# 2003 NRL season

The 2003 NRL premiership was the 96th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the sixth run by the National Rugby League. Fifteen teams competed, with the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles returning in place of their failed joint-venture club, the Northern Eagles. Ultimately, the Penrith Panthers defeated reigning champions, the Sydney Roosters in the 2003 NRL grand final, claiming their first premiership since 1991.

## Season summary

Season 2003 brought in the new "golden point" extra time rule, where after 80 minutes, if the game was drawn, then 10 minutes of extra time was played until one team scored the winning point(s). The salary cap for the 2003 season was A$3.25 million per club for their 25 highest-paid players.
The first round of the Premiership improved on the previous year's in terms of attendance and television ratings. The major story this season was the resurgence of the Penrith Panthers, who defied the critics and naysayers to win their second premiership in their illustrious history since joining the competition in 1967. Coached by John Lang and captained by Craig Gower, the Panthers were the surprise minor premiers, dominating the competition despite consistent disparagement from many sources, and would continue their outstanding form in the finals, beating the Broncos, Warriors and finally the Roosters in the grand final.
The Dally M Medal ceremony was cancelled by the NRL after negotiations with the players' union, the Rugby League Professionals Association, stalled. All votes for the award were destroyed. It was later revealed that with one round of the regular season to play, Craig Gower was leading both Brad Fittler and Clinton Schifcofske by one point in the overall points tally. However, with the ceremony officially cancelled more than a week out from the awards, no points were allocated in the final round of the season.
At the end of the season, Chris Anderson would lose his job at Cronulla-Sutherland, while Peter Sharp was dismissed as the Sea Eagles coach. Trainer and former Manly star, Des Hasler would replace Sharp as head coach in 2004.
Also at the end of the season, a squad of players from the NRL premiership went on the 2003 Kangaroo tour.
A major flaw of the fixture was that the previous season's Grand Finalists, the New Zealand Warriors and Sydney Roosters, did not meet until the penultimate round of the regular season.

### Teams

The lineup of fifteen teams for the 2003 premiership remained unchanged from the previous season, except that the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles name and colours rejoined the competition since their merger with North Sydney Bears in 1999, taking the place of the failed Northern Eagles, Manly Warringah returned as a stand alone in 2002, but played under the Northern Eagles name and colours

### Records and statistics

* Anthony Minichiello ran 4,571 metres with the ball in 2003, more than any other player in the competition.
* Nathan Brown became the youngest non-playing coach in premiership history at the age of 29. Brown had retired from playing in 2001 after a neck injury in a trial game.
* Referee Bill Harrigan's tenth grand final in 2003, the final match of his career, stands as the record for the most grand finals officiated by a referee.
* On 23 August the Parramatta Eels beat the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 74–4, at the time the third highest winning margin for a club game in Australian rugby league history.
* Also on 23 August, the North Queensland Cowboys beat the South Sydney Rabbitohs 60–8, at the time the biggest win and most points in a match in Cowboys history.
* The Brisbane Broncos set a record for their longest losing streak, from round 20 to the 4th qualifying final. This was equalled again from round 22, 2005 to round 1, 2006 inclusive, and then broken when the club lost thirteen consecutive matches between round 10, 2020 and round 2, 2021 inclusive.
* The Penrith Panthers became the first team to win the minor premiership and hold bottom spot on the ladder in the same season.
* The Penrith Panthers won 8 matches in a row from 19 April - 7 June, most wins in a row in the club's history. This was broken in season 2020, when the club won seventeen consecutive matches between round six and the preliminary final inclusive.
* The Bulldogs equalled their worst defeat with a 50–4 loss to the Melbourne Storm in round 22.
* The Brisbane Broncos suffered their worst ever defeat at Suncorp Stadium, losing to the Bulldogs 40–4 in round 18. This was later eclipsed by a 56–18 loss to the New Zealand Warriors in round 12, 2013, and then again with a 59–0 loss to the Sydney Roosters in round 4, 2020. They also only recorded one victory at the Stadium in season 2003, which came two weeks earlier with a 10–8 win over the Sydney Roosters (who, at that time had not won at Suncorp since 1991, however this drought ended in 2005).

