FROM ASADA scandals, to boardroom stoushes, to incredible on-field moments, Phil Rothfield reveals his top 50 moments of 2013.
1\. DRUG DRAMA
ASADA headlines dominate the season. More than 30 players are called to interviews. The Sharks sack four staff members and suspend coach Shane Flanagan. Chairman Damian Irvine is forced to quit and Canberra winger Sandor Earl becomes the first player to get an infraction notice.
2\. BARBA BANISHED
Dally M champion Ben Barba is stood down by the Bulldogs for apparent alcohol and gambling issues. A shocking photo later emerges of his partner Ainslie Currie, indicating domestic violence. He quits the Bulldogs for the Broncos.
3\. THE CHAMPS
The Roosters win an epic grand final over Manly 26-18 at ANZ Stadium, recovering from a 10-point second-half deficit, inspired by the magnificent skill of Sonny Bill Williams. They were the best team all year, and despite questionable refereeing, the Roosters deserved the premiership.
4\. SBW COMEBACK
No player dominated the headlines as much as Sonny Bill Williams in his return to the NRL. On and off the field, the Roosters benefitted, winning the minor premiership and substantially increasing crowds, merchandise and membership.
5\. BENCHY MARSHALL
Wests Tigers coach Mick Potter makes the bravest selection move in years, dumping superstar Benji Marshall to the bench mid-season. Their relationship never recovers and Benji decides to walk out on the NRL to join the Auckland Blues in rugby union.
6\. ORIGIN BIFFO
Blues skipper Paul Gallen belts Nate Myles with a series of blows in Origin I. With no on-field action taken at the time, the NRL introduces a no-punching edict in the toughest crackdown on violence in the history of the game. In the very next Origin match, four players are sin-binned for fighting.
7\. COWBOYS CRUELTY
For the second season in a row, Johnathan Thurston’s Cowboys are bounced out of the finals by a refereeing error. Replays showed Sharks winger Beau Ryan scored on the 7th tackle. The refs were sacked.
8\. BETTING BAN
Outrage over Tom Waterhouse’s appearances on Channel Nine’s rugby league coverage forces the government to step in and ban his live promotion of betting during games, much to the relief of viewers who had been regularly jamming the network’s switchboard with complaints.
9\. RICKY QUITS
Former Test and Origin coach Ricky Stuart walks out on the Parramatta Eels after the club’s back-to-back wooden spoons. Just 12 months into a big-money three-year deal, Stuart accepts an offer to take over from Dave Furner.
10\. PEE FOR PACKER
Warriors forward Russell Packer becomes an infamous world-wide Your Tube figure after urinating on the field during a game against the Broncos. The 23-year-old is sent packing, to sign a four-year contract with the Newcastle Knights.
11\. PHOTO FOOLERY
Raiders stars Josh Dugan and Blake Ferguson pose for a rooftop selfie drinking pineapple Breezers while on the Canberra injured list. The Raiders sack Dugan. He turns to labouring before signing with St George Illawarra, from where he make the NSW State of Origin team.
12\. HIGH FLYER
At the time it was described as the try of the decade. Wests Tigers rookie winger David Nofoaluma’s spectacular touchdown against Manly was so remarkable it was even shown on television networks in the United States. He was awarded the Dally M Try of the Year.
13\. AWESOME FOURSOME
Sam, 24, Luke, 26, and 21-year-old twins George and Tom - weighing a combined 460 kilograms - are named in the Rabbitohs side to play the Tigers. It was the first time in 103 years that four brothers played together at the top level of rugby league.
14\. CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
Dave Furner is sacked by the Canberra Raiders, the first coach in the club’s history to lose his job mid-contract. Furner’s unwavering support for troubled Origin player Blake Ferguson is blamed for him losing the support of senior players.
15\. HENRY SACKED
Just a few months after extending coach Neil Henry’s contract, the Cowboys’ board sack him following a loss to the Broncos at home. The players react by going on an unbeaten run to the finals.
16\. JAW BREAKER
Former Kangaroos front rower Kade Snowden cops a seven-week suspension for breaking the jaw of Cowboys hooker Ray Thompson with a shoulder charge that went wrong in Townsville. Snowden is forced out of the Knights’ finals campaign.
