1996 ARL season

Rugby league competition September 2020 April 2015 1996 Australian Rugby League ARL_Optus_Cup_Logo_1996.png 200px 22 March – 29 September 1996 20 16x16px Manly-Warringah 6th 16x16px Manly-Warringah 8th 223 8,547 2,743,516 12,303 16x16px Jason Taylor (238) 16x16px Noa Nadruku (21) North Sydney 16 Jason Taylor Rothmans Medal South Qld Crushers 1st 1995 1997 (ARL)1997 (SL) The 1996 ARL premiership (also known as the 1996 Optus Cup due to sponsorship from Optus) was the 89th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the second to be administered by the Australian Rugby League (ARL). Twenty teams contested the premiership, including five Sydney-based foundation teams, another six from Sydney, two from greater New South Wales, four from Queensland, and one each from New Zealand, the Australian Capital Territory and Western Australia. Ultimately two Sydney clubs, the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and St. George Dragons contested the grand final. The grand finals: Manly 16 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles vs St George 16 St. George Dragons (Senior Grade) Cronulla 16 Cronulla Sharks vs Auckland 16 Auckland Warriors (Reserve Grade) South Queensland 16 South Queensland Crushers vs Parramatta 16 Parramatta Eels (Under-20s Grade) The winners in all grades were: Manly 16 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles (Senior Grade) Cronulla 16 Cronulla Sharks (Reserve Grade) South Queensland 16 South Queensland Crushers (Under-20s Grade) The test match Australia 16 Australia vs Fiji 16 Fiji The State of Origin Series Queensland 16 Queensland vs New South Wales 16 New South Wales The Region of Origin Series City 16 City vs Country 16 Country Teams The lineup of teams remained unchanged from the previous season except for the re-branding of the Gold Coast team from the "Seagulls" to the "Chargers" as the ARL took control of the club.History of the Premiership http://www.centenaryofrugbyleague.com.au/site/about/history/history-of-the-premiership.aspx https://archive.today/20131021091506/http://www.centenaryofrugbyleague.com.au/site/about/history/history-of-the-premiership.aspx dead 21 October 2013 centenaryofrugbyleague.com.au Australian Rugby League 21 October 2013 Auckland Warriors100px|center 2nd seasonGround: Ericsson Stadium Coach: John MonieCaptain: Greg AlexanderBrisbane Broncos100px|center 9th seasonGround: ANZ Stadium Coach: Wayne BennettCaptain: Allan LangerCanberra Raiders100px|center 15th seasonGround: Bruce Stadium Coach: Tim SheensCaptain: Ricky Stuart → Laurie DaleyCanterbury Bulldogs100px|center 62nd seasonGround: Parramatta Stadium Coach: Chris AndersonCaptain: Simon GilliesCronulla Sharks100px|center 30th seasonGround: Endeavour Park Coach: John LangCaptain: Andrew EttingshausenGold Coast Chargers100px|center 9th seasonGround: Seagulls Stadium Coach: Phil EconomidisCaptain: Dave WatsonIllawarra Steelers100px|center 15th seasonGround: Wollongong Stadium Coach: Allan McMahonCaptain: John Cross → Paul McGregorManly Sea Eagles100px|center 50th seasonGround: Brookvale Oval Coach: Bob FultonCaptain: Geoff TooveyNewcastle Knights100px|center 9th seasonGround: Marathon Stadium Coach: Malcolm ReillyCaptain: Paul HarragonNorth Qld Cowboys100px|center 2nd seasonGround: Stockland Stadium Coach: Graham LoweCaptain: Dean SchifillitiNorth Syd. Bears100px|center 89th seasonGround: North Sydney Oval Coach: Peter LouisCaptain: Jason TaylorParramatta Eels100px|center 50th seasonGround: Parramatta Stadium Coach: Ron HilditchCaptain: Gary Freeman → Jarrod McCrackenPenrith Panthers100px|center 30th