### Advertising

In 2003 the NRL sacked their advertising agency of the previous two years, Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney, and took the unusual step of coming up with their own in-house creative concept. Former Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks player and then current Parramatta Eels assistant coach Alan Wilson hit upon the idea of using the Hoodoo Gurus' 1987 hit "What's My Scene?" with reworked lyrics as "That's My Team".
"and another thing, I'm discovering lately, I'm a bit crazy, for my rugby league team "
Wilson is a friend of Hoodoo Gurus singer Dave Faulkner and made the necessary arrangements which included re-uniting the band to re-record the track. Faulkner is a long-time supporter of the Sharks and the original film clip of "What's My Scene?" had included shots of band members in Wests and Cronulla-Sutherland jumpers.
The ad focuses on the grass roots supporters at all levels of the game and in its finished version includes shots of fans from the Cessnock Goannas, a proud Bulldogs supporter and a Penrith teenager with a broken leg signed by her heroes. These images are included with the usual fare of pre-season team training images, big-hits, clever passes and post-try celebrations.
To produce the ad the League returned to the agency who created and produced the Tina Turner campaigns from 1989 to 1995 - Hertz Walpole Advertising by now renamed MJW Hakuhodo.

## Regular season

| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | F1 | F2 | F3 | GF |
| Brisbane Broncos | PEN +4 | SOU +2 | CRO +26 | NQL +8 | NZL −20 | SYD −7 | PAR +6 | WTI +32 | NQL +26 | MEL +20 | CBY +24 | NEW −10 | X | CAN +4 | X | SYD +2 | SGI −16 | CBY −36 | MEL +4* | MAN −6 | CRO −10 | PEN −7 | WTI −2 | NZL −8 | PAR −2 | SGI −1 | PEN −10 | | | |
| Canberra Raiders | NQL +32 | WTI +7 | SGI +4 | PEN +12 | PAR +14 | X | CBY +4 | SOU +22 | MEL −20 | PEN −8 | NZL +8 | CRO +6 | PAR +36 | BRI −4 | NZL −8 | X | MEL −10 | SGI +1 | WTI +2 | CRO +28 | SYD −4 | MAN +35 | NQL −6 | NEW +8 | CBY +5 | SYD −7 | MEL −12 | NZL −1 | | |
| Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | SOU +8 | NZL −4 | WTI +32 | PAR +20 | NEW −6 | SGI −10 | CAN −4 | NZL +6 | SYD +6 | SGI +2 | BRI −24 | WTI −6 | SYD +10 | MAN +14 | MEL +14 | PEN −2 | NEW +34 | BRI +36 | X | NQL +20 | SOU +50 | MEL +46 | MAN +32 | X | CAN −5 | CRO +14 | NZL −26 | MEL +30 | SYD −10 | |
| Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | MEL −4 | X | BRI −26 | SYD −20 | MEL −6 | NEW −8 | X | SGI −16 | MAN +24 | SOU +16 | NEW +6 | CAN −6 | NZL −17 | WTI +2 | MAN −18 | NQL +6 | PEN −20 | WTI −32 | NZL −7 | CAN −28 | BRI +10 | SYD −8 | SGI +9 | PAR −70 | SOU +20 | CBY −14 | | | | |
| Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | X | NQL −10 | NZL −4 | WTI −26 | SGI +26 | MEL +6 | SOU +8 | PEN −1 | CRO −24 | PAR +2* | NQL −11 | X | WTI +8 | CBY −14 | CRO +18 | SGI −14 | PAR −11 | NZL −8 | SYD −24 | BRI +6 | NEW −8 | CAN −35 | CBY −32 | SYD −30 | PEN −26 | MEL −30 | | | | |
