A LOOK BACK AT THE NRL THIS YEAR
1994, and when they knocked Souths out in the preliminary final just about everyone jumped on the lime green bandwagon.
Ricky Stuart, perhaps the league’s most divisive coach, took a chance on overlooked journeymen and a handful of talented Englishmen such as John Bateman and Josh Hodgson, with the latter among the NRL’s best performers.
The fairytale was ruined by the history-making Roosters in the grand final, but this was a season when Canberra were finally allowed a realistic premiership dream. the Roosters, to the return of Valentine Holmes, contract speculation has been rife.
From private dinners in a Townsville pub to multi-million-dollar deals tabled at the Tigers, Mitchell, the undeniably talented centre, was courted by almost every NRL club ... until they removed themselves from the race. He’s still homeless.
But it was the story of Holmes, who flew halfway around the world to chase an NFL dream, that really dominated headlines.
When he was jettisoned to the New York Jets’ practice squad, rumours of the 24-yearold
THE GOOD: Rugby league took another giant leap forward for gender parity this season when Belinda Sharpe became the first female NRL referee. Sharpe had patrolled the sidelines for the NRL since 2014, but stepped out to the middle for the first time in Round 19. It also marked Sharpe’s 100th match as an NRL official. returning to stepped up a gear.
There was a long-held belief that when he did return, it would be to his hometown of Townsville. In November that became a reality, the Cowboys securing “their man” — and new No.1 — on a six-year deal worth more than $5.5 million. the NRL
IT WOULDN’T be an NRL season without some major offfield incidents to take the gloss off the on-field product.
From the abrupt end to Ben Barba’s return to the Cowboys – after an incident at the Townsville casino – to Broncos prop David Fifita being locked up in Bali, naughty NRL players outdid themselves in finding new scandals to drag the brand through the mud.
Storm forward Nelson Asofa-Solomona jumped from bad guy to good guy to bad guy more quickly than WWE’s The Big Show after footage of him throwing fists, also in Bali, surfaced.
Barba’s career ended, big Nelson copped a three-week suspension and a $15,000 fine, and Fifita returned with his tail between his legs but was cleared by the NRL integrity unit.
Dragons forward Jack De Belin, meanwhile, subjected to the no-fault stand-down policy rolled out by the NRL, is set to face trial next year on sexual assault charges.
INJURY and illness contributed to the end of some great careers, including Rabbitohs duo Greg Inglis and Sam Burgess, Broncos stalwart Matt Gillett and Cowboys warhorse Matt Scott.