1976 NSWRFL season
| 1976 New South Wales Rugby Football League | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 12 |
| Premiers |
 Manly-Warringah (3rd title) |
| Minor premiers |
Manly-Warringah (4th title) |
| Matches played | 138 |
| Points scored | 4390 |
| Attendance | 1594183 |
| Top points scorer(s) |
Graham Eadie (233) |
| Player of the year |
 Ray Higgs (Rothmans Medal) |
| Top try-scorer(s) |
Bob Fulton (24) |
The 1976 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 69th season of Sydney's professional rugby league football competition, Australia's first. Twelve teams, including six of 1908's foundation clubs and another six from around Sydney, competed for the J. J. Giltinan Shield and WD & HO Wills Cup during the season, which culminated in a grand final between the Manly-Warringah and Parramatta clubs. NSWRFL teams also competed for the 1976 Amco Cup.
This season Eastern Suburbs became the first rugby league team, and one of the first in Australian sport, to have a sponsor's name appear on their jersey.
Twenty-two regular season rounds were played from March till August resulting in a top four of Manly-Warringah, Parramatta, St. George and Eastern Suburbs who battled it out in the finals.
In a one-off match that would form the foundation of the modern World Club Challenge, the previous season's premiers, Eastern Suburbs played British Champions St Helens R.F.C. on the 29th of June at the Sydney Cricket Ground. 26,865 turned out to see the Roosters beat the Saints 25 to 2.
This season Parramatta front-rower and captain Ray Higgs won both the Rothmans Medal and the Rugby League Week player of the year award.
The 1976 season also saw the retirement from the League of future Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame inductee, Graeme Langlands.
Parramatta were first into the Grand Final, triumphing 23-17 in a bloody and brutal major semi-final against Manly. Manly earned a grand final berth the following week, surviving a Canterbury comeback to win 15-12.
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