2000 Queensland Cup


The 2000 Queensland Cup season was the 5th season of Queensland's top-level statewide rugby league competition run by the Queensland Rugby League. The competition, known as the Bundy Gold Cup due to sponsorship from Bundaberg Rum, featured 12 teams playing a 26-week long season from February to August.
The Redcliffe Dolphins defeated the Toowoomba Clydesdales 14–6 in the Grand Final at Suncorp Stadium to claim their second premiership. Wests Panthers Jason Bulgarelli was named the competition's Player of the Year.

Teams

For the first time, the competition featured the same 12 teams that participated the year before. The Central Capras re-branded as the Central Comets and changed their colour scheme to avoid confusion with the region's representative side.
For the 2000 season, the Brisbane Broncos and Melbourne Storm were again affiliated with the Toowoomba Clydesdales and Norths Devils, respectively. After using Souths Magpies and Wynnum Seagulls as feeders clubs in 1999, the Auckland Warriors used Souths as their sole feeder. The North Queensland Cowboys did not use Cairns as their affiliate club, instead using their own team in the NSWRL's First Division competition.
ColoursClubHome ground
Burleigh BearsPizzey Park
Cairns CyclonesBarlow Park
Central CometsBrowne Park
Easts TigersLanglands Park
Ipswich JetsFirst Provincial Oval
Logan ScorpionsMeakin Park
Norths DevilsBishop Park
Redcliffe DolphinsDolphin Oval
Souths MagpiesDavies Park
Toowoomba ClydesdalesAthletic Oval, ANZ Stadium
Wests PanthersPurtell Park
Wynnum SeagullsKougari Oval

Ladder

Finals series

Grand Final

Toowoomba ClydesdalesPositionRedcliffe Dolphins
Justin HodgesFBAdam Mogg
Adam WarwickWGGeorge Wilson
Brent TateCEJohn Olzard
Alex WilsonCEDamien Richters
Chris WalkerWGTrent Leis
Paul WarwickFETony Gould
Jack van DijkHBBarry Denduck
Corey ParkerPRRobert Campbell
Michael RyanHKCraig O'Dwyer
Damon Keating PRTroy Lindsay
Darren MappSRLuke Scott
Neale WyattSRJames Hinchey
Darren IngramLKDanny Burke
Kerrod WaltersBenchTroy Mitchell
Nathan FriendBenchGrant Flugge
Carl WebbBenchRussell Lahiff
Dennis WhiteBenchAdam Starr
Ivan HenjakCoachNeil Wharton

Toowoomba, who finished the regular season in third, qualified for their second Grand Final after defeating Redcliffe in their major semi final. Redcliffe won their second straight minor premiership and once again earned a first week bye. After losing to Toowoomba they defeated Easts by 34 points in the preliminary final to set up a 1996 Grand Final rematch with the Clydesdales. In the regular season, the Dolphins defeated the Clydesdales in both of their meetings.

First half

Redcliffe winger Trent Leis opened the scoring in the 16th minute when he crossed out wide. In doing so, he became the first player to score in back-to-back Grand Finals. Four minutes later, the Dolphins pushed their lead to eight when prop Troy Lindsay barged over the try line. Toowoomba would finally get on the board with one minute left to play in the first when Justin Hodges stepped through a number of defenders to score under the posts.

Second half

The Dolphins regained an eight-point lead four minutes into the second half when their captain Craig O'Dwyer threw a dummy close to the line and darted over. The try would be the last points scored in the game as Redcliffe held on to become the first club to win two Grand Finals.
Redcliffe players Adam Mogg, George Wilson, Tony Gould, Troy Lindsay, James Hinchey and Russell Lahiff became the first players to win two Grand Finals with the same club, having all been involved in Redcliffe's 1997 triumph. Craig O'Dwyer became the second player to win two Grand Finals with two different clubs, winning his first with Norths in 1998.

Player statistics

Leading try scorers

Leading point scorers

End of season awards