# 1997 ARL season

The 1997 Australian Rugby League season was the 90th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the third season run by the Australian Rugby League. While several clubs had left the League to compete in the 1997 Super League season, twelve ARL-loyal teams – eight from across Sydney, two from greater New South Wales and two from Queensland (Brisbane and Gold Coast) – competed for the Optus Cup Trophy. The top seven teams then played a series of knock-out finals which culminated in a September grand final played in Sydney between the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and the Newcastle Knights. Newcastle won its first ever premiership, staging a comeback from 8–16 behind to defeat Manly 22–16.

## Pre season

The season is most notable for being run parallel to the rival Super League competition. This was the only season when the two competitions actually ran, notwithstanding that 1995 and 1996 had been disrupted by the Super League war.
ARL chairman Ken Arthurson resigned in February 1997 in an effort to enable re-unification negotiations held during the season to succeed. It would not be 'til after the season's end in December that the boards of every ARL club would gather at the SCG in an unprecedented meeting to consider the proposed peace deal following five months of secret negotiations between Ian Frykberg and Neil Whittaker.

## Regular season

In 1997 the official player of the year award, the Provan-Summons Medal was won by Brad Fittler. This award was replaced by the Dally M Medal from the following year. The Illawarra Steelers' Scott Cram was named the 1997 season's rookie of the year.
The grand finals:
* Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles vs Newcastle Knights (Senior Grade)
* Balmain Tigers vs Parramatta Eels (Reserve Grade)
* Balmain Tigers vs Sydney City Roosters (Under-20s Grade)
The winners in all grades were:
* Newcastle Knights (Senior Grade)
* Parramatta Eels (Reserve Grade)
* Balmain Tigers (Under-20s Grade)
The test match
* Australia vs Rest of the World
The State of Origin Series
* Queensland vs New South Wales

### Teams

The eight ARL teams that had aligned themselves with Super League were absent from this year's ARL premiership, instead spending the year competing in the new Telstra Cup competition. The Balmain Tigers changed their name back from the Sydney Tigers this season.

### Ladder

* (MP) - Minor Premiers
* (P) - Premiers
| | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Manly (MP) | 22 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 521 | 366 | +155 | 32 |
| 2 | Newcastle (P) | 22 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 512 | 320 | +192 | 29 |
| 3 | Parramatta | 22 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 431 | 359 | +72 | 29 |
| 4 | North Sydney | 22 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 529 | 341 | +188 | 27 |
| 5 | Sydney City Roosters | 22 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 487 | 366 | +121 | 27 |
| 6 | Illawarra | 22 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 423 | 376 | +47 | 23 |
| 7 | Gold Coast | 22 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 438 | 466 | −28 | 21 |
| 8 | Balmain | 22 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 339 | 340 | −1 | 20 |
| 9 | Western Suburbs | 22 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 355 | 424 | −69 | 20 |
| 10 | St. George | 22 | 9 | 1 | 12 | 331 | 392 | −61 | 19 |
| 11 | South Sydney | 22 | 4 | 1 | 17 | 323 | 630 | −307 | 9 |
| 12 | South Queensland | 22 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 321 | 630 | −309 | 8 |

#### Ladder progression

* Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 7.
* Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round.
* Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished in last place on the ladder in that round
| | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| 1 | Manly | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 32 |
| 2 | Newcastle | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12$^1$ | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 27 | 29 |
| 3 | Parramatta | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 29 |
| 4 | North Sydney | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 27 |
| 5 | Sydney City | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 27 |
| 6 | Illawarra | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 23 |
| 7 | Gold Coast | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 21 |
| 8 | Balmain | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 |
| 9 | Western Suburbs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| 10 | St. George | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 19 |
| 11 | South Sydney | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6$^1$ | 6 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| 12 | South Queensland | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 |
$^1$ The round 10 match between Newcastle Knights and South Sydney Rabbitohs was postponed due to rain. This match was played during round 16.