seasonGround: Penrith Stadium Coach: Royce SimmonsCaptain: Steve CarterSouth Qld Crushers100px|center 2nd seasonGround: Suncorp Stadium Coach: Bob LindnerCaptain: Trevor GillmeisterSouth Syd. Rabbitohs100px|center 89th seasonGround: Sydney Football Stadium Coach: Ken ShineCaptain: Craig Field → Craig Salvatori St. George Dragons100px|center 76th seasonGround: Kogarah Oval Coach: David WaiteCaptain: Mark CoyneSydney City Roosters(East. Sub. Roosters)100px|center 89th seasonGround: Sydney Football Stadium Coach: Phil GouldCaptain: Sean GarlickSydney Tigers(Balmain Tigers)100px|center 89th seasonGround: Parramatta Stadium Coach: Wayne PearceCaptain: Paul SironenWestern Reds100px|center 2nd seasonGround: WACA Ground Coach: Peter MulhollandCaptain: Mark GeyerWest. Sub. Magpies100px|center 89th seasonGround: Campbelltown Stadium Coach: Tommy RaudonikisCaptain: Paul Langmack Regular season With the Super League war in full effect off the field, those clubs affiliated with the breakaway competition refused to participate in five games of Round 1, all forfeited to ARL-aligned clubs and only four of the ten scheduled games took place. Of the two games between two Super League clubs, Canterbury versus North Queensland was cancelled, whilst Auckland flew a team consisting of players from the Otahuhu Leopards and Ellerslie Eagles clubs to Brisbane and were thus declared winners over the Broncos by forfeit.Frank Endacott with John Coffey Being Frank:The Frank Endacott Story. Auckland, Hodder Moa Beckett, 2002. 1-86958-922-X. p.78 Following up on their performance in the 1995 season up to the grand final, Manly-Warringah dominated the season with their defence, which conceded only 34 tries in 25 matches, the best record of any team since the six-tackle rule was introduced in 1971. Indeed, the Sea Eagles only conceded 191 points during the minor round, an average of only 8.7 points per game, while scoring 549 points at 24.9 points per game. Their 1995 rivals Canberra were hit by injuries which wiped out the seasons of key players including captain Ricky Stuart, Bradley Clyde and Jason Croker, and suspensions to Kiwi props John Lomax and Quentin Pongia. Super League-aligned Canterbury were also hit by the loss of key players Jim Dymock, Dean Pay, Jason Smith and Jarrod McCracken to ARL-loyal Parramatta and Brett Dallas to North Sydney. Sydney City started the season in good form, but fell off after winning their first ten games, whilst Brisbane (with Allan Langer putting in some strong performances) dominated early but as had become their custom, lost ground mid-season during the Origin period. North Sydney, with a powerful forward pack and skillful goal-kicking half Jason Taylor feeding a superb set of outside backs, were expected to make the Grand Final, but as had become their habit in the 1990s they lost the preliminary final, this time to St. George. The 20-team competition in 1995 and 1996 caused frequent jackpots in FootyTAB's "Pick The Margins" and after three successive rounds without a single winner, on 8 July 1996 after a last-minute Sydney City penalty goal, one punter received an all-time record for any form of sports betting in Australia: $2,006,217. This year Canterbury-Bankstown back Terry Lamb set new record for most first-grade premiership games at 350 before retiring at the end of the season. North Sydney's Jason Taylor won the official player of the year award, the Rothmans Medal, while the Dally M Medal was awarded to Brisbane's Allan Langer. At the end of the season, ARL chief executive John Quayle resigned and was replaced by Balmain president (and former