17\. SORRY SANDOW
Chris Sandow’s future and $550,000-a-year contract at the Parramatta Eels is thrown into doubt when the halfback is dropped to NSW Cup and then admitted to a rehabilitation clinic that specialises in gambling and alcohol problems.
18\. TAN OF THE MATCH
Serial rugby league streaker Wati Holmwood, wearing nothing but joggers and covered in spray tan, interrupts Origin at ANZ Stadium with an 80 metre dash. He is arrested and sentenced to three months jail, later reduced to two months on appeal.
19\. TOOVEY’S RAGE
Geoff Toovey cops a $10,000 fine for slamming the referees after Manly’s controversial Friday night loss to Souths at Bluetongue Stadium. It’s probably the best spray since Bob Fulton declared he wanted to run Bill Harrigan over with a cement truck.
20\. NICE GUY GOES
The rugby league world mourns the loss of former Blues State of Origin coach Graham Murray in late July. He passed away far too early from a heart attack at age of 58\. A who’s who of rugby league attends his funeral in Brisbane.
21\. TOP DOG
Former New Zealand netball boss Raelene Castle replaces Todd Greenberg as chief executive of the Canterbury Bulldogs, the first woman since Super League to land the top job at an NRL club.
22\. DRIVING SHAME
Origin front rower James Tamou’s career goes off the rails when he is caught for unlicensed high-range drink driving in Townsville. A suspension rules him out of the second State of Origin game. He is disqualified from driving for 15 months.
23\. LOW BLOW
In one of the lowest acts of the year, Sam Burgess puts a squirrel grip on Storm centre Will Chambers, forcing the NRL to step in and suspend the Great Britain forward for two matches.
24\. MANNAH TRAGEDY
Parramatta and former Sharks forward Johnny Mannah dies after a relapse of Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He had shown remarkable bravery in fighting the disease over a number of years. His brother, Eels prop Tim Mannah, was at his bedside in St Vincent’s hospital when he passed away.
25\. SUPER COOPER
Storm’s superstar halfback Cooper Cronk wins the Dally M award in one of the closest finishes in years. Three players tie for second - Todd Carney, Johnathan Thurston and Daly Cherry-Evans.
26\. STAR IS BORN
Teenager Luke Brooks makes an absolutely stunning first grade debut, appropriately at the SCG, the game’s old headquarters. The 18-year-old engineered a 34-18 victory over struggling St George Illawarra, scoring a try and setting up two.
27\. SBW BLINDER
In a round 26 thriller, the Roosters go into battle with arch rivals South Sydney for the minor premiership. Champion second rower Sonny Bill Williams destroys the Rabbitohs with a mighty performance to secure bragging rights for the finals.
28\. ROOKIE’S REWARD
First season mentor Trent Robinson wins the Dally M Coach of the Year award after steering the Roosters to the minor premiership, blending in new signings Sonny Bill Williams, Michael Jennings and James Maloney. The trio combined brilliantly from the opening rounds of the competition.
29\. OLDCASTLE
Super coach Wayne Bennett signs veteran halfback Craig Gower to complete his retirement village in Newcastle. Gower makes a solid contribution in the oldest side in the premiership as the Knights storm home to finish one win off the Grand Final.
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30\. WET AND WILD
In shocking conditions at Leichhardt Oval, Blake Ayshford finishes off a length-of-the-field movement against Melbourne Storm to slide over in the corner. It was magnificent ball movement and handling in the atrocious conditions.
31\. MORE MAROON
Queensland wins its eighth straight Origin series, recovering from a loss to NSW in game one at ANZ Stadium. The Blues try valiantly under new coach Laurie Daley, but yet again the Maroons have too much class for a NSW side minus skipper Paul Gallen in the deciding match.
32\. BYE BYE BLAKE
The NRL sacks Blake Ferguson from the NSW State of Origin team and suspends the centre from club football after he was charged with indecent assault. The Raiders later tear up his contract when he fails to return to training.
33\. TIGER TROUBLE
Chief executive Steve Humphreys is shown the door at Wests Tigers after a tumultuous period that involved the sacking of Tim Sheens and the loss of star players including Beau Ryan and Andrew Fifita to the Cronulla Sharks.
