1996 Illawarra Steelers season

Season 1996
Illawarra Steelers
CEO	Bob Millward
Head Coach	Allan McMahon
Captain	John Cross
ARL	14 (out of 20)
Top Try scorer	Rod Wishart (14)
Top Points scorer	Rod Wishart (160)
Reserve Grade	8 (of 20), Preliminary Final
President's Cup	3 (of 20), Preliminary Final
Highest home attendance	9,744 (vs. Western Suburbs Magpies, 22 March 1996, at WIN Stadium)
Lowest home attendance	4,883 (vs. South Queensland Crushers, 5 May 1996, at WIN Stadium)
Average home attendance	7,434 (Total 81,778)
← Previous season 1995	Next season → 1997

The 1996 Illawarra Steelers season was the fifteenth in the club's history. They competed in the Australian Rugby League's 1996 Optus Cup season, finishing in 14th place on the ladder, missing out on the finals for the fourth year in a row. The Reserve Grade and President's Cup teams both missed out on their respective Grand Finals by one game, whilst the junior Steelers - the S.G. Ball and Harold Matthew's sides both won their competitions.

Player Movements

Gains

Player	Previous Club

Losses

Player	Joined Club

Squad

No.		Position	Player
		HB	Glen Air
		LK	Adam Bristow
		HK	Dean Callaway
		FB	Paul Carige
		WG	Wayne Clifford
		PR	David Cox
		LK	John Cross (c)
		PR	Maea David
		PR	Darrien Doherty
		PR	Scott England
		PR	Darren Fritz
		HK	Brad Hepi
		LK	Brad Mackay
		CE	Paul McGregor
		FB	Brendan O'Meara

No.		Position	Player
		SR	Neil Piccinelli
		HK	Andrew Purcell
		FB	Brendon Reeves
		SR	Wayne Richards
		FB	David Riolo
		CE	Brett Rodwell
		WG	Fili Seru
		CE	Craig Simon
		PR	Craig Smith
		CE	Shaun Timmins
		PR	David Walsh
		HB	Josh White
		PR	Kyle White
		WG	Rod Wishart

Draw and Results

Quick Summary

1997 Illawarra Steelers season summary

Round	Home	Score	Away
1	Steelers	8-17	Wests
2	Auckland	18-10	Steelers
3	Brisbane	54-4	Steelers
4	Steelers	56-14	Souths
5	Chargers	28-20	Steelers
6	Steelers	20-30	Auckland

Round	Home	Score	Away
7	Steelers	18-14	Sth Qld
8	Nth Qld	24-8	Steelers
9	Steelers	18-12	Dragons
10	Canterbury	12-0	Steelers
11	Canberra	16-14	Steelers
12	Steelers	14-6	Brisbane

Round	Home	Score	Away
13	Nth Syd	48-18	Steelers
14	Steelers	8-16	Manly
15	Steelers	18-19	Reds
16	Eels	34-18	Steelers
17	Steelers	16-32	Sydney
18	Newcastle	22-34	Steelers

Round	Home	Score	Away
19	Steelers	21-14	Sharks
20	Balmain	16-14	Steelers
21	Steelers	42-2	Penrith
22	Wests	12-8	Steelers

Regular Season

March

Round 1: Illawarra Steelers vs. Western Suburbs Magpies

22 March 1996

Competition: Optus Cup
Referee (F): Kelvin Jeffes

Venue: WIN Stadium
Location: Wollongong, New South Wales
Attendance: 9,744

Illawarra Steelers	(0) 8 - 17 (6)	Western Suburbs Magpies
Tries: Fili Seru 2		Tries: Craig Coleman Ciriaco Mescia Damian Kennedy
Goals: Rod Wishart 0/2		Goals: Andrew Leeds 2/3, field goal

O'Meara; Wishart, Rodwell, McGregor, Seru; C.Simon, J.White; Fritz, Callaway, England, Cross (c), Richards, Timmins. Cox, Hepi, Bristow.

