May 27: Green light for Gold Coast; Joey rejects rugby

On this day, Wayne Bennett calls for two referees, 'Joey' rejects rugby union, and the Gold Coast is granted a licence to join the NRL competition. 

1994

Wayne Bennett calls for the implementation of a second referee to improve the game’s refereeing standards. The change doesn't actually happen until the 2009 season.

1995

Bulldogs prop Dean Pay is rushed into the NSW State of Origin starting line-up following the one-week suspension of Manly’s Mark Carroll at the judiciary.

2004

Andrew Johns rejects an approach from the Australian Rugby Union to pledge his allegiance to rugby league.

2005

The Gold Coast is granted a licence by the NRL to join a 16-team competition in 2007. "Clearly this is the right move for the game at the right time," said League CEO David Gallop. "The game is going through a period of great success and it's only because of that success that we're in a position to expand to 16 teams."

2006

Cronulla centre Nigel Vagana scores the fastest try of the year - 48 seconds into the round 12 game against the Warriors. In the same game, debutant Tony Caine lasts only five minutes before suffering a season-ending knee injury.

2009

NRL referees Jared Maxwell and Bernie Sutton are stood down from round 12 over fears they might have contracted swine flu on a flight from Canberra to Sydney.

2017

The NRL announce that Australia will play Fiji and Papua New Guinea in an unconventional exhibition match (October 14) in Suva as a warm-up to their World Cup campaign. The 'game' featured all three teams facing each other in three 40-minute periods.

2019

Queensland coach Kevin Walters announces Daly Cherry-Evans as the Maroons' new captain and bans his players from talking about New South Wales, and refers to the Blues as 'the other team'. It is revealed that Walters has been advised by noted 'coach whisperer' Bradley Charles Stubbs.

2020

The Sydney Roosters allow prop Poasa Faamausili to join the Warriors on a unique four-week loan deal to help the injury-affected club. The NRL gives the Warriors special dispensation to sign players following season-ending injuries to Bunty Afoa and Leeson Ah Mau.

This article contains information from the official records of NRL historian David Middleton.