34\. MEDAL MADNESS
The Clive Churchill Medal goes to a player from the losing side - Manly halfback Daly Cherry-Evans. He played a great game for the losing side, but the award should have gone to either five-eighth James Maloney or hooker Jake Friend, who produced blinders in the premiership winning team.
35\. UNSTOPPABLE GI
Champion fullback Greg Inglis almost single-handedly destroys the Wests Tigers with four tries in a humiliating 54-10 victory. Inglis was unstoppable every time he touched the football.
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36\. COFFS DEBACLE
In a move to promote country football, the NRL takes City-Country to Coffs Harbour. Hopelessly over-priced tickets resulted in a crowd of only 4,635 to watch a lacklustre game. It was the lowest turnout for the match since 1987 and the first time in three years the NRL had not sold out a representative fixture.
37\. FINALS BRUTALITY
The Roosters beat Manly 4-0 in the opening round of the finals in a throwback to old days when defence dominated the big end-of-season games. Somehow both teams recovered from the toughest game of the year to make the Grand Final.
Jared Warea-Hargreaves
Sydney Roosters forward Jared Warea-Hargreaves charges into the Manly defence.Source: Getty Images
38\. SLAMMIN SAM
All eyes were on the battle between Sam Burgess and Sonny Bill Williams in the first round of the premiership. Burgess took the round one honours by steamrolling SBW with one powerful charge.
39\. DOG DEPARTS
Canterbury’s highly rated CEO Todd Greenberg switches to the NRL in a senior management role as Head of Football to help out CEO Dave Smith with his obvious lack of rugby league knowledge. He is immediately embroiled in a Ben Barba cover-up controversy.
40\. TRY TIME
Storm centre Will Chambers scores a remarkable try after youngster Mahe Fonua threw the ball back into play while in mid-air against the Raiders at Canberra Stadium. It brought back memories of Mark Gasnier’s SCG try in the Centenary Test.
41\. EAGLES AT WAR
Manly’s boardroom brawling spills into court, with Peter ‘Zorba’ Peters seeking and being granted an interim AVO against another director, Darrell Williams, following allegations the former fullback had threatened physical violence.
42\. PARRALYSED
Ken Edwards quits less than a year into his role as chief executive of the Parramatta Eels over a disagreement with the board over the future direction of the club. The Eels plummet towards the wooden spoon for the second year running.
43\. SNAKE BITE
Former NRL bad boy Anthony Watts is handed an eight-match ban for biting an opponent's penis during a local rugby league final on the Gold Coast. Watts earlier played at the Roosters, Sharks and Cowboys.
44\. FAN FRENZY
In a disappointing year that saw crowds fall, the NRL celebrates the biggest ever stand-alone regular season attendance of 59,708 in the Roosters-Souths round 26 game at ANZ Stadium. It surpassed the 58,593 set in 1993 between the Broncos and Dragons.
45\. POINTS GALORE
Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson scores 26 points from three tries and seven goals in a one-man round 25 demolition of the Canberra Raiders in Auckland. It was the most points by a player in any game this season.
46\. GOLDEN MOMENT
In a year of few highlights for St George Illawarra, Test winger Brett Morris scores a try in golden point to beat the South Sydney Rabbitohs in a thriller at ANZ Stadium. It was a try that probably saved coach Steve Price’s job.
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47\. PROP STARS
A front rower hasn’t topped a club’s season try-scoring list since Peter Tunks at the Bulldogs in the 80’s. Giant prop Andrew Fifita did it for the Sharks this year, including spectacular efforts against the Dragons in Wollongong and Manly in the semi-final at Allainz.
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48\. MILFORD WANTS OUT
In a blow for the struggling Canberra Raiders and new coach Ricky Stuart’s hopes of resurrecting the team, boom rookie Anthony Milford announces he wants to quit the club and join the Broncos to spend more time in Brisbane with his family and sick father.
49\. YOUNG GUN
South Sydney front rower George Burgess is named Dally M Rookie of the Year after a number of barnstorming performances in the Rabbitohs’ pack. He beats a top field for the award, including Canberra Raiders utility star Anthony Milford.
50\. WELCOME BACK
After 12 years in country rugby league exile, the mighty Moree Boomerangs celebrate their return to Group 19 football with an emotion-charged Grand Final victory over Gwyder in Moree, showing off all their legendary skill in a spectacular exhibition of attacking football.
