2003 NRL season

The 2003 NRL premiership was the 96th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the sixth run by the National Rugby League. Fifteen teams competed, with the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles returning in place of their failed joint-venture club, the Northern Eagles. Ultimately, the Penrith Panthers defeated reigning champions, the Sydney Roosters in the 2003 NRL grand final, claiming their first premiership since 1991.

2003 National Rugby League
Teams	15
Premiers	Penrith (2nd title)
Minor premiers	Penrith (2nd title)
Matches played	189
Points scored	8993
Average attendance	15,689
Attendance	2,965,141
Top points scorer(s)	Hazem El Masri (294)
Top try-scorer(s)	Rhys Wesser (25)
← 2002 2004 →

Season summary

Season 2003 brought in the new "golden point" extra time rule, where after 80 minutes, if the game was drawn, then 10 minutes of extra time was played until one team scored the winning point(s). The salary cap for the 2003 season was A$3.25 million per club for their 25 highest-paid players.^[1]

The first round of the Premiership improved on the previous year's in terms of attendance and television ratings.^[2] The major story this season was the resurgence of the Penrith Panthers, who defied the critics and naysayers to win their second premiership in their illustrious history since joining the competition in 1967. Coached by John Lang and captained by Craig Gower, the Panthers were the surprise minor premiers, dominating the competition despite consistent disparagement from many sources, and would continue their outstanding form in the finals, beating the Broncos, Warriors and finally the Roosters in the grand final.

The Dally M Medal ceremony was cancelled by the NRL after negotiations with the players' union, the Rugby League Professionals Association, stalled. All votes for the award were destroyed. It was later revealed that with one round of the regular season to play, Craig Gower was leading both Brad Fittler and Clinton Schifcofske by one point in the overall points tally. However, with the ceremony officially cancelled more than a week out from the awards, no points were allocated in the final round of the season.^[3]

At the end of the season, Chris Anderson would lose his job at Cronulla-Sutherland, while Peter Sharp was dismissed as the Sea Eagles coach. Trainer and former Manly star, Des Hasler would replace Sharp as head coach in 2004.

Also at the end of the season, a squad of players from the NRL premiership went on the 2003 Kangaroo tour.

A major flaw of the fixture was that the previous season's Grand Finalists, the New Zealand Warriors and Sydney Roosters, did not meet until the penultimate round of the regular season.^[4]

Teams

The lineup of fifteen teams for the 2003 premiership remained unchanged from the previous season, except that the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles rejoined the competition since their merger with North Sydney Bears in 1999, taking the place of the failed Northern Eagles. This ended North Sydney's representation in the League.

Brisbane Broncos 16th season Ground: Suncorp Stadium Coach: Wayne Bennett Captain: Gorden Tallis	Bulldogs 69th season Ground: Sydney Showground & Telstra Stadium Coach: Steve Folkes Captain: Steve Price	Canberra Raiders 22nd season Ground: Canberra Stadium Coach: Matthew Elliott Captain: Simon Woolford	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 37th season Ground: Toyota Stadium Coach: Chris Anderson Captain: Brett Kimmorley	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 54th season Ground: Brookvale Oval Coach: Peter Sharp Captain: Steve Menzies
Melbourne Storm 6th season Ground: Olympic Park Coach: Craig Bellamy Captain: Stephen Kearney	New Zealand Warriors 9th season Ground: Ericsson Stadium Coach: Daniel Anderson Captain: Stacey Jones	Newcastle Knights 16th season Ground: EnergyAustralia Stadium Coach: Michael Hagan Captain: Andrew Johns	North Queensland Cowboys 9th season Ground: Dairy Farmers Stadium Coach: Graham Murray Captain: Paul Bowman	Parramatta Eels 57th season Ground: Parramatta Stadium Coach: Brian Smith Captain: Nathan Cayless
Penrith Panthers 37th season Ground: CUA Stadium Coach: John Lang Captain: Craig Gower	South Sydney Rabbitohs 94th season Ground: Aussie Stadium Coach: Paul Langmack Captain: Bryan Fletcher	St. George Illawarra Dragons 5th season Ground: Kogarah Oval & WIN Stadium Coach: Nathan Brown Captain: Trent Barrett	Sydney Roosters 96th season Ground: Aussie Stadium Coach: Ricky Stuart Captain: Brad Fittler	Wests Tigers 4th season Ground: Campbelltown Stadium & Leichhardt Oval Coach: Tim Sheens Captain: Darren Senter

