2006 NRL season
The 2006 NRL season was the 99th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the ninth run by the National Rugby League. The lineup of teams remained unchanged from the previous year, with fifteen clubs competing for the 2006 Telstra Premiership. Throughout the 26 rounds of the regular season ten teams from New South Wales, two from Queensland and one each from Victoria, the ACT and New Zealand competed for the minor premiership. Eight of these teams qualified for the four-week finals series, with the Brisbane Broncos eventual victors over the Melbourne Storm in the grand final. Melbourne finished the regular season first so were awarded the minor premiership, but this was later revoked due to the Melbourne Storm salary cap breach.
Pre season
- Newcastle Knights coach Michael Hagan signed a three-year deal to coach the Parramatta Eels, beginning in 2007. Hagan replaced Brian Smith, who had coached the Eels since 1997 whilst Smith replaced Hagan at Newcastle in an unprecedented coach-swap. In other coaching moves, Matthew Elliott was confirmed as the coach of the Penrith Panthers, beginning in 2007.
- Penrith Panthers halfback Craig Gower was fired as captain, suspended for four games and fined $100,000 after a string of alcohol-fueled incidents at a charity golf function.
- The Charity Shield heralded the unofficial start of the season, with the South Sydney Rabbitohs defeating St George Illawarra 14-12 in their first home game at Telstra Stadium on February 18. All NRL clubs engaged in a series of trials during the month of February.
- Wests Tigers premiership-winning captain Scott Prince announced on March 3 he had signed a four-year deal with expansion team Gold Coast Titans, beginning in 2007. Prince relinquished the captaincy of the Tigers for the 2006 season.
New Zealand Warriors salary cap breach
The Warriors appealed the decision by the NRL to deduct the four competition points but accepted the financial penalty. Prior to the beginning of the season, the National Rugby League confirmed that the points penalty would stand. The penalty would prove the decisive factor in the Warriors missing the finals for the third year in succession.
Teams
Season summary
The season began on March 10 with a match between defending premiers Wests Tigers and the St George Illawarra Dragons, played at Telstra Stadium. The Melbourne Storm won 20 out of 24 regular season matches to win the minor premiership eight points clear of the Bulldogs. However, in April 2010, the Storm were retroactively stripped of their minor premiership as a result of salaray cap breaches occurring over the course of the 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 seasons.Venues
Sixteen stadiums regularly hosted National Rugby league matches, with a further six hosting at least one match in season 2006.| Stadium name | City | Host club | Capacity |
| Suncorp Stadium | Milton, Brisbane, Qld | Brisbane Broncos | 52,500 |
| Canberra Stadium | Bruce, Canberra, ACT | Canberra Raiders | 25,000 |
| Olympic Park Stadium | Melbourne, Vic | Melbourne Storm | 18,500 |
| EnergyAustralia Stadium | Newcastle, NSW | Newcastle Knights | 26,200 |
| Aussie Stadium | Moore Park, Sydney, NSW | Sydney Roosters | 41,159 |
| Brookvale Oval | Brookvale, Sydney, NSW | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 22,000 |
| Campbelltown Stadium | Campbelltown, Sydney, NSW | Wests Tigers | 20,000 |
| Leichhardt Oval | Leichhardt, Sydney, NSW | Wests Tigers | 20,000 |
| Oki Jubilee Stadium | Kogarah, Sydney, NSW | St George Illawarra Dragons | 20,541 |
| Parramatta Stadium | Parramatta, Sydney, NSW | Parramatta Eels | 20,500 |
| CUA Stadium | Penrith, Sydney, NSW | Penrith Panthers | 21,000 |
| Telstra Stadium | Homebush, Sydney, NSW | Bulldogs South Sydney Rabbitohs Wests Tigers | 83,500 |
| Toyota Park | Cronulla, Sydney, NSW | Cronulla Sharks | 21,500 |
| Dairy Farmers Stadium | Kirwan, Townsville, Qld | North Queensland Cowboys | 25,000 |
| Mt Smart Stadium | Penrose, Auckland, New Zealand | New Zealand Warriors | 25,000 |
| WIN Stadium | Wollongong, NSW | St George Illawarra Dragons | 20,000 |
| Hindmarsh Stadium | Hindmarsh, Adelaide, SA | 15,500 | |
| Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium | Gosford, Central Coast, NSW | 20,059 | |
| Jade Stadium | Christchurch, New Zealand | 36,500 | |
| Carrara Stadium | Carrara, Gold Coast, Qld | 22,000 | |
| Waikato Stadium | Hamilton, New Zealand | 26,350 | |
| Sydney Cricket Ground | Moore Park, Sydney, NSW | 43,562 |
Advertising
In 2006 the NRL and their advertising agency MJW Hakuhodo stayed with the Hoodoo Gurus' "That's My Team" soundtrack for a fourth year, producing a treatment aimed to appeal to the fundamental hope of all players and fans: that it would be ‘their team’ who would win the Grand Final.Capitalising on the enthusiasm generated by the Wests Tigers triumph of 2005 in only their sixth season, the campaign line and song chorus was changed to ‘That’s My Dream’.
