Season Summary
The season is most notable for being run parallel to the rival Super League competition. This was the only season when the two competitions actually ran, notwithstanding that 1995 and 1996 had been disrupted by the Super League war.
ARL chairman Ken Arthurson resigned in February 1997 in an effort to enable re-unification negotiations held during the season to succeed. It wouldn't be till after the season's end in December that the boards of every ARL club would gather at the SCG in an unprecedented meeting to consider the proposed peace deal following five months of secret negotiations between Ian Frykberg and Neil Whittaker.
In 1997 the official player of the year award, the Rothmans Medal was won by Brad Fittler. This was the last year that the award would be known as the Rothmans Medal, with the Dally M Medal becoming the only player of the year award from the following year. The Illawarra Steelers' Scott Cram was named the 1997 season's rookie of the year.
Read more about this topic: 1997 ARL Season
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