Records and statistics

• Anthony Minichiello ran 4,571 metres with the ball in 2003, more than any other player in the competition.^[5]
• Nathan Brown became the youngest non-playing coach in premiership history at the age of 29.^[6] Brown had retired from playing in 2001 after a neck injury in a trial game.
• Referee Bill Harrigan's tenth grand final in 2003, the final match of his career, stands as the record for the most grand finals officiated by a referee.
• On 23 August the Parramatta Eels beat the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 74–4, at the time the third highest winning margin for a club game in Australian rugby league history.
• Also on 23 August, the North Queensland Cowboys beat the South Sydney Rabbitohs 60–8, at the time the biggest win and most points in a match in Cowboys history.
• The Brisbane Broncos set a record for their longest losing streak, from round 20 to the 4th qualifying final. This was equalled again from round 22, 2005 to round 1, 2006 inclusive, and then broken when the club lost thirteen consecutive matches between round 10, 2020 and round 2, 2021 inclusive.
• The Penrith Panthers became the first team to win the minor premiership and hold bottom spot on the ladder in the same season.
• The Penrith Panthers won 8 matches in a row from 19 April - 7 June, most wins in a row in the club's history. This was broken in season 2020, when the club won seventeen consecutive matches between round six and the preliminary final inclusive.
• The Bulldogs equalled their worst defeat with a 50–4 loss to the Melbourne Storm in round 22.
• The Brisbane Broncos suffered their worst ever defeat at Suncorp Stadium, losing to the Bulldogs 40–4 in round 18. This was later eclipsed by a 56–18 loss to the New Zealand Warriors in round 12, 2013, and then again with a 59–0 loss to the Sydney Roosters in round 4, 2020. They also only recorded one victory at the Stadium in season 2003, which came two weeks earlier with a 10–8 win over the Sydney Roosters (who, at that time had not won at Suncorp since 1991, however this drought ended in 2005).

Advertising

In 2003 the NRL sacked their advertising agency of the previous two years, Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney, and took the unusual step of coming up with their own in-house creative concept. Former Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks player and then current Parramatta Eels assistant coach Alan Wilson hit upon the idea of using the Hoodoo Gurus' 1987 hit "What's My Scene?" with reworked lyrics as "That's My Team".

"and another thing, I'm discovering lately, I'm a bit crazy, for my rugby league team "

Wilson is a friend of Hoodoo Gurus singer Dave Faulkner and made the necessary arrangements which included re-uniting the band to re-record the track. Faulkner is a long-time supporter of the Sharks and the original film clip of "What's My Scene?" had included shots of band members in Wests and Cronulla-Sutherland jumpers.

The ad focuses on the grass roots supporters at all levels of the game and in its finished version includes shots of fans from the Cessnock Goannas, a proud Bulldogs supporter and a Penrith teenager with a broken leg signed by her heroes. These images are included with the usual fare of pre-season team training images, big-hits, clever passes and post-try celebrations.^[7]

To produce the ad the League returned to the agency who created and produced the Tina Turner campaigns from 1989 to 1995 - Hertz Walpole Advertising by now renamed MJW Hakuhodo.