| Melbourne Storm | CRO +4 | PEN +26 | X | NEW −16 | CRO +6 | MAN −6 | NQL −20 | NEW +40 | CAN +20 | BRI −20 | PAR +2 | SYD −7 | SOU −27 | PEN +20 | CBY −14 | WTI +8 | CAN +10 | NQL +6 | BRI −4* | SOU +18 | NZL +2 | CBY −46 | PAR +38 | SGI +8 | X | MAN +30 | CAN +12 | CBY −30 | | |
| Newcastle Knights | NZL +10 | SYD −4 | PAR −18 | MEL +16 | CBY +6 | CRO +8 | WTI +28 | MEL −40 | SOU +14 | SYD −22 | CRO −6 | BRI +10 | X | SGI +2 | PEN −28 | PAR +14 | CBY −34 | X | PEN −13 | WTI −40 | MAN +8 | NQL +36 | NZL +16 | CAN −8 | SGI +34 | NQL +8 | SYD −28 | | | |
| New Zealand Warriors | NEW −10 | CBY +4 | MAN +4 | SOU +22 | BRI +20 | NQL +6 | PEN −14 | CBY −6 | PAR +2 | X | CAN −8 | PEN −22 | CRO +17 | PAR −2 | CAN +8 | SOU +1* | NQL −20 | MAN +8 | CRO +7 | X | MEL −2 | SGI +10 | NEW −16 | BRI +8 | SYD +2 | WTI +16 | CBY +26 | CAN +1 | PEN −8 | |
| North Queensland Cowboys | CAN −32 | MAN +10 | SOU +7 | BRI −8 | SYD −32 | NZL −6 | MEL +20 | X | BRI −26 | WTI +18 | MAN +11 | SGI +20 | PEN −4* | SYD −1 | PAR −2 | CRO −6 | NZL +20 | MEL −6 | SGI −20 | CBY −20 | X | NEW −36 | CAN +6 | SOU +52 | WTI +20 | NEW −8 | | | | |
| Parramatta Eels | SYD −18 | SGI −2 | NEW +18 | CBY −20 | CAN −14 | WTI +20 | BRI −6 | SYD −32 | NZL −2 | MAN −2* | MEL −2 | SOU +24 | CAN −36 | NZL +2 | NQL +2 | NEW −14 | MAN +11 | X | SOU +14 | SGI +26 | WTI +3 | X | MEL −38 | CRO +70 | BRI +2 | PEN −18 | | | | |
| Penrith Panthers | BRI −4 | MEL −26 | SYD +1 | CAN −12 | X | SOU +2 | NZL +14 | MAN +1 | SGI +4 | CAN +8 | WTI +22 | NZL +22 | NQL +4* | MEL −20 | NEW +28 | CBY +2 | CRO +20 | SOU +6 | NEW +13 | SYD −14 | SGI −6 | BRI +7 | X | WTI +16 | MAN +26 | PAR +18 | BRI +10 | X | NZL +8 | SYD +12 |
| South Sydney Rabbitohs | CBY −8 | BRI −2 | NQL −7 | NZL −22 | WTI +10 | PEN −2 | MAN −8 | CAN −22 | NEW −14 | CRO −16 | SGI −2 | PAR −24 | MEL +27 | X | SGI −14 | NZL −1* | SYD −28 | PEN −6 | PAR −14 | MEL −18 | CBY −50 | WTI +2 | SYD −10 | NQL −52 | CRO −20 | X | | | | |
| St. George Illawarra Dragons | WTI −4 | PAR +2 | CAN −4 | X | MAN −26 | CBY +10 | SYD +4 | CRO +16 | PEN −4 | CBY −2 | SOU +2 | NQL −20 | X | NEW −2 | SOU +14 | MAN +14 | BRI +16 | CAN −1 | NQL +20 | PAR −26 | PEN +6 | NZL −10 | CRO −9 | MEL −8 | NEW −34 | BRI +1 | | | | |
| Sydney Roosters | PAR +18 | NEW +4 | PEN −1 | CRO +20 | NQL +32 | BRI +7 | SGI −4 | PAR +32 | CBY −6 | NEW +22 | X | MEL +7 | CBY −10 | NQL +1 | WTI −8 | BRI −2 | SOU +28 | X | MAN +24 | PEN +14 | CAN +4 | CRO +8 | SOU +10 | MAN +30 | NZL −2 | CAN +7 | NEW +28 | X | CBY +10 | PEN −12 |
| Wests Tigers | SGI +4 | CAN −7 | CBY −32 | MAN +26 | SOU −10 | PAR −20 | NEW −28 | BRI −32 | X | NQL −18 | PEN −22 | CBY +6 | MAN −8 | CRO −2 | SYD +8 | MEL −8 | X | CRO +32 | CAN −2 | NEW +40 | PAR −3 | SOU −2 | BRI +2 | PEN −16 | NQL −20 | NZL −16 | | | | |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | F1 | F2 | F3 | GF |
Bold – Home game X – Bye * – Golden point game Opponent for round listed above margin

