2006 NRL Grand Final
Sunday, 1 October 2006 · Telstra Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales
2006 NRL Grand Final result: Brisbane Broncos def. Melbourne Storm, 15-8, at Telstra Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales on Sunday, 1 October 2006.
Result
| Team | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Brisbane Broncos | 15 |
| Runner-up | Melbourne Storm | 8 |
Attendance: 79,609
NRL 2006 — full season ladder & finals series
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melbourne Storm | 24 | 20 | 0 | 4 | 605 | 404 | +201 | 44 |
| 2 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 608 | 468 | +140 | 36 |
| 3 | Brisbane Broncos | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 497 | 392 | +105 | 32 |
| 4 | Newcastle Knights | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 608 | 538 | +70 | 32 |
| 5 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 534 | 493 | +41 | 32 |
| 6 | St George Illawarra Dragons | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 519 | 481 | +38 | 32 |
| 7 | Canberra Raiders | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 525 | 573 | -48 | 30 |
| 8 | Parramatta Eels | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 506 | 483 | +23 | 28 |
| 9 | North Queensland Cowboys | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 450 | 463 | -13 | 26 |
| 10 | New Zealand Warriors | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 552 | 463 | +89 | 24 |
| 11 | Wests Tigers | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 490 | 565 | -75 | 24 |
| 12 | Penrith Panthers | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 510 | 587 | -77 | 24 |
| 13 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 515 | 544 | -29 | 22 |
| 14 | Sydney Roosters | 24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 528 | 650 | -122 | 20 |
| 15 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 24 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 429 | 772 | -343 | 10 |
Qualified for the finals series — top 8 (McIntyre final eight system) that season.
Finals series
Qualifying Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Sep 2006 | Newcastle Knights 25–18 Manly-Warringah | EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle, NSW | 23,752 |
| 9 Sep 2006 | Brisbane Broncos 4–20 St George Illawarra | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, QLD | 50,387 |
| 9 Sep 2006 | Canterbury-Bankstown 30–12 Canberra Raiders | Telstra Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park, NSW | 14,628 |
| 10 Sep 2006 | Melbourne Storm 12–6 Parramatta Eels | Olympic Park, Melbourne, VIC | 15,690 |
Semi-Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Sep 2006 | St George Illawarra 28–0 Manly-Warringah | Sydney Football Stadium, Moore Park, Sydney, NSW | 30,907 |
| 16 Sep 2006 | Brisbane Broncos 50–6 Newcastle Knights | Sydney Football Stadium, Moore Park, Sydney, NSW | 22,081 |
Preliminary Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Sep 2006 | Canterbury-Bankstown 20–37 Brisbane Broncos | Sydney Football Stadium, Moore Park, Sydney, NSW | 29,511 |
| 23 Sep 2006 | Melbourne Storm 24–10 St George Illawarra | Telstra Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park, NSW | 40,901 |
Grand Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Oct 2006 | Brisbane Broncos 15–8 Melbourne Storm | Telstra Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park, NSW | 79,609 |
Match officials
| Referee | Paul Simpkins |
Scorers
| Brisbane Broncos | Tries: Justin Hodges 19'; Brent Tate 62' Goals: Darren Lockyer (2/2); Corey Parker (1/2) Drop goals: Darren Lockyer (1, 72') |
| Melbourne Storm | Tries: Steve Turner 14'; Matt King 50' Goals: Cameron Smith (0/1); Matt Geyer (0/1) |
Teams
| Brisbane Broncos | Melbourne Storm | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Justin Hodges | Fullback | Billy Slater | 1 |
| 2 | Darius Boyd | Wing | Matt Geyer | 2 |
| 3 | Brent Tate | Centre | Matt King | 3 |
| 4 | David Stagg | Centre | Greg Inglis | 4 |
| 5 | Karmichael Hunt | Wing | Steve Turner | 5 |
| 6 | Darren Lockyer (c) | Five-Eighth | Scott Hill | 6 |
| 7 | Shane Perry | Halfback | Cooper Cronk | 7 |
| 8 | Shane Webcke | Prop | Antonio Kaufusi | 8 |
| 9 | Shaun Berrigan | Hooker | Cameron Smith (c) | 9 |
| 10 | Petero Civoniceva | Prop | Brett White | 10 |
| 11 | Sam Thaiday | Second Row | David Kidwell | 11 |
| 12 | Brad Thorn | Second Row | Ryan Hoffman | 12 |
| 13 | Tonie Carroll | Lock | Dallas Johnson | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 14 | Corey Parker | Adam Blair | 14 | |
| 15 | Dane Carlaw | Jeremy Smith | 15 | |
| 16 | Ben Hannant | Ben Cross | 16 | |
| 17 | Casey McGuire | Nathan Friend | 17 | |
| Wayne Bennett | Coach | Craig Bellamy | ||
Clive Churchill Medal
Shaun Berrigan (Brisbane Broncos).
Match context
The 2006 decider was historic before a ball was kicked, the first grand final to be contested entirely between interstate clubs, with Queensland's Brisbane Broncos taking on Victoria's Melbourne Storm, who had claimed the minor premiership and entered as warm favourites. Coached by Wayne Bennett and led by captain Darren Lockyer, Brisbane produced a tightly disciplined performance to upset the Storm. Justin Hodges opened the scoring for the Broncos, with Melbourne hitting back through Steve Turner, before Brisbane edged ahead 8-4 at the break. The Storm levelled through a Matt King try in the second half, but Brent Tate restored Brisbane's lead with a crucial try, and Lockyer, immaculate with the boot, added the extras before slotting a field goal in the 73rd minute to push the margin to seven points and effectively seal the result. Melbourne pressed hard in the closing stages but could not breach a resolute Broncos defence. The win extended Brisbane's extraordinary record of never having lost a grand final at that point, and delivered the club's sixth premiership in nineteen seasons, remarkable given Brisbane had suffered eleven regular-season losses that year, an unusually high total for a premiership-winning team. Hooker Shaun Berrigan was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal for a tireless, error-free display in the middle of the field. The victory also provided a fairytale finish for veteran prop Shane Webcke, who retired immediately after the match having played every minute of the grand final in his final NRL appearance, and further cemented Wayne Bennett's reputation as one of the most successful club coaches in Australian rugby league history. For Melbourne, appearing in just their second grand final, the loss was a bitter disappointment after a dominant home-and-away season, though the Storm would return to contest, and win, further deciders in the years that followed, before both this and their subsequent 2007 and 2009 titles became entangled in the salary cap scandal exposed in 2010.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
← Rugby League · Champions list · All-time records · World Cup · All competitions · Venues · Teams · Players