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:''NRL links here. For other uses, see ]''
{{Infobox sports league
|current_season=National Rugby League season 2007
|logo=NRLlogo.gif|
|pixels=150px
|sport=]
|founded=1998
|ceo=] (2002-)
|teams=]
|country={{AUS}}<br> {{NZL}}
|champion= ]
}}
The '''National Rugby League (NRL)''' is the top ] of professional ] clubs in ]. The NRL competition (sometimes referred to as the '''Telstra Premiership''' for sponsorship purposes) is contested by 16 clubs, 15 based in ] and one club based in ], and is the region's elite rugby league championship. The premiership also boasts the world's highest attendance figures for any ] club competition of either code<ref>]</ref> and is generally regarded as the most competitive.{{Fact|date=July 2007}}

The NRL was formed in the aftermath of the ] as a joint partnership between the sport's national governing body, the ] (ARL) and the ]-controlled ] after both organisations ran premierships parallel to each other in 1997. Since then, the NRL championship has been won by seven teams: ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. Of these, current premiers Brisbane Broncos are the only team to have won the NRL premiership on more than one occasion, having claimed victory in ], ], and ].

Each year the NRL champions play a game against the premiers of the European ] competition in the ].

==Structure==
A Partnership Executive Committee administers the agreement between the ] and ] as well as making major financial decisions.<ref name="structure"> ''National Rugby League'' Retrieved on ] ].</ref> Three representatives from each party make up this committee. A National Rugby League Board, which is commissioned by the Partnership Committee and is comprised of six delegates - three from each party - is responsible for administering the competition. Both bodies nominate a Chairman to lead each board for a term of 12 months on an alternating basis. <ref name="structure"> ''National Rugby League'' Retrieved on ] ].</ref>

The National Rugby League markets the premiership on behalf of the clubs as well as organising the draw and finals matches. When the draw is finalised, teams are responsible for controlling and organsing their assigned home games. Clubs each have their own organisational structure but are also bound to the National Rugby League by a common set of rules in club agreements.<ref name="structure"> ''National Rugby League'' Retrieved on ] ].</ref>

==Competition format and sponsorship==
===Competition===
With rugby league being a winter sport in Australia (although it is started in Autumn), the NRL premiership season usually begins in early March following a brief series of trial matches. Games are then played every weekend (plus Monday night football) until the end of September. There are currently sixteen clubs in the National Rugby League. Teams are divided into two equal pools of eight at the completion of each season, with each pool of equal strength based on that season's results. During the course of the regular season (which lasts until ]) each club plays a total of two games against teams in the opposite pool, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents for a total of 16 games for each club. Teams play six of those seven others in their own group just once during the season, and play the remaining club twice. In total, each team plays 24 games in the 25-week regular season and a total of 192 games in a National Rugby League season. Teams receive two points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. All teams at some point in the season are scheduled to have a "bye", in which they don't play a game that week but receive two competition points. Teams are ranked by total points, then points difference and then points percentage. At the end of each season, the club with the most points is declared ].

====Qualification for finals series====
] and ] playing at ] in 2005.]]
The eight highest placed teams at the end of the regular season have the opportunity to compete in the finals series, which is contested using the ]. This system has been used for every National Rugby League season with the exception of the first, in 1998.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://stats.rleague.com/rl/snotes.html | title = Rugby League Tables - Notes | publisher = Rugby League Tables & Statistics | accessdate = 2007-01-22}}</ref>. The system consists of a number of knockout and sudden-death games over four weeks between the top eight teams in August and September until there are only two teams remaining. These two teams then play in the Grand Final, on the first Sunday of October. In the first week, the top four seeds play at their respective home grounds. In week two, matches are played within the home city of the two lower seeded winning teams from week one. In week three, teams will play within the home regions of the two seeded winning teams from week one.

