NRL Premiers: Every Premiership Winner Since 1908

Who has won the most NRL premierships? South Sydney holds the record with 21 titles, and the Sydney Roosters are now outright second with 16. Here is every NRL premiership winner since 1908, with grand final scores, records and the clubs still chasing a first title.

The Sydney Roosters are the 2026 NRL premiers. Trent Robinson’s side edged the Newcastle Knights 19-18 in the grand final at Accor Stadium on Sunday 4 October, with Daly Cherry-Evans kicking a 70th-minute field goal in his last NRL game and captain James Tedesco winning the Clive Churchill Medal. NRL.com reported a crowd of 80,814, and the Roosters came back from 12-0 down to win their first title since 2019.

It was the club’s 16th premiership, which lifts the Roosters past St George (15) into outright second on the all-time list. Only South Sydney, with 21, have won more. For Newcastle, a run from the 2025 wooden spoon to the decider ended one point short of a third title.

With free agency opening on 1 November and the Perth Bears joining as the competition’s 18th club in 2027, the race for the next premiership is already on. Here is how every title since 1908 was won, from the NSWRFL to the ARL, the one-off 1997 Super League season and the NRL era.

For form, stats and tips once the 2027 season starts, use TSB’s NRL Match Centre.

Most premierships by club

South Sydney Rabbitohs: 21 (last in 2014)
Sydney Roosters (Eastern Suburbs): 16 (last in 2026)
St George Dragons: 15 (last in 1979)
Balmain Tigers: 11 (last in 1969)
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles: 8 (last in 2011)
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs: 8 (last in 2004)
Brisbane Broncos: 7, including the 1997 Super League title (last in 2025)
Penrith Panthers: 6 (last in 2024)
Melbourne Storm: 4 (last in 2020; the 2007 and 2009 titles were stripped)
Parramatta Eels: 4 (last in 1986)
Western Suburbs Magpies: 4 (last in 1952)
Canberra Raiders: 3 (last in 1994)
Newtown Jets: 3 (last in 1943)
Newcastle Knights: 2 (last in 2001)
North Sydney Bears: 2 (last in 1922)
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks: 1 (2016)
North Queensland Cowboys: 1 (2015)
St George Illawarra Dragons: 1 (2010)
Wests Tigers: 1 (2005)
New Zealand Warriors, Gold Coast Titans and the Dolphins: yet to win one

The Warriors have lost both their grand finals, in 2002 and 2011, while the Titans and the Dolphins, who joined in 2023, are still waiting for their first decider. St George Illawarra and Wests Tigers count their joint-venture titles separately from the St George, Balmain and Western Suburbs totals above.

Grand final records

Biggest winning margin: 40 points, Manly 40 def. Melbourne 0 in 2008
Highest winning score: 42 points, South Sydney 42 def. Manly 14 in 1951, which is also the highest combined score in a premiership decider
Biggest crowd: 107,999 at Stadium Australia for Melbourne’s 20-18 win over St George Illawarra in 1999
One-point deciders: 1946 (Balmain), 1955 (South Sydney), 1985 (Canterbury), 2015 (North Queensland) and 2026 (Sydney Roosters)
Drawn grand finals: 1977 and 1978, both settled by a replay, with St George and Manly winning
Extra time: Canberra beat Balmain 19-14 in extra time in 1989, and North Queensland won the 2015 decider in golden point
Venue firsts: the 2021 grand final at Suncorp Stadium is the only NSWRL, ARL or NRL decider played outside Sydney

Two of those finishes are among the most famous in the game. In 1989, Steve Jackson’s extra-time try sealed Canberra’s first premiership, the first won by a club from outside Sydney. In 2015, Kyle Feldt’s try in the final seconds of normal time levelled the scores before Johnathan Thurston kicked a golden-point field goal for the Cowboys’ first title. Both feature in our top 10 greatest NRL grand finals of all time.

Back-to-back premierships and dynasties

St George’s 11 straight premierships from 1956 to 1966 remain the benchmark, and no other club has won more than five in a row. South Sydney won five straight from 1925 to 1929, and Penrith’s four in a row from 2021 to 2024 is the best run of the NRL era. Eastern Suburbs (1911-13 and 1935-37), Balmain (1915-17), South Sydney (1953-55) and Parramatta (1981-83) all won three in a row, while the Roosters went back to back in 2018 and 2019. If you want to know who drove those dynasties, read our top 25 Sydney Roosters players and top 25 Penrith Panthers players.

How the premiership has been decided

The grand final has not always decided the title. Between 1912 and 1925, and again in 1937, the premiership went to the team on top of the ladder, with a final only played when two teams finished level on points. From 1926 to 1953 the minor premiers had the right to challenge the winner of the final to a grand final. Since 1954, the grand final has been the only way to win the premiership. The scores below are for the deciding match each year, as listed by Rugby League Project.