Round 2: Auckland Warriors vs. Illawarra Steelers

31 March 1996

Competition: Optus Cup
Referee (F): David Manson

Venue: Ericsson Stadium
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Attendance: 17,246

Auckland Warriors	(6) 18 - 10 (0)	Illawarra Steelers
Tries: Tea Roparti 2 Richie Blackmore		Tries: Paul McGregor Rod Wishart
Goals: Greg Alexander 2/2 Gavin Hill 1/2		Goals: Rod Wishart 1/2

O'Meara; Wishart, Rodwell, McGregor, Seru; C.Simon, J.White; Fritz, Callaway, Richards, Mackay, Cross (c), Timmins. D.Walsh, Piccinelli, England, Carige.

Reserve Grade: Illawarra Steelers defeated Auckland Warriors 18-12.

April

Round 3: Brisbane Broncos vs. Illawarra Steelers

Saturday 6 April 1996

Competition: Optus Cup
Referee (F): Kelvin Jeffes

Venue: ANZ Stadium
Location: Brisbane, Queensland
Attendance: 24,577

Brisbane Broncos	(26) 54 - 4 (4)	Illawarra Steelers
Tries: Darren Lockyer 2 Willie Carne Glenn Lazarus Michael Hancock Wendell Sailor Darren Smith Steve Renouf Peter Ryan John Plath		Tries: Rod Wishart
Goals: Willie Carne 6/9 Darren Lockyer 1/1		Goals: Rod Wishart 0/1

O'Meara; Wishart, Rodwell, McGregor, Seru; C.Simon, J.White; Fritz, Callaway, Richards, Mackay, Timmins, Cross (c). Carige, Walsh, Doherty, Hepi.

Reserve Grade: Brisbane defeated Illawarra 24-14

Round 4: Illawarra Steelers vs. South Sydney Rabbitohs

Sunday 14 April 1996

Competition: Optus Cup
Referee (F): Rob Alexander

Venue: Steelers Stadium
Location: Wollongong, New South Wales
Attendance: 7,083

Illawarra Steelers	(20) 56 - 14 (10)	South Sydney Rabbitohs
Tries: Glen Air 3 Brad Mackay 2 Brett Rodwell 2 Brad Hepi David Riolo Rod Wishart		Tries: Darrell Trindall Paul Mellor
Goals: Rod Wishart 8/11		Goals: Craig Field 3/4

Riolo; Wishart, Timmins, McGregor, Seru; Mackay, Air; Fritz, Hepi, Walsh, Cross (c), Doherty, Rodwell. Richards, England, Cox, J.White.

Souths forward Martin Masella was sent-off after 35 minutes for an illegal use of the elbow. Steelers hooker Brad Hepi was cited for a high tackle, but later exonerated.

Reserve Grade: Illawarra defeated Souths 18-2.

Round 5: Gold Coast Chargers vs. Illawarra Steelers

20 April 1996

Competition: Optus Cup
Referee (F): Graeme West

Venue: Carrara Stadium
Location: Gold Coast, Queensland
Attendance: 7,251

Gold Coast Chargers	(16) 28 - 20 (10)	Illawarra Steelers
Tries: Dave Watson 2 Shane Kenward David Baildon Lee Oudenryn		Tries: Rod Wishart Glen Air Darren Fritz Brendan O'Meara
Goals: Lee Oudenryn 2/3 Brad Hurst 2/3		Goals: Rod Wishart 2/4

Riolo; Wishart, Timmins, Simon, Seru; Mackay, Air; Fritz, Hepi, Walsh, Doherty, Cross (c), Rodwell. Cox, Richards, O'Meara, J.White.

Gold Coast Chargers winger David Baildon was sent-off after 39 minutes for striking and was later sentenced to six weeks on the sideline. The Steelers, however, could not use the extra man advantage in the second-half to win the game. They were able to peg the score back to 16-all early in the second-half, but were unable go on with it. Two tries to the Chargers assured victory for the home team.