## Finals

Sydney City and North Sydney played out a bizarre Qualifying Final with the Roosters winning 33–21. The Roosters fought back from 14–2 down with 10 minutes to go to get it back to 14–14, then both sides kicked a field goal to send it to extra time at 15–15. The Roosters went on to play Gold Coast who were in their first ever finals campaign with the Roosters winning 32–10 to book a Preliminary Final showdown with Manly. A peculiarity of the finals system saw Manly and Newcastle face off in what later realised to be a pointless game where both the winner and loser progressed to a Grand Final qualifier the following week. The Roosters had another fight back when they came from 16–6 down to get it back to 16–16, but it was a Sea Eagles field goal that proved the difference to book themselves a third straight Grand Final berth with a 17–16 win.
Newcastle reached the 1997 grand final after defeating Parramatta in week one of the finals series. At one stage, Parramatta lead the match 18–0 before a comeback gave Newcastle a 28–20 victory. Newcastle then lost the following week to Manly 27–12 before setting up a preliminary final clash with North Sydney.
With the score 12–8 in favor of Newcastle with under 10 minutes to play Jason Taylor set up Michael Buettner for a try which made the score 12–12. Normally a very reliable kicker and one of the most accurate in the competition, Taylor had already missed two previous conversions in the match but if he was to kick this goal it could send North Sydney through to their first grade final since 1943. Taylor ended up missing the goal. With the scores locked at 12–12, Newcastle player Matthew Johns kicked a field goal with 2 minutes to play to make it 13–12. With only seconds remaining Norths frantically threw the ball around and lost it, the ball was swooped up by Newcastle's Owen Craigie and he raced away to score a try and won the game.
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information |
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Crowd |
| Qualifying Finals |||||||
| Illawarra | 14–25 | Gold Coast | 5 September 1997 | Parramatta Stadium | David Manson | 8,197 |
| North Sydney | 21–33 | Sydney City | 6 September 1997 | Sydney Football Stadium | Kelvin Jeffes | 11,332 |
| Newcastle | 28–20 | Parramatta | 7 September 1997 | Sydney Football Stadium | Paul McBlane | 17,849 |
| Semi Finals |||||||
| Sydney City | 32–10 | Gold Coast | 12 September 1997 | Parramatta Stadium | Paul McBlane | 10,466 |
| Parramatta | 14–24 | North Sydney | 13 September 1997 | Sydney Football Stadium | David Manson | 17,025 |
| Manly | 27–12 | Newcastle | 14 September 1997 | Sydney Football Stadium | Kelvin Jeffes | 26,531 |
| Preliminary Finals |||||||
| Newcastle | 17–12 | North Sydney | 20 September 1997 | Sydney Football Stadium | Kelvin Jeffes | 22,540 |
| Manly | 17–16 | Sydney City | 21 September 1997 | Sydney Football Stadium | David Manson | 30,794 |
| Grand Final |||||||
| Manly | 16–22 | Newcastle | 28 September 1997 | Sydney Football Stadium | David Manson | 42,482 |

### Chart

| Qualifying Finals | Qualifying Finals | Qualifying Finals | Major Semi Final | Major Semi Final | Major Semi Final | Preliminary Finals | Preliminary Finals | Preliminary Finals | | | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final |
| | | | 14 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | 14 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | 14 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 1 | Manly-Warringah | 27 | | | | | | |
| 7 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | 7 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | 7 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | | Newcastle | 12 | 20 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | 20 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | 20 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | | | | | |
| 2 | Newcastle | 28 | | | | Newcastle | Newcastle | 17 | | | |
| 3 | Parramatta | 20 | Minor Semi Finals | Minor Semi Finals | Minor Semi Finals | North Sydney | North Sydney | 12 | | | |
| 3 | Parramatta | 20 | Minor Semi Finals | Minor Semi Finals | Minor Semi Finals | North Sydney | North Sydney | 12 | | | 28 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium |
| | | | | | | | | | | | Manly-Warringah | Manly-Warringah | 16 |
| | | | 13 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | 13 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | 13 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | | | | | | Manly-Warringah | Manly-Warringah | 16 |
| | | | 13 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | 13 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | 13 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | | | | Newcastle | Newcastle | 22 |
| 6 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | 6 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | 6 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | Parramatta | Parramatta | 14 | 21 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | 21 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | 21 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium | Newcastle | Newcastle | 22 | | |
| 4 | North Sydney | 21 | North Sydney | North Sydney | 24 | Manly-Warringah | Manly-Warringah | 17 | | | | | |
| 5 | Sydney City | 33 | | | | Sydney City | Sydney City | 16 | | | | | |
| | | | 12 Sept, Parramatta Stadium | 12 Sept, Parramatta Stadium | 12 Sept, Parramatta Stadium | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Sydney City | Sydney City | 32 | | | | | | | | |
| 5 Sept, Parramatta Stadium | 5 Sept, Parramatta Stadium | 5 Sept, Parramatta Stadium | Gold Coast | Gold Coast | 10 | | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Illawarra | 14 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Gold Coast | 25 | | | | | | | | | | | |