Two years have no premier at all. In April 2010, the NRL stripped Melbourne Storm of its 2007 and 2009 premierships after confirming salary cap breaches, and ruled that neither Manly nor Parramatta, the beaten grand finalists, would take those titles.

NRL premiers (1998-2026)

2026: Sydney Roosters 19 def. Newcastle Knights 18
2025: Brisbane Broncos 26 def. Melbourne Storm 22
2024: Penrith Panthers 14 def. Melbourne Storm 6
2023: Penrith Panthers 26 def. Brisbane Broncos 24
2022: Penrith Panthers 28 def. Parramatta Eels 12
2021: Penrith Panthers 14 def. South Sydney Rabbitohs 12 at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
2020: Melbourne Storm 26 def. Penrith Panthers 20
2019: Sydney Roosters 14 def. Canberra Raiders 8
2018: Sydney Roosters 21 def. Melbourne Storm 6
2017: Melbourne Storm 34 def. North Queensland Cowboys 6
2016: Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 14 def. Melbourne Storm 12
2015: North Queensland Cowboys 17 def. Brisbane Broncos 16 (golden point)
2014: South Sydney Rabbitohs 30 def. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 6
2013: Sydney Roosters 26 def. Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 18
2012: Melbourne Storm 14 def. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 4
2011: Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 24 def. New Zealand Warriors 10
2010: St George Illawarra Dragons 32 def. Sydney Roosters 8
2009: No premier. Melbourne Storm beat Parramatta Eels 23-16, but the title was stripped in 2010 over salary cap breaches
2008: Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 40 def. Melbourne Storm 0
2007: No premier. Melbourne Storm beat Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 34-8, but the title was stripped in 2010 over salary cap breaches
2006: Brisbane Broncos 15 def. Melbourne Storm 8
2005: Wests Tigers 30 def. North Queensland Cowboys 16
2004: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 16 def. Sydney Roosters 13
2003: Penrith Panthers 18 def. Sydney Roosters 6
2002: Sydney Roosters 30 def. New Zealand Warriors 8
2001: Newcastle Knights 30 def. Parramatta Eels 24
2000: Brisbane Broncos 14 def. Sydney Roosters 6
1999: Melbourne Storm 20 def. St George Illawarra Dragons 18
1998: Brisbane Broncos 38 def. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 12

ARL and Super League premiers (1995-1997)

The Super League war split the game in 1997, when two separate competitions were played. Both champions are listed below.

1997 (ARL): Newcastle Knights 22 def. Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 16
1997 (Super League): Brisbane Broncos 26 def. Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 8 at ANZ Stadium, Brisbane
1996: Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 20 def. St George Dragons 8
1995: Sydney Bulldogs (Canterbury-Bankstown) 17 def. Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 4

NSWRL premiers (1908-1994)

