The 2023 season was action-packed with plenty of high and lows and that culminated in one of the best grand finals of all time.
The Panthers produced the biggest grand final comeback in NRL history to deny the Broncos and clinch the first three-peat in 40 years.
There were 15 teams that didn’t make the decider but they were still involved in plenty of drama throughout the season.
Here foxsports.com.au takes a look at 23 of the biggest moments of 2023, in no particular order.
Papenhuyzen eyeing off round one return | 01:32
CLEARY TWO-POINT FIELD GOAL
It was described as “the greatest clutch play every ever” and an “act of God” by league legend Matty Johns. Cleary kicked a stunning two-point field goal to bring the scores level and force golden point against the Eels in Round 4. Parramatta ultimately went on to win the game, but it was still Cleary’s moment of brilliance that stole the show. “You even saw the Parra fans clapping, that’s how good it was, it was an extraordinary effort,” Eels legend Nathan Hindmarsh said at the time.
RAIDERS V KNIGHTS ELIMINATION FINAL
It was expected to be a one-act affair when the Knights, on a nine-match winning streak, hosted the Raiders in a home elimination final. The Raiders were probably a bit fortunate to make the eight considering their late season form and shocking points difference, so there weren’t high hopes against Newcastle. That didn’t effect Ricky’s men though, with the Raiders shooting out to a 16-6 lead before a biting allegation from Tyson Gamble towards Jack Wighton seemed to turn the momentum in favour of the home team. Newcastle would score 22 unanswered points and looked home when up 28-16, however, two late Canberra tries set up extra time. The Raiders had two excellent chances to kick field goals, but missed both. The epic clash ended when Knights star Kalyn Ponga knocked over an easy penalty conversion in the final minute of extra time after a Raiders player was deemed to be offside.
WALSH’S ORIGIN WALK OFF
A moment that will forever be etched in the minds of Maroons fans. Reece Walsh, after being sent to the sin bin for his part in a fracas with Jarome Luai, amped up a packed Suncorp Stadium crowd. He kissed the Queensland badge and was embraced by his teammates and legends alike, having played a major role in his state’s Origin series victory. Ultimately, the young gun didn’t take part in Game III due to suspension, but he’d already done enough to retain the Origin shield.
TWAL’S DROUGHT-BREAKING TRY
It took him 116 NRL games, but Tigers enforcer Alex Twal finally grounded the ball over the white line. Rugby league fans across the country erupted and the moment was labelled a “miracle” with the merger club’s faithful eagerly awaiting a Twal try each week that rolled on. His four-pointer was the only try Tim Sheens’ side scored against the Storm in Round 16, but it was one of the best feel-good moments of the year.
‘UP THE WAHS’
‘Up the Wahs’ chants spread across the world as the Warriors made an unthinkable charge to the finals. NBA Championship-winning coach Steve Kerr got involved, while the phrase was even published in the New York Times. Andrew Webster’s Warriors inspired a rugby union-loving nation to get behind the New Zealand rugby league side. In return, they came only 80 minutes away from the grand final and surpassed all expectations, only going down to a red hot Broncos team.
JOSH SCHUSTER BEING DROPPED… TWICE
Following the exit of Manly veteran Kieran Foran, the five-eighth baton was passed down to whiz kid Josh Schuster. The 22-year-old was making a long-awaited switch in to the halves and failed to live up to expectations. Schuster was dropped on two occasions, with captain Daly Cherry-Evans laying down the law after his first omission. “That is rugby league mate – if you’re not willing to work hard enough, if you’re not willing to sacrifice, you just don’t last long,” he said. During the season Sea Eagles powerbrokers also re-signed him on a hefty $800k contract, and ultimately he will make the switch back to the back row with Luke Brooks’ arrival.
RABBITOHS RUMBLINGS
The Rabbitohs were on top of the world – and the ladder – after Round 11 and had even gone ahead of the Panthers as premiership favourites.
But fast forward to the first week of finals and South Sydney weren’t playing after inexplicably falling out of the top eight.
But the biggest bombshell of the season was when Rabbitohs legend Sam Burgess walked out on the club ahead of their biggest game of the season.
Burgess quit his post as assistant coach after raising concerns about double standards for star players Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker.
It came just days before Souths needed to beat arch rivals the Roosters in the final round to book their finals berth. They lost 26-12.
SJ’S DALLY M SNUB AND PONGA’S TRIUMPH
Almost every rugby league fan thought Warriors veteran Shaun Johnson’s name was engraved on the Dally M Medal. But Kalyn Ponga had other ideas and his late surge saw him pop the halfback at the post, beating him by a single point accrued in the final round. While Ponga was undoubtedly one of the competition’s form players and arguably the best to close out the year, even he felt bad for Johnson who rejuvenated himself across the Tasman.