### Grand Final

The fairytale came true for thousands of Novocastrians when the Knights won their first ever premiership, staging a comeback from 8–16 to shatter Manly's hopes.
1st half
The long-running duel between opposing front rowers Mark Carroll and Paul Harragon erupted once again in the 2nd minute when Carroll reacted to a Harragon shot on Geoff Toovey. Newcastle applied pressure early when they regained possession inside Manly's 20m and shortly after that Andrew Johns took a penalty attempt, but Manly's defence and luck stood firm and the score stayed nil-all. Manly scored first after rookie hooker Anthony Colella won a scrum against the feed. John Hopoate exploited a weakness in Newcastle's right side defence and got between Darren Albert and Mark Hughes to score. Nevin's sideline conversion gave the Sea Eagles a 6–0 lead. In 13th minute Manly suffered a blow when Toovey was steamrolled. He left the field concussed for Cliff Lyons to come on.
Johns went within inches of scoring for Newcastle in the 24th minute when his blindside break on the last tackle was stopped by a desperate Hopoate. Manly responded with a thrilling try in the 25th minute. The movement started 55 metres out – Hopoate making the initial break down the left-hand side with Lyons backing up to enable Craig Innes to crash over for a Manly 10–0 lead. Newcastle's first points came through a Johns' penalty goal. Then in the 34th minute they scored their first ever Grand Final try after a clever kick from Matthew Johns was taken by Hopoate who was bundled into touch. From the scrum win, Robbie O'Davis got outside Terry Hill to score. Andrew Johns' conversion brought Newcastle within two points. Manly hit back in the 38th minute after some magical work from Lyons. He swept onto the ball which had been dropped by Harragon and spun around to find Shannon Nevin on the inside. The Newcastle forwards couldn't get across to cover the overlap and Nevin then converted his own try for a 16–8 half-time scoreline.
2nd half
| Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | Position | Newcastle Knights |
| Shannon Nevin | FB | Robbie O'Davis |
| 2. Danny Moore | WG | 2. Darren Albert |
| 3. Craig Innes | CE | 3. Adam MacDougall |
| 4. Terry Hill | CE | 4. Owen Craigie |
| 5. John Hopoate | WG | 5. Mark Hughes |
| 6. Geoff Toovey (c) | FE | 6. Matthew Johns |
| 7. Craig Field | HB | 7. Andrew Johns |
| 17. David Gillespie | PR | 8. Tony Butterfield |
| 15. Anthony Colella | HK | 9. Billy Peden |
| 10. Mark Carroll | PR | 10. Paul Harragon (c) |
| 11. Steve Menzies | SR | 11. Wayne Richards |
| 12. Daniel Gartner | SR | 12. Adam Muir |
| 13. Nik Kosef | LK | 13. Marc Glanville |
| 9. Cliff Lyons | Reserve | 15. Troy Fletcher |
| 8. Neil Tierney | Reserve | 16. Scott Conley |
| 14. Scott Fulton | Reserve | 18. Lee Jackson |
| 16. Andrew Hunter | Reserve | 19. Steve Crowe |
| Bob Fulton | Coach | Malcolm "Mal" Reilly |
Early in the second half there was more concern for Toovey after he was stomped on by Adam MacDougall. Manly then almost put Newcastle away in the 51st minute when Steven Menzies powered through close to the line only to be stopped by Troy Fletcher scrambling well to effect a try- and match-saving tackle for the Knights. Andrew Johns booted a penalty goal in the 57th minute to claw Newcastle back to within a converted try. In the 61st minute Adam Muir dropped a pass from Andrew Johns a metre from Manly's line but it was a sign that the Knights were back in the game. Manly on the other hand, began to play conservatively to their own ultimate cost. They received a penalty after another Harragon high tackle and elected to kick at goal 32 metres out with a swirling breeze. Nevin missed and Darren Albert returned the kick with a 40-metre run. Manly applied pressure for the next ten minutes but came away empty handed. Colella and then Nik Kosef both dropped balls inside Newcastle's 30m line while trying to off-load. A 69th minute last tackle raid ten metres out by Manly also fell short when a field-goal might have sealed the game. Having withstood the pressure, Newcastle then lifted. Following a long break by Fletcher, Andrew Johns received the ball from his brother. He stood in a tackle, handed to O'Davis, who spun and planted the ball on the line. Johns' conversion levelled the scores 16–16 with five minutes remaining.
The match is ultimately best remembered for its classic grandstand finish. With 28 seconds remaining and on their last tackle, the Knights attempted a match-winning field goal. A charge-down by a Manly player foiled the field goal attempt but gave the Knights six more tackles. With 19 seconds left, Darren Albert played the ball on the first tackle of the next set of six, with Andrew Johns at dummy-half. At the play of the ball Johns unexpectedly went down the narrow blind-side, throwing a dummy and engaging several Manly players, before slipping a pass back inside to Albert whose try took the score to 20–16 only seven seconds from full-time. The Knights players and their fans broke into celebration at having won their inaugural title, with Ray Warren proclaiming "Newcastle have won the Grand Final!" With the after the siren conversion from Andrew Johns, the final score was 22-16.
Newcastle Knights 22 Tries: O'Davis 2, Albert Goals: Johns 5/6
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 16 Tries: Hopoate, Innes, Nevin Goals: Nevin 2/4
Clive Churchill Medal: Robbie O'Davis
Seventy per cent of the winning squad were Newcastle juniors. The win was a huge morale boost to the blue-collar Newcastle district in the same year that the region's biggest employer, the BHP steelworks, had announced its closure.

