NRL Grand Final Winners: Complete Premiership History (1908-2025)

The National Rugby League (NRL) grand final is the biggest rugby league game in Australia, deciding the champion of the country’s top rugby league competition.

Since the first season in 1908, the grand final has grown into one of Australia’s biggest sporting events, with huge TV audiences and full stadiums.

Latest NRL Grand Final Result (2025)

Brisbane Broncos defeated Melbourne Storm 26-22 in the 2025 NRL Grand Final, claiming their seventh premiership and first since 2006.

This victory ended Brisbane’s 19-year premiership drought and halted Penrith Panthers’ historic run of four consecutive championships.

Recent NRL Premiers (2016-2025)

The last decade has featured several remarkable championship performances:

Penrith Panthers’ Historic Dynasty (2021-2024)

The Penrith Panthers accomplished what many considered impossible in the salary cap era by winning four consecutive premierships from 2021 to 2024.

This remarkable achievement established them as one of the greatest dynasties in rugby league history, becoming the first team to win four straight titles since the legendary St. George Dragons, who claimed an unprecedented 11 consecutive premierships from 1956 to 1966.

Key elements of Penrith’s dynasty included:

• Core roster stability despite salary cap pressures
• Successful integration of junior talent
• Tactical innovation under coach Ivan Cleary
• Leadership from halfback Nathan Cleary
• Mental resilience in high-pressure finals matches

Most Successful NRL Clubs

The all-time premiership tally reveals the competition’s most successful clubs:

Complete NRL Premiers List (1908-2025)

Notable NRL Grand Final Records

Championship Dynasties

• St. George Dragons: 11 consecutive premierships (1956-1966) – the most dominant run in Australian sporting history
• Penrith Panthers: 4 consecutive premierships (2021-2024) – the longest streak in the NRL salary cap era
• Sydney Roosters: Back-to-back premierships (2018-2019) – the only other team to win consecutive titles in the 2010s

Grand Final Extremes

• Largest winning margin: Manly 40-0 vs. Melbourne (2008)
• Closest result: North Queensland 17-16 vs. Brisbane (2015) – won in golden point extra time
• Lowest scoring: Parramatta 4-2 vs. Canterbury (1986)
• Highest scoring: Sydney Roosters 38-0 vs. St. George (1975)

Historical Milestones

• First premier: South Sydney (1908)
• 100th season premier: Melbourne Storm (2007, later stripped)
• First team to win from 8th place: Western Suburbs (1934)
• First golden point grand final: North Queensland vs. Brisbane (2015)

The Super League War Era (1997-1998)

The 1997 season marked a unique chapter in Australian rugby league history, with two separate competitions running concurrently due to the “Super League War” – a corporate dispute between traditional rugby league authorities and media mogul Rupert Murdoch:

• ARL Competition: Newcastle Knights defeated Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 22-16
• Super League Competition: Brisbane Broncos defeated Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 26-8

The competitions reconciled in 1998, merging to form the current National Rugby League (NRL), with the Brisbane Broncos defeating the Canterbury Bulldogs 38-12 in the unified competition’s first grand final.

Melbourne Storm Salary Cap Scandal

In 2010, the NRL discovered Melbourne Storm had systematically breached the league’s salary cap regulations over several years. As punishment:

• Their 2007 and 2009 premierships were stripped
• These titles remain vacant (not awarded to the runners-up)
• The club was forced to play the remainder of the 2010 season for no premiership points
• Financial penalties were imposed

Despite this setback, Melbourne rebuilt successfully, winning legitimate premierships in 2012, 2017, and 2020.

FAQs

Which team has won the most NRL premierships?

South Sydney Rabbitohs have the most with 21 premierships, though many were won before the NRL era (NSWRL). In the modern NRL era (since 1998), Melbourne Storm and Sydney Roosters lead with 4 official premierships each.

What is the longest streak of premiership victories?

St. George Dragons won 11 premierships in a row from 1956 to 1966. In the salary cap era, the Penrith Panthers’ four premierships in a row (2021-2024) is the longest streak.

Has any team won the NRL grand final from outside the top four?

Yes, the Canterbury Bulldogs (1995) and Wests Tigers (2005) both won premierships after finishing sixth on the ladder, while the North Queensland Cowboys (2017) reached the grand final from eighth position but lost to Melbourne.

When did the first NRL grand final take place?

The first grand final in the competition’s history was played in 1908, with South Sydney beating Eastern Suburbs 14-12. The first grand final under the “NRL” brand specifically was in 1998, when Brisbane beat Canterbury 38-12.

How many clubs have played in NRL grand finals?

Twenty-two different clubs have reached the grand final across the competition’s history, with seventeen of those winning at least one premiership. The most recent first-time grand finalist was the New Zealand Warriors in 2002.