The Best & Worst NRL Club Debuts
Arguably the standout feature of Round 1 of the 2023 NRL premiership is the Dolphins’ historic debut match against Sydney Roosters at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.
The narrative of clubs’ maiden games is littered with memorable victories, spectacular near misses and deflating defeats, while just five of the 24 clubs that have been added to the competition after 1908 have recorded first-up wins.
Relive the entry of every expansion team since the NSWRL began spreading beyond the Sydney metropolitan area in 1982 – ranked from worst to best.
Canberra Raiders (1982)
Canberra was controversially preferred to Campbelltown, Newcastle and Central Coast as the destination for the NSWRL’s 14th club, joining Illawarra as a 1982 premiership newcomer.
But it was a lean season for the fledgling Raiders, with a 37-7 defeat to Souths at Redfern Oval in Round 1 setting the tone for a wooden-spoon campaign that garnered just four wins. Halfback Gerry de la Cruz became a rugby league quiz curiosity for perpetuity by scoring the club’s first try.
South Queensland Crushers (1995)
South Queensland Crushers hosted reigning Winfield Cup premiers Canberra Raiders at Suncorp Stadium in their 1995 debut. Local hero Trevor Gillmeister brought the 21,102-strong crowd alive with the club’s maiden try and the Mario Fenech-led Crushers led 6-4 at halftime.
But the star-studded Raiders clicked after the break. Brett Mullins and Jason Croker – who had been demoted to the bench for a disciplinary breach – were injected in the second half and scored three of the Green Machine’s four unanswered tries to spearhead a 24-6 win.
The Crushers managed six wins and a draw to finish 16th of 20 teams, but before long the Brisbane-based outfit was financially crippled and folded before the advent of the NRL in 1998.
Adelaide Rams (1997)
Super League expansion club Adelaide’s belated debut resulted in a 24-16 loss to North Queensland in Townsville. The Rams – one of the few new clubs who played their first match on the road – led 16-4 at halftime after tries to Kerrod Walters and Brett Galea.
But the Cowboys came home with a wet sail in slippery conditions, scoring three tries to none in the second stanza. The encounter was also notable for opposing hookers and brothers, Steve and Kerrod Walters, captaining the respective teams and both getting on the scoresheet.
The ill-fated Rams finished ninth in the ’97 Super League premiership, above only the Cowboys.
Illawarra Steelers (1982)
Illawarra was handed a solid opportunity to begin premiership life with a win, drawn to play Penrith – bottom-two finishers in 1980-81 – in Round 1 in Wollongong.
Prop Greg Cook scored the John Dorahy-led Steelers’ first-ever try, but outside-backs Brad Izzard, Eddie Flahey and Ken Wolffe crossed to give the Panthers a 17-7 win and send the majority of the 9,652 crowd home disappointed.
The Steelers won six debut-season games to leave fellow ’82 entrants the Raiders with the spoon.
Gold Coast-Tweed Giants (1988)
The troubled 11-season history of the Gold Coast-Tweed Giants/Gold Coast Seagulls/Gold Coast Chargers began in relatively promising style – albeit in front of a modest 4,388-strong crowd at Seagulls Stadium at Tweed Heads.
Two of the Giants’ highest-profile signings, former Rothmans Medal winner Mike Eden and Queensland Origin great Chris Close, scored the opening two tries as the newcomers jumped out to a 10-0 lead over heavyweight Canterbury-Bankstown.
The Bulldogs’ class wrested a dream first-up result away from the Giants, though, with Terry Lamb leading a second-half revival in a 21-10 win. The Giants would have to wait until Round 10 to chalk up a maiden win – a stunning 25-22 upset of hotshot neighbours Brisbane – and finished second-last.
North Queensland Cowboys (1995)
Supporters from a rugby league heartland created a phenomenal atmosphere for the Cowboys’ premiership entry, with 23,156 fans turning out to watch a 34-16 defeat to ’94 grand finalists the Bulldogs on a balmy Saturday night in Townsville.
Cowboys centre Adrian Vowles and the Bulldogs’ international back-rower Jason Smith were both sent off in the opening 25 minutes, at which stage the scores were locked 8-all with fullback Damian Gibson scoring the historic first try for the hosts.
The Bulldogs capitalised on the extra space, however, with Jarrod McCracken scoring two of their five tries. The Cowboys won just two games in ’95 to collect a debut-year wooden spoon – the first of three in the club’s first six seasons.
St George Illawarra Dragons (1999)
The debut of the premiership’s first joint venture doubled as rugby league’s grand opening at Stadium Australia, with a world record crowd of 104,583 on hand to see St George Illawarra go down 20-10 to Parramatta as part of a double-header.
The Saints, who boasted a mouth-watering line-up combining the cream of the Dragons’ and Steelers’ ’98 line-ups, trailed by just six in the final quarter thanks to tries to second-rowers Darren Treacy and Lance Thompson, but man-of-the-match Jason Smith sealed a 20-10 Eels win with his second try.
Hunter Mariners (1997)
Super League outfit Hunter Mariners’ 18-game existence as a premiership club began with a spirited 20-16 loss to high-profile rival Canterbury at Breakers Stadium in front of 6,579 supporters.
A boilover beckoned when the Mariners led 16-14 in the dying stages through tries to Noel Goldthorpe and Paul Marquet, and the boot of Nick Zisti, before the Bulldogs’ livewire fullback Rod Silva scrambled over for a 78th-minute match-winner.
