2005 NRL season

In 2005 the NRL's salary cap was $3.25 million for the 25 highest-paid players in a club.[1]

The season was statistically the closest season ever, with just sixteen points separating the Parramatta Eels (1st) and Newcastle Knights (15th). It was also notable in that the previous four premiers failed to qualify for the finals (Bulldogs, Penrith Panthers, Sydney Roosters and Newcastle Knights).

In the middle of 2005 the NRL reached a broadcasting rights agreement with Foxsports and Channel 9 worth $500 million over six years, representing a 65% increase in direct television income.[2]

The Knights recorded their worst ever start to a season (13 straight losses) and were consigned to last place for the entire season. They did however win 8 of their last 11 games thanks to the return of superstar Andrew Johns. The Knights also defeated five of the top eight teams during the season, four of which were at home. They also recorded their then equal worst ever defeat - a 50-0 thrashing by the Parramatta Eels in round 14. During this match, an EnergyAustralia Stadium attendant ran onto the field, trying to tackle Parramatta's Daniel Wagon before he scored in the 78th minute. Minor premiers the Parramatta Eels lost to each of the bottom four teams (Bulldogs, Rabbitohs, Raiders and Knights in rounds 8, 2, 19 and 20 respectively) during the course of the season.

It was announced that the Gold Coast Titans were to be admitted into the NRL as the sixteenth team, scheduled to begin playing in the 2007 season. The Titans would recruit John Cartwright as their inaugural coach and Preston Campbell was their first signing.

Johnathan Thurston won the 2005 Dally M Medal by a single point from Newcastle's Andrew Johns, despite Johns missing over a third of the season with a broken jaw.

The two clubs that had players sent off won their matches (unlike in 2004) but the dismissal of John Hopoate made rugby league headlines. Hopoate was sent off in his team's win over the Cronulla Sharks and consequently received a 17-match ban. The Sea Eagles then terminated his contract.

The Wests Tigers became the first ever joint venture club to win the premiership, having formed in 2000 as a union between the Balmain Tigers and Western Suburbs Magpies, both foundation members of the original New South Wales Rugby Football League.

Teams

Brisbane Broncos 18th season Ground: Suncorp Stadium Coach: Wayne Bennett Captain: Darren Lockyer			Bulldogs RLFC 71st season Ground: Sydney Showground & Telstra Stadium Coach: Steve Folkes Captain: Andrew Ryan			Canberra Raiders 24th season Ground: Canberra Stadium Coach: Matthew Elliott Captain: Simon Woolford			Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 39th season Ground: Toyota Stadium Coach: Stuart Raper Captain: Brett Kimmorley
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 56th season Ground: Brookvale Oval Coach: Des Hasler Captain: Michael Monaghan			Melbourne Storm 8th season Ground Olympic Park Stadium Coach: Craig Bellamy Captain: Robbie Kearns			Newcastle Knights 18th season Ground: EnergyAustralia Stadium Coach: Michael Hagan Captain: Andrew Johns			New Zealand Warriors 11th season Ground: Ericsson Stadium Coach: Tony Kemp Captain: Steve Price
North Queensland Cowboys 11th season Ground: Dairy Farmers Stadium Coach: Graham Murray Captain: Travis Norton			Parramatta Eels 59th season Ground: Parramatta Stadium Coach: Brian Smith Captain: Nathan Cayless			Penrith Panthers 39th season Ground: CUA Stadium Coach: John Lang Captain: Craig Gower			South Sydney Rabbitohs 96th season Ground: Aussie Stadium Coach: Shaun McRae Captain: Bryan Fletcher→Peter Cusack
Sydney Roosters 98th season Ground: Aussie Stadium Coach: Ricky Stuart Captain: Luke Ricketson				St. George Illawarra Dragons 7th season Ground: OKI Jubilee Stadium & WIN Stadium Coach: Nathan Brown Captain: Trent Barrett				Wests Tigers 6th season Ground: Campbelltown Stadium & Leichhardt Oval Coach: Tim Sheens Captain: Mark O'Neill→Scott Prince

Ladder

Further information: 2005 NRL season results

	Team	Pld	W	D	L	B	PF	PA	PD	Pts
1	Parramatta Eels	24	16	0	8	2	704	456	+248	36
2	St George Illawarra Dragons	24	16	0	8	2	655	510	+145	36
3	Brisbane Broncos	24	15	0	9	2	597	484	+113	34
4	Wests Tigers	24	14	0	10	2	676	575	+101	32
5	North Queensland Cowboys	24	14	0	10	2	639	563	+76	32
6	Melbourne Storm	24	13	0	11	2	640	462	+178	30
7	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	24	12	0	12	2	550	564	-14	28
8	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	24	12	0	12	2	554	632	-78	28
9	Sydney Roosters	24	11	0	13	2	488	487	+1	26
10	Penrith Panthers	24	11	0	13	2	554	554	=0	26
11	New Zealand Warriors	24	10	0	14	2	515	528	-13	24
12	Bulldogs	24	9	1	14	2	472	670	-198	23
13	South Sydney Rabbitohs	24	9	1	14	2	482	700	-218	23
14	Canberra Raiders	24	9	0	15	2	465	606	-141	22
15	Newcastle Knights	24	8	0	16	2	467	667	-200	20

Ladder progression

• Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 8.
• Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round.
• Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished in last place on the ladder in that round
• Underlined numbers indicate that the team had a bye during that round.