Reserve Grade: Illwarra defeated Gold Coast 20-10.

Round 6: Illawarra Steelers vs. Auckland Warriors

Sunday 28 April 1996

Competition: Optus Cup
Referee (F): Rob Alexander

Venue: Steelers Stadium
Location: Wollongong, New South Wales
Attendance: 8,055

Illawarra Steelers	(20) 20 - 30 (6)	Auckland Warriors
Tries: Kyle White John Cross Shaun Timmins		Tries: Phil Blake Stacey Jones Greg Alexander T. Tatupu Marc Ellis
Goals: Rod Wishart 4/4		Goals: Gene Ngamu 3/3 G. Hill 2/2

Riolo; Wishart, Timmins, Simon, Seru; Mackay, Air; Fritz, Hepi, Walsh, Doherty, Cross (c), Rodwell. K.White, Richards, O'Meara, Purcell.

The Steelers coughed up a 20-6 lead at half-time with some sloppy handling and disastrous defence to give away 24 unanswered second-half points to the boys that travelled from across the Tasman.

Reserve Grade: Illawarra defeated Auckland 29-10.

May

Round 7: Illawarra Steelers vs. South Queensland Crushers

5 May 1996

Competition: Optus Cup

Venue: Steelers Stadium
Location: Wollongong, New South Wales

Illawarra Steelers	(10) 18 - 14 (12)	South Queensland Crushers
Tries:		Tries:
Goals:		Goals:

Round 8: North Queensland Cowboys vs. Illawarra Steelers

Competition: Optus Cup
Referee (F): Eddie Ward

Venue: Stockland Stadium
Location: Townsville, Queensland

North Queensland Cowboys	(6) 24 - 8 (8)	Illawarra Steelers
Tries:		Tries:
Goals:		Goals:

Round 9: Illawarra Steelers vs. St. George Dragons

18 May 1996

Competition: Optus Cup
Referee (F): Kelvin Jeffes

Venue: Steelers Stadium
Location: Wollongong, New South Wales

Illawarra Steelers	(8) 18 - 12 (0)	St. George Dragons
Tries:		Tries:
Goals:		Goals:

Round 10: Canterbury Bulldogs vs. Illawarra Steelers

Friday 31 May 1996

Competition: Optus Cup
Referee (F): Graeme West

Venue: Belmore Sports Ground
Location: Sydney, New South Wales
Attendance: 6,022

Canterbury Bulldogs	(2) 12 - 0 (0)	Illawarra Steelers
Tries:		Tries:
Goals:		Goals:

June

Round 11: Canberra Raiders vs. Illawarra Steelers

Competition: Optus Cup

Venue: Bruce Stadium
Location: Canberra, ACT

Canberra Raiders	(6) 16 - 14 (8)	Illawarra Steelers
Tries: Noa Nadruku S.Stone Simon Woolford		Tries: Neil Piccinelli Brendon Reeves
Goals: Robinson 1/1 Jason Ferris 1/4		Goals: Shaun Timmins 3/4

Reserve Grade: Illawarra defeated Canberra 22-16.

Round 12: Illawarra Steelers vs. Brisbane Broncos

Competition: Optus Cup

Venue: Steelers Stadium
Location: Wollongong, New South Wales

Illawarra Steelers	() 14 - 6 ()	Brisbane Broncos
Tries:		Tries:
Goals:		Goals:

Round 13: North Sydney Bears vs. Illawarra Steelers

Competition: Optus Cup

Venue: North Sydney Oval
Location: North Sydney, New South Wales

North Sydney Bears	() 48 - 18 ()	Illawarra Steelers
Tries:		Tries:
Goals:		Goals:

