The Australian rugby league wooden spooners are the teams which finished last in the premier top-grade rugby league competition in Australia, which is currently the National Rugby League, and was previously the New South Wales Rugby Football League (1908-1994), the Australian Rugby League (1995-1997), and Super League (1997). Each of these seasons is considered to represent one continuous line of competition dating back from the first season in 1908. The wooden spoon is an unofficial award, however, fans often bring "real" wooden spoons to taunt opposition sides who are struggling on the bottom of the ladder.
Since the Melbourne Storm's salary cap breach which saw them win the wooden spoon in 2010 (more below), betting agencies have instead placed wagers on who would suffer the most losses in a single season, rather than win the wooden spoon itself.
| Team | No. | SP | % | Years | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western Suburbs Magpies | 17 | 92 | 18.5% | 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913, 1916, 1933, 1940, 1942, 1953, 1955, 1971, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1998, 1999 |
| 2 | Parramatta Eels | 12 | 63 | 17.5% | 1947, 1952, 1954, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1970, 1972, 2012 |
| 3 | University | 10 | 18 | 55.6% | 1921, 1923, 1927, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937 |
| 4 | North Sydney Bears | 9 | 92 | 9.8% | 1915, 1917, 1919, 1932, 1941, 1948, 1950, 1951, 1979 |
| 5 | Newtown Jets | 8 | 76 | 10.5% | 1924, 1925, 1928, 1939, 1968, 1976, 1977, 1978 |
| 6 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 8 | 100 | 8.0% | 1945, 1946, 1962, 1975, 1990, 2003, 2004, 2006 |
| 7 | Canterbury Bulldogs | 5 | 75 | 6.7% | 1943, 1944, 1964, 2002*, 2008 |
| 8 | Sydney Roosters | 5 | 102 | 4.9% | 1949, 1963, 1965, 1966, 2009 |
| 8 | Balmain Tigers | 4 | 92 | 4.3% | 1911, 1974, 1981, 1994 |
| 8 | Penrith Panthers | 4 | 43 | 9.3% | 1973, 1980, 2001, 2007 |
| 12 | Gold Coast Chargers | 3 | 11 | 27.3% | 1991, 1992, 1993 |
| 12 | Annandale | 3 | 11 | 27.3% | 1914, 1918, 1920 |
| 12 | North Queensland Cowboys | 3 | 15 | 20.0% | 1995, 1997 (SL), 2000 |
| 12 | Illawarra Steelers | 3 | 17 | 17.6% | 1985, 1986, 1989 |
| 12 | St. George Dragons | 3 | 78 | 3.8% | 1922, 1926, 1938 |
| 17 | South Queensland Crushers | 2 | 3 | 66.7% | 1996, 1997 |
| 17 | Cronulla Sharks | 2 | 43 | 4.7% | 1967, 1969 |
| 19 | Cumberland | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | 1908 |
| 19 | Melbourne Storm | 1 | 12 | 8.3% | 2010* |
| 19 | Newcastle Knights | 1 | 22 | 4.5% | 2005 |
| 19 | Canberra Raiders | 1 | 28 | 3.6% | 1982 |
| 23 | Gold Coast Titans | 1 | 5 | 20% | 2011 |
| 24 | Hunter Mariners | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | |
| 25 | Adelaide Rams | 0 | 2 | 0.0% | |
| 26 | Newcastle Rebels | 0 | 2 | 0.0% | |
| 27 | Northern Eagles | 0 | 3 | 0.0% | |
| 28 | Western Reds | 0 | 3 | 0.0% | |
| 29 | Wests Tigers | 0 | 10 | 0.0% | |
| 30 | St George Illawarra Dragons | 0 | 11 | 0.0% | |
| 31 | New Zealand Warriors | 0 | 15 | 0.0% | |
| 32 | Brisbane Broncos | 0 | 22 | 0.0% | |
| 33 | Glebe | 0 | 22 | 0.0% | |
| 34 | Manly Sea Eagles | 0 | 60 | 0.0% |
SP denotes seasons played. % refers to the percentage of seasons played that resulted in wooden spoons.
- records accurate as of end of 2012 season.
Read more about Australian Rugby League Wooden Spooners: National Youth Competition (Toyota Cup), Reversing Fortunes, Avoiding The Spoon
Famous quotes containing the words australian, league and/or wooden:
“Each Australian is a Ulysses.”
—Christina Stead (1902–1983)
“Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
“Forward the Light Brigade!”
—Alfred Tennyson (1809–1892)
“Totem poles and wooden masks no longer suggest tribal villages but fashionable drawing rooms in New York and Paris.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)