hooker) Neil Whittaker. Hadfield Dave Hetherington signs three players from Eagles The Independent UK independent.co.uk 12 December 1996 https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby-league-hetherington-signs-three-players-from-eagles-1314224.html 25 April 2010 Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 F1 F2 F3 GF Auckland WarriorsBRIForfeitILA+8WES−14NOR+4MAN−12ILA+10PAR+24ROS−12NEW−4CRO−4TIG−12PEN+10WES+16SOU+14GCC+14WRD−20SQC+4NQL+46STG−29CBY−2CAN−24BRI−32 Brisbane BroncosACKForfeitWES+22ILA+50SQC+20NQL+44STG+18CBY+22CAN+34WRD+8NOR−6MAN−14ILA−8PAR+6ROS−2NEW+5CRO+3TIG+20PEN+30WES+30SOU+2GCC+28ACK+32NOR−5CRO−6 Canberra RaidersSQCForfeitPEN0PAR−6NQL+56STG−10CBY+30WRD+20BRI−34NOR+34MAN−16ILA+2PAR−40ROS+4NEW+2CRO−8TIG+18PEN+16WES−8SOU+30GCC+14ACK+24SQC+26STG−2 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs−TIG−4ROS−6STG−20WRD+4CAN−30BRI−22NOR−8MAN−20ILA+12PAR+18ROS+12NEW+10CRO−10TIG−2PEN+2WES−4SOU+24GCC+10ACK+2SQC+1NQL+28 Cronulla-Sutherland SharksNEWForfeitSTG+8WRD−7WRD+14TIG+20PEN+8WES−8SOU+18GCC+8ACK+4SQC+24NQL−6STG0CBY+10CAN+8BRI−3NOR0MAN+2ILA−7PAR+8ROS+8NEW+22WES+8BRI+6MAN−24 Gold Coast ChargersNOR−16MAN−14SOU+2MAN−4ILA+8PAR+13ROS−3NEW−42CRO−8TIG+12PEN−6WES−32SOU−2WRD0ACK−14SQC+48NQL−10STG−12CBY−10CAN−14BRI−28NOR−30 Illawarra SteelersWES−9ACK−8BRI−50SOU+42GCC−8ACK−10SQC+4NQL+16STG+6CBY−12CAN−2BRI+8NOR−30MAN−8WRD−1PAR−16ROS−16NEW+12CRO+7TIG−2PEN+40WES−4 Manly Warringah Sea EaglesSOU+38GCC+14NOR−10GCC+4ACK+12SQC+8NQL+42STG+4CBY+20CAN+16BRI+14NOR+23WRD−3ILA+8PAR+44ROS+28NEW+16CRO−2TIG+18PEN−4WES+30SOU+38ROS+2XCRO+24STG+12 Newcastle KnightsCROForfeitWRD+6STG−4TIG−12PEN+2WES+22SOU+6GCC+42ACK+4SQC+16NQL−16STG+11CBY−10CAN−2BRI−5NOR0MAN−16ILA−12PAR−2ROS+16WRD+4CRO−22 North Queensland Cowboys−ROS−38TIG+15CAN−56BRI−44NOR−44MAN−42ILA−16PAR−14ROS−24NEW+16CRO+6TIG−2PEN−21WES−8SOU−2GCC+10ACK−46SQC+5WRD−26STG+4CBY−28 North Sydney BearsGCC+16SOU+16MAN+10ACK−4SQC+14NQL+44STG+42CBY+8CAN−34BRI+6WRD+22MAN−23ILA+30PAR+2ROS−5NEW0CRO0TIG+24PEN+34WES−1SOU+42GCC+30BRI+5XSTG−17 Parramatta EelsPENForfeitSQC−4CAN+6WES−4SOU+28GCC−13ACK−24SQC+10NQL+14STG+4CBY−18CAN+40BRI−6NOR−2MAN−44ILA+16WRD+12ROS0NEW+2CRO−8TIG−12PEN−8 Penrith PanthersPARForfeitCAN0SQC+18ROS−16NEW−2CRO−8TIG−2WRD+34WES−10SOU+8GCC+6ACK−10SQC−4NQL+21STG−26CBY−2CAN−16BRI−30NOR−34MAN+4ILA−40PAR+8 South Queensland CrushersCANForfeitPAR+4PEN−18BRI−20NOR−14MAN−8ILA−4PAR−10ROS−26NEW−16CRO−24TIG−10PEN+4WES+2SOU−32GCC−48ACK−4WRD−2NQL−5STG−18CBY−1CAN−26 South Sydney RabbitohsMAN−38NOR−16GCC−2ILA−42PAR−28ROS−62NEW−6CRO−18TIG+28PEN−8WES0WRD+6GCC+2ACK−14SQC+32NQL+2STG−20CBY−24CAN−30BRI−2NOR−42MAN−38 St. George DragonsWRDForfeitCRO−8NEW+4CBY+20CAN+10BRI−18NOR−42MAN−4ILA−6PAR−4ROS+16NEW−11CRO0TIG+11PEN+26WES+8SOU+20GCC+12ACK+29SQC+18NQL−4WRD+6CAN+2ROS+20NOR+17MAN−12 Sydney TigersROS−28CBY+4NQL−15NEW+12CRO−20WRD+4PEN+2WES+6SOU−28GCC−12ACK+12SQC+10NQL+2STG−11CBY+2CAN−18BRI−20NOR−24MAN−18ILA+2PAR+12ROS−14 Sydney City RoostersTIG+28NQL+38CBY+6PEN+16WES+20SOU+62GCC+3ACK+12SQC+26NQL+24STG−16CBY−12CAN−4BRI+2NOR+5MAN−28ILA+16PAR0WRD+12NEW−16CRO−8TIG+14MAN−2STG−20 Western RedsSTGForfeitNEW−6CRO+7CRO−14CBY−4TIG−4CAN−20PEN−34BRI−8WES−14NOR−22SOU−6MAN+3GCC0ILA+1ACK+20PAR−12SQC+2ROS−12NQL+26NEW−4STG−6 Western Suburbs MagpiesILA+9BRI−22ACK+14PAR+4ROS−20NEW−22CRO+8TIG−6PEN+10WRD+14SOU0GCC+32ACK−16SQC−2NQL+8STG−8CBY+4CAN+8BRI−30NOR+1MAN−30ILA+4CRO−8 Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 F1 F2 F3 GF Bold – Home game X – Bye Opponent for round listed above margin Ladder TeamPldWDLPFPAPDPts1 16x16px Manly (P)22 1804549191+358362 16x16px Brisbane211704607263+344343 16x16px North Sydney221525598325+273324 16x16px