Brisbane Broncos and the Warriors were the unequivocal success stories of 2023, both ending lengthy NRL finals droughts and putting all-time lows behind them to finish in the top four.
The teams faced off in a preliminary final, while the Broncos went excruciatingly close to rolling Penrith in the NRL grand final.
Ten months later, the Warriors and Broncos are jostling for the title of the disappointments of 2024 after starting the year as red-hot title contenders.
With five rounds to go, their respective finals chances are being spoken of in mathematical terms only as they occupy 13th and 14th on the ladder, respectively, with eight wins apiece – destined to join the follow teams as infamous premiership flashes in the pan.
Canterbury-Bankstown (1967)
Despite making the finals just once in the previous 19 seasons, Canterbury-Bankstown ended the greatest dynasty in premiership history – and one of the greatest in all of sports – in 1967.
The arrival of former St George hardman Kevin ‘Kandos’ Ryan was the catalyst for the Berries’ turnaround after finishing in the bottom three in 1964-66, ultimately halting the Dragons’ streak of 11 consecutive premierships in the preliminary final.
Canterbury was edged 12-10 by Souths in the grand final, but the club returned to also-ran status in 1968 and did not win another finals game until 1974.
Cronulla Sharks (1973)
Cronulla made up the number in its first six seasons after entering the competition in 1967, finishing no better than seventh in the 12-team competition and collecting two wooden spoons.
But with British imports Tommy Bishop, the halfback and captain-coach, and Cliff Watson at their peak and rookie sensation Steve Rogers lighting up the premiership, the Sharks won 17 of their 22 games and subsequently surged into the grand final in their maiden finals campaign.
Manly won an infamously violent decider 10-7, while Cronulla slumped to 10th in 1974 following Bishop’s and Watson’s departure, and did not feature in the post-season action again until 1978.
Newtown (1973)
Jack Gibson’s one-season stint as Newtown coach delivered the foundation club its first finals appearance in seven years and a memorable run to the preliminary final, eliminating traditional heavyweight St George in a minor semi replay.
But Gibson left for a wildly successful stay at Easts and took the Bluebags’ fortunes with him. Newtown slumped to seventh in 1974 and collected three straight wooden spoons from 1976-78.
The club’s only subsequent finals appearance was in 1981, when they reached the grand final – before being punted from the competition two years later.
North Sydney Bears (1982)
North Sydney’s reputation as long-suffering battlers was largely earned during an eye-watering 16-season absence from the finals from 1966-81.
But with rugby union convert Mitchell Cox bolstering a team that had picked up champion Kiwi back-rower Mark Graham the previous season, the Ron Willey-coached Bears landed third with a club-record 16 wins in 1982 before bowing out of the finals in straight sets.
Willey left to coach Souths in 1983, however, and the hapless Bears returned to a more familiar role as cannon fodder for their rivals for the rest of the decade.
Eastern Suburbs Roosters (1987)
The halcyon days of the mid-1970s became a distant memory during the 1980s, garnering a derisory ‘transit lounge’ reputation courtesy of a seemingly endless succession of uninspiring returns from big-name investment.
Arthur Beetson’s charges stormed to second on the ladder in 1987, however, and were only denied a grand final berth by tough playoffs losses to Manly and Canberra.
Easts spiralled to 12th in 1989, prompting Beetson’s departure, followed by a disastrous two seasons under Russell Fairfax. It took the arrival of supercoach Phil Gould to end another long Roosters finals drought in 1996.
North Sydney Bears (1991)
Second-last in 1989 under celebrated coach Frank Stanton, Norths made steady improvement the following season under rookie mentor Steve Martin and surged to third in 1991 with the likes of Mario Fenech, Peter Jackson and rugby union convert Daryl Halligan proving outstanding value.
An opening week finals win over archrivals Manly was the Bears’ first post-season victory since 1952, but they subsequently lost consecutive heartbreakers to Penrith and Canberra as a grand final spot eluded them.
Martin’s methods lost their impact and Norths spiralled to 11th in 1992, prompting the elevation of Peter Louis to the top job – a move that brought sustained success, but several more instances of crushing finals defeat.
Illawarra Steelers and Newcastle Knights (1992)
The 1992 season represented a changing of the guard, with just one of the previous year’s finalists qualifying, Brisbane claiming a maiden premiership, and Illawarra and Newcastle both reaching the finals for the first time.
The Steelers and Knights shaped as new powerhouses but bombed out of contention in 1993, finishing eight and 12 points shy of the playoff spots, respectively.
Newcastle belatedly became a September regular from 1995, but Illawarra’s only other post-season appearance before merging with St George was a swift exit from the bottom end of the bloated 1997 ARL finals series.
Wests Tigers (2005)
The most extraordinary premiership triumph of the modern era was made all the more remarkable by the fact it was Wests Tigers only finals appearance in their first decade.
The Tigers lurched from one disaster to the next early in their joint venture existence, before becoming an exhilarating force in 2005 on the back of Scott Prince, Benji Marshall and Brett Hodgson, a host of unheralded role players and an expansive brand of football.
After rolling big guns Brisbane and St George Illawarra in the finals, Tim Sheens’ Tigers lifted the trophy via 30-16 win over fellow bolters North Queensland in the decider.