## Ladder

2003 NRL seasonvte :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Penrith Panthers (P) | 24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 659 | 527 | +132 | 40 |
| 2 | Sydney Roosters | 24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 680 | 445 | +235 | 38 |
| 3 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 702 | 419 | +283 | 36 |
| 4 | Canberra Raiders | 24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 620 | 463 | +157 | 36 |
| 5 | Melbourne Storm | 24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 564 | 486 | +78 | 34 |
| 6 | New Zealand Warriors | 24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 545 | 510 | +35 | 34 |
| 7 | Newcastle Knights | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 632 | 635 | -3 | 32 |
| 8 | Brisbane Broncos | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 497 | 464 | +33 | 28 |
| 9 | Parramatta Eels | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 570 | 582 | -12 | 26 |
| 10 | St George Illawarra Dragons | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 548 | 593 | -45 | 26 |
| 11 | North Queensland Cowboys | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 606 | 629 | -23 | 24 |
| 12 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 497 | 704 | -207 | 20 |
| 13 | Wests Tigers | 24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 470 | 598 | -128 | 18 |
| 14 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 557 | 791 | -234 | 18 |
| 15 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 24 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 2 | 457 | 758 | -301 | 10 |

### Ladder progression

* Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 8.
* 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
* Underlined numbers indicate that the team had a bye during 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 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 1 | Penrith | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 32 | 34 | 36 | 38 | 40 |
| 2 | Sydney | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 34 | 36 | 36 | 38 |
| 3 | Bulldogs | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 34 | 34 | 36 |
| 4 | Canberra | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 34 | 36 | 36 |
| 5 | Melbourne | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 34 |
| 6 | New Zealand | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 34 |
| 7 | Newcastle | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 32 |
| 8 | Brisbane | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 |
| 9 | Parramatta | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 |
| 10 | St George Illawarra | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 26 |
| 11 | North Queensland | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 |
| 12 | Cronulla-Sutherland | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 |
| 13 | Wests | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| 14 | Manly-Warringah | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| 15 | South Sydney | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 |

## Finals series

| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information |
| Home | Score | Away | Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Crowd |
| Qualifying Finals |||||||
| Canberra Raiders | 18 – 30 | Melbourne Storm | 12 September 2003 | Canberra Stadium | Tim Mander | 14,094 |
| Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 22 – 48 | New Zealand Warriors | 13 September 2003 | Sydney Showground | Bill Harrigan | 18,312 |
| Sydney Roosters | 36 – 8 | Newcastle Knights | 13 September 2003 | Aussie Stadium | Sean Hampstead | 23,853 |
| Penrith Panthers | 28 – 18 | Brisbane Broncos | 14 September 2003 | Penrith Football Stadium | Steve Clark | 18,534 |
| Semi-finals |||||||
| New Zealand Warriors | 17 – 16 | Canberra Raiders | 20 September 2003 | Aussie Stadium | Tim Mander | 31,616 |
| Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 30 – 0 | Melbourne Storm | 21 September 2003 | Aussie Stadium | Bill Harrigan | 19,367 |
| Preliminary Finals |||||||
| Sydney Roosters | 28 – 18 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 27 September 2003 | Aussie Stadium | Bill Harrigan | 41,123 |
| Penrith Panthers | 28 – 20 | New Zealand Warriors | 28 September 2003 | Telstra Stadium | Tim Mander | 43,174 |

### Finals Chart

| Qualifying finals | Qualifying finals | Qualifying finals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Preliminary finals | Preliminary finals | Preliminary finals | Final | Final | Final |
| 1 | Penrith | 28 | | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Brisbane | 18 | | | | 1W | Penrith | 28 | | | |
| | | | 4W | New Zealand | 17 | | New Zealand | 20 | | | |
| 2 | Sydney | 36 | 2L | Canberra | 16 | | | | | | |
| 2 | Sydney | 36 | 2L | Canberra | 16 | | | | Penrith | Penrith | 18 |
| 7 | Newcastle | 8 | | | | | | | Penrith | Penrith | 18 |
| 7 | Newcastle | 8 | | | | | | | Sydney | Sydney | 6 |
| 3 | Canterbury | 22 | | | | 2W | Sydney | 28 | | | |
| 6 | New Zealand | 48 | 3W | Melbourne | 0 | | Canterbury | 18 | | | |
| | | | 1L | Canterbury | 30 | | | | | | |
| 4 | Canberra | 18 | | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Melbourne | 30 | | | | | | | | | |