In 1998 the Grand Final was held at ]. Since 1999 the Grand Final has been contested at ], the primary athletics venue during the 2000 ] held in Sydney.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.austadiums.com/stadiums/stadiums.php?id=9 | title = Aussie Stadium | publisher = Australian Stadiums | accessdate = 2007-01-22}}</ref> In June 2006, the NRL announced that the National Rugby League Grand Final will continue to be held at Sydney's Telstra Stadium until at least 2012, when it will be considered to be moved interstate if certain circumstances arose.<ref>{{cite news | author = ] | url = http://www.smh.com.au/news/league/sydney-locks-in-grand-final-for-six-years/2006/06/02/1148956528593.html | title = Sydney locks in grand final for six years | publisher = The Sydney Morning Herald | date = ] ]| accessdate = 2007-01-22 }}</ref>

===Sponsorship===
]Since 2001, the National Rugby League has been sponsored by Telstra. In the years beforehand, the premiership was simply known as the "National Rugby League". The list below details who the sponsors have been and what they called the competition:<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.rleague.com/db/comp/nrl_telstra_premiership/index.php| title = NRL Telstra Premiership | publisher = The World of Rugby League | accessdate = 2007-01-22}}</ref>
* 1998&ndash;2000: National Rugby League
* 2001&ndash;current: Telstra (NRL Telstra Premiership)
The Telstra Premiership has maintained three competition logos throughout it's current tenure as major sponsor. The first, lasting only through the 2001 regular season, was their company logo with an elongated circle enclosing the word ''Premiership''. From the Finals series of 2001 through to the end of 2006 the logo was based around the shape of a football with the words Telstra Premiership on respective lines along the bottom, culminating with a small football similar to the one in the official NRL logo. The primary colours were that of the company - blue and orange. The company has worked with the NRL for a new logo in 2007 as part of a new sponsorship deal, and as such the logo is much similar to the original National Rugby League emblem. Other notable sponsorships include Coca-Cola Amatil for ball sponsorship, ] for Friday Night Football sponsorship, Bunderberg Rum for Monday Night Football sponsorship and TAB sportsbet as official betting agency of the NRL.

==Competition rules and representative season==
===Salary cap===
{{main|Salary cap}}
The National Rugby League adopted a salary cap based on the ] model in the early 1990s. In the NRL, clubs found to have breached the salary cap rules usually incur a fine. For example, six clubs were fined for minor infractions in 2003. These infractions are usually technical in nature and can sometimes be affected by third-party factors such as loss of sponsorship revenue affecting an allowance. During the 2007 season the NRL has investigated other ways of creating a fair and more beneficial cap for players and clubs.

However in mid-2002, the ] were found guilty of serious and systematic breaches. In addition to a more substantial fine, they were stripped of their competition points accumulated to that date, and hence denied a place in the finals. As the club had been leading the competition table prior to the penalty's imposition, this was a shattering outcome for the club and its fans.

In the 2006 pre-season the ] revealed that their former management had rorted the salary cap in the 2004 and 2005 seasons. As a punishment the club was stripped of four competition points for 2006 and fined $430,000. They also must play the 2007 season under a reduced salary cap.

In recent history, the ] have had been alleged by many rival fans to consistently breach the salary cap, although this has not yet been proven (and the team has never been formally charged by the NRL).

===Representative season===
As well as playing for their club in the National Rugby League premiership season, players are sometimes entitled to play in a number of representative competitions that are conducted by the ] at the same time. These competitions include the one-off ]s, ] competitions, ] series, ] series and the New South Wales ] series. In order for a player to qualify for a representative team in these competitions, they must firstly be eligible to be chosen for the side, based on a process of qualification (which involves the standard of play at club level).

==Media coverage==
] and the ]]]The National Rugby League premiership has ultimately been revolutionised by television, with there being a large shift away from daytime games to nightime games over recent years to better suit the contracted television networks ] and ]. From 2001 onwards, the Grand Final has been held during the evening of a Sunday night.

In 2007, Channel 9 started televising two Friday games in Queensland and New South Wales. Foxtel televises the Monday night match live to pay TV subscribers

With the admission of the ] to the ], the number of weekly games has risen from seven to eight. ] broadcaster Channel 9 will broadcast a live game on Friday night in addition to a delayed match that has been featured for some years. A delayed Sunday match will also continue to be shown on the network.