Regular season

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	F1	F2	F3	GF
Brisbane Broncos	PEN +4	SOU +2	CRO +26	NQL +8	NZL −20	SYD −7	PAR +6	WTI +32	NQL +26	MEL +20	CBY +24	NEW −10	X	CAN +4	X	SYD +2	SGI −16	CBY −36	MEL +4*	MAN −6	CRO −10	PEN −7	WTI −2	NZL −8	PAR −2	SGI −1	PEN −10
Canberra Raiders	NQL +32	WTI +7	SGI +4	PEN +12	PAR +14	X	CBY +4	SOU +22	MEL −20	PEN −8	NZL +8	CRO +6	PAR +36	BRI −4	NZL −8	X	MEL −10	SGI +1	WTI +2	CRO +28	SYD −4	MAN +35	NQL −6	NEW +8	CBY +5	SYD −7	MEL −12	NZL −1
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	SOU +8	NZL −4	WTI +32	PAR +20	NEW −6	SGI −10	CAN −4	NZL +6	SYD +6	SGI +2	BRI −24	WTI −6	SYD +10	MAN +14	MEL +14	PEN −2	NEW +34	BRI +36	X	NQL +20	SOU +50	MEL +46	MAN +32	X	CAN −5	CRO +14	NZL −26	MEL +30	SYD −10
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	MEL −4	X	BRI −26	SYD −20	MEL −6	NEW −8	X	SGI −16	MAN +24	SOU +16	NEW +6	CAN −6	NZL −17	WTI +2	MAN −18	NQL +6	PEN −20	WTI −32	NZL −7	CAN −28	BRI +10	SYD −8	SGI +9	PAR −70	SOU +20	CBY −14
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	X	NQL −10	NZL −4	WTI −26	SGI +26	MEL +6	SOU +8	PEN −1	CRO −24	PAR +2*	NQL −11	X	WTI +8	CBY −14	CRO +18	SGI −14	PAR −11	NZL −8	SYD −24	BRI +6	NEW −8	CAN −35	CBY −32	SYD −30	PEN −26	MEL −30
Melbourne Storm	CRO +4	PEN +26	X	NEW −16	CRO +6	MAN −6	NQL −20	NEW +40	CAN +20	BRI −20	PAR +2	SYD −7	SOU −27	PEN +20	CBY −14	WTI +8	CAN +10	NQL +6	BRI −4*	SOU +18	NZL +2	CBY −46	PAR +38	SGI +8	X	MAN +30	CAN +12	CBY −30
Newcastle Knights	NZL +10	SYD −4	PAR −18	MEL +16	CBY +6	CRO +8	WTI +28	MEL −40	SOU +14	SYD −22	CRO −6	BRI +10	X	SGI +2	PEN −28	PAR +14	CBY −34	X	PEN −13	WTI −40	MAN +8	NQL +36	NZL +16	CAN −8	SGI +34	NQL +8	SYD −28
New Zealand Warriors	NEW −10	CBY +4	MAN +4	SOU +22	BRI +20	NQL +6	PEN −14	CBY −6	PAR +2	X	CAN −8	PEN −22	CRO +17	PAR −2	CAN +8	SOU +1*	NQL −20	MAN +8	CRO +7	X	MEL −2	SGI +10	NEW −16	BRI +8	SYD +2	WTI +16	CBY +26	CAN +1	PEN −8
North Queensland Cowboys	CAN −32	MAN +10	SOU +7	BRI −8	SYD −32	NZL −6	MEL +20	X	BRI −26	WTI +18	MAN +11	SGI +20	PEN −4*	SYD −1	PAR −2	CRO −6	NZL +20	MEL −6	SGI −20	CBY −20	X	NEW −36	CAN +6	SOU +52	WTI +20	NEW −8
Parramatta Eels	SYD −18	SGI −2	NEW +18	CBY −20	CAN −14	WTI +20	BRI −6	SYD −32	NZL −2	MAN −2*	MEL −2	SOU +24	CAN −36	NZL +2	NQL +2	NEW −14	MAN +11	X	SOU +14	SGI +26	WTI +3	X	MEL −38	CRO +70	BRI +2	PEN −18
Penrith Panthers	BRI −4	MEL −26	SYD +1	CAN −12	X	SOU +2	NZL +14	MAN +1	SGI +4	CAN +8	WTI +22	NZL +22	NQL +4*	MEL −20	NEW +28	CBY +2	CRO +20	SOU +6	NEW +13	SYD −14	SGI −6	BRI +7	X	WTI +16	MAN +26	PAR +18	BRI +10	X	NZL +8	SYD +12
South Sydney Rabbitohs	CBY −8	BRI −2	NQL −7	NZL −22	WTI +10	PEN −2	MAN −8	CAN −22	NEW −14	CRO −16	SGI −2	PAR −24	MEL +27	X	SGI −14	NZL −1*	SYD −28	PEN −6	PAR −14	MEL −18	CBY −50	WTI +2	SYD −10	NQL −52	CRO −20	X
St. George Illawarra Dragons	WTI −4	PAR +2	CAN −4	X	MAN −26	CBY +10	SYD +4	CRO +16	PEN −4	CBY −2	SOU +2	NQL −20	X	NEW −2	SOU +14	MAN +14	BRI +16	CAN −1	NQL +20	PAR −26	PEN +6	NZL −10	CRO −9	MEL −8	NEW −34	BRI +1
Sydney Roosters	PAR +18	NEW +4	PEN −1	CRO +20	NQL +32	BRI +7	SGI −4	PAR +32	CBY −6	NEW +22	X	MEL +7	CBY −10	NQL +1	WTI −8	BRI −2	SOU +28	X	MAN +24	PEN +14	CAN +4	CRO +8	SOU +10	MAN +30	NZL −2	CAN +7	NEW +28	X	CBY +10	PEN −12
Wests Tigers	SGI +4	CAN −7	CBY −32	MAN +26	SOU −10	PAR −20	NEW −28	BRI −32	X	NQL −18	PEN −22	CBY +6	MAN −8	CRO −2	SYD +8	MEL −8	X	CRO +32	CAN −2	NEW +40	PAR −3	SOU −2	BRI +2	PEN −16	NQL −20	NZL −16
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	F1	F2	F3	GF