All fifteen NRL club captains featured heavily in the television and outdoor ads holding aloft the Telstra trophy. Eight young real life fans also featured in the TV commercial reflecting the origins of the game from backyard football scenes to Sydney beaches. Each was a fan of one of eight clubs who had not till then won the Telstra Premiership trophy and four different broadcast versions of the ad told the stories of their love of the game and each's dream of their own team's victory.
Dally M Awards
The Dally M Awards were introduced in 1980 by News Limited. The most prestigious of these awards is the Dally M Medal which is awarded to the Player Of The Year. The other prestigious award is the Provans Summons Medal which is the season's best player as voted by the public. As well as honouring the player of the year the awards night also recognises the premier player in each position, the best coach, the best captain, representative player of the year and the most outstanding rookie of the season. The awards night and Player of the Year medal are named in honour of Australian former rugby league great Herbert Henry "Dally" Messenger.| Position | Award | Player | Club |
| Player of the Year | Cameron Smith | Melbourne Storm | |
| Provans Summons Medal | Nathan Hindmarsh | Parramatta Eels | |
| Rookie of the Year | Jarryd Hayne | Parramatta Eels | |
| Captain of the Year | Ben Kennedy | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | |
| Rep Player of the Year | Darren Lockyer | Brisbane Broncos | |
| Coach of the Year | Craig Bellamy | Melbourne Storm |
Team of the Year
| Position | Award | Player | Club |
| Best Fullback | Clinton Schifcofske | Canberra Raiders | |
| Best Winger | Brian Carney | Newcastle Knights | |
| Best Centre | Mark Gasnier | St George Illawarra Dragons | |
| Best Five-Eighth | Darren Lockyer | Brisbane Broncos | |
| Best Halfback | Cooper Cronk | Melbourne Storm | |
| Best Lock | Ben Kennedy | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | |
| Best Second-Rower | Nathan Hindmarsh | Parramatta Eels | |
| Best Prop | Roy Asotasi | Bulldogs | |
| Best Hooker | Cameron Smith | Melbourne Storm |
Statistics and Records
- Clinton Schifcofske ran 3,741 metres with the ball in 2006, more than any other player in the competition.
- The Brisbane Broncos set a club record for their biggest comeback win when they came from 18-0 down at half time to win 30-28 against Canberra Raiders in round 8.
- The Melbourne Storm set a club record for their longest winning streak with 11 games from Round 12 to Round 23.
- New Zealand Warriors defeated South Sydney Rabbitohs 66–0 in Round 16. This set new records for New Zealand's greatest winning margin and South Sydney's greatest losing margin.
- The Newcastle Knights and Canberra Raiders set the league record for the highest aggregate score in a match, with a total of 102 points scored in Newcastle's 70–32 win in Round 2. The previous record had stood since 1935.
- The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks set a then-club record for longest losing streak with 10 matches from Round 17 to Round 26.
- Nathan Merritt became the first player to top the try scoring chart from the wooden spoon winning side.
