Week 2 Semi-finals Burleigh Bears 8 – 14 Wests Panthers 16 August 1997 Pizzey Park Wynnum Seagulls 8 – 14 Easts Tigers 16 August 1997 Kougari Oval Week 3 Semi-finals Wynnum Seagulls 6 – 12 Wests Panthers 23 August 1997 Purtell Park Redcliffe Dolphins 18 – 14 Easts Tigers 24 August 1997 Dolphin Oval Preliminary Final Easts Tigers 22 – 14 Wests Panthers 30 August 1997 Langlands Park Grand Final Redcliffe Dolphins 18 – 16 Easts Tigers 6 September 1997 Suncorp Stadium

Grand Final

Redcliffe DolphinsPositionEasts TigersAdam Mogg FB Leon YeatmanCameron Hurren WG Rob BraunBevan Canning CE Chris BeattieGeorge Wilson CE Travis BakerAaron Douglas WG Peter TurnerAnthony Singleton FE Scott SipplePeter Robinson (c) HB Brett McPhersonGrant Cleal PR Graham CotterRichard Ackerman HK Dale WilliamsTroy Lindsay PR Scott NeilsonIan Graham SR Doug EvansJames Hinchey SR Mark Sessarago (c)Tony Gould LK Jeff WakefieldRussell Lahiff Bench Phil LockwoodChris Essex Bench Steve MillsWayne Miller Bench Jamie DaySelwyn Toby Bench Aaron SmithJohn Boxsell Coach Gavin Payne

Redcliffe, who finished the season in 2nd place, qualified for their second straight Grand Final after going undefeated in the finals series. Easts, who finished 3rd, were defeated by Redcliffe in Week 3 of the finals and later qualified for the Grand Final after defeating Wests in the preliminary final. The two sides had first met in Round 13 of the regular season, with Easts running out 30-6 winners.

First half Easts opened the scoring through fullback Leon Yeatman, who broke a number of tackles on a 20-metre run to the try line. The Tigers would soon extend their lead through hooker Dale Williams, who dummied and broke a tackle to score. Following the try, Williams and Dolphins' hooker Richard Ackerman were both sent to the sin bin. Redcliffe got on the board just before the break, after five-eighth Anthony Singleton crossed easily from dummy half.

Second half After the intermission, an early Easts' try to winger Rob Braun extended the Tigers' lead to 10 points. With 14 minutes left to play, the Dolphins finally cracked the Tigers' defence, with second rower James Hinchey scoring out wide. With less than a minute to play and on the last tackle of the set, the Dolphins' spread it wide again to Hinchey, who scored his second try of the game and levelled the scores. After the siren had sounded, Singleton converted the try from close to the sideline to give Redcliffe their first Queensland Cup premiership.

Player statistics

Leading try scorers PosPlayerTeamTries1Jabin Picker Wynnum Seagulls252Travis Baker Easts Tigers233Liprin Palangat Port Moresby Vipers164Brett Dunn Burleigh Bears15David Maiden Cairns Cyclones15

Leading point scorers PosPlayerTeamTGFGPts1Tony Devlin Wests Panthers77911832Anthony Singleton Redcliffe Dolphins1066-1723Brian Hamilton Wynnum Seagulls967-1704Scott Maguire Pine Rivers Brothers75711435Rick Stone Burleigh Bears259-126

End-of-season awards Courier Mail Medal: Alan Wieland ( Wests Panthers) Rookie of the Year: Jason Campbell ( Wests Panthers)

Brisbane Rugby League The Queensland Rugby League also decided to continue the tradition of crowning a Brisbane club premier as was tradition since 1922. The competition, which was run as a second-tier title, started with the Brisbane teams who missed the finals, with the finalists filtering in upon their elimination from the Queensland Cup finals. This was the last year a BRL Champion was crowned, after 76 seasons of football. HomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDateVenueWeek 1 Qualifying Finals Souths Magpies31 – 10 Pine Rivers BrothersWeek 2 Qualifying Finals Norths Devils20 – 10 Souths MagpiesMinor Semi Final Norths Devils16 – 10 Wynnum SeagullsMajor Semi Final Norths Devils(score unknown) Wests PanthersPreliminary Final Easts Tigers22 – 16 Norths DevilsGrand Final Redcliffe Dolphins35 – 6 Easts TigersSuncorp Stadium Source:

1997 Queensland Cup

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