1\. DRUG DRAMA
ASADA headlines dominate the season. More than 30 players are called to interviews. The Sharks sack four staff members and suspend coach Shane Flanagan. Chairman Damian Irvine is forced to quit and Canberra winger Sandor Earl becomes the first player to get an infraction notice.
2\. BARBA BANISHED
Dally M champion Ben Barba is stood down by the Bulldogs for apparent alcohol and gambling issues. A shocking photo later emerges of his partner Ainslie Currie, indicating domestic violence. He quits the Bulldogs for the Broncos.
3\. THE CHAMPS
The Roosters win an epic grand final over Manly 26-18 at ANZ Stadium, recovering from a 10-point second-half deficit, inspired by the magnificent skill of Sonny Bill Williams. They were the best team all year, and despite questionable refereeing, the Roosters deserved the premiership.
4\. SBW COMEBACK
No player dominated the headlines as much as Sonny Bill Williams in his return to the NRL. On and off the field, the Roosters benefitted, winning the minor premiership and substantially increasing crowds, merchandise and membership.
5\. BENCHY MARSHALL
Wests Tigers coach Mick Potter makes the bravest selection move in years, dumping superstar Benji Marshall to the bench mid-season. Their relationship never recovers and Benji decides to walk out on the NRL to join the Auckland Blues in rugby union.
6\. ORIGIN BIFFO
Blues skipper Paul Gallen belts Nate Myles with a series of blows in Origin I. With no on-field action taken at the time, the NRL introduces a no-punching edict in the toughest crackdown on violence in the history of the game. In the very next Origin match, four players are sin-binned for fighting.
7\. COWBOYS CRUELTY
For the second season in a row, Johnathan Thurston’s Cowboys are bounced out of the finals by a refereeing error. Replays showed Sharks winger Beau Ryan scored on the 7th tackle. The refs were sacked.
8\. BETTING BAN
Outrage over Tom Waterhouse’s appearances on Channel Nine’s rugby league coverage forces the government to step in and ban his live promotion of betting during games, much to the relief of viewers who had been regularly jamming the network’s switchboard with complaints.
9\. RICKY QUITS
Former Test and Origin coach Ricky Stuart walks out on the Parramatta Eels after the club’s back-to-back wooden spoons. Just 12 months into a big-money three-year deal, Stuart accepts an offer to take over from Dave Furner.
10\. PEE FOR PACKER
Warriors forward Russell Packer becomes an infamous world-wide Your Tube figure after urinating on the field during a game against the Broncos. The 23-year-old is sent packing, to sign a four-year contract with the Newcastle Knights.
11\. PHOTO FOOLERY
Raiders stars Josh Dugan and Blake Ferguson pose for a rooftop selfie drinking pineapple Breezers while on the Canberra injured list. The Raiders sack Dugan. He turns to labouring before signing with St George Illawarra, from where he make the NSW State of Origin team.
12\. HIGH FLYER
At the time it was described as the try of the decade. Wests Tigers rookie winger David Nofoaluma’s spectacular touchdown against Manly was so remarkable it was even shown on television networks in the United States. He was awarded the Dally M Try of the Year.
13\. AWESOME FOURSOME
Sam, 24, Luke, 26, and 21-year-old twins George and Tom - weighing a combined 460 kilograms - are named in the Rabbitohs side to play the Tigers. It was the first time in 103 years that four brothers played together at the top level of rugby league.
14\. CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
Dave Furner is sacked by the Canberra Raiders, the first coach in the club’s history to lose his job mid-contract. Furner’s unwavering support for troubled Origin player Blake Ferguson is blamed for him losing the support of senior players.
15\. HENRY SACKED
Just a few months after extending coach Neil Henry’s contract, the Cowboys’ board sack him following a loss to the Broncos at home. The players react by going on an unbeaten run to the finals.
16\. JAW BREAKER
Former Kangaroos front rower Kade Snowden cops a seven-week suspension for breaking the jaw of Cowboys hooker Ray Thompson with a shoulder charge that went wrong in Townsville. Snowden is forced out of the Knights’ finals campaign.