## Grand Final

* Sunday, 5 October 19:05 AEST (UTC+10)
| Penrith Panthers | 18 – 6 | Sydney Roosters |
| Tries: 3 Rooney 31', 73' Priddis 66' Goals: 3 Campbell 66', 74' (2/2) Girdler 32' (1/1) Field goals: Gower (0/1) | 1st: 6–0 2nd: 12–6 Report | Tries: 1 Hegarty 48' Goals: 1 Fitzgibbon 50' (1/1) |
* Telstra Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 81,166 Referee: Bill Harrigan Touch judges: Steve Carrall, Glyn Henderson Clive Churchill Medal: Luke Priddis (Penrith)

## Player statistics

The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 26.
| Points | Player | Tries | Goals | Field Goals |
| 270 | Hazem El Masri | 8 | 119 | 0 |
| 230 | Josh Hannay | 10 | 95 | 0 |
| 208 | Clinton Schifcofske | 8 | 87 | 2 |
| 180 | Michael De Vere | 12 | 66 | 0 |
| 170 | Matt Orford | 7 | 71 | 0 |
| Tries | Player |
| 24 | Rhys Wesser |
| 21 | Matt Sing |
| 21 | Scott Donald |
| 20 | Joel Monaghan |
| 19 | Nigel Vagana |
| 19 | Billy Slater |
| Goals | Player |
| 119 | Hazem El Masri |
| 95 | Josh Hannay |
| 87 | Clinton Schifcofske |
| 71 | Matt Orford |
| 69 | Mark Riddell |

