2009 NRL season
The 2009 NRL season was the 102nd season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the twelfth run by the National Rugby League. For the third consecutive year, sixteen teams competed for the 2009 Telstra Premiership title. The season commenced with the first match played on 13 March and ended with the Grand Final, played on 4 October. The Grand Final was won by the Melbourne Storm in their fourth consecutive grand final appearance. However, they were stripped of their Premiership on 22 April 2010 after they were found to be guilty of breaching the league's salary cap.
The second season of the National Youth Competition also commenced in line with the Telstra Premiership.
Season summary
This season the NRL introduced a second on-field referee. Previously when the ball changed possession the lone on-field referee would have to change his position to stay with the defending team. He also could only observe the ruck from one direction. The two-referee system saves the referees some running back and forth to get into position as possession changes and also improves watchfulness over the ruck.The Manly Sea Eagles began their premiership title defense in horrific fashion, losing their first four games, before a stunning revival led to them losing only four of their final 16 regular season games. The St. George Illawarra Dragons, under new coach Wayne Bennett finished the regular season with their first minor premiership title as a joint venture club. However, the Dragons then became the first minor premiers since the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in 1993 to be eliminated from the final series in consecutive losses.
For the first time since the McIntyre Final Eight System was introduced, a game was played twice in a row in the same stadium. This happened when the Dragons and Parramatta Eels played each other in round 26 and again in the first week of finals, both at WIN Jubilee Oval at Kogarah. The first game saw St George Illawarra come away with a 37-0 win in front of 17,974, while the next weeks Qualifying final saw Parramatta reverse the result with a 25-12 win in front of 18,174.
The Eels went on to become the first side since the McIntyre Final Eight System was introduced to make the grand final from eighth position. Along the way, they defeated the top three teams – the St George Illawarra Dragons, Gold Coast Titans and Bulldogs – in their three finals series matches, to make it to their first Grand Final since 2001. Their Grand Final opponents, the Melbourne Storm, were playing in their fourth straight Grand Final and were looking for their third premiership having previously won in 1999 and 2007.
In 2009, NRL games on New Zealand's Sky network drew average audiences of 46,221.
Records set in 2009
- Bulldogs winger Hazem El Masri broke the all-time highest points record of 2,176 previously set by former Newcastle Knights halfback Andrew Johns when he scored 14 points against Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in Round 1.
- St George Illawarra Dragons winger Brett Morris and his twin, Bulldogs centre Josh Morris, set the record for the most tries scored by brothers in a regular season. The pair record a further five tries between them in the finals series, with Brett scoring 25 to Josh's 22.
- The Brisbane Broncos suffered their worst defeat in their 22-year history losing 56–0 to the Canberra Raiders in round 21 at Canberra Stadium.
- A record finals attendance was set when the Parramatta Eels and Bulldogs preliminary final drew a crowd of 74,549 at ANZ Stadium. With the exception of all Grand Finals played at ANZ since 1999, and the 1965 Grand Final at the Sydney Cricket Ground, this remains the highest attendance for any game since the premiership began in 1908.
- Cameron Smith became the Melbourne Storm's leading point scorer, overtaking now-Sea Eagles half Matt Orford in the preliminary final against the Brisbane Broncos.
- The Melbourne Storm became the first club since the Parramatta sides of the 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1984 seasons to make four consecutive grand finals.
- The Parramatta Eels were the first team ever under the McIntyre system to finish 8th in the regular season and make it to the grand final.
Advertising
The ad's strapline was "Feel It" and the soundtrack a re-worked version of 2008 Australian Idol winner Wes Carr's "Feels Like Whoa."