Sydney City Roosters221516521321+200315 16x16px Cronulla211425399268+131306 16x16px Canberra211317538384+154277 16x16px St. George211218443360+83278 16x16px Western Suburbs221219394434−40259 16x16px Newcastle2110110416388+282310 16x16px Canterbury2111010375378−32211 16x16px Auckland2111011412427−152212 16x16px Sydney Tigers2211011319459−1402213 16x16px Parramatta219111404415−112114 16x16px Illawarra228014403444−411615 Penrith 16 Penrith217113363464−1011516 16x16px Western Reds216114313420−1071317 16x16px North Queensland216015288643−3551218 16x16px Gold Coast225116359521−1621119 16x16px South Sydney225116314634−3201120 16x16px South Queensland213018220496−2768 Finals HomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDate and TimeVenueRefereeCrowd Qualifying Finals 23x23px Cronulla Sharks20–12 23x23px Western Suburbs Magpies6 September 1996Parramatta StadiumDavid Manson22,433 23x23px Brisbane Broncos16–21 23x23px North Sydney Bears7 September 1996Suncorp Stadium*Eddie Ward25,983 23x23px Canberra Raiders14–16 23x23px St. George Dragons7 September 1996Sydney Football StadiumKelvin Jeffes28,185 23x23px Manly Sea Eagles16–14 23x23px Sydney City Roosters8 September 1996Sydney Football StadiumPaul McBlane31,327 Semi-finals 23x23px Brisbane Broncos16–22 23x23px Cronulla Sharks14 September 1996Sydney Football StadiumKelvin Jeffes27,665 Sydney 23 Sydney City Roosters16–36 23x23px St. George Dragons15 September 1996Sydney Football StadiumDavid Manson37,858 Preliminary Finals 23x23px North Sydney Bears12–29 23x23px St. George Dragons21 September 1996Sydney Football StadiumKelvin Jeffes37,779 23x23px Manly Sea Eagles24–0 23x23px Cronulla Sharks22 September 1996Sydney Football StadiumDavid Manson40,525 Grand Final 23x23px Manly Sea Eagles20–8 23x23px St. George Dragons29 September 1996Sydney Football StadiumDavid Manson40,985 Although Brisbane's home ground during the 1996 ARL season was ANZ Stadium this game was played at Suncorp. Chart y y 180 40 8 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium Manly 16 Manly 16 Sydney 16 Sydney City 14 6 Sept, Parramatta Stadium Cronulla 16 Cronulla 20 Western Suburbs 16 Western Suburbs 12 7 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium Canberra 16 Canberra 14 St. George 16 St. George 16 7 Sept, Suncorp Stadium Brisbane 16 Brisbane 16 North Sydney 16 North Sydney 21 15 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium Sydney 16 Sydney City 16 St. George 16 St. George 36 14 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium Brisbane 16 Brisbane 16 Cronulla 16 Cronulla 22 22 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium Manly 16 Manly 24 Cronulla 16 Cronulla 0 21 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium North Sydney 16 North Sydney 12 St. George 16 St. George 29 29 Sept, Sydney Football Stadium Manly 16 Manly 20 St. George 16 St. George 8 Grand Final 1996 ARL Grand Final Allianz Stadium from above.jpg An aerial view of the Sydney Football Stadium, where the match was played 50pxManly WarringahSea Eagles 50pxSt GeorgeDragons MAN Manly Sea Eagles 16 STG St George Dragons 16 14 6 20 2 6 8 29 September 1996 Sydney Football Stadium Sydney Clive Churchill Medal Geoff Toovey (MAN) Australian National anthem Kate Ceberano David Manson 40,985 Nine Network Ken Sutcliffe (host) Ray Warren Peter Sterling Paul VautinPhil Gould Steve Roach & Gary Belcher (sideline) 1995 1997 This was the last Grand Final to feature two Sydney-based teams until 2003. 