1994: Canberra Raiders 36 def. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 12
1993: Brisbane Broncos 14 def. St George Dragons 6
1992: Brisbane Broncos 28 def. St George Dragons 8
1991: Penrith Panthers 19 def. Canberra Raiders 12
1990: Canberra Raiders 18 def. Penrith Panthers 14
1989: Canberra Raiders 19 def. Balmain Tigers 14 (after extra time)
1988: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 24 def. Balmain Tigers 12
1987: Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 18 def. Canberra Raiders 8
1986: Parramatta Eels 4 def. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 2
1985: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 7 def. St George Dragons 6
1984: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 6 def. Parramatta Eels 4
1983: Parramatta Eels 18 def. Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 6
1982: Parramatta Eels 21 def. Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 8
1981: Parramatta Eels 20 def. Newtown Jets 11
1980: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 18 def. Eastern Suburbs 4
1979: St George Dragons 17 def. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 13
1978: Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 16 def. Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 0 in a replay, after an 11-11 draw
1977: St George Dragons 22 def. Parramatta Eels 0 in a replay, after a 9-9 draw
1976: Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 13 def. Parramatta Eels 10
1975: Eastern Suburbs 38 def. St George Dragons 0
1974: Eastern Suburbs 19 def. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 4
1973: Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 10 def. Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 7
1972: Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 19 def. Eastern Suburbs 14
1971: South Sydney Rabbitohs 16 def. St George Dragons 10
1970: South Sydney Rabbitohs 23 def. Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 12
1969: Balmain Tigers 11 def. South Sydney Rabbitohs 2
1968: South Sydney Rabbitohs 13 def. Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 9
1967: South Sydney Rabbitohs 12 def. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 10
1966: St George Dragons 23 def. Balmain Tigers 4
1965: St George Dragons 12 def. South Sydney Rabbitohs 8
1964: St George Dragons 11 def. Balmain Tigers 6
1963: St George Dragons 8 def. Western Suburbs Magpies 3
1962: St George Dragons 9 def. Western Suburbs Magpies 6
1961: St George Dragons 22 def. Western Suburbs Magpies 0
1960: St George Dragons 31 def. Eastern Suburbs 6
1959: St George Dragons 20 def. Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 0
1958: St George Dragons 20 def. Western Suburbs Magpies 9
1957: St George Dragons 31 def. Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 9
1956: St George Dragons 18 def. Balmain Tigers 12
1955: South Sydney Rabbitohs 12 def. Newtown Jets 11
1954: South Sydney Rabbitohs 23 def. Newtown Jets 15
1953: South Sydney Rabbitohs 31 def. St George Dragons 12
1952: Western Suburbs Magpies 22 def. South Sydney Rabbitohs 12
1951: South Sydney Rabbitohs 42 def. Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 14
1950: South Sydney Rabbitohs 21 def. Western Suburbs Magpies 15
1949: St George Dragons 19 def. South Sydney Rabbitohs 12
1948: Western Suburbs Magpies 8 def. Balmain Tigers 5
1947: Balmain Tigers 13 def. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 9
1946: Balmain Tigers 13 def. St George Dragons 12
1945: Eastern Suburbs 22 def. Balmain Tigers 18
1944: Balmain Tigers 12 def. Newtown Jets 8
1943: Newtown Jets 34 def. North Sydney Bears 7
1942: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 11 def. St George Dragons 9
1941: St George Dragons 31 def. Eastern Suburbs 14
1940: Eastern Suburbs 24 def. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 14
1939: Balmain Tigers 33 def. South Sydney Rabbitohs 4
1938: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 19 def. Eastern Suburbs 6
1937: Eastern Suburbs (first past the post, no final; runner-up South Sydney Rabbitohs)
1936: Eastern Suburbs 32 def. Balmain Tigers 12
1935: Eastern Suburbs 19 def. South Sydney Rabbitohs 3
1934: Western Suburbs Magpies 15 def. Eastern Suburbs 12
1933: Newtown Jets 18 def. St George Dragons 5
1932: South Sydney Rabbitohs 19 def. Western Suburbs Magpies 12
1931: South Sydney Rabbitohs 12 def. Eastern Suburbs 7
1930: Western Suburbs Magpies 27 def. St George Dragons 2
1929: South Sydney Rabbitohs 30 def. Newtown Jets 10
1928: South Sydney Rabbitohs 26 def. Eastern Suburbs 5
1927: South Sydney Rabbitohs 20 def. St George Dragons 11
1926: South Sydney Rabbitohs 11 def. Sydney University 5
1925: South Sydney Rabbitohs (first past the post, no final; runner-up Western Suburbs Magpies)
1924: Balmain Tigers 3 def. South Sydney Rabbitohs 0
1923: Eastern Suburbs 15 def. South Sydney Rabbitohs 12
1922: North Sydney Bears 35 def. Glebe Dirty Reds 3
1921: North Sydney Bears (first past the post, no final; runner-up Eastern Suburbs)
1920: Balmain Tigers (first past the post, no final; runner-up South Sydney Rabbitohs)
1919: Balmain Tigers (first past the post, no final; runner-up Eastern Suburbs)
1918: South Sydney Rabbitohs (first past the post, no final; runner-up Western Suburbs Magpies)
1917: Balmain Tigers (first past the post, no final; runner-up South Sydney Rabbitohs)
1916: Balmain Tigers 5 def. South Sydney Rabbitohs 3
1915: Balmain Tigers (first past the post, no final; runner-up Glebe Dirty Reds)
1914: South Sydney Rabbitohs (first past the post, no final; runner-up Newtown Jets)
1913: Eastern Suburbs (first past the post, no final; runner-up Newtown Jets)
1912: Eastern Suburbs (first past the post, no final; runner-up Glebe Dirty Reds)
1911: Eastern Suburbs 11 def. Glebe Dirty Reds 8
1910: Newtown Jets drew 4-4 with South Sydney Rabbitohs in the final and took the title as minor premiers
1909: South Sydney Rabbitohs (Balmain forfeited the final)
1908: South Sydney Rabbitohs 14 def. Eastern Suburbs 12

Who wins the 2027 premiership?

The 2027 season opens in Las Vegas, and with 18 teams for the first time, the Perth Bears are tipped to host South Sydney in their first NRL match, according to reports. The full 2027 NRL draw is due on Monday 16 November, the day after the Rugby League World Cup final. Whether the Roosters go back to back, the Broncos or Panthers return to the top, or the Warriors, Titans, Dolphins or Bears break through for a first title, the next name on this list will be decided at the 2027 grand final, scheduled for Sunday 3 October. Follow every round on TSB’s NRL news and the NRL Match Centre.

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