Bold – Home game
X – Bye
* – Golden point game
Opponent for round listed above margin

Ladder

Main article: 2003 NRL Season Results

2003 NRL season v t e
Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	B	PF	PA	PD	Pts
1	Penrith Panthers (P)	24	18	0	6	2	659	527	+132	40
2	Sydney Roosters	24	17	0	7	2	680	445	+235	38
3	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	24	16	0	8	2	702	419	+283	36
4	Canberra Raiders	24	16	0	8	2	620	463	+157	36
5	Melbourne Storm	24	15	0	9	2	564	486	+78	34
6	New Zealand Warriors	24	15	0	9	2	545	510	+35	34
7	Newcastle Knights	24	14	0	10	2	632	635	-3	32
8	Brisbane Broncos	24	12	0	12	2	497	464	+33	28
9	Parramatta Eels	24	11	0	13	2	570	582	-12	26
10	St George Illawarra Dragons	24	11	0	13	2	548	593	-45	26
11	North Queensland Cowboys	24	10	0	14	2	606	629	-23	24
12	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	24	8	0	16	2	497	704	-207	20
13	Wests Tigers	24	7	0	17	2	470	598	-128	18
14	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	24	7	0	17	2	557	791	-234	18
15	South Sydney Rabbitohs	24	3	0	21	2	457	758	-301	10