40,985 people were at the Sydney Football Stadium for the match, the lowest attendance since 1989. The match was refereed by Queenslander David Manson. For St. George, it was their third Grand Final appearance in the 1990s and would prove to be their last as a stand-alone club. Manly, looking for their sixth premiership, had been beaten Grand Finalists in 1995. This would be the third and final time the two clubs would meet in a Grand Final, with St George having been victorious on both previous occasions in 1957 and 1959. The pre-game entertainment focused on the 40th anniversary of television in Australia, as match broadcaster Channel 9 had been the first TV station in 1956. Music artists who performed in the pre-game included Glenn Shorrock, The Delltones, Ross Wilson, Christine Anu, and Kate Ceberano, who sang a video replay duet of "I Still Call Australia Home" with the late Australian entertainer Peter Allen (as Allen had died in 1992, he only appeared on the stadiums video replay screen). Kate Ceberano also performed the Australian national anthem. Teams n center Manly Warringah Sea Eagles maroon white maroon St. George Dragons red white red 17 s n Bob Fulton Matthew Ridge 1 Danny Moore 2 Craig Innes 3 Terry Hill 4 John Hopoate 5 Nik Kosef 13 Geoff Toovey (c) 7 David Gillespie 17 Jim Serdaris 9 Mark Carroll 10 Steve Menzies 11 Daniel Gartner 12 Owen Cunningham 8 Cliff Lyons 6 Neil Tierney 14 Des Hasler 16 Craig Hancock 19 David Waite Dean Raper 1 Nick Zisti 2 Mark Coyne (c) 3 Mark Bell 4 Adrian Brunker 5 Anthony Mundine 6 Noel Goldthorpe 7 Troy Stone 8 Jeff Hardy 9 Luke Felsch 10 Kevin Campion 19 Scott Gourley 12 Wayne Bartrim 13 David Barnhill 11 Lance Thompson 14 Colin Ward 15 Nathan Brown 16 Middleton David Rugby League 1997 HarperSports Pymble, New South Wales First half In the fifth minute, Manly centre Craig Innes won the chase and scored after a grubber kick by his skipper Geoff Toovey. Jessup Peter Final line-break for Innes The New Zealand Herald APN Holdings NZ Limited 30 June 2001 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=197615 8 December 2009 Matthew Ridge converted from the sideline for 6–0. The Dragons played on after being awarded a penalty in front of the posts in the eighth minute but failed to score. At the 15-minute mark, Saints' halfback Noel Goldthorpe conceded a penalty right in front of their goal posts after committing a head-high tackle on Manly's Daniel Gartner. Ridge took the kick, extending the lead to 8–0. St. George sent in forward replacements Lance Thompson and David Barnhill for Scott Gourley and Kevin Campion (head cut). For Manly, Neil Tierney came off the interchange bench to replace David Gillespie. Up until the 19th minute mark when Manly veteran five-eighth Cliff Lyons took the field, their coach Bob Fulton was using six running forwards with captain Geoff Toovey as dummy half. The Dragons' first points came in the 37th minute when Wayne Bartrim kicked a penalty that was awarded when Manly forward Owen Cunningham stripped the ball. From the ensuing kick-off just before half-time, the game's controversial moment occurred by means of a hotly disputed try. Ridge made a spectacular short kick-off and regathered, catching the Dragons unaware. St George hooker Nathan Brown appeared to tackle Ridge, albeit one-handedly and by the collar. Ridge got up and ran when Brown was expecting him to stop and play the ball. Referee David Manson ruled that Brown did not complete the tackle. Ridge was eventually tackled just a few metres from the line. From there, dummy half Nik Kosef then passed the ball to Steve Menzies, who stormed his way through the Saints' defense of Thompson, Dean Raper, Noel Goldthorpe and Wayne Bartrim to score next to the posts, giving