2014 NRL season

2014 National Rugby League
Teams	16
Premiers	South Sydney Rabbitohs (21st title)
Minor premiers	Sydney Roosters (18th title)
Matches played	201
Points scored	8308
Attendance	3376409
Top points scorer(s)	Johnathan Thurston (234) James Maloney (234)
Player of the year	Johnathan Thurston & Jarryd Hayne (Dally M Medal)
Top try-scorer(s)	Alex Johnston (21)

The 2014 NRL season was the 107th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 17th season of the National Rugby League in Australia and New Zealand. The season started in New Zealand, for the Auckland Nines, replacing the Rugby League All Stars Match for the year, in the pre-season. After 26 rounds of the regular season, the Sydney Roosters were again crowned minor premiers and the competition had been reduced to a top eight teams to contest the finals series. The grand final was won by the South Sydney Rabbitohs, ending a 43-year premiership drought, winning 30-6 against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.

The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 8th consecutive year. The 2014 season also presents a record 7 teams naming co-captains. The NRL's salary cap for the clubs' top 25 players was $A6.3M for 2014.

The 2014 pre-season featured the inaugural Auckland Nines competition, held over a weekend at Auckland's Eden Park. Hailed a success with its large attendances, the tournament was won by North Queensland Cowboys, claiming their first piece of silverware. The following weekend the 2014 World Club Challenge was played in Sydney, the first time the match was held outside England since 1994, with the Sydney Roosters defeating the Wigan Warriors convincingly.

Unlike previous seasons' advertising campaigns that featured a pop song, in 2014 the NRL's You're the difference was a spoken-word piece that focused on the game's fans. The NRL's official season launch was on 26 February at the Sydney Exhibition Centre and featured Roosters captain Anthony Minichiello speaking as the face of the game.

...
Wikipedia