The ]-begun Foxtel network which broadcast its first ] matches during the ] season has broadcast the remaining National Rugby League matches since the competition's inception in 1998. In 2007, the hugely popular Monday Night Football was added to Foxtel's rugby league coverage.

] and ] provide coverage to overseas locales, reairing the domestic coverage on both a live and delayed basis.

==Players==
Each club in the National Rugby League has a "top squad" of twenty-five players, which are signed under the Salary Cap (as described above). By and large, the players who play in National Rugby League matches are sourced from these "top squad"s. Occasionally during a season, however, the need may arise for a club to use players outside these 25, and in this case players are usually sourced from the club's junior ranks (such as the relevant ] or ] squad).

Most of the players in the National Rugby League are of ]n origin, although there are increasing numbers of both ] and ]-born players being selected by clubs. In recent years, ] players have made up 75 per cent of junior representative teams in New South Wales.<ref>{{cite news | author = ] | url = http://www.smh.com.au/news/league/polynesians-are-a-cracker-but-stuart-wants-change-for-true-test-ofendurance/2006/10/12/1160246263350.html | title = Polynesians are a cracker, but Stuart wants change for true test of endurance | publisher = The Sydney Morning Herald | date = ] ]| accessdate = 2007-01-22 }}</ref> ]-born players in the National Rugby League amount to very few, particularly when compared to the significant number of Australasian-born players appearing in the European ]. However the few European players who have appeared in the National Rugby League (such as ] and ]) have noted that the National Rugby League provides a higher standard of rugby league than is played in Europe.

The players voted to be the best in each position at the end of the season are honoured at the ], with the player of the year awarded the ]. The man of the match in the Grand Final is awarded the ].

==National Rugby League clubs==
===Current National Rugby League members===
], ] and ] as of 2006]]
The following sixteen clubs are competing in the National Rugby League during the ] season.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!Club<br />
!Finishing position<br />in ]
!First season in<br //>top division
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|] ]<ref name="seasons">Played in every National Rugby League season</ref><ref name="founding">Founding member of the National Rugby League.</ref>||3rd (Premiers)||]
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|] ]<ref name="seasons" /><ref name="founding" />||2nd||]
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|] ]<ref name="seasons" /><ref name="founding" />||7th||]
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|] ]<ref name="seasons" /><ref name="founding" />||13th||]
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|] ]||DNP||]
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|] ]<ref name="founding" />||5th||]
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|] ]<ref name="seasons" /><ref name="founding" />||1st (Runners-up)||]
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|] ]<ref name="seasons" /><ref name="founding" />||10th||]
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|] ]<ref name="seasons" /><ref name="founding" />||6th||]
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|] ]<ref name="seasons" /><ref name="founding" />||9th||]
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|] ]<ref name="seasons" /><ref name="founding" />||8th||]
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|] ]<ref name="seasons" /><ref name="founding" />||12th||]
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|] ]||4th||]
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|] ]<ref name="founding" />||15th (Last)||]
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|] ]<ref name="seasons" /><ref name="founding" />||14th||]
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|] ]||11th||]
|}

===Former National Rugby League members===
A total of twenty-three clubs have played in the National Rugby League between 1998 and 2006. For a list of all clubs past and present see ].

Eleven clubs have been members of the National Rugby league for every season (9) since its inception. This group includes Brisbane, Bulldogs, Canberra, Cronulla, Melbourne, New Zealand, Newcastle, North Queensland, Parramatta, Penrith and Sydney.

==Statistics==
{{further|]}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;margin-left:1em;float:right"
|+'''All-time top scorers in the National Rugby League''' (from 1998 onwards)
!Rank!!Player!!Points
|-
|1
|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|AUS}} ]<ref name="playing" />||1,578
|-
|2
|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|AUS}} ]||1,496
|-
|3
|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|AUS}} ]<ref name="playing" />||1,238
|-
|4
|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|AUS}} ]<ref name="playing" />||1,092
|-
|5
|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|AUS}} ]<ref name="playing" />||1,073
|-
|6
|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|AUS}} ]||1,030
|-
|7
|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|AUS}} ]||2
|-
|8
|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|AUS}} ]<ref name="playing" />||882
|-
|9
|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|AUS}} ]<ref name="playing" />||834
|-
|colspan="3"|<small>As of ] ].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.stats.rleague.com/rl/scorers/overall_sc1.html | title = Rugby League Tables / Scorers (1971-2006) | publisher = Rugby League Tables & Statistics | accessdate = 2007-01-14}}</ref></small>
|}The ] have won the most premierships since the creation of the National Rugby League (], ] and ]) and are the only team to have won the NRL championship more than once.

