With this season’s Telstra NRL Premiership underway your mate Joe Fortune is here providing you with a list of every winner of the NRL Grand Final along with some key stats and data about the tournament and the clubs.
NRL Champions
There is no doubt about who the best side has been over the last few years, as Penrith completed a four-peat last year when beating Melbourne. Whatever happens over the next few months this Penrith team will go down in history as one of the most incredible ever to have played in the history of the tournament.Â
When was the first NRL season?
In 1998 the tournament became established at the NRL having briefly been known as the ARL between 1995-1997 and before that as the NSWRL. Here are all the winners going back to 1908 and every result of the NRL Grand Finals since 1998.
NRL Grand Final Winners and Results, 1998 – 2024
| Year | Grand Final Winners & Result |
| 2024 | Penrith beat Melbourne (14-6) |
| 2023 | Penrith beat Brisbane (26-24) |
| 2022 | Penrith beat Parramatta (28-12) |
| 2021 | Penrith beat South Sydney (14-12) |
| 2020 | Melbourne beat Penrith (26-20) |
| 2019 | Sydney Roosters beat Canberra (14-8) |
| 2018 | Sydney Roosters beat Melbourne (21-6) |
| 2017 | Melbourne beat North Queensland (34-6) |
| 2016 | Cronulla beat Melbourne (14-12) |
| 2015 | North Queensland beat Brisbane (17-16) |
| 2014 | Souths beat Canterbury (30-6) |
| 2013 | Sydney Roosters beat Manly (26-18) |
| 2012 | Melbourne beat Canterbury (14-4) |
| 2011 | Manly beat Warriors (24-10) |
| 2010 | St George Illawarra beat Sydney Roosters (32-8) |
| 2009 | Melbourne beat Parramatta (23-16) |
| 2008 | Manly beat Melbourne (40-0) |
| 2007 | Melbourne beat Manly (34-8) |
| 2006 | Brisbane beat Melbourne (15-8) |
| 2005 | Wests Tigers beat North Queensland (30-16) |
| 2004 | Canterbury beat Sydney Roosters (16-13) |
| 2003 | Penrith beat Sydney Roosters (18-6) |
| 2002 | Sydney Roosters beat Warriors (30-8) |
| 2001 | Newcastle beat Parramatta (30-24) |
| 2000 | Brisbane beat Sydney Roosters (14-6) |
| 1999 | Melbourne beat St George Illawarra (20-18) |
| 1998 | Brisbane beat Canterbury (38-12) |
ARL Grand Final Winners,1995–1997
1997: Newcastle beat Manly
1996: Manly beat St George
1995: Bulldogs beat Manly
NSWRL Grand Final Winners,1908–1994
1994: Canberra beat Canterbury
1993: Brisbane beat St George
1992: Brisbane beat St George
1991: Penrith beat Canberra
1990: Canberra beat Penrith
1989: Canberra beat Balmain
1988: Canterbury beat Balmain
1987: Manly beat Canberra
1986: Parramatta beat Canterbury
1985: Canterbury beat St George
1984: Canterbury beat Parramatta
1983: Parramatta beat Manly
1982: Parramatta beat Manly
1981: Parramatta beat Newtown
1980: Canterbury beat Easts
1979: St George beat Canterbury
1978: Manly beat Cronulla
1977: St George beat Parramatta
1976: Manly beat Parramatta
1975: Easts beat St George
1974: Easts beat Canterbury
1973: Manly beat Cronulla
1972: Manly beat Easts
1971: Souths beat St George
1970: Souths beat Manly
1969: Balmain beat Souths
1968: Souths beat Manly
1967: Souths beat Canterbury
1966: St George beat Balmain
1965: St George beat Souths
1964: St George beat Balmain
1963: St George beat Wests
1962: St George beat Wests
1961: St George beat Wests
1960: St George beat Easts
1959: St George beat Manly
1958: St George beat Wests
1957: St George beat Manly
1956: St George beat Balmain
1955: Souths beat Newtown
1954: Souths beat Newtown
1953: Souths beat St George
1952: Wests beat Souths
1951: Souths beat Manly
1950: Souths beat Wests
1949: St George beat Souths
1948: Wests beat Balmain
1947: Balmain beat Canterbury
1946: Balmain beat St George
1945: Easts beat Balmain
1944: Balmain beat Newtown
1943: Newtown beat Norths
1942: Canterbury beat St George
1941: St George beat Easts
1940: Easts beat Canterbury
1939: Balmain beat Souths
1938: Canterbury beat Easts
1937: Easts – No Final
1936: Easts beat Balmain
1935: Easts beat Souths
1934: Wests beat Easts
1933: Newtown beat St George
1932: Souths beat Wests
1931: Souths beat Easts
1930: Wests beat St George
1929: Souths beat Newtown
1928: Souths beat Easts
1927: Souths beat St George
1926: Souths beat University
1925: Souths beat Wests
1924: Balmain beat Souths
1923: Easts beat Souths
1922: Norths beat Glebe
1921: Norths – No Final
1920: Balmain – No Final
1919: Balmain – No Final
1918: Souths – No Final
1917: Balmain – No Final
1916: Balmain beat Souths
1915: Balmain – No Final
1914: Souths – No Final
1913: Easts – No Final
1912: Easts – No Final
1911: Easts beat Glebe
1910: Newtown beat Souths
1909: Souths beat Balmain
1908: Souths beat Easts
Two Champions in One Year
Did you know that in 1997 there were two winners of two separate rugby league competitions in Australia… Newcastle beat Manly in the ARL Grand Final but there was also a Super League competition in both Australia and New Zealand for just the one season in 1997. It was created by News Corporation, alongside the Super League of Europe, during what was known as the Super League war.
The battle came as Rupert Murdoch and Kerry Packer went head-to-head in trying to own the pay television rights for rugby league. Ten sides competed in the one season of the Super League before a peace deal was agreed, in the Grand Final it was Brisbane who defeated Cronulla 26-8 in what was known as the Telstra Cup.
Stripped NRL Premier Titles
The Melbourne Storm salary cap breach was a major scandal on back of the National Rugby League’s enforced salary spend limits. Over a period of five years Melbourne was found to have broken the rules and in 2010 the NRL stripped the side of all honours achieved as a team between 2006 and 2010. This included both the 2007 and 2009 premierships which, because of the penalty, now means that there was no Premier winner for those two seasons.
NRL Grand Final Replay
In 1977, St. George and Parramatta played out the first drawn Grand Final, it finished 9-9 after extra time. So, the sides played a replay the next week which St. George went on to win 22–0. With changes to the rules of the sport in more recent times, as things stand there will never be another Grand Final Replay.
NRL Records with the Most…
South Sydney has won the most Premierships since 1908 with 21 titles, the most recent being in 2014. Souths has also got the record for scoring the most points in a Grand Final which it achieved in 1951 as it beat Manly by 42-14.
The team with the highest win percentage is the Melbourne Storm which boasts a winning record of over 65%. Penrith has got a challenge if it is to get close to the most consecutive Grand Final victories which is currently held by St. George when it won 11 in a row from 1956 to 1966 inclusively.Â
No NRL Grand Final Wins
There are three teams which currently compete in the NRL that have never won a Grand Final, these are the Gold Coast Titans which joined the NRL in 2007. The Titans have yet to win a premiership and have never made it to a Grand Final. Next up is the New Zealand Warriors who actually reached the Grand Final once in 2011 but lost to the Manly Sea Eagles. Finally, the Redcliffe Dolphins, which only entered the NRL in 2023. With it being such a tough league, it comes as no surprise that Redcliffe hasn’t got to a Grand Final just yet.