Ladder
Finals series
The Melbourne Storm went into the finals for the first time as Minor Premiers. They had a week off after their first finals win against the Parramatta Eels 12-6 to prepare for a Preliminary Final encounter, again the St. George Illawarra Dragons which was won by the Storm 24-10, earning them a spot in the Grand Final against the Brisbane Broncos. The Broncos had surprised everyone in the previous two months. After a slight hiccup in the Qualifying Final, going down against St. George Illawarra Dragons 20-4, they came back in the next two weeks, beating the Newcastle Knights 50-6 in the Semi Final and coming from 20-6 down at halftime to win 37-20 against the Bulldogs in the Preliminary Final.Finals Chart
Grand Final
2006 Transfers
Players
| Player | 2005 Club | 2006 Club |
| Stuart Kelly | Brisbane Broncos | Retirement |
| Darren Mapp | Brisbane Broncos | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
| Darren Smith | Brisbane Broncos | Retirement |
| Matt Adamson | Canberra Raiders | Retirement |
| Ben Cross | Canberra Raiders | Melbourne Storm |
| Ian Hindmarsh | Canberra Raiders | Super League: Catalans Dragons |
| Ryan O'Hara | Canberra Raiders | Wests Tigers |
| Michael Robertson | Canberra Raiders | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Tyran Smith | Canberra Raiders | Retirement |
| Braith Anasta | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Sydney Roosters |
| Jamahl Lolesi | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Wests Tigers |
| Keith Galloway | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Wests Tigers |
| Sam Isemonger | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | St. George Illawarra Dragons |
| Paul Mellor | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Nathan Merritt | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| David Peachey | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Jason Stevens | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Retirement |
| Michael Sullivan | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Super League: Warrington Wolves |
| Scott Donald | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | Super League: Leeds Rhinos |
| Sam Harris | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | Wests Tigers |
| Daniel Heckenberg | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | Super League: Harlequins RL |
| Terry Hill | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | Retirement |
| John Hopoate | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | Suspension |
| Chad Randall | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | Super League: Harlequins RL |
| Steven Bell | Melbourne Storm | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Alex Chan | Melbourne Storm | Super League: Catalans Dragons |
| Robbie Kearns | Melbourne Storm | Retirement |
| Jamie McDonald | Melbourne Storm | Retirement |
| Matt Orford | Melbourne Storm | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Peter Robinson | Melbourne Storm | Retirement |
| Dennis Scott | Melbourne Storm | Retirement |
| Mark Hughes | Newcastle Knights | Super League: Catalans Dragons |
| Andrew Price | Newcastle Knights | St. George Illawarra Dragons |
| Monty Betham | New Zealand Warriors | Super League: Wakefield Trinity Wildcats |
| Stacey Jones | New Zealand Warriors | Super League: Catalans Dragons |
| Francis Meli | New Zealand Warriors | Super League: St. Helens |
| Iafeta Palea'aesina | New Zealand Warriors | Super League: Wigan Warriors |
| Karl Te Mata | New Zealand Warriors | Super League: Harlequins RL |
| Richard Villasanti | New Zealand Warriors | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
| Jaiman Lowe | North Queensland Cowboys | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Micheal Luck | North Queensland Cowboys | New Zealand Warriors |
| Leigh McWilliams | North Queensland Cowboys | Retirement |
| David Myles | North Queensland Cowboys | Toulouse Olympique |
| Paul Rauhihi | North Queensland Cowboys | Super League: Warrington Wolves |
| Chris Sheppard | North Queensland Cowboys | St. George Illawarra Dragons |
| Ashley Graham | Parramatta Eels | North Queensland Cowboys |
| Garret Crossman | Penrith Panthers | Melbourne Storm |
| Shannon Donato | Penrith Panthers | Retirement |
| Paul Franze | Penrith Panthers | Super League: Castleford Tigers |
| Joe Galuvao | Penrith Panthers | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Brett Howland | Penrith Panthers | Retirement |
| Ben Ross | Penrith Panthers | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
| Bryan Fletcher | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Super League: Wigan Warriors |
| Glenn Hall | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Sydney Roosters |
| Ashley Harrison | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Sydney Roosters |
| Lee Hookey | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Penrith Panthers |
| Brett Kearney | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
| Scott Logan | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Super League: Wigan Warriors |
| Michael Ennis | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Brisbane Broncos |
| Willie Manu | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Super League: Castleford Tigers |
| Shane Marteene | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Retirement |
| Lance Thompson | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
| Albert Torrens | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Super League: Huddersfield Giants |
| Ned Catic | Sydney Roosters | Super League: Wakefield Trinity Wildcats |
| Jason Cayless | Sydney Roosters | Super League: St. Helens |
| Michael Crocker | Sydney Roosters | Melbourne Storm |
| Richie Fa'aoso | Sydney Roosters | Super League: Castleford Tigers |
| Luke Ricketson | Sydney Roosters | Retirement |
| Chris Walker | Sydney Roosters | Melbourne Storm |
| Stuart Webb | Sydney Roosters | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Robert Miles | Wests Tigers | Retirement |
| Mark O'Neill | Wests Tigers | Super League: Leeds Rhinos |
| Pat Richards | Wests Tigers | Super League: Wigan Warriors |
| Matthew Rieck | Wests Tigers | Retirement |
| John Wilson | Wests Tigers | Super League: Catalans Dragons |
| Craig Stapleton | Super League: Leigh Centurions | Penrith Panthers |
| Mark O'Halloran | Super League: London Broncos | Penrith Panthers |
| Darren Albert | Super League: St. Helens | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
| Mark Edmondson | Super League: St. Helens | Sydney Roosters |
| Andrew Emelio | Super League: Widnes Vikings | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs |
| Brian Carney | Super League: Wigan Warriors | Newcastle Knights |
| Shane Muspratt | North Queensland Young Guns | North Queensland Cowboys |
| Matt Bickerstaff | N/A | St. George Illawarra Dragons |
| Luke Davico | N/A | Newcastle Knights |
| John Doyle | N/A | Sydney Roosters |
| George Gatis | N/A | New Zealand Warriors |