1996 ARL Season — Final Regular-Season Ladder
20 clubs, still a single unified ARL competition (the actual on-field split into ARL vs. Super League did not happen until 1997) — but already heavily disrupted by Super League War tensions: five Round 1 fixtures were forfeited by Super-League-aligned clubs, and Canterbury-Bankstown's Round 1 fixture against North Queensland was cancelled outright, leaving both clubs on 21 games played instead of 22.
Sourcing caveat: Manly-Warringah's minor premiership included the best defensive record since the six-tackle rule was introduced in 1971 (191 points conceded). Manly went on to beat St George 20-8 in the Grand Final.
Ladder
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 22 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 549 | 191 | +358 | 36 |
| 2 | Brisbane Broncos | 22 | 17 | 0 | 5 | 607 | 263 | +344 | 34 |
| 3 | North Sydney Bears | 22 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 598 | 325 | +273 | 32 |
| 4 | Sydney City Roosters | 22 | 15 | 1 | 6 | 521 | 321 | +200 | 31 |
| 5 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 22 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 399 | 268 | +131 | 30 |
| 6 | Canberra Raiders | 22 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 538 | 384 | +154 | 27 |
| 7 | St George Dragons | 22 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 443 | 360 | +83 | 27 |
| 8 | Western Suburbs Magpies | 22 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 394 | 434 | -40 | 25 |
| 9 | Newcastle Knights | 22 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 416 | 388 | +28 | 23 |
| 10 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 21 | 11 | 0 | 10 | 375 | 378 | -3 | 22 |
| 11 | Auckland Warriors | 22 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 412 | 427 | -15 | 22 |
| 12 | Balmain Tigers | 22 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 319 | 459 | -140 | 22 |
| 13 | Parramatta Eels | 22 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 404 | 415 | -11 | 21 |
| 14 | Illawarra Steelers | 22 | 8 | 0 | 14 | 403 | 444 | -41 | 16 |
| 15 | Penrith Panthers | 22 | 7 | 1 | 14 | 363 | 464 | -101 | 15 |
| 16 | Western Reds | 22 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 313 | 420 | -107 | 13 |
| 17 | North Queensland Cowboys | 21 | 6 | 0 | 15 | 288 | 643 | -355 | 12 |
| 18 | Gold Coast Chargers | 22 | 5 | 1 | 16 | 359 | 521 | -162 | 11 |
| 19 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 22 | 5 | 1 | 16 | 314 | 634 | -320 | 11 |
| 20 | South Queensland Crushers | 22 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 220 | 496 | -276 | 8 |
Qualified for the finals series — top 8 that season.
Finals series
Qualifying Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Sep 1996 | Cronulla-Sutherland 20–12 Western Suburbs | Parramatta Stadium, Parramatta, NSW | 22,433 |
| 7 Sep 1996 | North Sydney Bears 21–16 Brisbane Broncos | Brisbane Stadium (Lang Park), Brisbane, QLD | 25,983 |
| 7 Sep 1996 | St. George 16–14 Canberra Raiders | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 28,185 |
| 8 Sep 1996 | Manly-Warringah 16–14 Sydney Roosters | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 31,327 |
Semi-Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Sep 1996 | Cronulla-Sutherland 22–16 Brisbane Broncos | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 27,665 |
| 15 Sep 1996 | St. George 36–16 Sydney Roosters | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 37,858 |
Preliminary Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Sep 1996 | St. George 29–12 North Sydney Bears | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 37,779 |
| 22 Sep 1996 | Manly-Warringah 24–0 Cronulla-Sutherland | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 40,525 |
Grand Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Sep 1996 | Manly-Warringah 20–8 St. George | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW |
Full Grand Final page (Clive Churchill Medal, match context, sources) →
Sources
Sources
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