The Mariners came sixth in the Super League premiership but there was no room for the club in the 1998 NRL competition.
Gold Coast Titans (2007)
The second incarnation of a Gold Coast-based club went painstakingly close to claiming a big scalp first up. A crowd of 42,030 crammed into Suncorp Stadium to witness the Titans’ debut against St George Illawarra Dragons in the opening round of 2007.
Former Origin flyer Chris Walker scored the first try for the new boys after seven minutes before the Dragons scored four unanswered tries to lead by 14 midway through the second half.
Walker crossed again and Jake Webster pounced on a Josh Morris blunder to set up a grandstand finish, but the Saints held on for a 20-18 win in a thriller. The Titans were nestled in the top four after 15 rounds but faded to finish 12th.
Wests Tigers (2000)
The marriage between Western Suburbs and Balmain got off to an auspicious on-field start, pulling off a remarkable 24-all draw with NRL powerhouse Brisbane in Round 1 at Campbelltown Stadium.
Played in early-February to accommodate the Sydney Olympics later in 2000, an upset for the ages was in the offing as the ragtag Tigers surged to an 18-6 lead early in the second half – but three unanswered tries in 12 minutes gave the superstar-laden Broncos a 24-18 advantage.
Tigers fullback Joel Caine sliced through for his third try with nine minutes to go, before landing the pressure conversion for a 20-point individual haul and an unexpected competition point for the new joint venture, which spent much of the year in the top four but slumped late to miss the finals.
Melbourne Storm (1998)
Few rated the hastily-assembled Melbourne Storm much chance of making an impact in the inaugural NRL premiership – and the Chris Anderson-coached side went to Wollongong for their first premiership match as distinct underdogs.
The Steelers led 12-0 before five-eighth Scott Hill reached out to open the Storm’s first-grade account. A Melbourne penalty goal was the only score of the second half until Hill plunged over with two and a half minutes remaining, snaring a 14-12 result for the debutants.
The Storm went on to finish the 1998 minor premiership in third place and had the NRL trophy in their cabinet within another 12 months.
Northern Eagles (2000)
This is a perpetually overlooked premiership debut, such was the series of disasters that befell the unhappy Northern Eagles joint venture until it officially dissolved in 2002.
The North Sydney-Manly hybrid line-up contained nine Australian internationals or Origin reps for their NRL debut against heavyweight Newcastle in 2000, with 20,059 turning out in Gosford to cheer on the Eagles’ stirring 24-14 victory.
Nigel Roy scored the Eagles’ first two tries, while Andrew Frew’s stunning 50-metre solo try and Steve Menzies’ 70th-minute effort sealed a win that was a false dawn in virtually every way.
Western Reds (1995)
The only member of the quartet of 1995 Winfield Cup entrants to register a win, Western Reds’ sensational 28-16 win over St George was a high point the hapless outfit would never approach again before becoming a sacrificial pawn in the Super League-ARL peace deal at the end of 1997.
The Reds stormed out to a 16-0 lead in front of a baying 24,932-strong crowd at the WACA – experienced centre Jeff Doyle getting the honour of scoring the club’s first try – and were never headed. Peter Mullholland’s side finished a respectable 11th with an 11-11 record.
The first Reds jump into 1995.
— Winfield Cup (@WinfieldCup) April 21, 2021
Western Reds v St George Dragons at The WACA Ground.
Round 1, 1995 #WinfieldCup #NRL #RugbyLeague #WesternReds pic.twitter.com/RpsXJa0NL5
Auckland Warriors (1995)
There’s very few losses that hold such a cherished place in a club’s folklore as Auckland Warriors’ spectacular ’95 bow against Brisbane Broncos, which doubles as undoubtedly the most electric and dramatic premiership debut ever made.
In one of the most iconic events in New Zealand sporting history, the Warriors were under the pump early as the stacked Broncos raced out to a 10-0 advantage after 15 minutes. But a superb team try finished off by Phil Blake sparked the hosts, who piled on another three tries to lead 22-10.
Allan Langer rescued the Broncos, however, nabbing two solo tries to level the scores before knocking over a late field goal for a 25-22 win in front of almost 30,000 breathless fans. The Warriors missed the finals on for-and-against, left to rue two points stripped for a replacement breach.
Brisbane Broncos (1988)
The standard bearer for premiership entries and one of rugby league’s greatest examples of living up to the hype.
Brisbane Broncos arrived in 1988 under intense scrutiny due to having seven Queensland Origin stars in their line-up, but even their most optimistic fan would not have been bold enough to predict a 44-10 demolition of defending premiers Manly Sea Eagles straight off the bat.
The Broncos lit up Lang Park (which housed a modest crowd of 17,451), with second-rower Brett Le Man an obscure first tryscorer before brilliant skipper Wally Lewis scored two tries and relatively unknown lock Terry Matterson bagged a double in a 24-point haul that remained a club record until 2002.
Wayne Bennett’s brash Broncos started the season 6-0 before the realities of the representative drain saw the newcomers fade out of finals contention in sixth.
The post The Best & Worst NRL Club Debuts appeared first on Ladbrokes Blog.
from Ladbrokes Blog https://www.ladbrokes.com.au/blog/2023/02/28/the-best-worst-nrl-club-debuts/
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