### Post game

A Super Bowl style match between the Newcastle Knights and Brisbane Broncos, the 1997 Super League season's premiers was mooted, but did not eventuate. Newcastle only had to wait another four years for its next premiership, while Manly had to wait until 2007 for another grand final appearance, which was unsuccessful. Manly's next premiership would come the following year.

## Player statistics

The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 22.
| Points | Player | Tries | Goals | Field Goals |
| 217 | Jason Taylor | 9 | 89 | 3 |
| 158 | Ivan Cleary | 5 | 69 | 0 |
| 109 | Andrew Leeds | 3 | 47 | 3 |
| 106 | Wayne Bartrim | 5 | 43 | 0 |
| 102 | Michael Withers | 8 | 35 | 0 |
| Tries | Player |
| 20 | Terry Hill |
| 17 | Darren Albert |
| 14 | Wayne Clifford |
| 12 | Steve Menzies |
| 12 | John Hopoate |
| 12 | Andrew Walker |
| 12 | William Kennedy |
| Goals | Player |
| 89 | Jason Taylor |
| 69 | Ivan Cleary |
| 47 | Andrew Leeds |
| 43 | Wayne Bartrim |
| 37 | Brendan Hurst |

## Post season

With twenty-two teams playing in two competitions in 1997 crowd attendances and corporate sponsorships were spread very thinly, and many teams found themselves in financial difficulty by the end of the season. Despite having the financial backing of Optus, the Australian Rugby League decided that it was not in the best interests of the game to run two competitions and undertook moves to approach News Limited and invite the traditional clubs back into the main competition. As a consequence of the negotiations that followed, on 23 September 1997 the ARL announced that it was forming a new competition in partnership with News Limited. The NRL was formed from the ARL and Super League competitions.
It was announced that the 1998 season would have 20 teams competing, 19 of the ARL and Super League teams and the Melbourne Storm, who were owned by News Limited. Some of the clubs on both sides of the war were shut down. News decided to close the Hunter Mariners and the financially ruined Western/Perth Reds, who were $10million in debt at the end of 1997, while the ARL decided to close down the South Queensland Crushers, who were also in financial trouble. Additionally, at the end of the following season News Limited would decide to close down the Adelaide Rams and the ARL would close down the Gold Coast Chargers, even though they were one of the few clubs to make a profit during the Super League war.