17\. SORRY SANDOW
Chris Sandow’s future and $550,000-a-year contract at the Parramatta Eels is thrown into doubt when the halfback is dropped to NSW Cup and then admitted to a rehabilitation clinic that specialises in gambling and alcohol problems.
18\. TAN OF THE MATCH
Serial rugby league streaker Wati Holmwood, wearing nothing but joggers and covered in spray tan, interrupts Origin at ANZ Stadium with an 80 metre dash. He is arrested and sentenced to three months jail, later reduced to two months on appeal.
19\. TOOVEY’S RAGE
Geoff Toovey cops a $10,000 fine for slamming the referees after Manly’s controversial Friday night loss to Souths at Bluetongue Stadium. It’s probably the best spray since Bob Fulton declared he wanted to run Bill Harrigan over with a cement truck.
20\. NICE GUY GOES
The rugby league world mourns the loss of former Blues State of Origin coach Graham Murray in late July. He passed away far too early from a heart attack at age of 58\. A who’s who of rugby league attends his funeral in Brisbane.
21\. TOP DOG
Former New Zealand netball boss Raelene Castle replaces Todd Greenberg as chief executive of the Canterbury Bulldogs, the first woman since Super League to land the top job at an NRL club.
22\. DRIVING SHAME
Origin front rower James Tamou’s career goes off the rails when he is caught for unlicensed high-range drink driving in Townsville. A suspension rules him out of the second State of Origin game. He is disqualified from driving for 15 months.
23\. LOW BLOW
In one of the lowest acts of the year, Sam Burgess puts a squirrel grip on Storm centre Will Chambers, forcing the NRL to step in and suspend the Great Britain forward for two matches.
24\. MANNAH TRAGEDY
Parramatta and former Sharks forward Johnny Mannah dies after a relapse of Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He had shown remarkable bravery in fighting the disease over a number of years. His brother, Eels prop Tim Mannah, was at his bedside in St Vincent’s hospital when he passed away.
25\. SUPER COOPER
Storm’s superstar halfback Cooper Cronk wins the Dally M award in one of the closest finishes in years. Three players tie for second - Todd Carney, Johnathan Thurston and Daly Cherry-Evans.
26\. STAR IS BORN
Teenager Luke Brooks makes an absolutely stunning first grade debut, appropriately at the SCG, the game’s old headquarters. The 18-year-old engineered a 34-18 victory over struggling St George Illawarra, scoring a try and setting up two.
27\. SBW BLINDER
In a round 26 thriller, the Roosters go into battle with arch rivals South Sydney for the minor premiership. Champion second rower Sonny Bill Williams destroys the Rabbitohs with a mighty performance to secure bragging rights for the finals.
28\. ROOKIE’S REWARD
First season mentor Trent Robinson wins the Dally M Coach of the Year award after steering the Roosters to the minor premiership, blending in new signings Sonny Bill Williams, Michael Jennings and James Maloney. The trio combined brilliantly from the opening rounds of the competition.
29\. OLDCASTLE
Super coach Wayne Bennett signs veteran halfback Craig Gower to complete his retirement village in Newcastle. Gower makes a solid contribution in the oldest side in the premiership as the Knights storm home to finish one win off the Grand Final.
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30\. WET AND WILD
In shocking conditions at Leichhardt Oval, Blake Ayshford finishes off a length-of-the-field movement against Melbourne Storm to slide over in the corner. It was magnificent ball movement and handling in the atrocious conditions.
31\. MORE MAROON
Queensland wins its eighth straight Origin series, recovering from a loss to NSW in game one at ANZ Stadium. The Blues try valiantly under new coach Laurie Daley, but yet again the Maroons have too much class for a NSW side minus skipper Paul Gallen in the deciding match.
32\. BYE BYE BLAKE
The NRL sacks Blake Ferguson from the NSW State of Origin team and suspends the centre from club football after he was charged with indecent assault. The Raiders later tear up his contract when he fails to return to training.
33\. TIGER TROUBLE
Chief executive Steve Humphreys is shown the door at Wests Tigers after a tumultuous period that involved the sacking of Tim Sheens and the loss of star players including Beau Ryan and Andrew Fifita to the Cronulla Sharks.
