NRL Club Championship Returns
21st March 2009
The NRL has brought back a competition that used to be a feature of the first-grade season - the club championship. To be known as the NRL Club Championship, it's a combined points table for the NRL and NYC with each competition given equal weighting. Under the system, each club will be awarded two points for a win and for a bye, one point for a draw and zero points for a loss for each NRL and NYC match during the regular season. With the NRL and NYC now running side by side, it's a reminder of days gone by when the club championship was based on results in the first grade, reserve grade and President's Cup (under-21). It was a highly sought-after honour, too, which rewarded consistency across all grades. If such a championship had been running last year, the Vodafone Warriors would have ranked third after finishing eighth in the NRL minor premiership and third in the NYC regular season. Canberra would have been top with Brisbane second. South Sydney's stunning start to the 2009 season has propelled it to the top of the inaugural NRL Club Championship after big wins over the Sydney Roosters in both grades. "More and more fans are becoming club members and the NRL Club Championship highlights the importance our members and our clubs place on achieving success in both the NRL and Toyota Cup," said NRL chief executive David Gallop. "It is a great way for fans to gauge the overall strength of their club and it reflects the important status the NYC has in our game."