Season Summary
This season saw the opening of the new Parramatta Stadium and on 29 June the final game was played at the old Sydney Sports Ground: Eastern Suburbs Roosters v North Sydney Bears.
In total twenty-six regular season rounds were played from March till September, resulting in a top five of Parramatta, Souths, Canterbury, Manly and Balmain who battled it out in the finals. Parramatta completed a perfect season, winning the pre-season competition, the midweek Panasonic Cup, finishing the regular season as minor premiers, winning the Grand Final and farewelling their international long time stars Mick Cronin and Ray Price as victorious champions.
The 1986 season's Rothmans Medallist was Manly-Warringah forward, Mal Cochrane. Parramatta's halfback, Peter Sterling was given the Dally M Award as well as Rugby League Week's player of the year award. The Coca-Cola Rugby League Coach-of-the-Year award was given to George Piggins who took South Sydney to the finals in his first year as coach.
The new management and marketing direction that had been undertaken by the NSWRL in the 1980s meant that at the end of this season the League was able to announce a profit of $3.7 million and an increase in attendance of 22%.
At the end of the season several players from the Premiership were selected for the 1986 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France.
Read more about this topic: 1986 NSWRL Season
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