34\. MEDAL MADNESS
The Clive Churchill Medal goes to a player from the losing side - Manly halfback Daly Cherry-Evans. He played a great game for the losing side, but the award should have gone to either five-eighth James Maloney or hooker Jake Friend, who produced blinders in the premiership winning team.
35\. UNSTOPPABLE GI
Champion fullback Greg Inglis almost single-handedly destroys the Wests Tigers with four tries in a humiliating 54-10 victory. Inglis was unstoppable every time he touched the football.
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36\. COFFS DEBACLE
In a move to promote country football, the NRL takes City-Country to Coffs Harbour. Hopelessly over-priced tickets resulted in a crowd of only 4,635 to watch a lacklustre game. It was the lowest turnout for the match since 1987 and the first time in three years the NRL had not sold out a representative fixture.
37\. FINALS BRUTALITY
The Roosters beat Manly 4-0 in the opening round of the finals in a throwback to old days when defence dominated the big end-of-season games. Somehow both teams recovered from the toughest game of the year to make the Grand Final.
Jared Warea-Hargreaves
Sydney Roosters forward Jared Warea-Hargreaves charges into the Manly defence.Source: Getty Images
38\. SLAMMIN SAM
All eyes were on the battle between Sam Burgess and Sonny Bill Williams in the first round of the premiership. Burgess took the round one honours by steamrolling SBW with one powerful charge.
39\. DOG DEPARTS
Canterbury’s highly rated CEO Todd Greenberg switches to the NRL in a senior management role as Head of Football to help out CEO Dave Smith with his obvious lack of rugby league knowledge. He is immediately embroiled in a Ben Barba cover-up controversy.
40\. TRY TIME
Storm centre Will Chambers scores a remarkable try after youngster Mahe Fonua threw the ball back into play while in mid-air against the Raiders at Canberra Stadium. It brought back memories of Mark Gasnier’s SCG try in the Centenary Test.
41\. EAGLES AT WAR
Manly’s boardroom brawling spills into court, with Peter ‘Zorba’ Peters seeking and being granted an interim AVO against another director, Darrell Williams, following allegations the former fullback had threatened physical violence.
42\. PARRALYSED
Ken Edwards quits less than a year into his role as chief executive of the Parramatta Eels over a disagreement with the board over the future direction of the club. The Eels plummet towards the wooden spoon for the second year running.
43\. SNAKE BITE
Former NRL bad boy Anthony Watts is handed an eight-match ban for biting an opponent's penis during a local rugby league final on the Gold Coast. Watts earlier played at the Roosters, Sharks and Cowboys.
44\. FAN FRENZY
In a disappointing year that saw crowds fall, the NRL celebrates the biggest ever stand-alone regular season attendance of 59,708 in the Roosters-Souths round 26 game at ANZ Stadium. It surpassed the 58,593 set in 1993 between the Broncos and Dragons.
45\. POINTS GALORE
Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson scores 26 points from three tries and seven goals in a one-man round 25 demolition of the Canberra Raiders in Auckland. It was the most points by a player in any game this season.
46\. GOLDEN MOMENT
In a year of few highlights for St George Illawarra, Test winger Brett Morris scores a try in golden point to beat the South Sydney Rabbitohs in a thriller at ANZ Stadium. It was a try that probably saved coach Steve Price’s job.
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47\. PROP STARS
A front rower hasn’t topped a club’s season try-scoring list since Peter Tunks at the Bulldogs in the 80’s. Giant prop Andrew Fifita did it for the Sharks this year, including spectacular efforts against the Dragons in Wollongong and Manly in the semi-final at Allainz.
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48\. MILFORD WANTS OUT
In a blow for the struggling Canberra Raiders and new coach Ricky Stuart’s hopes of resurrecting the team, boom rookie Anthony Milford announces he wants to quit the club and join the Broncos to spend more time in Brisbane with his family and sick father.
49\. YOUNG GUN
South Sydney front rower George Burgess is named Dally M Rookie of the Year after a number of barnstorming performances in the Rabbitohs’ pack. He beats a top field for the award, including Canberra Raiders utility star Anthony Milford.
50\. WELCOME BACK
After 12 years in country rugby league exile, the mighty Moree Boomerangs celebrate their return to Group 19 football with an emotion-charged Grand Final victory over Gwyder in Moree, showing off all their legendary skill in a spectacular exhibition of attacking football.
