1987 NSWRL season
The 1987 NSWRL season was the 80th season of professional rugby league football in Australia. Thirteen clubs competed for the New South Wales Rugby League premiership's J J Giltinan Shield and Winfield Cup during the season, which culminated in the grand final between the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and the Canberra Raiders who were the first club ever from outside Sydney to appear in a premiership decider. This season, NSWRL teams also competed for the 1987 National Panasonic Cup.
Season summary
This was to be the last season that the moniker "New South Wales Rugby League" would be actually correct, as the following season two teams from Queensland would be introduced, heralding a new era of interstate club participation in the Winfield Cup premiership. This would also ultimately lead to the decline of the historic Brisbane Rugby League premiership of Queensland.Twenty-six regular season rounds were played from February through to August, resulting in a top five of Manly, Easts, Canberra, Balmain and Souths who battled it out in the finals.
Parramatta's captain and halfback Peter Sterling made a clean sweep of the 1987 season's major awards, winning the Rothmans Medal and Dally M Award as well as being named Rugby League Week's player of the year.
Western Suburbs moved their homeground to Campbelltown's Orana Park for the season, moving away from their home at Lidcombe Oval.
1987 would be the last year in which the NSWRL used the Sydney Cricket Ground for regular weekly matches, including all finals and the grand final. From 1988 league headquarters would move next door to the SCG to the new 40,000 seat, A$68 million Sydney Football Stadium.
Teams
The lineup of clubs remained unchanged from the previous year, with thirteen contesting the premiership, including five Sydney-based foundation teams, another six from Sydney, one from greater New South Wales and one from the Australian Capital Territory, though technically the ACT club, while known as the Canberra Raiders, actually played their home games at the Seiffert Oval in Queanbeyan which is located on the NSW side of the ACT/NSW state border to the south of the city.| Balmain Tigers 80th season Ground: Leichhardt Oval Coach: Bill Anderson Captain: Wayne Pearce | Canberra Raiders 6th season Ground: Seiffert Oval Coach: Don Furner & Wayne Bennett Captain: Dean Lance | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 53rd season Ground: Belmore Oval Coach: Warren Ryan Captain: Steve Mortimer | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 21st season Ground: Caltex Field Coach: Jack Gibson Captain: David Hatch | Eastern Suburbs Roosters 80th season Ground: Henson Park Coach: Arthur Beetson Captain: Hugh McGahan | Illawarra Steelers 6th season Ground: Wollongong Stadium Coach: Brian Smith Captain: Perry Haddock | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 41st season Ground: Brookvale Oval Coach: Bob Fulton Captain: Paul Vautin |
| North Sydney Bears 80th season Ground: North Sydney Oval Coach: Frank Stanton Captain: Mark Graham | Parramatta Eels 41st season Ground: Parramatta Stadium Coach: John Monie Captain: Peter Sterling | Penrith Panthers 21st season Ground: Penrith Stadium Coach: Tim Sheens Captain: Royce Simmons | South Sydney Rabbitohs 80th season Ground: Redfern Oval Coach: George Piggins Captain: Mario Fenech | St. George Dragons 67th season Ground: Sydney Cricket Ground Coach: Roy Masters Captain: Craig Young | Western Suburbs Magpies 80th season Ground: Orana Park Coach Steve Ghosn Captain: Ian Schubert |
Regular season
Ladder
Ladder progression
- Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 5.
- Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round.
- Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished last place on the ladder in that round.
- Underlined numbers indicate that the team had a bye during that round.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | |
| 1 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 31 | 33 | 35 | 35 | 37 | 39 | 39 | 41 |
| 2 | Eastern Suburbs Roosters | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 33 | 33 | 35 | 35 |
| 3 | Canberra Raiders | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 34 |
| 4 | Balmain Tigers | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 33 | 33 | 33 |
| 5 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 31 |
| 6 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 30 |
| 7 | Parramatta Eels | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 28 |
| 8 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 27 |
| 9 | St. George Dragons | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 26 |
| 10 | North Sydney Bears | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 |
| 11 | Illawarra Steelers | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 |
| 12 | Penrith Panthers | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 17 |
| 13 | Western Suburbs Magpies | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 |
Finals
Chart
Grand final
Background
Manly dominated the 1987 season with a 12-match winning sequence between May and July, with the result that Bob Fulton's elusive goal of coaching a team to grand final victory began to look a possibility. The path to glory had been four years in the making. In 1983, Fulton returned to the Sea Eagles as coach, but Manly lost to Parramatta for the second year running that, so he set about pursuing a stable of players capable of winning a premiership.50,201 fans were on hand during an unseasonable southeastern Australian heatwave, with the temperature peaking at, to watch the last NSWRL grand final at the Sydney Cricket Ground, and the first to involve a club from outside the Sydney area.
Network 10 televised a memorable pre-match entertainment themed to commence celebrations of New South Wales' 200th birthday. The ceremony involving a symbolic building of a huge model of the Sydney Harbour Bridge by representatives of the Navy's apprentices, while singer John Williamson performed his song "True Blue". There were repeated playing of the Bicentennial jingle "making this State great." Australian soprano Julie Anthony sang Advance Australia Fair before kickoff.
Ten's commentary team for the game was Rex Mossop and Graeme Hughes with David Fordham the sideline reporter and special comments from Australian and New South Wales representatives Peter Sterling and Wayne Pearce. Ten personality Tim Webster was the grand final's Master of Ceremonies, hosting the pre-game coin toss and the post match presentation ceremonies. Balmain's outgoing coach Bill Anderson joined Fordham for the call of both the U/23's grand final and the reserve grade grand final won 11–0 by Penrith over minor premier Manly.
The ABC's telecast of the game was hosted by chief caller David Morrow who was joined in the commentary booth for special comments by Easts and NZ Test captain Hugh McGahan with Warren Boland providing sideline commentary. Peter Longman did reports from the Queanbeyan League's Club in Canberra while Peter Wilkins did the reports from the Manly Leagues Club in Brookvale.