1984–85 Rugby Football League season
| 1984–85 Rugby Football League season | |
|---|---|
| League | Slalom Lager Championship |
| Teams | 16 |
| Champions |
 Hull Kingston Rovers
|
| Premiership winners |
 St. Helens
|
| Man of Steel |
 Ellery Hanley
|
| Top point-scorer(s) |
Sean Day 362 |
| Top try-scorer(s) |
Ellery Hanley 55 |
| Promotion and relegation | |
| Promoted from Second Division |
 Swinton Salford York Dewsbury
|
| Relegated to Second Division |
 Barrow Leigh Hunslet Workington Town
|
| Second Division | |
| Champions |
Swinton
|
| Top try-scorer(s) |
 Vince Gribbin 27
|
The 1984–85 Rugby Football League season was the 90th ever season of professional rugby league football in Britain. Sixteen teams played each other from August, 1984 until May, 1985 for the Slalom Lager Championship. Also these 16 teams plus several more competed for the Challenge Cup.
On 21 October 1984 Peter Wood kicked a record-equalling five drop goals for Runcorn Highfield in a match against Batley. On October 28, two tries by Mal Meninga inspire St. Helens, to beat Wigan 26–18, and win the Lancashire County Cup for the first time in 16 years.
The 1985 Man of Steel award went to Bradford Northern utility back, Ellery Hanley. He also became the first man to score more than 50 tries in a season since Billy Boston, and the first non-winger to reach this figure for 70 years.
The increase of the Second Division to 20 teams meant that it would have taken 38 rounds to play out a full double round robin, which was considered too many matches, so a complicated fixture formula was used to reduce it to 28. For this season, Huyton relocated and were renamed Runcorn Highfield, Cardiff City Blue Dragons relocated and were renamed Bridgend Blue Dragons, and Kent Invicta relocated and were renamed were Southend Invicta, Huddersfield were renamed Huddersfield Barracudas, and Mansfield Marksman, and Sheffield Eagles joined the Second Division.
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