Ridge an easy conversion kick. The controversial ruling by referee Manson gave Manly a 14–2 half-time lead and broke the Saints' resolve. In the process of scoring, Menzies injured his groin/hamstring; and, although he returned for the second half, he was unable to run and was eventually interchanged by coach Fulton. Second half In the 53rd minute, Manly's Danny Moore scored a try from a Terry Hill pass after Hill drew Saints defenders Adrian Brunker and Nick Zisti. With Ridge off the field after being concussed in a tackle, Craig Innes converted from five metres off the sideline for the Sea Eagles to take a 20–2 lead. Five minutes later, Dragons' winger Zisti scored a try from a Bartrim cut-out pass. Bartrim then converted from the sideline for a final scoreline of 20–8.NRL Finals in the 1990s http://www.sportal.com.au/league-ford-ute-display/nrl-finals-in-the-1990s-97342 https://archive.today/20121206023313/http://www.sportal.com.au/league-ford-ute-display/nrl-finals-in-the-1990s-97342 dead 6 December 2012 30 June 2012 sportal.com.au The final 20 minutes were scoreless, with two field goal attempts from Ridge charged down by Dragons' defenders. This ensured that the Sea Eagles secured their sixth official premiership and their only one of the 1990s. Scoreboard #f1f5fc 1996 ARL Optus Cup Grand Final Sunday, 29 September 15:00 AEST (UTC+10) 20 – 8 14–2 6–6 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Manly 16 3Innes 5Menzies 40Moore 54 4Ridge 6 pen 18 40 (3/3)Innes 56 (1/1) 0Ridge (0/2) St. George 16 St. George Dragons 1Zisti 61 2Bartrim pen 37 62 (2/2) Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney 40,985 David Manson Phil Cooley, Col WhiteIn-goal judges: Brett Matthews, Barry Ruttle Clive Churchill Medal Geoff TooveyD'Souza Miguel Grand Final History http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/league/2009-grand-final/grandFinal_History.swf https://web.archive.org/web/20140819082626/http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/league/2009-grand-final/grandFinal_History.swf dead 19 August 2014 wwos.ninemsn.com.au Australian Associated Press 8 September 2013 (Manly) Other matches Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks won the reserve grade Grand Final 14–12 against the Auckland Warriors. The Sharks led 6–0 at half time and maintained their lead in the second half with Geoff Bell scoring two tries. The win was Cronulla coach Stuart Raper fourth grand final victory after leading the Sharks to the Presidents Cup premiership in 1994.Mascord Steve Raper in line for Steelers The Sydney Morning Herald 30 September 1996 28 (Sporting Life) In the under-21s Presidents Cup Grand Final, the South Queensland Crushers won their first ever title defeating the Parramatta Eels 24–12. Player statistics The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 22. Top 5 point scorers PointsPlayerTriesGoalsField Goals225North Sydney Jason Taylor51021168Eastern Suburbs Ivan Cleary4760162Penrith Ryan Girdler8650160Illawarra Rod Wishart14520153Manly Matthew Ridge7621 Top 5 try scorers TriesPlayer21Canberra Noa Nadruku19Brisbane Steve Renouf16Manly Steve Menzies15North Sydney Ben Ikin14Brisbane Darren Smith14North Sydney Brett Dallas14Illawarra Rod Wishart Top 5 goal scorers GoalsPlayer102North Sydney Jason Taylor76Eastern Suburbs Ivan Cleary65Penrith Ryan Girdler64Newcastle Andrew Johns62Manly Matthew Ridge References External links 1996 Grand Final at NRL.com Grand Final replay at NRL.com Rugby League Tables – Season 1996 St. George Dragons 1996 season at showroom.com.au Category:National Rugby League seasons ARL season ARL season