We are looking back at the best NRL teams of the century and asking you โ who is the greatest?
Weโve put 16 of the best sides from the 2000s in a head-to-head elimination tournament where the winner will be voted by you!
There are two groups and four matchups in each section. The winner of each group advances to the grand final.
The winner of the polls, as voted by you, will determine who will advance to the next round where we will post an article showing the upcoming matchups.
Please note: This is a look at each teamโs individual season, not the clubโs dynasty or period over multiple years. Some dynasties have been incredible, but we are focusing on the best season in those successful periods.
Let's crack on with our week one matchups...
GROUP 1ย
Cronulla Sharks (2016) vs Brisbane Broncos (2006)
Both of these teams finished third on the NRL table in their respective years, but what makes this clash so intriguing is that they both came out on top on the game that mattered - thew grand final, to be named premiers.
The 2016 Sharks were pretty much a star-studded squad with the likes of Valentine Holmes, James Maloney, Ben Barba and Andrew Fifita and captain Paul Gallen leading the charge. In the grand final, they lead the Storm at half time and held their nerve to claim their first premiership in 50 years by two points.
The Brisbane Broncos of 2006 was also a star-studded team with courageous leader Darren Lockyer, Sam Thaiday in the props, Karmicheal Hunt at fullback and Brad Thorn in the second row.
The 2006 Broncos also faced the Melbourne Storm in that season's decider and after a hard slog in the first half, it was their last 30 minutes that stole the show as they came out 15-8 winners.
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Sydney Roosters (2018) vs Manly Sea Eagles (2011)
Another intriguing clash. The Sydney Roosters of 2018 finished on top of the NRL ladder claiming the minor premiership with 35 points.
They continued that momentum all the way to the finals where they defeated Cronulla in the first round and then comfortably disposed of South Sydney in the prelim to set up a mouth-watering grand final against the Melbourne Storm.
On the big day nerves didn't seem to get the better of them as they restricted the Storm to just six points and managed to find holes in the Storm defence, piling on 21 points to claim the premiership.
What made this grand final even more remarkable was that former Storm player turned Rooster Cooper Cronk played the game with a broken shoulder.
They take on the 2011 Manly Sea Eagles who finished second with 40 points, just two points behind the ladder-leading Storm.
Over the whole 2011 season, Manly scored the most points of anybody with a total of 539 and continued to play their attacking ways straight into the finals, dismantling the North Queensland Cowboys 42-8 in the first round to then breeze past the Broncos in the preliminary final.
The Sea Eagles faced the New Zealand Warriors in the big dance, who proved to be no match for the Sea Eagles as they romped away with a 24-10 win.
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North Queensland Cowboys (2015) vs Canterbury Bulldogs (2004)
One team produced one of the most memorable grand final wins we have seen in a long time while the other grand final broke a nine-year drought.
Let's start with North Queensland Cowboys. They had arguably one of the most influential players of the modern era in Jonathon Thurstan. While Thurstan was a part of the victorious 2004 Bulldogs team, he is more remembered for his premiership-winning drop goal when the Cowboys won by a point in extra time.
The Cowboys finished 2015 in the third spot just behind the Broncos and the Roosters despite scoring the second-most points that season. The Cowboys made it hard for themselves after losing their first final to the Broncos but then responded convincingly in the semi-finals, dismantling the Cronulla Sharks 39-0.
They then battled it out with the Brisbane Broncos in one of the most remarkable grand finals we've ever seen where it was tied at the end of regulation. It wasn't until Thurstan converted a drop goal to give the Cowboys their first premiership by a point.
The 2004 Canterbury Bulldogs finished second only behind the Sydney Roosters but shared the same number of points (42 each), and yet the Bulldogs scored the most amount of points (760). However, the Bulldogs conceded more than the Roosters.
Hazem El Masri was a key contributor to the Bulldogs of 2004 as he scored the most points in the league with 342, as the Bulldogs had the best attack in the league. There are similarities between the Bulldogs of 2004 and the Cowboys of 2015 as both lost their opening finals game, and then both responding emphatically the week after, with the Bulldogs defeating the Melbourne Storm 43-18.
The Bulldogs then met the Roosters in the grand final where the Bulldogs clawed their way back in the early stages of the second half to hold onto a three-point advantage, giving them their first premiership in nine years.
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West Tigers (2005) vs South Sydney (2014)
The 2005 West Tigers claimed their first premiership while also playing in their first NRL grand final along with opponents the North Queensland Cowboys.