But with Marshall’s injury problems becoming a persistent handbrake, the Tigers finished 11th in their title defence and have qualified for the Top 8 just twice since – in 2010-11.
Parramatta Eels (2009)
Parramatta performed one of the most celebrated late-season charges of all time in 2009, rallying from 14th at the end of Round 18 into eight spot and all the way to a grand final with Dally M winner Jarryd Hayne, front-row cult hero Fuifui Moimoi and rookie half Daniel Mortimer at the forefront.
Salary cap-aided Melbourne was too good in the decider, winning 23-16 – but a new golden era beckoned for the Eels.
The blue-and-golds – who landed 11th in 2008 – slumped to 12th in 2010, however, costing coach Daniel Anderson his job. The Eels did not feature in the playoffs again until 2017, picking up two wooden spoons in between.
Canterbury Bulldogs (2009)
Second on the ladder and preliminary finalists in 2009 under rookie coach Kevin Moore a year after the wooden spoon, the Bulldogs bore the fruit of a massive spending spree that brought Michael Ennis, Ben Hannant, Josh Morris, David Stagg, Greg Eastwood and Brett Kimmorley to the club.
A dismal follow-up campaign netted just nine wins and a 13th-place finish, while failure to reach the finals again in 2011 prompted the Bulldogs to go after Des Hasler as coach and embark on another roster overhaul.
Sydney Roosters (2010)
The Roosters created history by becoming the first wooden spooners to feature in a grand final the following season. With Brian Smith at the helm and rejuvenated bad boy Todd Carney winning the Dally M, the Tricolours lost to St George Illawarra in the decider but the future looked bright.
But with Carney relapsing, the Rooster won just 10 games in 2011 and eight games in 2012, spelling the end of Smith’s tenure.
Rookie coach Trent Robinson – with the assistance of marquee buys Sonny Bill Williams, James Maloney and Michael Jennings – powered to a premiership in 2013.
Penrith Panthers (2010)
There were few remnants of Penrith’s 2003 premiership-winning side left by the end of the decade, with the club picking up a wooden spoon in 2007 and finishing with losing records in the following two seasons.
Matt Elliott’s charges came from nowhere to rack up 15 wins and finish second in 2010 with veteran clubman Luke Lewis and skipper Petero Civoniceva leading the way.
A straight-sets finals exit put a dampener on a fine campaign, while Elliott was punted before the end of a 2011 season that saw the Panthers land 12th with just nine victories. The club next featured in the playoffs in 2014 under Ivan Cleary.
Newcastle Knights (2013)
Modest week one finals exits in 2009 and 2011 were the best the Knights could muster in the immediate post-Andrew Johns era, but Nathan Tinkler’s takeover of the club and Wayne Bennett’s arrival as coach – with a clutch of star players – put Newcastle back on the NRL map.
Following a rebuilding 2012 season, the Knights finished seventh in 2013 and stormed into a preliminary final with upsets of the previous year’s grand finalists, Canterbury and Melbourne.
But with the ownership situation unravelling, the Knights slumped to 12th in 2014 and Wayne Bennett skipped town early, leaving a mess that saw the Novocastrians collect the next three wooden spoons before finally returning to the finals three coaches later in 2020.
Canberra Raiders (2016)
The Raiders had not missed the finals more than one year in succession since the 1980s when they descended into also-ran status for three straight seasons from 2013-15.
But Ricky Stuart’s squad – bolstered by Elliott Whitehead, Joseph Tapine, Junior Paulo and Joey Leilua – clicked in 2016, landing second (the Raiders’ highest finish since 1995) and going within an ace of rolling the Storm in the preliminary final.
The Green Machine couldn’t back it up in the short-term, ebbing to 10th-place finishes in 2017-18. ‘Sticky’ steered his troops to the club’s first grand final in 25 years in 2019.
Warriors (2018)
The Warriors’ first season under Stephen Kearney was an arduous one, finishing 13th thanks to a nine-match losing streak to close out the campaign.
But an unprecedented 5-0 start and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s Dally M Medal-winning form propelled the enigmatic club to its first finals series since making the 2011 grand final, coming eighth but only one win behind the minor premiers before being bundled out in week one.
The shock exit of star halfback Shaun Johnson and the retirement of heart-and-soul forward Simon Mannering proved insurmountable hurdles in 2019 as the Warriors spiralled to 13th ahead of a torturous three-year period jettisoned in Australia by COVID.
North Queensland Cowboys (2022)
Offered the Cowboys coaching gig after an impressive caretaker stint with the Warriors, Todd Payten’s first season in Townsville garnered just seven wins.
But the follow-up was superb, the Cowboys galloping into third and creating new stars out of the likes of Tom Dearden, Reuben Cotter, Scott Drinwater, Jeremiah Nanai, Reece Robson and Murray Taulagi, with the Cowboys ending a five-year finals hiatus.
After a gut-wrenching preliminary final collapse at home to Parramatta, though, North Queensland struggled in 2023, including a 66-18 loss to Wests Tigers. A rally in the second half of the season wasn’t enough as the Cowboys finished 11th – though they are on track to return to the playoffs this year.