Teams
The clubs in the League for 2009 remained unchanged for the third consecutive year, with sixteen participating in the regular season: ten from New South Wales, three from Queensland and one from each of Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. Of the ten from New South Wales, eight were from Sydney's metropolitan area. Just two foundation clubs from the 1908 New South Wales Rugby Football League season played in this competition: the Roosters and the Rabbitohs.| Brisbane Broncos 22nd season Ground: Suncorp Stadium Coach: Ivan Henjak Captain: Darren Lockyer | Bulldogs 75th season Ground: ANZ Stadium Coach: Kevin Moore Captain: Andrew Ryan | Canberra Raiders 28th season Ground: Canberra Stadium Coach: David Furner Captain: Alan Tongue | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 43rd season Ground: Toyota Stadium Coach: Ricky Stuart Captain: Paul Gallen → Trent Barrett |
| Gold Coast Titans 3rd season Ground: Skilled Park Coach: John Cartwright Captain: Scott Prince & Luke Bailey | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 60th season Ground: Brookvale Oval Coach: Des Hasler Captain: Matt Orford | Melbourne Storm 12th season Ground Olympic Park Stadium Coach: Craig Bellamy Captain: Cameron Smith | Newcastle Knights 22nd season Ground: EnergyAustralia Stadium Coach: Brian Smith → Rick Stone Captain: Kurt Gidley |
| New Zealand Warriors 15th season Ground: Mt Smart Stadium Coach: Ivan Cleary Captain: Steve Price | North Queensland Cowboys 15th season Ground: Dairy Farmers Stadium Coach: Neil Henry Captain: Johnathan Thurston | Parramatta Eels 63rd season Ground: Parramatta Stadium Coach: Daniel Anderson Captain: Nathan Cayless | Penrith Panthers 43rd season Ground: CUA Stadium Coach: Matthew Elliott Captain: Petero Civoniceva |
| South Sydney Rabbitohs 100th season Ground: ANZ Stadium Coach: Jason Taylor Captain: Roy Asotasi | Sydney Roosters 102nd season Ground: Sydney Football Stadium Coach: Brad Fittler Captain: Braith Anasta | St. George Illawarra Dragons 11th season Ground: WIN Jubilee Oval & WIN Stadium Coach: Wayne Bennett Captain: Ben Hornby | Wests Tigers 10th season Grounds: Campbelltown Stadium & Leichhardt Oval Coach: Tim Sheens Captain: Robbie Farah |
Ladder
Finals series
The NRL finals series adopted the McIntyre Final Eight System. Four teams made a return to the 2009 finals from 2008, grand finalists Melbourne Storm, Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles along with the Brisbane Broncos and St George Illawarra Dragons. Both the Bulldogs and Parramatta Eels made a return after being absent in 2008. The Newcastle Knights made the finals for the first time since 2006 and their first since the departure of club legend Andrew Johns. The Gold Coast Titans entered their maiden finals series. It was also the first finals series since 2002 that no team was held scoreless.Grand final
Club and Player records
The following figures were collected from the completion of round 26 of the regular season and therefore do not represent any figures associated with the finals series or any representative matches for this year.Top 5 point scorers
| Pts | Player | Try | Gls | FG |
| 234 | Hazem El Masri | 14 | 89 | 0 |
| 228 | Jamie Soward | 12 | 87 | 6 |
| 202 | Johnathan Thurston | 11 | 79 | 0 |
| 180 | Luke Burt | 13 | 63 | 2 |
| 172 | Scott Prince | 7 | 72 | 0 |
Top 5 try scorers
| Try | Player |
| 22 | Brett Morris |
| 21 | Taniela Tuiaki |
| 20 | Josh Morris |
| 19 | Nathan Merritt |
| 19 | Bryson Goodwin |
Most points in a match by an individual
| Pts | Player | Try | Gls | FG | Opponent | Score | Venue | Round |
| 24 | Luke Burt | 2 | 8/8 | 0 | Newcastle Knights | 40–8 | Parramatta Stadium | Round 22 |
| 24 | Luke Burt | 2 | 8/8 | 0 | Penrith Panthers | 48–6 | Parramatta Stadium | Round 25 |
| 24 | Benji Marshall | 2 | 8/10 | 0 | Cronulla Sharks | 56–10 | Toyota Stadium | Round 23 |
| 24 | Joe Tomane | 3 | 6/9 | 0 | Brisbane Broncos | 48–4 | Olympic Park Stadium | Round 13 |
Most tries in a match by an individual
| Tries | Player | Opponent | Score | Venue | Round |
| 4 | Israel Folau | Gold Coast Titans | 32–18 | Suncorp Stadium | Round 10 |
