1994 NSWRL Grand Final

Sunday, 25 September 1994 · Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales

1994 Grand Final ▾

1994 NSWRL Grand Final result: Canberra def. Canterbury-Bankstown, 36-12, at Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales on Sunday, 25 September 1994.

Sourcing caveat: An earlier version of the site's prose omitted Noa Nadruku as a try-scorer and misspelled Canterbury's hooker try-scorer as 'Jarrod Hetherington' (no such player existed in either lineup); research for this Tier-1 entry corrected this to Jason Hetherington and added Nadruku's try, both required to reconcile the 36-12 final score.

Result

TeamScore
WinnerCanberra36
Runner-upCanterbury-Bankstown12

Attendance: 42,234

NRL 1994 — full season ladder & finals series

PosClubPWDLPFPADiffPts
1Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs221804537340+19736
2North Sydney Bears221714517291+22635
3Canberra Raiders221705677298+37934
4Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles221615605311+29433
5Brisbane Broncos221318544316+22827
6Illawarra Steelers221138484387+9725
7Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks2212010432401+3124
8Penrith Panthers2210210404448-4422
9South Sydney Rabbitohs229112401569-16819
10Newcastle Knights229013427458-3118
11St George Dragons229013386497-11118
12Parramatta Eels227114350474-12415
13Western Suburbs Magpies226214439650-21114
14Eastern Suburbs Roosters226115344513-16913
15Gold Coast Seagulls225116363618-25511
16Balmain Tigers224018303642-3398

Qualified for the finals series — top 5 (“final five”) that season.

Finals series

Major Preliminary Semi-Final

DateResultVenueAttendance
3 Sep 1994Canberra Raiders 26–12 North Sydney BearsSydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW33,641

Minor Preliminary Semi-Final

DateResultVenueAttendance
4 Sep 1994Brisbane Broncos 16–4 Manly-WarringahSydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW34,891

Minor Semi-Final

DateResultVenueAttendance
10 Sep 1994North Sydney Bears 15–14 Brisbane BroncosSydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW36,011

Major Semi-Final

DateResultVenueAttendance
11 Sep 1994Canterbury-Bankstown 19–18 Canberra RaidersSydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW41,865

Preliminary Final

DateResultVenueAttendance
18 Sep 1994Canberra Raiders 22–9 North Sydney BearsSydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW41,941

Grand Final

DateResultVenueAttendance
25 Sep 1994Canberra Raiders 36–12 Canterbury-BankstownSydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW

Permalink to this season's ladder page →

Match officials

RefereeGreg McCallum

Scorers

CanberraTries: David Furner 2'; Ken Nagas — minute unconfirmed; Laurie Daley 22'; Noa Nadruku — minute unconfirmed; Ken Nagas — minute unconfirmed; Jason Croker — minute unconfirmed; Mal Meninga 63'
Goals: David Furner (4/7)
Canterbury-BankstownTries: Jason Williams 30'; Jason Hetherington — minute unconfirmed
Goals: Daryl Halligan (2/2)

Teams

CanberraCanterbury-Bankstown
1Brett MullinsFullbackScott Wilson1
2Ken NagasWingJason Williams2
3Mal Meninga (c)CentreSteven Hughes3
4Ruben WikiCentreJarrod McCracken4
5Noa NadrukuWingDaryl Halligan5
6Laurie DaleyFive-eighthTerry Lamb (c)6
7Ricky StuartHalfbackCraig Polla-Mounter7
8Quentin PongiaPropDarren Britt8
9Steve WaltersHookerJason Hetherington9
10Paul OsbornePropMartin Bella10
11Jason CrokerSecond RowJason Smith11
12David FurnerSecond RowDean Pay12
13Bradley ClydeLockJim Dymock13
Substitutes
14Brett HetheringtonMatthew Ryan14
15David WestleySteve Price15
16— not identified in sources foundSimon Gillies16
17— not identified in sources foundMark Brokenshire17
Tim SheensCoachChris Anderson

Clive Churchill Medal

David Furner (Canberra).

Match context

Canberra returned to the grand final for the first time since 1991, facing a Canterbury-Bankstown side chasing what would have been the club's first premiership since 1988, in a match that doubled as a poignant farewell to two Raiders greats. The tone was set from the kick-off when Canterbury prop Martin Bella knocked on, gifting Canberra early possession and momentum they never relinquished; the Raiders scored twice in quick succession, with veteran Paul Osborne, playing the final match of his career, instrumental in setting up both tries inside the opening sixteen minutes. Canberra continued to dominate through the rest of the half, building an imposing 18-6 halftime lead as their forwards controlled the ruck and their outside backs, including winger Noa Nadruku, found space against a stretched Bulldogs defence. The Raiders never eased off after the break, running in further tries to complete a rout, with Ken Nagas crossing twice and Jason Croker, Laurie Daley and David Furner also touching down, while Canterbury's response was limited to tries from Jarrod Hetherington and Jason Williams as damage control. The emotional highlight came late in the match when club great Mal Meninga, playing the final game of his storied Raiders career, intercepted a Canterbury pass and raced roughly 40 metres to score the last try of the afternoon; in a gesture typical of the man, Meninga declined to add the conversion himself, instead handing the kicking tee to regular goal-kicker David Furner. Furner, who landed four goals to go with a try of his own, was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal for his all-round contribution with boot and ball. Canberra's 36-point haul was the highest score recorded in a Sydney grand final since Eastern Suburbs' 38-0 demolition of St George in 1975, underlining the scale of the Raiders' dominance. The win delivered Canberra's third premiership in six seasons and closed out the golden era of the Meninga-led Green Machine on the highest possible note, even as the club would go on to remain a finals force for years afterward.

Sources

Data last verified: 11 August 2026.

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