Ladder progression

• Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 8.
• Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round.
• Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished in 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	Penrith	0	0	2	2	4	6	8	10	12	14	16	18	20	20	22	24	26	28	30	30	30	32	34	36	38	40
2	Sydney	2	4	4	6	8	10	10	12	12	14	16	18	18	20	20	20	22	24	26	28	30	32	34	36	36	38
3	Bulldogs	2	4	4	6	6	6	6	8	10	12	12	12	14	16	18	18	20	22	24	26	28	30	32	34	34	36
4	Canberra	2	4	6	8	10	12	14	16	16	16	18	20	22	22	22	24	24	26	28	30	30	32	32	34	36	36
5	Melbourne	2	4	6	6	8	8	8	10	12	12	14	14	14	16	16	18	20	22	22	24	26	26	28	30	32	34
6	New Zealand	0	2	4	6	8	10	10	10	12	14	14	14	16	16	18	20	20	22	24	26	26	28	28	30	32	34
7	Newcastle	2	2	2	4	6	8	10	10	12	12	12	14	16	18	18	20	20	22	22	22	24	26	28	28	30	32
8	Brisbane	2	4	6	8	8	8	10	12	14	16	18	18	20	22	24	26	26	26	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28
9	Parramatta	0	0	2	2	2	4	4	4	4	4	4	6	6	8	10	10	12	14	16	18	20	22	22	24	26	26
10	St George Illawarra	0	2	2	4	4	6	8	10	10	10	12	12	14	14	16	18	20	20	22	22	24	24	24	24	24	26
11	North Queensland	0	2	4	4	4	4	6	8	8	10	12	14	14	14	14	14	16	16	16	16	18	18	20	22	24	24
12	Cronulla-Sutherland	0	2	2	2	2	2	4	4	6	8	10	10	10	12	12	14	14	14	14	14	16	16	18	18	20	20
13	Wests	2	2	2	4	4	4	4	4	6	6	6	8	8	8	10	10	12	14	14	16	16	16	18	18	18	18
14	Manly-Warringah	2	2	2	2	4	6	8	8	8	10	10	12	14	14	16	16	16	16	16	18	18	18	18	18	18	18
15	South Sydney	0	0	0	0	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	4	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	8	8	8	8	10

Finals series

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time	Venue	Referee	Crowd
Qualifying Finals
Canberra Raiders	18 – 30	Melbourne Storm	12 September 2003	Canberra Stadium	Tim Mander	14,094
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	22 – 48	New Zealand Warriors	13 September 2003	Sydney Showground	Bill Harrigan	18,312
Sydney Roosters	36 – 8	Newcastle Knights	13 September 2003	Aussie Stadium	Sean Hampstead	23,853
Penrith Panthers	28 – 18	Brisbane Broncos	14 September 2003	Penrith Football Stadium	Steve Clark	18,534
Semi-finals
New Zealand Warriors	17 – 16	Canberra Raiders	20 September 2003	Aussie Stadium	Tim Mander	31,616
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	30 – 0	Melbourne Storm	21 September 2003	Aussie Stadium	Bill Harrigan	19,367
Preliminary Finals
Sydney Roosters	28 – 18	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	27 September 2003	Aussie Stadium	Bill Harrigan	41,123
Penrith Panthers	28 – 20	New Zealand Warriors	28 September 2003	Telstra Stadium	Tim Mander	43,174

Finals Chart

	Qualifying finals					Semifinals					Preliminary finals					Final
	1	Penrith	28
	8	Brisbane	18								1W	Penrith	28
						4W	New Zealand	17				New Zealand	20
	2	Sydney	36			2L	Canberra	16
																Penrith		18
	7	Newcastle	8
																Sydney		6
	3	Canterbury	22								2W	Sydney	28
	6	New Zealand	48			3W	Melbourne	0				Canterbury	18
						1L	Canterbury	30
	4	Canberra	18
	5	Melbourne	30

Grand Final

Main article: 2003 NRL Grand Final

Penrith Panthers	18 – 6	Sydney Roosters
Tries: 3 Rooney  31', 73' Priddis  66' Goals: 3 Campbell  66', 74' (2/2) Girdler  32' (1/1) Field goals: Gower (0/1)	1st: 6–0 2nd: 12–6 Report[8]	Tries: 1 Hegarty  48' Goals: 1 Fitzgibbon  50' (1/1)

2003 NRL Grand Final

Sunday, 5 October 19:05 AEST (UTC+10)

Telstra Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 81,166[9] Referee: Bill Harrigan Touch judges: Steve Carrall, Glyn Henderson Clive Churchill Medal: Luke Priddis (Penrith)

Player statistics

The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 26.