## 1997 Transfers
### Players

| Player | 1996 Club | 1997 Club |
| Greg Alexander | Auckland Warriors | Penrith Panthers (Super League) |
| Richie Blackmore | Auckland Warriors | Super League: Leeds Rhinos |
| Andy Platt | Auckland Warriors | Super League: Salford Reds |
| Tony Tatupu | Auckland Warriors | Super League: Warrington Wolves |
| Alan Cann | Brisbane Broncos | Adelaide Rams (Super League) |
| Willie Carne | Brisbane Broncos | Retirement |
| Brett Galea | Brisbane Broncos | Adelaide Rams (Super League) |
| Chris Johns | Brisbane Broncos | Retirement |
| Robbie Ross | Brisbane Broncos | Hunter Mariners (Super League) |
| Kerrod Walters | Brisbane Broncos | Adelaide Rams (Super League) |
| Mark Corvo | Canberra Raiders | Adelaide Rams (Super League) |
| Steve Stone | Canberra Raiders | Adelaide Rams (Super League) |
| Steve Walters | Canberra Raiders | North Queensland Cowboys (Super League) |
| Scott Hill | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Hunter Mariners (Super League) |
| Terry Lamb | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Retirement |
| Jason Lidden | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Super League: Castleford Tigers |
| Dave Boughton | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Adelaide Rams (Super League) |
| Gavin Jones | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Retirement |
| Andrew Pierce | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Adelaide Rams (Super League) |
| Brett Gillard | Gold Coast Chargers | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Shane Kenward | Gold Coast Chargers | St. George Dragons |
| Jeff Orford | Gold Coast Chargers | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Dave Watson | Gold Coast Chargers | South Queensland Crushers |
| Darrien Doherty | Illawarra Steelers | Hunter Mariners (Super League) |
| Darren Fritz | Illawarra Steelers | North Sydney Bears |
| Brendan O'Meara | Illawarra Steelers | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Neil Piccinelli | Illawarra Steelers | Hunter Mariners (Super League) |
| Wayne Richards | Illawarra Steelers | Newcastle Knights |
| David Riolo | Illawarra Steelers | Parramatta Eels |
| Craig Simon | Illawarra Steelers | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Josh White | Illawarra Steelers | Super League: London Broncos |
| Owen Cunningham | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | North Queensland Cowboys (Super League) |
| Matt Dunford | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | Super League: London Broncos |
| Jack Elsegood | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | Sydney City Roosters |
| Des Hasler | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | Western Suburbs Magpies |
| Matthew Ridge | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | Auckland Warriors (Super League) |
| Jamie Ainscough | Newcastle Knights | St. George Dragons |
| Keith Beauchamp | Newcastle Knights | Hunter Mariners (Super League) |
| Brad Godden | Newcastle Knights | Hunter Mariners (Super League) |
| Paul Marquet | Newcastle Knights | Hunter Mariners (Super League) |
| Robbie McCormack | Newcastle Knights | Hunter Mariners (Super League) |
| Darren Treacy | Newcastle Knights | St. George Dragons |
| David Bouveng | North Queensland Cowboys | Super League: Halifax Blue Sox |
| Steve Edmed | North Queensland Cowboys | Super League: Sheffield Eagles |
| Damian Gibson | North Queensland Cowboys | Super League: Leeds Rhinos |
| Jason Martin | North Queensland Cowboys | Super League: Paris Saint-Germain |
| Dean Schifilliti | North Queensland Cowboys | Adelaide Rams (Super League) |
| Wayne Sing | North Queensland Cowboys | Super League: Paris Saint-Germain |
| Adrian Vowles | North Queensland Cowboys | Super League: Castleford Tigers |
| Mat Toshack | North Sydney Bears | South Queensland Crushers |
| Craig Wilson | North Sydney Bears | South Queensland Crushers |
| Keith Blackett | Parramatta Eels | Gold Coast Chargers |
| Michael Erickson | Parramatta Eels | Retirement |
| Gary Freeman | Parramatta Eels | Retirement |
| Rod Maybon | Parramatta Eels | Adelaide Rams (Super League) |