	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26
1	Parramatta	2	2	4	4	4	6	8	8	10	12	14	16	18	20	22	22	24	26	26	26	28	30	32	32	34	36
2	St. George Illawarra	0	0	0	0	2	2	4	6	8	10	12	12	14	16	18	18	20	20	22	24	26	28	30	32	34	36
3	Brisbane	2	2	4	4	6	8	10	12	14	16	18	20	22	24	26	26	28	30	32	32	34	34	34	34	34	34
4	Wests	0	2	4	6	8	8	8	8	8	10	12	12	12	14	14	16	18	20	22	24	26	28	30	32	32	32
5	North Queensland	0	2	4	6	6	8	10	12	12	12	14	16	18	18	20	20	22	22	22	24	26	26	26	28	30	32
6	Melbourne	2	4	4	6	6	6	8	8	10	12	12	14	16	16	16	18	20	22	22	24	24	24	26	28	30	30
7	Cronulla-Sutherland	2	2	4	6	8	10	10	12	14	16	18	18	18	18	20	22	22	22	24	24	24	26	26	28	28	28
8	Manly-Warringah	2	4	6	8	8	10	12	12	14	16	16	18	20	20	22	22	22	22	22	24	24	26	26	26	26	28
9	Sydney	2	4	4	4	4	6	6	6	8	10	12	14	14	16	16	18	20	20	20	20	20	20	22	22	24	26
10	Penrith	0	0	2	2	4	6	6	8	8	8	8	8	8	10	12	12	12	14	14	14	16	18	20	22	24	26
11	New Zealand	0	2	2	4	4	6	8	8	8	8	10	12	12	14	14	16	16	16	18	20	20	20	20	20	22	24
12	Bulldogs	2	2	2	2	4	4	6	8	8	8	10	10	11	13	15	17	17	19	21	23	23	23	23	23	23	23
13	South Sydney	0	2	2	2	4	4	4	6	6	6	6	6	7	9	9	9	9	11	13	13	15	17	19	21	21	23
14	Canberra	2	4	6	8	10	10	10	12	14	14	14	14	16	16	16	18	20	20	22	22	22	22	22	22	22	22
15	Newcastle	0	0	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	4	4	4	4	6	6	8	8	10	12	14	16	18	20	20

To decide the grand finalists from the top eight finishing teams, the NRL adopts the McIntyre Final Eight System.

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time	Venue	Referee	Crowd
Qualifying Finals
Wests Tigers	50 – 6	North Queensland Cowboys	9 September 2005	Telstra Stadium	Paul Simpkins	26,463
Brisbane Broncos	18 – 24	Melbourne Storm	10 September 2005	Suncorp Stadium	Steve Clark	25,193
St George Illawarra Dragons	28 – 22	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	10 September 2005	WIN Stadium	Tony Archer	19,608
Parramatta Eels	46 – 22	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	11 September 2005	Parramatta Stadium	Tim Mander	19,710
Semi Finals
Melbourne Storm	16 – 24	North Queensland Cowboys	17 September 2005	Aussie Stadium	Paul Simpkins	16,810
Wests Tigers	34 – 6	Brisbane Broncos	18 September 2005	Aussie Stadium	Tim Mander	36,563
Preliminary Finals
St George Illawarra Dragons	12 – 20	Wests Tigers	24 September 2005	Aussie Stadium	Tim Mander	41,260
Parramatta Eels	0 – 29	North Queensland Cowboys	25 September 2005	Telstra Stadium	Steve Clark	44,327

Finals Chart

	Qualifying Finals					Semi Finals					Preliminary Finals					Grand Final
	1	Parramatta	46
	8	Manly	22
											1W	Parramatta	0
	2	St. George Illawarra	28			4W	Melbourne	16				North Queensland	29
	7	Cronulla	22			2L	North Queensland	24									North Queensland	16
																	Wests	30
	3	Brisbane	18								2W	St. George Illawarra	12
	6	Melbourne	24			3W	Wests	34				Wests	20
						1L	Brisbane	6
	4	Wests	50
	5	North Queensland	6

• The Broncos' Darren Smith was the NRL's oldest player in 2005 at 36 years and 284 days.[6]
• The Brisbane Broncos set a new club record for highest score conceded (50 points) and greatest losing margin (46 points), when they lost 50-4 against the Melbourne Storm at Olympic Park in Round 4. These records were broken in 2020 when they lost 59-0 to the Sydney Roosters in round 4, which is also the only time Brisbane have failed to score a point at their home of Suncorp Stadium.
• The Newcastle Knights lost a club record 13 straight matches from 13 March - 19 June, and went on to win the wooden spoon for the first time.
• In Rounds 23 and 24, the Canterbury Bulldogs suffered their worst defeats since 1935, when they lost 56-4 against the Parramatta Eels in Round 23, then lost 54-2 against Wests Tigers in Round 24.
• Wests Tigers' club record for their longest winning streak with 8 wins from round 16 to round 24.
• Wests Tigers' standing record for their biggest ever win : 54-2 over the Canterbury Bulldogs in Round 24.

• NRL official website
• LeagueUnlimited
• Rugby League Tables and Statistics 2005
• Sports Australia League