The 1995 ARL premiership was the 88th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the first to be run by the Australian Rugby League following the hand-over of the Premiership's administration by the New South Wales Rugby League. For the first time since 1988, the Premiership expanded again, with the addition of two new clubs from Queensland: North Queensland Cowboys, based in Townsville South Queensland Crushers, based in Brisbane.
For the first time ever, clubs were also added from outside the borders of New South Wales and Queensland, and indeed, Australia: Western Reds (later Perth Reds), based in Perth Auckland Warriors, based in Auckland
This saw a total of twenty teams, the largest number in the League's history, compete during the regular season for the J J Giltinan Shield, which was followed by a series of play-off finals between the top eight teams that culminated in a grand final for the Winfield Cup between the re-branded Sydney Bulldogs and Manly.
The 1995 season also saw the first major consequences of the Super League war, with the ARL's refusal to select almost all players from the eight clubs who had aligned with News Ltd's proposed Super League for State of Origin or Test matches, including the 1995 Rugby League World Cup.
Season summary 1995 would prove to be a year of massive change for the League. In addition to the introduction of four new teams, it was the last year of the premiership's association with Rothmans and the Winfield brand and consequently the final year that clubs competed for the Winfield Cup.
There had been a cloud over the league for some time in the form of rumours and speculation about the Super League, but the ensuing dispute was more extensive than almost any commenters and analysts had predicted. The subsequent Super League war would have massive impacts on the sport in Australia and would substantially harm the league's popular support and grassroots structures.
The 1995 season was played in front of a background of legal actions which did large damage to interpersonal relations within the league, with players and managers jockeying for position. Players who had signed with the new Super League venture were forbidden by the ARL from participating in the 1995 State of Origin. Selectors from New South Wales and Queensland were limited to selecting players only from ARL-aligned clubs, plus certain defectors from Super League.
The usual twenty-two regular season rounds were played from March till August. However the large number of teams meant a resulting top eight would battle it out in the finals rather than the usual five. These were Manly, Canberra, Brisbane, Cronulla, Newcastle, Sydney Bulldogs, St. George and North Sydney (who made it in due to Auckland being penalised for an interchange infringement). In addition to the premiership, there was also the 1995 Trans-Tasman Test series between the Australian Rugby League's and New Zealand Rugby League's national teams.
Cronulla-Sutherland's halfback Paul Green was awarded the 1995 Rothmans Medal. The Dally M Award was given to Canberra's five-eighth, Laurie Daley who was also named Rugby League Week's player of the year. Manly-Warringah's Steve Menzies became the first forward for 50 years to top the season's try-scoring list, while his teammate Matthew Ridge set a club point scoring record of 257 points to be the league's leading point scorer for the year.
By the end of the regular season, the ARL's inaugural 20-team competition had set a new record for aggregate match attendances of 3,061,338.
Advertising 1995 marked the final year of the New South Wales Rugby League's sponsorship arrangement with Rothmans and Winfield due to the federal government's blanket ban on cigarette advertising in Australia effective from 1 January 1996. It was consequently the final year of a seven-year association with Tina Turner and the end of an era in Australian sports marketing.
As in 1994 the New South Wales Rugby League and its advertising agency Hertz Walpole returned to the original 1989 recording of The Best by Turner to underscore the season launch advertisement. Footage from the studio bluescreen shoot taken during Turner's 1993 Sydney visit was used in the final advertisements. The enduring images are of Turner performing the song on an elevated stage in front of the fluttering banners of the 20 clubs that would participate in 1995's expanded competition.
Teams When the Australian Rugby League began taking bids for additional teams to begin playing in 1995, it was expected that only two teams would enter. Auckland were the first club to be accepted, with the final place being fought for by South Queensland, North Queensland and Perth. The Australian Rugby League later announced that all three clubs had been accepted, taking the number of teams from 16 in 1994 to 20 in 1995, the highest it had ever been and would ever be.
With the addition of the Auckland Warriors, North Queensland Cowboys, South Queensland Crushers and Western Reds the 1995 season involved an unprecedented twenty clubs, including five Sydney-based foundation teams, another six from Sydney, one from Newcastle, one from Wollongong, two from Brisbane, one from Gold Coast, one from Townsville, one from Auckland, one from Canberra and one from Perth, who all contested the premiership, making it the largest competition in terms of participation in Australia's history.
With the storm that would be the Super League war already brewing in the background, three clubs based in Sydney suburbs, in an effort to position themselves favourably as battle lines were being drawn up, re-branded themselves for the 1995 season with less geographically distinct names: the Balmain Tigers became the 'Sydney Tigers', the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs became the 'Sydney Bulldogs', and the Eastern Suburbs Roosters became the 'Sydney City Roosters'.