July

Round 14: Illawarra Steelers vs. Manly Sea Eagles

Competition: Optus Cup

Illawarra Steelers	() 8 - 16 ()	Manly Sea Eagles
Tries:		Tries:
Goals:		Goals:

Ladder

	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
1	Manly-Warringah	22	18	0	4	549	191	+358	36
2	Brisbane	21	17	0	4	607	263	+344	34
3	North Sydney	22	15	2	5	598	325	+273	32
4	Sydney City	22	15	1	6	521	321	+200	31
5	Cronulla-Sutherland	21	14	2	5	399	268	+131	30
6	Canberra	21	13	1	7	538	384	+154	27
7	St. George	21	12	1	8	443	360	+83	27
8	Western Suburbs	22	12	1	9	394	434	−40	25
9	Newcastle	21	10	1	10	416	388	+28	23
10	Canterbury	21	11	0	10	375	378	−3	22
11	Auckland	21	10	0	11	412	427	−15	22
12	Balmain	22	11	0	11	319	459	−140	22
13	Parramatta	21	9	1	11	404	415	−11	21
14	Illawarra	22	8	0	14	403	444	−41	16
15	Penrith	21	7	1	13	363	464	−101	15
16	Western Reds	21	6	1	14	313	420	−107	13
17	North Queensland	21	6	0	15	288	643	−355	12
18	Gold Coast	22	5	1	16	359	521	−162	11
19	South Sydney	22	5	1	16	314	634	−320	11
20	South Queensland	21	3	0	18	220	496	−276	8

Home Crowd Averages

Round	Opposition	Venue	Crowd
Round 1	Western Suburbs Magpies	Steelers Stadium, Wollongong	9,744
Round 4	South Sydney Rabbitohs	Steelers Stadium, Wollongong	7,083
Round 6	Auckland Warriors	Steelers Stadium, Wollongong	8,055
Round 7	South Queensland Crushers	Steelers Stadium, Wollongong	4,883
Round 9	St. George Dragons	Steelers Stadium, Wollongong	8,529
Round 12	Brisbane Broncos	Steelers Stadium, Wollongong	6,121
Round 14	Manly Sea Eagles	Steelers Stadium, Wollongong	9,638
Round 15	WA Reds	Steelers Stadium, Wollongong	7,115
Round 17	Sydney City Roosters	Steelers Stadium, Wollongong	5,247
Round 19	Cronulla Sharks	Steelers Stadium, Wollongong	8,017
Round 21	Penrith Panthers	Steelers Stadium, Wollongong	7,346
Total			81,778
Average			7,434

References

External links

Illawarra Steelers

Est. 1982 in Wollongong, New South Wales

The club

Home grounds

Wollongong Showground

League

Current	National Rugby League

Past	NSWRL ARL

Important figures

Seasons (17)

1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999

Other
competitions

Current	Harold Matthews Cup S.G. Ball Cup

Past	Amco Cup Jersey Flegg Cup New South Wales Cup

Affiliations

St George Illawarra Dragons

1996 in rugby league

« 1995

1997 »

International Rugby League

British Rugby League

Competitions	RFL Championship Super League Division One Division Two Challenge Cup Regal Trophy

SL Teams	Bradford Bulls Castleford Tigers Halifax Blue Sox Leeds London Broncos Oldham Bears Paris Saint-Germain Sheffield Eagles St Helens Warrington Wolves Wigan Warriors Clash of the Codes Workington Town

Australian Rugby League

Competitions	State of Origin ARL season Grand Final Queensland Cup BRL Premiership

By club	Auckland Warriors Balmain Tigers Brisbane Broncos Canterbury Bulldogs Canberra Raiders Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Illawarra Steelers Gold Coast Chargers Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles Newcastle Knights North Queensland Cowboys North Sydney Bears Parramatta Eels Penrith Panthers Sydney Roosters St. George Dragons South Sydney Rabbitohs South Queensland Crushers Western Suburbs Magpies Western Reds

Other Domestic competitions

New Zealand

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