Top 5 point scorers Points Player Tries Goals Field Goals 270 Hazem El Masri 8 119 0 230 Josh Hannay 10 95 0 208 Clinton Schifcofske 8 87 2 180 Michael De Vere 12 66 0 170 Matt Orford 7 71 0 Top 5 try scorers Tries Player 24 Rhys Wesser 21 Matt Sing 21 Scott Donald 20 Joel Monaghan 19 Nigel Vagana 19 Billy Slater

Top 5 goal scorers Goals Player 119 Hazem El Masri 95 Josh Hannay 87 Clinton Schifcofske 71 Matt Orford 69 Mark Riddell

2003 Transfers

Players

Player	2002 Club	2003 Club
Ashley Harrison	Brisbane Broncos	South Sydney Rabbitohs
Allan Langer	Brisbane Broncos	Retirement
Lote Tuqiri	Brisbane Broncos	New South Wales Waratahs (Super 12)
Shane Walker	Brisbane Broncos	South Sydney Rabbitohs
Brett Finch	Canberra Raiders	Sydney Roosters
Ken Nagas	Canberra Raiders	Retirement
Todd Payten	Canberra Raiders	Sydney Roosters
Brett Howland	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	Penrith Panthers
Paul Rauhihi	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	North Queensland Cowboys
Darren Smith	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	Super League: St. Helens
Nathan Sologinkin	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	Melbourne Storm
Darrell Trindall	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	Retirement
Colin Best	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	Super League: Hull F.C.
Preston Campbell	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	Penrith Panthers
Nick Graham	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	Super League: Wigan Warriors
Matthew Johns	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	Retirement
Karl Lovell	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	Retirement
Chris McKenna	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	Super League: Leeds Rhinos
Paul Mellor	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	Super League: Castleford Tigers
Andrew Pierce	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	Retirement
Dean Treister	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	Super League: Hull F.C.
William Leyshon	Melbourne Storm	Parramatta Eels
Henry Perenara	Melbourne Storm	St. George Illawarra Dragons
Matt Rua	Melbourne Storm	N/A
Ian Sibbit	Melbourne Storm	Super League: Warrington Wolves
Richard Swain	Melbourne Storm	Brisbane Broncos
Julian Bailey	Newcastle Knights	Super League: Huddersfield Giants
John Morris	Newcastle Knights	Parramatta Eels
Clinton O'Brien	Newcastle Knights	Super League: Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Bill Peden	Newcastle Knights	Super League: London Broncos
Kevin Campion	New Zealand Warriors	North Queensland Cowboys
Ivan Cleary	New Zealand Warriors	Retirement
Shontayne Hape	New Zealand Warriors	Super League: Bradford Bulls
David Myles	New Zealand Warriors	North Queensland Cowboys
Tim Brasher	North Queensland Cowboys	Bath (English rugby union)
John Doyle	North Queensland Cowboys	N/A
Peter Jones	North Queensland Cowboys	Retirement
Tim Maddison	North Queensland Cowboys	Newcastle Knights
Ken McGuinness	North Queensland Cowboys	Retirement
Lenny Beckett	Northern Eagles	ACT Brumbies (Super 12)
Shayne Dunley	Northern Eagles	Parramatta Eels
Jason Ferris	Northern Eagles	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Wade Forrester	Northern Eagles	Retirement
Jamie Goddard	Northern Eagles	Retirement
John Hopoate	Northern Eagles	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Nik Kosef	Northern Eagles	Retirement
Tasesa Lavea	Northern Eagles	Auckland (New Zealand rugby union)
Danny Lima	Northern Eagles	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Nathan Long	Northern Eagles	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Ben MacDougall	Northern Eagles	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Steve Menzies	Northern Eagles	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Robert Miles	Northern Eagles	Wests Tigers
Scott Pethybridge	Northern Eagles	Retirement
Brendon Reeves	Northern Eagles	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Mark Shipway	Northern Eagles	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Albert Torrens	Northern Eagles	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
