1995 ARL season
| 1995 Australian Rugby League | |
|---|---|
 Logo of the Australian Rugby League | |
| Teams | 20 |
| Premiers | File:Canterbury colours.png Sydney Bulldogs (7th title) |
| Minor premiers | File:Manly colours.png Manly-Warringah (9th title) |
| Matches played | 229 |
| Points scored | 5370 |
| Attendance | 1496040 |
| Top try-scorer(s) | File:Manly colours.png Steve Menzies (22 tries) |
This article details the first season of the Australian Rugby League (ARL) premiership -the 88th season of professional rugby league football in Australia- since control of the first grade club competition was transferred from the New South Wales Rugby League.
Season Summary
When the Australian Rugby League began taking bids for expansion teams to begin playing in 1995, it was expected that only two teams would enter. The Auckland Warriors were the first club to be accepted, with the final place being fought for by South Queensland, North Queensland and Perth. The ARL 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.
1995 would prove to be a year of massive change for the ARL. In addition to the introduction of four new teams, it was the last year of the league's association with Rothmans and the Winfield brand and consequently the final year that clubs competed for the Winfield Cup . It was also the final year of the advertising association with Tina Turner.
The storm clouds that had been gathering for some time in the form of rumours and speculation about Super League were to break on 1 April 1995 with a verification that would rain on the game with more force than anyone could have expected. The subsequent Super League war would rock the game and set in back almost a decade in terms of its loss of public support and damage to its grass roots values.
The 1995 season was played in front of a background of legal actions, breaking friendships and with clubs, players and managers all jockeying for position and self-interest.
Fittingly the final eight was to be made of 4 clubs who would ultimately prove loyal to the ARL (Manly-Warringah, St. George, North Sydney , Newcastle Knights) and four clubs who would join Super League's rebel ranks (Sydney Bulldogs, Canberra,Brisbane Broncos, Cronulla-Sutherland).
The Grand Final, co-incidentally was played out by a team from each faction being the Sea-Eagles and the Bulldogs.
Manly's Steve Menzies became the first forward for 50 years to top the season's try-scoring list.
Ladder
Auckland deducted 2 points for exceeding the replacement limit in one game.
Finals
Clive Churchill Medallist: Jim Dymock
See also
References
- Rugby League Tables - Season 1995 The World of Rugby League