TIGERS’ SHEENS BACKFLIP
It was billed as the five-year plan to turn Tigers town around. It didn’t even last a season before Tim Sheens was shown the door. With another wooden spoon all but secured, Benji Marshall was handed the reins in August, 12 months earlier than initially planned. Sheens was meant to coach the club in 2023 and 2024, but after recording only three wins from 21 games, he was shown the door.
SUAALII’S RUGBY DEFECTION
The young gun’s contract situation was continually a hot topic after it was revealed he could negotiate with rivals at the end of each season. But eventually it wasn’t even a rugby league club that secured his services. In March, Rugby Australia landed a huge coup, signing the prodigious talent on a three-year deal worth around $5 million. Suaalii will join the rival code in 2025 ahead of a British and Irish Lions tour and a home World Cup. However, he may be looking for an exit clause on that deal after the Wallabies’ effort at this year’s tournament.
TITANS’ SECRET HOLBROOK AXING
The dust had just settled on Queensland’s Origin series victory, securing a win in Game II in front of a packed Suncorp Stadium. Then the Titans dropped a bombshell, announcing Justin Holbrook would leave the club with immediate effect, with premiership-winning coach Des Hasler signing on from 2024 onwards. That move also had a ripple effect, rendering both Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and David Fifita free to negotiate with rivals due to a clause linked to Holbrook being the club’s coach. Eventually both would re-sign, but it proved costly for Gold Coast powerbrokers.
BEN HUNT’S NO-SECRET DESIRES
Anthony Griffin was shown the door unsurprisingly by Dragons powerbrokers, but what came next was head-wobbling for Red V fans. Griffin was sacked in May and in June it was revealed Ben Hunt wanted to leave the club immediately. Incoming coach Shane Flanagan was then tasked with convincing the star player to remain at the club amid poaching raids from Queensland clubs. Hunt reportedly still isn’t happy with the club’s direction and wants to return home to the sunshine state, but for now he is staying put.
WIGHTON’S RABBITOHS DEFECTION
Wighton dropped a bombshell on the Raiders when he revealed he would be hitting the open market for the first time since he landed in the nationa’s capital. Canberra powerbrokers did their best to keep the club’s talisman, but he eventually signed a lucrative deal to join the Rabbitohs for the 2024 season. His departure marked the end of an era for Ricky Stuart’s side, having had the representative star steering them around the park since he made his debut in 2012. Wighton played 242 games for the Raiders, but is set to finish his NRL career in Redfern.
COLLINS OUTLEAPS TEDESCO
If the pressure wasn’t already on Tedesco, there’s one moment in Game I of the Origin series he’d have loved to forget. His Roosters teammate, Lindsay Collins, outleaped him to reel in a Daly Cherry-Evans bomb, before passing to Cameron Munster to score a 77th minute try. Collins, a prop, sailed over the reliable fullback who was enduring one of his lowest spells in the sport to start the season. Like all champions do, Tedesco bounced back to close out the year and steered the Tricolours to the second week of finals.
DRAGONS’ WIN OVER ROOSTERS
Three days after the firing of coach Anthony Griffin, the Dragons responded with a dramatic last minute win over the Roosters in Round 8 with centre Mat Feagai’s match-winning four-pointer awarded ‘Try of the Year’. Down 22-18, Dragons fullback Tyrell Sloan put a cross-field kick up for Feagai, who chased it down and scored near the posts with 20 seconds left. Oh my goodness, who writes this script? Rugby league — you beautiful thing,” Fox League’s Andrew Voss said in commentary. After a tough week for the proud club, it was the perfect tonic and the highlight of what was a dismal season.
PANTHERS’ THREE-PEAT
The Panthers etched their name in rugby league history in 2023, becoming the first team since the 1981 Eels to do the three-peat. Ivan Cleary’s men once again climbed the mountain, and in the process sparked conversations regarding if this team are the best of the NRL era. Now the next question will be can the Panthers win four in-a-row? Spencer Leniu, Stephen Crichton, Jack Cogger and Jaeman Salmon are all departing but rugby league fans know by now, Penrith will always find a way to replace their stars.
Addo-Carr suspended two games for brawl | 00:29
DOLPHINS MAKE A SPLASH IN NRL DEBUT
Expectations for the Dolphins weren’t exactly high heading into their first ever NRL game with the Roosters, their Round 1 opponents the heavy favourites. In a performance which surprised almost everyone, the NRL’s newest side ran over the top of the premiership fancies in a 28-18 win. It was a popular result and it caused many to jump on the bandwagon, with ‘Phins Up’ chants being heard in every pub and club in Queensland. While the Dolphins wouldn’t make the finals in their debut season, the Round 1 win was the beginning of what was a successful 2023, proving the NRL’s decision to hand Queensland another team was the right call.