| 4 | Phil Graham | Brisbane Broncos | 56–0 | Canberra Stadium | Round 21 |
| 4 | Joel Moon | Penrith Panthers | 32–32 | CUA Stadium | Round 21 |
| 4 | Brett Morris | North Queensland | 20–24 | Dairy Farmers Stadium | Round 9 |
| 4 | Billy Slater | Manly Sea Eagles | 40–12 | Etihad Stadium | Qualifying Final |
Largest winning margin
| Score | Victor | Opponent | Venue | Round |
| 56 – 0 | Canberra Raiders | Brisbane Broncos | Canberra Stadium | Round 21 |
| 56 – 10 | Wests Tigers | Cronulla Sharks | Toyota Stadium | Round 23 |
| 48 – 4 | Melbourne Storm | Brisbane Broncos | Olympic Park | Round 13 |
Most points in a match
| Points | Victor | Opponent | Score | Venue | Round |
| 82 | Brisbane Broncos | Penrith Panthers | 58–24 | Suncorp Stadium | Round 23 |
| 74 | Wests Tigers | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 54–20 | ANZ Stadium | Round 17 |
| 72 | Penrith Panthers | Parramatta Eels | 38–34 | CUA Stadium | Round 17 |
Fewest points in a match
| Points | Victor | Opponent | Score | Venue | Round |
| 13 | New Zealand Warriors | Newcastle Knights | 13–0 | Mt Smart Stadium | Round 14 |
| 14 | New Zealand Warriors | Wests Tigers | 14–0 | Mt Smart Stadium | Round 12 |
| 14 | Brisbane Broncos | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 12–2 | WIN Stadium | Round 24 |
| 16 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Cronulla Sharks | 10–6 | WIN Jubilee Oval | Round 3 |
Most points scored in a match by an individual team
| Pts | Team | Opponent | Score | Venue | Round |
| 58 | Brisbane Broncos | Penrith Panthers | 58–24 | Suncorp Stadium | Round 23 |
| 56 | Wests Tigers | Cronulla Sharks | 56–10 | Toyota Stadium | Round 23 |
| 56 | Canberra Raiders | Brisbane Broncos | 56–0 | Canberra Stadium | Round 21 |
| 54 | Wests Tigers | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 54–20 | ANZ Stadium | Round 17 |
| 52 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Sydney Roosters | 52–12 | Sydney Football Stadium | Round 1 |
Attendance
2009's regular season attendance figures were the highest recorded in Australian rugby league history, with a total of 3,081,849. This figure bettered the previous record set by the 1995 Winfield Cup's regular season and also beat the Telstra Premiership's previous best of 3,024,149 set in 2007.The 2009 season also saw the second highest average crowd figure of a regular season, with a crowd average of 16,051, behind the best of 16,466 set in the 2005 NRL season.
The 20 highest regular season match attendances:
| Crowd | Venue | Home Team | Opponent | Round |
| 50,109 | Suncorp Stadium | Brisbane Broncos Bulldogs RLFC | South Sydney Rabbitohs Gold Coast Titans | Round 19 |
| 45,022 | Suncorp Stadium | Brisbane Broncos | North Queensland Cowboys | Round 1 |
| 43,079 | Suncorp Stadium | Brisbane Broncos | Gold Coast Titans | Round 10 |
| 42,435 | Suncorp Stadium | Brisbane Broncos | St George Illawarra Dragons | Round 4 |
| 41,835 | ANZ Stadium | Bulldogs RLFC | New Zealand Warriors | Round 25 |
| 36,647 | Suncorp Stadium | Brisbane Broncos | Melbourne Storm | Round 2 |
| 35,112 | Suncorp Stadium | Brisbane Broncos | Canberra Raiders | Round 26 |
| 34,272 | Sydney Football Stadium | Wests Tigers | Parramatta Eels | Round 24 |
| 32,456 | Suncorp Stadium | Brisbane Broncos | New Zealand Warriors | Round 17 |
| 31,664 | ANZ Stadium | Bulldogs RLFC | Parramatta Eels | Round 20 |
| 30,887 | Suncorp Stadium | Brisbane Broncos | Parramatta Eels | Round 7 |
| 29,970 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Wests Tigers | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Round 10 |
| 28,926 | Sydney Football Stadium | Sydney Roosters | St George Illawarra Dragons | Round 7 |
| 27,527 | Suncorp Stadium | Brisbane Broncos | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | Round 9 |
| 26,353 | Suncorp Stadium | Brisbane Broncos | Bulldogs RLFC | Round 14 |
| 26,336 | Skilled Park | Gold Coast Titans | Brisbane Broncos | Round 20 |
| 25,622 | ANZ Stadium | Bulldogs RLFC | Wests Tigers | Round 8 |
| 25,305 | Suncorp Stadium | Brisbane Broncos | Penrith Panthers | Round 23 |
| 24,538 | Mt Smart Stadium | New Zealand Warriors | Brisbane Broncos | Round 3 |
