Schedule for week one of the NRL
finals series

Friday Sep 9

1st Qualifying Final

4-Wests Tigers v 5-North Queensland at Telstra Stadium at 8pm Head to Head in 2005: Wests Tigers 28 def North Queensland 16, Campbelltown, Rd 23; North Queensland 44 def Wests Tigers 20, Dairy Farmers Stadium, Rd 6.

Saturday Sep 10

2nd Qualifying Final

3-Brisbane v 6-Melbourne at Suncorp Stadium at 6.30pm Head to Head in 2005: Brisbane 28 def Melbourne 15, Suncorp Stadium, Rd 19; Melbourne 50 def Brisbane 4, Olympic Park, Rd 4.

3rd Qualifying Final

2-St George Illawarra v 7-Cronulla at WIN Stadium at 8.30pm Head to Head in 2005: St George Illawarra 20 def Cronulla 10, Oki Jubilee Stadium, Rd 20.

Sunday Sep 11

4th Qualifying Final

1-Parramatta v 8-Manly at Parramatta Stadium at 4pm Head to Head in 2005: Parramatta 18 def Manly 12, Parramatta Stadium, Rd 11.

Regular season review

Season average crowd of 16,286 per round sets the third successive record, up on the 2004 average of 14,671

Crowds have grown by 27 per cent over the past three seasons (more than 530,000 extra people)

Average attendance of 113,999 per round (2004 average: 101,571)

2,963,968 million through the gates for the 26 rounds of the regulars season (2004 total premiership attendance: 2,640,850)

14 clubs have finished in the top 8 at some stage since 1998

13 of the 15 clubs have made the top four since 1998

Brisbane is the only team to have made the eight each season since 1998