BIG RED’S ORIGIN DEBUT
It was a debut even NSW fans were excited for. Raiders enforcer Corey Horsburgh, who had a career-best season in the nation’s capital, earned a for Origin debut in Game III. It capped off a remarkable campaign and story of perseverance, suffering several ugly injuries across the 2020 and 2021 seasons which made him question if he was play NRL ever again. At one point he even tore every ligament off every toe, but still he stuck with it and achieved heights many thought he would never reach. Well done ‘Big Red’.
ROOSTERS’ RUN HOME
In Round 22 the Roosters sat in 14th place, with their finals hopes fading fast. But Trent Robinson had hope, and he somehow instilled it in his team to make an unthinkable finals charge. The Tricolours won five on the bounce, surging in to the top eight with a win over their cross-town rivals, the Rabbitohs, to close out the season and confirm they would take the field post-season. Robinson’s side then beat the Sharks by a single point before having their hearts broken by Melbourne’s Will Warbrick. Still, Roosters fans would have been scratching their head with only five weeks remaining in the regular season. But they can hold their heads high, having shown they are a team ready to compete.
HYNES’ ORIGIN AXING
Nicho Hynes earned his Origin debut in Game I of the 2023 series. He was named on the bench in Brad Fittler’s side, playing as the Blues’ utility. With 11 minutes remaining in the game, Tom Trbojevic suffered a head knock and left the field. Hynes took his spot in the centres and missed a crucial tackle on Cameron Munster, which led to Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow’s matchwinning try. Hynes was then axed for Game II in a brutal move by NSW selectors, with many questioning why he was named in the first place. The Sharks gun’s confidence was clearly shaky in the weeks after his axing, but luckily for Cronulla fans he found his mojo at the back-end of the season and eventually finished third on the Dally M leaderboard.
Luai shows true colours in lovely scenes | 00:17
O’BRIEN STICKS IT TO KNIGHTS BOSSES
In the middle of the season the Knights were sounding out potential replacements for coach Adam O’Brien.
Newcastle were sitting 14th on the ladder after Round 17 and O’Brien was reportedly set to be axed if his side dropped a fourth straight game when they faced the Bulldogs in Round 18.
Instead, the Knights produced their biggest win in club history with a 66-0 thumping that kickstarted a 10-game winning run.
The Knights charged to a fifth-placed finished on the ladder and hosted the Raiders in the first week of finals who they beat in an extra time thriller.
But the winning streak came to an end in Auckland the following week when Shaun Johnson’s Warriors were too strong.
CIRALDO’S ROOKIE SEASON TO FORGET
Despite a reasonable start, the Bulldogs’ first season under rookie coach Cameron Ciraldo finished as a complete flop.
Canterbury won two of their first three games before star recruit Viliame Kikau tore his pec at training following Round 4.
The Bulldogs only won another five games all season as star No. 6 Matt Burton struggled without a reliable halves partner.
Kikau returned in Round 22 when the Dogs beat the Dolphins but after that they finished the season with four straight losses.
Ciraldo was also forced to defend his training methods after a small group of players complained they were being worked too hard.
Ciraldo refused to apologise for driving standards despite a player taking mental health leave in the wake of a training punishment.
The player was forced to wrestle all his teammates after turning up 10 minutes late to training.
TIGERS’ ANZAC JERSEY SCANDAL
Tigers powerbrokers were forced to apologise after their ugly commemorative jersey gaffe. Eagle-eyed rugby league fans were quick to spot that the jersey’s design used a stock photo of American soldiers. Not Australian or New Zealand troops, with the design meant to commemorate and be worn during the NRL’s ANZAC round. The Tigers said they were “deeply sorry” in a statement but were also blasted for using Englishmen John Bateman as the man to model the club’s newest jersey design. Ugly scenes all around.
CLEARY’S GF 20-MINUTE MASTERCLASS
The Broncos had one hand on the 2023 NRL Premiership holding a 24-8 lead after 58 minutes. But Nathan Cleary had other ideas. The Penrith gun took over and recorded a try and two try assists to break the hearts of Brisbane fans across the nation. In the process he sparked widespread debate, with many questioning his place in the GOAT halfback conversation. His performance also secured a Panthers three-peat, the first time a team has won three premierships in-a-row since the 1981 Eels.
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