The NRL has had some excellent premiership teams since 2005, many of them including some of the best players of the modern era. This list ranks these premiership winning sides against one another, based on their overall season and players.
2005 was the last time a grand final took place with players that are still active in the NRL.
2005 was the year of “Marshall Magic” as Benji Marshall took the Wests Tigers to their first premiership win. Brett Hodgson, Pat Richards, Scott Prince, Robbie Farah, Dene Halatau and Anthony Laffranchi are just some of the players that helped make 2005 a successful season for the Tigers.
The 2016 premiership victory by the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks was what fans of the club had been hoping for since the formation of the team. Though it was a hard fought grand final Ben Barba, James Maloney, Andrew Fifita, Luke Lewis, Wade Graham, Paul Gallen and the rest of the Sharks side were deserving of the win and the premiership.
The 2012 premiership win was a monumental one for the Melbourne Storm, as they had lost their 2007 and 2009 titles. Billy Slater, Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk, Kevin Proctor, Gareth Widdop, Will Chambers and Ryan Hoffman are just a few of the players that ensured the Storm defeated the Bulldogs and claimed a legitimate premiership victory.
John Sutton captained the South Sydney Rabbitohs to their first premiership win since 1971. The grand final saw the Rabbitohs defeat the Bulldogs by 24 points in a runaway victory. The strong side included Greg Inglis, Sam Burgess, Ben Te’o, Luke Keary, Dylan Walker and Lote Tuqiri.
Jonathan Thurston, Michael Morgan and Jason Taumalolo were the three key players for the North Queensland Cowboys as they secured their first ever premiership. Though it took a golden point victory in the grand final, the Cowboys always looked likely for the title. The previously mentioned stars were joined by Gavin Cooper, Kyle Feldt, Matt Scott and more in a great team.
The rugby league world was shocked when the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles defeat the Storm 40-0 in the largest grand final victory of all time. Despite the Storm not having Cameron Smith for the match, the Sea Eagles were not going to be stopped. The likes of Jamie Lyon, David Williams, Anthony Watmough, Matt Orford and the Stewart brothers all came together to finish on top in the 2008 season.
The 2006 Brisbane Broncos team was always going to be hard to stop, so it came as a surprise to few that they secured the premiership. The legendary Darren Lockyer lead an incredible team that included Shane Webcke, Justin Hodges, Petero Civoniceva, Tonie Carroll, Brent Tate, Karmichael Hunt and many more.
The 2013 Sydney Roosters side is the first of the minor premiers and premiers on the list. These sides take the top three positions because they dominated the competition for the majority of the year. Anthony Minichiello, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Michael Jennings, Mitchell Pearce, James Maloney and Sonny Bill-Williams are Roosters team members that defeated the Sea Eagles in the grand final.
The 2010 St. George Illawarra Dragons side defeated the Roosters 32-8 in the grand final in an impressive performance. An all-star backline of Darius Boyd, Brett Morris, Matt Cooper, Mark Gasnier and Jason Nightingale combined with forwards such as Beau Scott, Jeremy Smith and Michael Weyman to form an unstoppable team.
The Melbourne Storm team of 2017 included some of the best NRL players of all time as well as a mix of young superstars. The Storm lost only four games the entire year as they charged towards the premiership, defeating the Cowboys convincingly in the grand final. Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith played alongside Cameron Munster, Jesse Bromwich, Will Chambers, Jordan McLean, Ryan Hoffman and so many other stars in one of the best sides of the modern era.