2005 NRL season results

The 2005 National Rugby League season consisted of 25 weekly regular season rounds starting in March, followed by four weeks of play-offs that culminated in a grand final on 2 October.

Regular season

Round 1

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
Canterbury Bulldogs	46 – 28	St. George Illawarra Dragons	11 March 2005, 7:30pm	Telstra Stadium	Paul Simpkins	33,105
Wests Tigers	12 – 28	Parramatta Eels	12 March 2005, 5:30pm	Telstra Stadium	Russell Smith	17,107
Cronulla Sharks	20 – 14	Penrith Panthers	12 March 2005, 7:30pm	Toyota Stadium	Shayne Hayne Jason Robinson	19,562
Sydney Roosters	24 – 12	South Sydney Rabbitohs	12 March 2005, 7:30pm	Aussie Stadium	Tony Archer	22,186
New Zealand Warriors	20 – 26	Manly Sea Eagles	13 March 2005, 2:00pm	Ericsson Stadium	Sean Hampstead	13,682
Melbourne Storm	48 – 10	Newcastle Knights	13 March 2005, 2:30pm	Olympic Park Stadium	Steve Clark	10,484
Brisbane Broncos	29 – 16	North Queensland Cowboys	13 March 2005, 3:00pm	Suncorp Stadium	Tim Mander	43,488
Bye: Canberra Raiders

Round 2

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
North Queensland Cowboys	24 – 12	Canterbury Bulldogs	18 March 2005, 7:30pm	Dairy Farmers Stadium	Steve Clark	21,138
Canberra Raiders	39 – 14	Newcastle Knights	19 March 2005, 5:30pm	Canberra Stadium	Jason Robinson	11,835
Brisbane Broncos	12 – 24	New Zealand Warriors	19 March 2005, 7:30pm	Suncorp Stadium	Russell Smith	24,719
St George Illawarra Dragons	12 – 46	Melbourne Storm	19 March 2005, 7:30pm	WIN Stadium	Tony Archer Gavin Badger	9,032
South Sydney Rabbitohs	49 – 26	Parramatta Eels	20 March 2005, 2:30pm	Aussie Stadium	Sean Hampstead	11,445
Manly Sea Eagles	46 – 20	Cronulla Sharks	20 March 2005, 3:00pm	Brookvale Oval	Paul Simpkins	14,031
Penrith Panthers	20 – 28	Sydney Roosters	20 March 2005, 3:00pm	Penrith Park	Tim Mander	18,228
Bye: Wests Tigers

Round 3

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
Sydney Roosters	22 – 40	Brisbane Broncos	25 March 2005, 7:30pm	Aussie Stadium	Tim Mander	23,157
Penrith Panthers	18 – 8	St George Illawarra Dragons	26 March 2005, 5:30pm	Penrith Park	Russell Smith	17,187
Parramatta Eels	10 – 18	Cronulla Sharks	26 March 2005, 7:30pm	Parramatta Stadium	Sean Hampstead	12,103
New Zealand Warriors	22 – 32	North Queensland Cowboys	27 March 2005, 2:00pm	Ericsson Stadium	Tony Archer	13,888
Manly Sea Eagles	25 – 18	Melbourne Storm	27 March 2005, 2:30pm	Brookvale Oval	Steve Clark	15,470
Canterbury Bulldogs	36 – 37	Wests Tigers	27 March 2005, 3:00pm	Telstra Stadium	Paul Simpkins	19,984
South Sydney Rabbitohs	18 – 25	Canberra Raiders	28 March 2005, 3:00pm	Aussie Stadium	Jason Robinson	14,455
Bye: Newcastle Knights

Round 4

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
Parramatta Eels	26 – 16	Penrith Panthers	1 April 2005, 7:30pm	Parramatta Stadium	Paul Simpkins	15,119
Melbourne Storm	50 – 4	Brisbane Broncos	2 April 2005, 5:30pm	Olympic Park Stadium	Sean Hampstead	12,194
Canberra Raiders	42 – 22	St George Illawarra Dragons	2 April 2005, 7:30pm	Canberra Stadium	Tim Mander	15,614
North Queensland Cowboys	52 – 18	Newcastle Knights	2 April 2005, 7:30pm	Dairy Farmers Stadium	Jason Robinson	22,347
New Zealand Warriors	46 – 14	South Sydney Rabbitohs	3 April 2005, 2:00 pm	Ericsson Stadium	Russell Smith	9,751
Cronulla Sharks	26 – 12	Canterbury Bulldogs	3 April 2005, 2:30 pm	Toyota Stadium	Tony Archer	17,053
Sydney Roosters	26 – 32	Wests Tigers	3 April 2005, 3:00 pm	Aussie Stadium	Steve Clark	13,946
Bye: Manly Sea Eagles

Round 5

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
Date and Time (Local)	Venue	Referees	Attendance
Penrith Panthers	36-16	Melbourne Storm	8 April 2005, 7:30 pm	Penrith Park	Steve Clark	14,844

Finals series

The National Rugby League's 2005 finals series ran from 9 September to 2 October 2005, as eight teams vied to win the NRL Premiership in the Grand Final after the 2005 season. The final placings and first-week match-ups were decided only after all the matches in the final week were completed. The Grand Final, played on 2 October, was won by the Wests Tigers who claimed their first-ever NRL premiership. The runners up were the North Queensland Cowboys.

The Finals System

The system used for the NRL is the McIntyre Final Eight System, which is designed by Ken McIntyre in addition to the McIntyre Four, Five and Six systems to determine which two teams will play for the Premiership. In each of the three weeks of the competition, two teams are eliminated until only two teams are left. The better a team finishes in the home-and-away season ladder, the easier their route through to the Grand Final.

In the first week, twos are paired off as such by rank (games are played at the home ground of the higher seed):

• Team 4 vs. Team 5 (1st Qualifying Final)
• Team 3 vs. Team 6 (2nd Qualifying Final)
• Team 2 vs. Team 7 (3rd Qualifying Final)
• Team 1 vs. Team 8 (4th Qualifying Final)

Once all four games ave been played, teams are grouped into winners and losers, and then ranked based on their home-and-away season standings, for example:

...Losers #3 and #4 are immediately eliminated, while Winners #3 and #4 will face Losers #1 and #2 (in other words, a "double chance" for the two highest-ranked losers). Winners #1 and #2 receive a bye to week three, to await the winners of the two semi-finals.

The winners of the two preliminary finals will then face off for the premiership in the Grand Final.

Week One

First Qualifying Final

Second Qualifying Final

Third Qualifying Final

Fourth Qualifying Final

Week Two

First Semi Final

Second Semi Final

Week Three

First Preliminary Final

Second Preliminary Final

2005 NRL Grand Final

References