The Canterbury Bulldogs hold the record for the most consecutive wins, having won 17 matches in a row between ], ] and ], ].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.stats.rleague.com/rl/teams/all/overall_st.html | title = Rugby League Tables / Streaks / All Teams | publisher = Rugby League Tables & Statistics | accessdate = 2007-01-22}}</ref> The ] set the records for the highest score and margin of victory in a 74–4 victory over the ] on ], ].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.stats.rleague.com/rl/teams/all/overall_gr.html | title = Rugby League Tables / Game Records / All Teams | publisher = Rugby League Tables & Statistics | accessdate = 2007-01-22}}</ref> The most victories achieved within a season is 20, held jointly between the ] in 2001,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.stats.rleague.com/rl/seas/2001.html#lad | title = Rugby League Tables / Season 2001 | publisher = Rugby League Tables & Statistics | accessdate = 2007-01-22}}</ref> the Bulldogs in 2002<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.stats.rleague.com/rl/seas/2002.html#lad | title = Rugby League Tables / Season 2002 | publisher = Rugby League Tables & Statistics | accessdate = 2007-01-22}}</ref> and the ] in 2006.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.stats.rleague.com/rl/seas/2006.html#lad | title = Rugby League Tables / Season 2006 | publisher = Rugby League Tables & Statistics | accessdate = 2007-01-22}}</ref> None of these teams went on to win the ].

Since the first National Rugby League season in 1998, a total of six players have topped the scorers list in a season. However, the only player to have won the title more than once is ], the overall top scorer in the National Rugby League's history, having claimed the title in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006. ] was leading the top scoring table in 2005 until sidelined through injury. His tally of 342 points in 2004<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.stats.rleague.com/rl/scorers/2004_sc.html | title = Rugby League Tables / Point scorers 2004 | publisher = Rugby League Tables & Statistics | accessdate = 2007-01-22}}</ref> remains the most points scored by an individual in 5 seasons.

]'s 136 tries scored across all nine seasons of the National Rugby League<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.stats.rleague.com/rl/scorers/players/Nigel_Vagana.html | title = Rugby League Tables / Nigel Vagana | publisher = Rugby League Tables & Statistics | accessdate = 2007-01-22}}</ref> makes him the most prolific try scorer in the competition's history. ] holds the record for the most tries in a season, with 27 scored in 2001<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.stats.rleague.com/rl/scorers/2001_sc_t.html | title = Rugby League Tables / Try scorers 2001 | publisher = Rugby League Tables & Statistics | accessdate = 2007-01-22}}</ref> for his team, the ].

Three players hold the record for the most points scored in a game; Hazem El Masri, ] and ] with 34 apiece.<ref name="Game records">{{cite web | url = http://www.stats.rleague.com/rl/scorers/mostingame.html | title = Rugby League Tables / Most In A Game | publisher = Rugby League Tables & Statistics | accessdate = 2007-01-22}}</ref> Only four players have scored five tries in a game; ], ], ] and ].<ref name="Game records">{{cite web | url = http://www.stats.rleague.com/rl/scorers/mostingame.html | title = Rugby League Tables / Most In A Game | publisher = Rugby League Tables & Statistics | accessdate = 2007-01-22}}</ref>

==See also==
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ] — the NRL's attendance in a worldwide context
* ]
* ]
*]
* ] NRL video game

==References==
<div class="references-small">
<references/>
</div>

==External links==
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{{National Rugby League}}
{{Rugby League in Australia links}}
{{Rugby League in New Zealand links}}
{{Rugby League in Oceania}}
{{Sports leagues of Australia}}
{{News Corporation}}

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Revision as of 00:48, 23 July 2007

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