| 24,486 | Sydney Football Stadium | Sydney Roosters | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Round 1 |
| 24,332 | Dairy Farmers Stadium | North Queensland Cowboys | Brisbane Broncos | Round 25 |
2009 Transfers
Players
| Player | 2008 Club | 2009 Club |
| Darius Boyd | Brisbane Broncos | St. George Illawarra Dragons |
| Greg Eastwood | Brisbane Broncos | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs |
| Michael Ennis | Brisbane Broncos | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs |
| Ben Hannant | Brisbane Broncos | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs |
| Denan Kemp | Brisbane Broncos | New Zealand Warriors |
| Joel Moon | Brisbane Broncos | New Zealand Warriors |
| Shane Perry | Brisbane Broncos | Super League: Catalans Dragons |
| David Stagg | Brisbane Broncos | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs |
| Colin Best | Canberra Raiders | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Marshall Chalk | Canberra Raiders | Super League: Celtic Crusaders |
| Neville Costigan | Canberra Raiders | St. George Illawarra Dragons |
| Bronx Goodwin | Canberra Raiders | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
| Michael Weyman | Canberra Raiders | St. George Illawarra Dragons |
| William Zillman | Canberra Raiders | Gold Coast Titans |
| Andrew Emelio | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Penrith Panthers |
| Corey Hughes | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
| Nick Kouparitsas | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Sydney Roosters |
| Reni Maitua | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
| Willie Tonga | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | North Queensland Cowboys |
| Sonny Bill Williams | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | RC Toulonnais |
| Nick Youngquest | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Gateshead Thunder |
| Fraser Anderson | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Kobelco Steelers |
| Greg Bird | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Super League: Catalans Dragons |
| Dustin Cooper | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Toyota Verblitz |
| Isaac De Gois | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Newcastle Knights |
| Brett Kimmorley | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs |
| Kevin Kingston | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Parramatta Eels |
| Danny Nutley | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Retirement |
| Adam Peek | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Super League: Celtic Crusaders |
| Lance Thompson | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Retirement |
| Clint Amos | Gold Coast Titans | North Queensland Cowboys |
| Brenton Bowen | Gold Coast Titans | Tweed Heads Seagulls |
| Gavin Cooper | Gold Coast Titans | Penrith Panthers |
| Matthew Cross | Gold Coast Titans | Melbourne Storm |
| Ian Donnelly | Gold Coast Titans | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
| Michael Hodgson | Gold Coast Titans | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs |
| Matt Petersen | Gold Coast Titans | Super League: Wakefield Trinity Wildcats |
| James Stosic | Gold Coast Titans | Super League: Wakefield Trinity Wildcats |
| Luke Swain | Gold Coast Titans | Super League: Salford City Reds |
| Jack Afamasaga | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
| Steven Bell | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | Super League: Catalans Dragons |
| Nick Bradley-Qalilawa | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | Retirement |
| Mark Bryant | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | Super League: Celtic Crusaders |
| Steve Menzies | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | Super League: Bradford Bulls |
| David Vaealiki | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | SC Albi |
| Luke Williamson | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | Super League: Harlequins RL |
| Michael Crocker | Melbourne Storm | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Israel Folau | Melbourne Storm | Brisbane Broncos |
| Matt Geyer | Melbourne Storm | Retirement |
