September 30: Cronk shows true grit; Knights upset Eels in decider
On this day, the Knights stun Parra to win their second title, Cooper Cronk shows true courage and the Broncos take out the inaugural NRLW premiership.
1961
Playing in an end-of-season match against Brisbane's Northern Suburbs at Lang Park, Balmain's 25-year-old forward Don Amos collapses after a head knock and later dies in hospital.
1966
Paul Osborne was born. The Canberra Raiders' unlikely hero of the 1994 grand final, the prop started his career with St George in 1986 before joining the Raiders in 1992.
He played 135 matches in first grade but is mainly remembered for his last match when he shelved a plan to finish his career in England to replace banned Kiwi international John Lomax for Canberra in the premiership decider against Canterbury.
"Ossie" turned in a rousing performance to help the Green Machine power to glory, stayed in the national capital and successfully entered politics in the ACT.
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1997
A crowd estimated at 50,000 celebrate with the premiership-winning Knights at a ticker-tape parade through the streets of Newcastle.
2000
Former St George forward Matthew Elliott is named as the replacement for Mal Meninga as head coach of Canberra in 2002. Elliott will act as Meninga's assistant coach in 2001.
2001
Newcastle produce a near perfect 40 minutes to dash to a 24-0 half-time lead against Parramatta in the grand final. The Knights hang on to win 30-24. Halfback Andrew Johns wins the Clive Churchill Medal as man of the match.
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2004
Bulldogs captain Steve Price bows to the inevitable and rules himself out of the grand final with a serious knee injury. "I tried everything I possibly could but you have got to be realistic at some stage," he said.
2008
The Men of League charity announce the game's greatest club players at their annual ball. The list of club greats is: Balmain - Keith Barnes, Brisbane - Darren Lockyer, Canberra - Mal Meninga, Canterbury - Steve Mortimer, Cronulla - Steve Rogers, Gold Coast - Scott Prince, Illawarra - Rod Wishart, Manly - Bob Fulton, Melbourne - Cameron Smith, Newcastle - Andrew Johns, Newtown - Frank Farrell, Norths - Ken Irvine, North Queensland - Johnathan Thurston, Parramatta - Mick Cronin, Penrith - Greg Alexander, St George - John Raper, Souths - Clive Churchill, Sydney Roosters - Dally Messenger, Warriors - Stacey Jones, Wests Tommy Raudonikis.
2009
South Sydney announce the signing of highly rated English prop Sam Burgess for the next four seasons.
2012
Melbourne produce a display of extraordinary control to defeat Canterbury 14-4 in the grand final. Halfback Cooper Cronk is awarded the Clive Churchill Medal as man of the match. Canterbury interchange James Graham is reported for allegedly biting the ear of Melbourne fullback Billy Slater during a first-half skirmish and his case is referred directly to the NRL judiciary.
Although Graham pleads not guilty, the judiciary panel are convinced by video evidence and Slater's on-field claim that he was bitten and hand the Englishman a 12-match suspension.
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2014
Souths hooker Issac Luke is ruled out of the grand final after being suspended by the judiciary for a dangerous tackle on Roosters second-rower Sonny Bill Williams. His suspension opens the way for rookie Apisai Koroisau to play in the decider.
2018
The mystery over Cooper Cronk's availability to play in the grand final is solved an hour before the game kicks off when he is surprisingly included in the Roosters' starting line-up. Cronk plays as a virtual passenger for 80 minutes but inspires one of the Roosters' most famous victories.
The minor premiers dominate Melbourne to win 21-6 before 82,688 fans and it is later revealed that Cronk has played despite fracturing his scapula a week earlier. Roosters five-eighth Luke Keary wins the Clive Churchill Medal.
Extended Highlights: Roosters v Storm
2018
The Brisbane Broncos take out the inaugural NRL Women's Premiership with a commanding 34-12 defeat of the Sydney Roosters.
2020
Kevin Walters is officially appointed coach of the Brisbane Broncos on a two-year deal.
This article contains information from the official records of NRL historian David Middleton.