| Marty McKenzie | Parramatta Eels | Adelaide Rams (Super League) |
| Shane Russell | Parramatta Eels | Gold Coast Chargers |
| John Cartwright | Penrith Panthers | Super League: Salford Reds |
| Scott Pethybridge | Penrith Panthers | North Sydney Bears |
| Barry Walker | Penrith Panthers | Retirement |
| Wayne Collins | South Queensland Crushers | Super League: Leeds Rhinos |
| Nigel Gaffey | South Queensland Crushers | Sydney City Roosters |
| Trevor Gillmeister | South Queensland Crushers | Retirement |
| Tony Hearn | South Queensland Crushers | St. George Dragons |
| Brett Horsnell | South Queensland Crushers | Parramatta Eels |
| Graham Mackay | South Queensland Crushers | Gold Coast Chargers |
| Chris McKenna | South Queensland Crushers | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (Super League) |
| Danny Peacock | South Queensland Crushers | Super League: Bradford Bulls |
| Dale Shearer | South Queensland Crushers | Sydney City Roosters |
| Jason Bell | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Parramatta Eels |
| Craig Field | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Martin Masella | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Super League: Leeds Rhinos |
| Will Robinson | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Illawarra Steelers |
| Craig Salvatori | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Retirement |
| Jacin Sinclair | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Sydney City Roosters |
| David Barnhill | St. George Dragons | Sydney City Roosters |
| Kevin Campion | St. George Dragons | Adelaide Rams (Super League) |
| Jason Donnelly | St. George Dragons | Adelaide Rams (Super League) |
| Noel Goldthorpe | St. George Dragons | Hunter Mariners (Super League) |
| Scott Gourley | St. George Dragons | Sydney City Roosters |
| Anthony Mundine | St. George Dragons | Brisbane Broncos (Super League) |
| Scott Murray | St. George Dragons | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Chris Quinn | St. George Dragons | Adelaide Rams (Super League) |
| Jason Stevens | St. George Dragons | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks (Super League) |
| Troy Stone | St. George Dragons | Hunter Mariners (Super League) |
| Ricky Walford | St. George Dragons | Retirement |
| Nick Zisti | St. George Dragons | Hunter Mariners (Super League) |
| Greg Bourke | Sydney Tigers | Sydney City Roosters |
| Anthony Brann | Sydney Tigers | Hunter Mariners (Super League) |
| Ian Herron | Sydney Tigers | Parramatta Eels |
| Wes Patten | Sydney Tigers | Gold Coast Chargers |
| Corey Pearson | Sydney Tigers | St. George Dragons |
| Dan Stains | Sydney Tigers | Retirement |
| Paul Dunn | Sydney City Roosters | Retirement |
| Tony Iro | Sydney City Roosters | Hunter Mariners (Super League) |
| Tim Maddison | Sydney City Roosters | Hunter Mariners (Super League) |
| John Simon | Sydney City Roosters | Parramatta Eels |
| James Smith | Sydney City Roosters | Western Suburbs Magpies |
| Shane Whereat | Sydney City Roosters | Parramatta Eels |
| Cameron Blair | Perth Reds | Adelaide Rams (Super League) |
| David Boyd | Perth Reds | Retirement |
| Brett Goldspink | Perth Reds | Super League: Oldham Bears |
| Julian O'Neill | Perth Reds | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Mick Potter | Perth Reds | Retirement |
| Craig Coleman | Western Suburbs Magpies | Retirement |
| Justin Dooley | Western Suburbs Magpies | Hunter Mariners (Super League) |
| Andrew Hick | Western Suburbs Magpies | Adelaide Rams (Super League) |
| Harvey Howard | Super League: Leeds Rhinos | Western Suburbs Magpies |
| Kevin Iro | Super League: Leeds Rhinos | Hunter Mariners (Super League) |
| Leo Dynevor | Super League: London Broncos | Newcastle Knights |
| Ian Roberts | Hiatus | North Queensland Cowboys (Super League) |
| Gorden Tallis | Hiatus | Brisbane Broncos (Super League) |
| Wayne Simonds | N/A | Adelaide Rams (Super League) |

### Coaches

| Coach | 1996 Club | 1997 Club |
| Tim Sheens | Canberra Raiders | North Queensland Cowboys (Super League) |
| Brian Smith | Super League: Bradford Bulls | Parramatta Eels |