| Antonio Kaufusi | Melbourne Storm | North Queensland Cowboys |
| Jeremy Smith | Melbourne Storm | St. George Illawarra Dragons |
| Chris Bailey | Newcastle Knights | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Danny Buderus | Newcastle Knights | Super League: Leeds Rhinos |
| Jesse Royal | Newcastle Knights | New Zealand Warriors |
| Matthew White | Newcastle Knights | Gold Coast Titans |
| Wairangi Koopu | New Zealand Warriors | Melbourne Storm |
| Grant Rovelli | New Zealand Warriors | North Queensland Cowboys |
| Logan Swann | New Zealand Warriors | Retirement |
| Ruben Wiki | New Zealand Warriors | Retirement |
| Michael Witt | New Zealand Warriors | Otago |
| Daniel Abraham | North Queensland Cowboys | Mackay Cutters |
| Ray Cashmere | North Queensland Cowboys | Super League: Salford City Reds |
| David Faiumu | North Queensland Cowboys | Super League: Huddersfield Giants |
| Sione Faumuina | North Queensland Cowboys | Super League: Castleford Tigers |
| Mark Henry | North Queensland Cowboys | Super League: Salford City Reds |
| Jacob Lillyman | North Queensland Cowboys | New Zealand Warriors |
| Chris Sheppard | North Queensland Cowboys | Northern Pride |
| Justin Smith | North Queensland Cowboys | Retirement |
| Brett Finch | Parramatta Eels | Melbourne Storm |
| Mark Riddell | Parramatta Eels | Super League: Wigan Warriors |
| Chad Robinson | Parramatta Eels | Super League: Harlequins RL |
| Daniel Wagon | Parramatta Eels | Limoux Grizzlies |
| Mark O'Halloran | Penrith Panthers | Retirement |
| Luke Priddis | Penrith Panthers | St. George Illawarra Dragons |
| Tony Puletua | Penrith Panthers | Super League: St. Helens |
| Shane Rodney | Penrith Panthers | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Luke Rooney | Penrith Panthers | RC Toulonnais |
| Rhys Wesser | Penrith Panthers | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Yileen Gordon | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs |
| Shannon Hegarty | South Sydney Rabbitohs | North Queensland Cowboys |
| Manase Manuokafoa | South Sydney Rabbitohs | North Queensland Cowboys |
| Nigel Vagana | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Retirement |
| Dean Widders | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Super League: Castleford Tigers |
| Rangi Chase | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Super League: Castleford Tigers |
| Mark Gasnier | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Stade Français |
| Josh Morris | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs |
| Kirk Reynoldson | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Retirement |
| Ben Rogers | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Newcastle Knights |
| Jason Ryles | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Super League: Catalans Dragons |
| Lagi Setu | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Brisbane Broncos |
| Stuart Webb | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Retirement |
| Simon Woolford | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Retirement |
| Brent Grose | Sydney Roosters | Retirement |
| Amos Roberts | Sydney Roosters | Super League: Wigan Warriors |
| David Shillington | Sydney Roosters | Canberra Raiders |
| Anthony Tupou | Sydney Roosters | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
| Bronson Harrison | Wests Tigers | Canberra Raiders |
| Mathew Head | Wests Tigers | St. George Illawarra Dragons |
| Brett Hodgson | Wests Tigers | Super League: Huddersfield Giants |
| Ryan O'Hara | Wests Tigers | Super League: Celtic Crusaders |
| Ben Te'o | Wests Tigers | Brisbane Broncos |
| Aaron Gorrell | Super League: Catalans Dragons | Brisbane Broncos |
| Shane Elford | Super League: Huddersfield Giants | Penrith Panthers |
| John Skandalis | Super League: Huddersfield Giants | Wests Tigers |
| Garret Crossman | Super League: Hull Kingston Rovers | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Gareth Ellis | Super League: Leeds Rhinos | Wests Tigers |
| Jordan Tansey | Super League: Leeds Rhinos | Sydney Roosters |
| Trent Barrett | Super League: Wigan Warriors | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
| Stacey Jones | N/A | New Zealand Warriors |