1997 ARL Optus Cup — Final Ladder
12 clubs. The peak year of the Super League War: the code split into two fully separate rival competitions for the whole season. This is the ARL-loyalist competition (the "Optus Cup") — see the 1997 Super League season for the 10-club rebel competition run in parallel. A 22-round regular season.
Sourcing caveat: Two new ARL-aligned Queensland expansion clubs (Gold Coast Chargers and South Queensland Crushers) were created specifically to compete with the Super League defectors. Newcastle Knights won the Grand Final from 2nd on the ladder, beating minor premiers Manly-Warringah 22-16.
Ladder
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 22 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 521 | 366 | +155 | 32 |
| 2 | Newcastle Knights | 22 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 512 | 320 | +192 | 29 |
| 3 | Parramatta Eels | 22 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 431 | 359 | +72 | 29 |
| 4 | North Sydney Bears | 22 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 529 | 341 | +188 | 27 |
| 5 | Sydney City Roosters | 22 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 487 | 366 | +121 | 27 |
| 6 | Illawarra Steelers | 22 | 10 | 3 | 9 | 423 | 376 | +47 | 23 |
| 7 | Gold Coast Chargers | 22 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 438 | 466 | -28 | 21 |
| 8 | Balmain Tigers | 22 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 339 | 340 | -1 | 20 |
| 9 | Western Suburbs Magpies | 22 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 355 | 424 | -69 | 20 |
| 10 | St George Dragons | 22 | 9 | 1 | 12 | 331 | 392 | -61 | 19 |
| 11 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 22 | 4 | 1 | 17 | 323 | 630 | -307 | 9 |
| 12 | South Queensland Crushers | 22 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 321 | 630 | -309 | 8 |
Qualified for the finals series — ARL top 7 (1997 split-season finals) that season.
Finals series
Minor Qualifying Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Sep 1997 | Gold Coast Chargers 25–14 Illawarra Steelers | Parramatta Stadium, Parramatta, NSW | 8,197 |
| 6 Sep 1997 | Sydney Roosters 33–21 North Sydney Bears | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 11,332 |
| 7 Sep 1997 | Newcastle Knights 28–20 Parramatta Eels | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 17,849 |
Major Qualifying Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Sep 1997 | Sydney Roosters 32–10 Gold Coast Chargers | Parramatta Stadium, Parramatta, NSW | 10,466 |
| 13 Sep 1997 | North Sydney Bears 24–14 Parramatta Eels | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 17,025 |
| 14 Sep 1997 | Manly-Warringah 27–12 Newcastle Knights | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 26,531 |
Preliminary Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Sep 1997 | Newcastle Knights 17–12 North Sydney Bears | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 22,540 |
| 21 Sep 1997 | Manly-Warringah 17–16 Sydney Roosters | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW | 30,794 |
Grand Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Sep 1997 | Newcastle Knights 22–16 Manly-Warringah | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, NSW |
Full Grand Final page (Clive Churchill Medal, match context, sources) →
Sources
Sources
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