The West Tigers finished fourth that season and played their future final against future grand final opponent the Cowboys, smashing them 50-6 to go straight to the preliminary final.
They managed to just hold on by eight points against the second-placed St George Illawarra, to get to the big dance where they once again met the Cowboys.
Despite it being both their first time, it didn't seem to worry the West Tiger,s as they comfortably won the game that matters by 14 points, handing them their first-ever premiership.
Meanwhile, the South Sydney team of 2014 broke a 43-year drought whey won the grand final over the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 30-6.
The Rabbitohs finished third and a key member from the South Syndey's title charge was Alex Johnston, who scored 21 tries during the season, resulting in him being the leading try-scorer that season.
However, it wasn't just Johnston that contributed. It was also the fact that South Sydney had the best defence in the competition as they only conceded 361 points.
Come grand final day, South Sydney turned it on as they limited the Bulldogs to just six points. But what was more impressive is they kept them scoreless in the first half.
It was the second half where South Sydney really upped the ante as they compiled 24 points on the scoreboard ensuring the can flick the switch from defence into attack.
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GROUP 2
Melbourne Storm (2017) vs St George Illawarra Dragons (2010)ย
The Melbourne Storm of 2017 faces off against the St George Dragons of 2010 in what would've been an absolute belter.
Both teams scored above 30 points on grand final day as the Storm defeated North Queensland Cowboys 34-6, whereas St George Illawarra defeated the Sydney Roosters 32-8. In all, they are relatively comparable scores as both attack and defensively they are evenly matched.
First, let's look at the 2017 Storm.
Melbourne were the most dominant that year, claiming the minor premiership while only losing four games. They scored the most points (633) and conceded the least amount of points (336) as Craig Bellamy had compiled the perfect recipe.
Everything went right for the Storm in the finals despite having a close call in round one where they defeated Paramatta Eels by just two points.
On grand final day, North Queensland was no match for the Storm as they defeated them by 28 points as Josh Addo-Carr stole the show.
The Dragons also finished on top of the table, claiming the minor premiership behind the best defence in the competition, letting in 299 points.
They were in total control of the first few finals knocking off Manly 28-0 and then only getting the job done in the preliminary final over West Tigers by a point to earn their spot in the biggest game of all.
However, the scare the week before in the preliminary finals didn't hinder their spirits as they came out on top in emphatic fashion, knocking off the Roosters by 24 points with Jason Nightingale scoring two tries.
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Manly Sea Eagles (2008) vs Newcastle Knights (2001)
The 2008 Manly Sea Eagles had the best attack in the competition, scoring the most totalย points (645) despite finishing second on the ladder.
They made light work of their two finals games before reaching the grand final, scoring a combined 70 points during their qualifying final and preliminary final while only conceding 12 points combined.
They met the Melbourne Storm in the grand final were they kept them scoreless for the whole 80 minutes and pounced 40 points of their own. Michael Robertson was the hero scoring three tries.
The 2011 Newcastle Knights were an all-rounded team, finishing third on the ladder.
They dominated their first final 40-6 against the Sydney Roosters, then won the preliminary final by eight points.
In a hard fought grand final, the Knights came out on top 30-24 as Billy Peden piled on two tries.
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Brisbane Broncos (2000) vs Sydney Roosters (2002)
The Brisbane Broncos set the tone in 2000 as they scored the most points and conceded the least amount of points during the season.
The breezed through the qualifying final, defeating Cronulla byy 14 points and then knocked off Parramatta by six points in the preliminary final.
Brisbane outmuscled the Sydney Roosters in the big one 14-6 as Lote Tuqiri and Wendell Sailor scoring a try.
The 2002 Roosters finished fourth but peaked at the right time of the year, scoring a combined 70 points in their first two finals.
A nervy preliminary final win over the Broncosย was enough for a team to get them through to the decider, followed by a convincing 30-6 grand final win over the New Zealand Warriors to win the title.
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Penrith Panthers (2003) vs Melbourne Storm (2012)
The 2013 Panthers were a team with veryhigh standards that claimed the minor premiership. They defeated the Broncos by 10 points in the first round off finals followed by a hard fought preliminary final against the New Zealand Warriors.
On grand final day, Penrith defeated the Roosters by 12 points to claim their first premiership since 1991.
The Melbourne Storm of 2012 scored the most points (579) despite finishing the season in second spot. They breezed past the Rabbioths and Sea Eagles to face Canterbury in the big dance.
The Storm faced a tight arm wrestle on the big occasion, defeating the minor premiers by 10 points to get the chocolates.
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