The 2000 NRL season was the 93rd season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the third to be run by the National Rugby League. Fourteen teams competed from February until August for the NRL Premiership, culminating in the 2000 NRL Grand Final between the Brisbane Broncos and the Sydney Roosters.
Season summary
The 2000 National Rugby League season started with a new CEO in rugby union's David Moffett who replaced Neil Whittaker in late 1999.
The season began in early February to accommodate the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games which were to be held during September and required the use of Stadium Australia, the grand final venue. The grand final was scheduled for late August, the first grand final in that month since 1963. The capacity of Stadium Australia for the grand final was limited due to preparations for the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games, which would take place just nineteen days later.
Throughout the month of February, mandatory breaks in play at the 20th and 60th minute of the game were implemented to allow players to rehydrate themselves. Due to concerns over the summer heat, the Brisbane and North Queensland clubs played their first four games away from home.
The Cowboys were stripped of two competition points after it was later revealed that they unwittingly used a fourteenth player for three minutes in their 26–18 win against the Parramatta Eels, due to an error in interchanging players.
Melbourne Storm players Stephen Kearney and Marcus Bai ended the career of Wests Tigers captain Jarrod McCracken with a spear tackle. Kearney was suspended for eight matches and Bai for two matches. The two men were also sued by McCraken, who won a six-figure damages bill.
The Canberra Raiders and the Wests Tigers became the first teams to play a premiership game in the snow. It occurred at Bruce Stadium on 28 May and it is the only premiership game played in these conditions.
Teams The season saw the debut of the Wests Tigers (formed by the merging of the Balmain Tigers and Western Suburbs Magpies) and Northern Eagles (formed by the merging of the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and North Sydney Bears) in the National Rugby League. In addition, the South Sydney Rabbitohs were excluded from the competition, thereby completing the NRL's rationalisation process from 20 teams in 1998 to 14 in 2000.
For the 2000 season, the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs changed their name again, this time to the geographically indistinct "Bulldogs" and the Auckland Warriors were re-branded the New Zealand Warriors at the end of the season. Auckland Warriors 6th seasonGround: Ericsson StadiumCoach: Mark GrahamCaptain: John SimonBrisbane Broncos 13th seasonGround: ANZ StadiumCoach: Wayne BennettCaptain: Kevin WaltersBulldogs66th seasonGround: Stadium AustraliaCoach: Steve FolkesCaptain: Darren BrittCanberra Raiders 19th seasonGround: Bruce StadiumCoach: Mal MeningaCaptain: Laurie DaleyMelbourne Storm3rd seasonGround: Olympic Park Stadium &Melbourne Cricket GroundCoach: Chris AndersonCaptain: Robbie KearnsNewcastle Knights13th seasonGround: Marathon StadiumCoach: Warren RyanCaptain: Tony ButterfieldNorth Queensland Cowboys6th seasonGround: Dairy Farmers StadiumCoach: Tim SheensCaptain: Noel Goldthorpe / Tim BrasherNorthern Eagles 1st seasonGround: Brookvale Oval & NorthPower StadiumCoach: Peter SharpCaptain: Geoff TooveyParramatta Eels 54th seasonGround: Parramatta StadiumCoach: Brian SmithCaptain: Nathan CaylessPenrith Panthers 34th seasonGround: Penrith StadiumCoach: Royce SimmonsCaptain: Steve CarterSharks 34th seasonGround: Shark ParkCoach: John LangCaptain: Andrew EttingshausenSt. George Illawarra Dragons 2nd seasonGround: WIN Stadium & Sydney Football StadiumCoach: David Waite & Andrew FarrarCaptain: Craig SmithSydney Roosters 93rd seasonGround: Sydney Football StadiumCoach: Graham MurrayCaptain: Brad FittlerWests Tigers 1st seasonGround: Campbelltown Stadium & Leichhardt OvalCoach: Wayne PearceCaptain: Jarrod McCracken
Advertising For the first time since farewelling Tina Turner in 1995 the NRL used a major recording star in its promotional campaign and accessed a media budget that saw the launch ad shown regularly throughout the season. Sydney advertising agency VCD in the last of their four-year tenure on the NRL account shot an ad with Tom Jones performing on stage alongside hi-kicking female dancers, the 1993 Salt-N-Pepa hit Whatta Man with lyrics re-worked as "What A Game".
Records and statistics Martin Lang ran 4,571 metres with the ball in 2000, more than any other player in the competition. Melbourne Storm club record for their biggest ever win and most points in a game : 70–10 over St. George Illawarra Dragons in round 5. Melbourne Storm club record for their biggest ever loss : 50–4 loss to St. George Illawarra Dragons in round 18. St. George Illawarra Dragons club record for their biggest ever win : 54–0 over Auckland Warriors in round 14. North Queensland Cowboys scored their first ever 50 points in a game: 50–10 over Northern Eagles in round 8.
Ladder
Finals series The biggest upset of the 2000 finals series was in the 3rd qualifying final when 7th placed Parramatta Eels beat 2nd placed Sydney Roosters 32–8 at the SFS. It was nearly a similar story for Minor Premiers' the Brisbane Broncos when they came from 20-6 down at halftime to win 34–20 against 8th placed Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the 4th qualifying final at QSAC. The Sydney Roosters also made a famous comeback when they came from 16-2 down at halftime to win 26–20 against the Newcastle Knights in the 1st preliminary final at the SFS to earn a spot in the grand final against Brisbane.
HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd Qualifying finals Canberra Raiders34–16 Penrith Panthers4 August 2000Bruce StadiumSteve Clark18,479 Newcastle Knights30–16 Melbourne Storm5 August 2000Marathon StadiumTim Mander20,597 Sydney Roosters8–32 Parramatta Eels5 August 2000Sydney Football StadiumBill Harrigan21,377 Brisbane Broncos34–20 6 August 2000ANZ StadiumPaul Simpkins25,831 Semi-finals Parramatta Eels28–10 Penrith Panthers12 August 2000Sydney Football StadiumBill Harrigan25,746 Canberra Raiders10–38 Sydney Roosters13 August 2000Sydney Football StadiumTim Mander16,441 Preliminary finals Newcastle Knights20–26 Sydney Roosters19 August 2000Sydney Football StadiumBill Harrigan33,727 Brisbane Broncos16–10 Parramatta Eels20 August 2000Stadium AustraliaTim Mander31,087
Chart
Grand final
Player statistics The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 26.
Top 5 point scorers PointsPlayerTriesGoalsField goals224 Joel Caine15820208 Mat Rogers18680204 Daryl Halligan7880196 Ryan Girdler12732186 Michael De Vere12690 Top 5 try scorers TriesPlayer25 Nathan Blacklock18 Timana Tahu18 Mat Rogers17 Wendell Sailor17 Shannon Hegarty
Top 5 goal scorers GoalsPlayer88 Daryl Halligan82 Joel Caine78 Tasesa Lavea77 Andrew Johns73 Ryan Girdler
2000 transfers
Players