David Westley	Northern Eagles	Retirement
Luke Williamson	Northern Eagles	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Michael Buettner	Parramatta Eels	Wests Tigers
Scott Donald	Parramatta Eels	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Brad Drew	Parramatta Eels	Canberra Raiders
Ian Hindmarsh	Parramatta Eels	Canberra Raiders
Ben Kusto	Parramatta Eels	Retirement
Andrew McFadden	Parramatta Eels	Melbourne Storm
Andrew Ryan	Parramatta Eels	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Ned Catic	Penrith Panthers	Sydney Roosters
John Cross	Penrith Panthers	St. George Illawarra Dragons
Jody Gall	Penrith Panthers	Retirement
Lee Hopkins	Penrith Panthers	Parramatta Eels
Justin Brooker	South Sydney Rabbitohs	Retirement
Chris Caruana	South Sydney Rabbitohs	Retirement
Anthony Colella	South Sydney Rabbitohs	Super League: Huddersfield Giants
Glenn Grief	South Sydney Rabbitohs	Retirement
Brent Grose	South Sydney Rabbitohs	Super League: Warrington Wolves
Andrew King	South Sydney Rabbitohs	Super League: London Broncos
Paul McNicholas	South Sydney Rabbitohs	North Queensland Cowboys
Adam Muir	South Sydney Rabbitohs	Retirement
Adam Peek	South Sydney Rabbitohs	Parramatta Eels
Luke Felsch	St. George Illawarra Dragons	Retirement
Lee Hookey	St. George Illawarra Dragons	South Sydney Rabbitohs
Jason Hooper	St. George Illawarra Dragons	Super League: St. Helens
Shane Millard	St. George Illawarra Dragons	Super League: Widnes Vikings
Willie Peters	St. George Illawarra Dragons	South Sydney Rabbitohs
Justin Smith	St. George Illawarra Dragons	South Sydney Rabbitohs
Bryan Fletcher	Sydney Roosters	South Sydney Rabbitohs
Paul Green	Sydney Roosters	Parramatta Eels
Dallas Hood	Sydney Roosters	Super League: Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
David Kidwell	Sydney Roosters	Melbourne Storm
Brett Mullins	Sydney Roosters	Retirement
Luke Phillips	Sydney Roosters	Retirement
Steven Crouch	Wests Tigers	Parramatta Eels
Ben Jeffries	Wests Tigers	Super League: Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Kevin McGuinness	Wests Tigers	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Hassan Saleh	Wests Tigers	St. George Illawarra Dragons
Matt Seers	Wests Tigers	Super League: Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Robbie Beckett	Super League: Halifax Blue Sox	Wests Tigers
Tonie Carroll	Super League: Leeds Rhinos	Brisbane Broncos
Ben Walker	Super League: Leeds Rhinos	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Darren Treacy	Super League: Salford City Reds	Parramatta Eels
Solomon Haumono	Hiatus	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles

Sources and footnotes

1. "NRL salary cap guide | | ONE SPORT". tvnz.co.nz. 22 February 2006. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
2. Masters, Roy (17 March 2003). "The circus is back in town". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Digital. Retrieved 12 December 2009.
3. Pace, Daniel (7 September 2003). "Freddie sympathises with Gower but backs players' stance". Australian Associated Press. Retrieved 10 September 2007.^{[permanent dead link][dead link]}
4. "Dogs on top but grand final rematch is way down track". The Sydney Morning Herald. 22 November 2002. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
5. Proszenko, Adrian (6 May 2012). "Gallen set to smash record". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
6. Henderson, Philip; Fitzgibbon, Liam (1 April 2008). "Bennett, Furner set for new Roles". The Age. Archived from the original on 2 April 2008. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
7. B&T magazine article 2003 Archived 26 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
8. Middleton, David (21 April 2024). Rugby League 2004. South Melbourne: Thomas C Lothian Pty Ltd. pp. 182–183. ISBN 978-0734407252.
9. "2003 NRL Grand Final". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 8 March 2023.

External links

• NRL official website
• 2003 NRL "That's My Team" Season Advertisement
• 2003 NRL Grand Final Archived 30 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine at sportsphotography.net