Auckland Warriors 1st seasonGround: Ericsson Stadium Coach: John MonieCaptain: Dean BellBrisbane Broncos 8th seasonGround: ANZ Stadium Coach: Wayne BennettCaptain: Allan LangerCanberra Raiders 14th seasonGround: Bruce Stadium Coach: Tim SheensCaptain: Ricky StuartCronulla Sharks 29th seasonGround: Endeavour Park Coach: John LangCaptain: Andrew EttingshausenGold Coast Seagulls 8th seasonGround: Seagulls Stadium Coach: John HarveyCaptain: Craig ColemanIllawarra Steelers 14th seasonGround: Wollongong Stadium Coach: Graham Murray→Allan FitzgibbonCaptain: John CrossManly Sea Eagles 49th seasonGround: Brookvale Oval Coach: Bob FultonCaptain: Geoff TooveyNewcastle Knights 8th seasonGround: Marathon Stadium Coach: Malcolm "Mal" ReillyCaptain: Mark Sargent → Paul HarragonNorth Qld Cowboys 1st seasonGround: Stockland Stadium Coach: Grant BellCaptain: variousNorth Syd. Bears 88th seasonGround: North Sydney Oval Coach: Peter LouisCaptain: Jason TaylorParramatta Eels 49th seasonGround: Parramatta Stadium Coach: Ron HilditchCaptain: Paul DunnPenrith Panthers 29th seasonGround: Penrith Stadium Coach: Royce SimmonsCaptain: John CartwrightSouth Qld Crushers 1st seasonGround: Suncorp Stadium Coach: Bill Gardner → Bob LindnerCaptain: Mario Fenech → Trevor GillmeisterSouth Syd. Rabbitohs 88th seasonGround: Sydney Football Stadium Coach: Ken ShineCaptain: Lee Jackson → Craig FieldSt. George Dragons 75th seasonGround: Kogarah Oval Coach: Brian SmithCaptain: Mark CoyneSydney Bulldogs(Canterbury Bulldogs) 61st seasonGround: Parramatta Stadium Coach: Chris AndersonCaptain: Terry LambSydney City Roosters(East. Sub. Roosters) 88th seasonGround: Sydney Football Stadium Coach: Phil GouldCaptain: Sean GarlickSydney Tigers(Balmain Tigers) 88th seasonGround: Parramatta Stadium Coach: Wayne PearceCaptain: Paul SironenWestern Reds 1st seasonGround: WACA Ground Coach: Peter MulhollandCaptain: Brad MackayWest. Sub. Magpies 88th seasonGround: Campbelltown Stadium Coach: Tommy RaudonikisCaptain: Paul Langmack
Ladder TeamPldWDLPFPAPDPts1 Manly Sea Eagles22 2002687248+439 402 Canberra Raiders222002634255+379403 Brisbane Broncos221705600364+236344 Cronulla Sharks221606516287+229325 Newcastle Knights221507549396+153306 Sydney Bulldogs (P)221408468352+116287 St. George Dragons221309583382+201268 North Sydney Bears221129542331+211249 Sydney City Roosters2212010466406+602410 Auckland Warriors221309544493+512411 Western Reds2211011361549-1882212 Illawarra Steelers2210111519431+882113 Western Suburbs Magpies2210012459534-752014 Penrith Panthers229013481484-31815 Sydney Tigers227015309591-2821416 South Queensland Crushers226115303502-1991317 Gold Coast Seagulls224117350628-278918 South Sydney Rabbitohs224117319686-367919 Parramatta Eels223019310690-380620 North Queensland Cowboys222020269660-3914 Auckland Warriors were stripped of 2 competition points due to exceeding the replacement limit in round 3.
Finals A new finals system involving eight teams instead of the previous five was introduced for the expanded 1995 competition. The final eight was to be made of four clubs who would ultimately prove loyal to the Australian Rugby League (Manly, St. George, North Sydney and Newcastle) and four clubs who would join Super League's rebel ranks (Sydney Bulldogs, Canberra, Brisbane and Cronulla Sharks). The Grand Final was played out by a team from each faction, being the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and the Sydney Bulldogs.
HomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDate and TimeVenueRefereeCrowd Quarter-finals Newcastle Knights20–10 North Sydney Bears1 September 1995Parramatta StadiumDavid Manson14,174 Canberra Raiders14–8 Brisbane Broncos2 September 1995Suncorp StadiumKelvin Jeffes40,187 Sydney Bulldogs12–8 St. George Dragons2 September 1995Sydney Football StadiumEddie Ward26,835 Manly Sea Eagles24–20 Cronulla Sharks3 September 1995Sydney Football StadiumPaul McBlane32,795 Semi-finals Cronulla Sharks18–19 Newcastle Knights9 September 1995Sydney Football StadiumEddie Ward26,061 Brisbane Broncos10–24 Sydney Bulldogs10 September 1995Sydney Football StadiumDavid Manson34,087 Preliminary finals Canberra Raiders6–25 Sydney Bulldogs16 September 1995Sydney Football StadiumEddie Ward36,894 Manly Sea Eagles12–4 Newcastle Knights17 September 1995Sydney Football StadiumDavid Manson38,874 Grand final Manly Sea Eagles4–17 Sydney Bulldogs24 September 1995Sydney Football StadiumEddie Ward41,127
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Grand Final
Teams Twelve Bulldogs players remained from the squad that played in the 1994 Grand Final. Initially selected in the starting line-up, winger Brett Dallas missed the decider due to a hamstring injury sustained in the preliminary final. Des Hasler and Cliff Lyons both had previous Grand Final experience for Manly, playing in the 1987 Grand Final, while Manly David Gillespie had played in the Bulldogs’ 1988 premiership win. Manly Matthew Ridge started the match under an injury cloud, having sustained a rib injury during the finals series.
Entertainment Julie Anthony performed Advance Australia Fair before the match. The half time entertainment included a surreal commercial presentation from competition sponsor Optus Vision in which a large black television was left swinging above the turf until one side collapsed releasing a shower of balloons to fall to the ground. The mishap delayed the start of the second half of the match. Optus Vision CEO Geoff Cousins proclaiming "what happened was supposed to happen."
Match details Having finished in sixth place at the end of the regular season, the Bulldogs managed a history-making finals surge, winning three sudden death matches to make the Grand Final.
The match kicked off in sunny conditions, with the forecast showers not eventuating.