## 2003 Transfers
### Players

| Player | 2002 Club | 2003 Club |
| Ashley Harrison | Brisbane Broncos | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Allan Langer | Brisbane Broncos | Retirement |
| Lote Tuqiri | Brisbane Broncos | New South Wales Waratahs (Super 12) |
| Shane Walker | Brisbane Broncos | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Brett Finch | Canberra Raiders | Sydney Roosters |
| Ken Nagas | Canberra Raiders | Retirement |
| Todd Payten | Canberra Raiders | Sydney Roosters |
| Brett Howland | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Penrith Panthers |
| Paul Rauhihi | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | North Queensland Cowboys |
| Darren Smith | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Super League: St. Helens |
| Nathan Sologinkin | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Melbourne Storm |
| Darrell Trindall | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Retirement |
| Colin Best | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Super League: Hull F.C. |
| Preston Campbell | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Penrith Panthers |
| Nick Graham | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Super League: Wigan Warriors |
| Matthew Johns | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Retirement |
| Karl Lovell | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Retirement |
| Chris McKenna | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Super League: Leeds Rhinos |
| Paul Mellor | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Super League: Castleford Tigers |
| Andrew Pierce | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Retirement |
| Dean Treister | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Super League: Hull F.C. |
| William Leyshon | Melbourne Storm | Parramatta Eels |
| Henry Perenara | Melbourne Storm | St. George Illawarra Dragons |
| Matt Rua | Melbourne Storm | N/A |
| Ian Sibbit | Melbourne Storm | Super League: Warrington Wolves |
| Richard Swain | Melbourne Storm | Brisbane Broncos |
| Julian Bailey | Newcastle Knights | Super League: Huddersfield Giants |
| John Morris | Newcastle Knights | Parramatta Eels |
| Clinton O'Brien | Newcastle Knights | Super League: Wakefield Trinity Wildcats |
| Bill Peden | Newcastle Knights | Super League: London Broncos |
| Kevin Campion | New Zealand Warriors | North Queensland Cowboys |
| Ivan Cleary | New Zealand Warriors | Retirement |
| Shontayne Hape | New Zealand Warriors | Super League: Bradford Bulls |
| David Myles | New Zealand Warriors | North Queensland Cowboys |
| Tim Brasher | North Queensland Cowboys | Bath (English rugby union) |
| John Doyle | North Queensland Cowboys | N/A |
| Peter Jones | North Queensland Cowboys | Retirement |
| Tim Maddison | North Queensland Cowboys | Newcastle Knights |
| Ken McGuinness | North Queensland Cowboys | Retirement |
| Lenny Beckett | Northern Eagles | ACT Brumbies (Super 12) |
| Shayne Dunley | Northern Eagles | Parramatta Eels |
| Jason Ferris | Northern Eagles | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Wade Forrester | Northern Eagles | Retirement |
| Jamie Goddard | Northern Eagles | Retirement |
| John Hopoate | Northern Eagles | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Nik Kosef | Northern Eagles | Retirement |
| Tasesa Lavea | Northern Eagles | Auckland (New Zealand rugby union) |
| Danny Lima | Northern Eagles | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Nathan Long | Northern Eagles | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Ben MacDougall | Northern Eagles | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Steve Menzies | Northern Eagles | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Robert Miles | Northern Eagles | Wests Tigers |
| Scott Pethybridge | Northern Eagles | Retirement |
| Brendon Reeves | Northern Eagles | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Mark Shipway | Northern Eagles | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Albert Torrens | Northern Eagles | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles |
| David Westley | Northern Eagles | Retirement |
| Luke Williamson | Northern Eagles | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Michael Buettner | Parramatta Eels | Wests Tigers |
| Scott Donald | Parramatta Eels | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Brad Drew | Parramatta Eels | Canberra Raiders |
| Ian Hindmarsh | Parramatta Eels | Canberra Raiders |
| Ben Kusto | Parramatta Eels | Retirement |
| Andrew McFadden | Parramatta Eels | Melbourne Storm |
| Andrew Ryan | Parramatta Eels | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs |
| Ned Catic | Penrith Panthers | Sydney Roosters |
| John Cross | Penrith Panthers | St. George Illawarra Dragons |
| Jody Gall | Penrith Panthers | Retirement |
| Lee Hopkins | Penrith Panthers | Parramatta Eels |
| Justin Brooker | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Retirement |
| Chris Caruana | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Retirement |
| Anthony Colella | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Super League: Huddersfield Giants |
| Glenn Grief | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Retirement |
| Brent Grose | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Super League: Warrington Wolves |
| Andrew King | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Super League: London Broncos |
| Paul McNicholas | South Sydney Rabbitohs | North Queensland Cowboys |
| Adam Muir | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Retirement |
| Adam Peek | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Parramatta Eels |
| Luke Felsch | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Retirement |
| Lee Hookey | St. George Illawarra Dragons | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Jason Hooper | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Super League: St. Helens |
| Shane Millard | St. George Illawarra Dragons | Super League: Widnes Vikings |
| Willie Peters | St. George Illawarra Dragons | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Justin Smith | St. George Illawarra Dragons | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Bryan Fletcher | Sydney Roosters | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
| Paul Green | Sydney Roosters | Parramatta Eels |
| Dallas Hood | Sydney Roosters | Super League: Wakefield Trinity Wildcats |
| David Kidwell | Sydney Roosters | Melbourne Storm |
| Brett Mullins | Sydney Roosters | Retirement |
| Luke Phillips | Sydney Roosters | Retirement |
| Steven Crouch | Wests Tigers | Parramatta Eels |
| Ben Jeffries | Wests Tigers | Super League: Wakefield Trinity Wildcats |
| Kevin McGuinness | Wests Tigers | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Hassan Saleh | Wests Tigers | St. George Illawarra Dragons |
| Matt Seers | Wests Tigers | Super League: Wakefield Trinity Wildcats |
| Robbie Beckett | Super League: Halifax Blue Sox | Wests Tigers |
| Tonie Carroll | Super League: Leeds Rhinos | Brisbane Broncos |
| Ben Walker | Super League: Leeds Rhinos | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles |
| Darren Treacy | Super League: Salford City Reds | Parramatta Eels |
| Solomon Haumono | Hiatus | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles |

## Sources and footnotes

* ↑ "NRL salary cap guide | | ONE SPORT". tvnz.co.nz. 22 February 2006. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
* ↑ Masters, Roy (17 March 2003). "The circus is back in town". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Digital. Retrieved 12 December 2009.
* ↑ Pace, Daniel (7 September 2003). "Freddie sympathises with Gower but backs players' stance". Australian Associated Press. Retrieved 10 September 2007.
* ↑ "Dogs on top but grand final rematch is way down track". The Sydney Morning Herald. 22 November 2002. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
* ↑ "The rugby league club graveyard: A merger doomed to failure (part 8) – The Roar". 17 January 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
* ↑ Proszenko, Adrian (6 May 2012). "Gallen set to smash record". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
* ↑ Henderson, Philip; Fitzgibbon, Liam (1 April 2008). "Bennett, Furner set for new Roles". The Age. Archived from the original on 2 April 2008. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
* ↑ B&T magazine article 2003 Archived 26 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
* ↑ Middleton, David (21 April 2024). Rugby League 2004. South Melbourne: Thomas C Lothian Pty Ltd. pp. 182–183. ISBN 978-0734407252.
* ↑ "2003 NRL Grand Final". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 8 March 2023.