All Stars Match
Encyclopedia
The National Rugby League
All Stars Game is an annual Australian rugby league football
match, contested between representative teams, namely the Indigenous All Stars
versus the NRL All Stars. The first match took place on 13 February 2010 at the Gold Coast
's Skilled Park, which was won 16-12 by the Indigenous All Stars, and winning half-back Johnathan Thurston
was awarded the inaugural Preston Campbell
award for best player. Players from both sides were primarily chosen by the public, through a voting scheme through the official NRL website. Coaches from both sides then select the voted players into a make up squad, and players specially selected by the coaches are then included to create the full 20-man positional squad. The game also trialled a new "Double Try" rule where a team can choose to swap a conversion attempt for a second try attempt.
and indigenous star Preston Campbell
, who was the first person that ventured the idea of the All Stars match.
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
All Stars Game is an annual Australian rugby league football
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
match, contested between representative teams, namely the Indigenous All Stars
Australian Aboriginal rugby league team
The Australia Aboriginal rugby league team is a rugby league football team that represents Australian Aborigines...
versus the NRL All Stars. The first match took place on 13 February 2010 at the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
's Skilled Park, which was won 16-12 by the Indigenous All Stars, and winning half-back Johnathan Thurston
Johnathan Thurston
Johnathan Dean Thurston is an Indigenous Australian professional rugby league footballer in the NRL with the North Queensland Cowboys whom he co-captains...
was awarded the inaugural Preston Campbell
Preston Campbell
Preston Campbell, is an Indigenous Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Gold Coast Titans of the National Rugby League...
award for best player. Players from both sides were primarily chosen by the public, through a voting scheme through the official NRL website. Coaches from both sides then select the voted players into a make up squad, and players specially selected by the coaches are then included to create the full 20-man positional squad. The game also trialled a new "Double Try" rule where a team can choose to swap a conversion attempt for a second try attempt.
Rule variations
For 2010, the match exhibited several rule variations exclusive to the All stars match:- A new double try or "power play" rule was trialled during the match. This rule gave a try-scoring team the option to attempt to score another try from a single play-the-ball instead of taking the usual place kickPlace kickThe place kick is a kicking style commonly used in rugby league and rugby union. It is also seen in Association football, American football and Canadian football.-American and Canadian football:...
ed conversion. The idea is similar to the try rule in American footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
whereby a touchdown-scoring team can chose to either kick a conversion goal or to attempt to convert via an additional touchdownTwo-point conversionIn American and Canadian football, a two-point conversion is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a one-point convert immediately after it scores a touchdown...
. The double try would be worth a further four points. The following rules were applied to the double try attempt:- The double try attempt was started by the attacking team with a play the ball in the centre of their opponents 20 metre line.
- The fullback on the defending team was required to leave the field of play for the duration of the play. This meant there were twelve defenders against thirteen attackers.
- The attacking team was prevented from kicking during the attempt, with the referee ending the play for a restart in the event that the ball was kicked.
- If the defending team gained possession of the ball the play was over, this meant that the defending team could not score in this situation.
- If the defending team conceded a penalty, the double try would be awarded automatically.
- The match was divided into quarters rather than halves with 20 minutes between each break. Quarter and three quarter breaks were in five minute periods and conducted on the field. This is due to the fact that the match is played during summer. Team talks delivered by the coaches during the breaks were broadcast live for the first time.
- Teams had an unlimited interchange limit.
- The match contained four on-field officials, although two were able to referee at a time.
- The video referee was available to explain their decisions to the broadcast commentary team on air for the first time.
Preston Campbell Medal
The Preston Campbell Medal is awarded to the man of the match and is exclusively voted by the public. The medal is named after Gold Coast TitansGold Coast Titans
Gold Coast Titans are an Australian professional rugby league football club, based in the Gold Coast, Queensland. The club competes in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership. It is the newest of the sixteen clubs in the league, having commenced its...
and indigenous star Preston Campbell
Preston Campbell
Preston Campbell, is an Indigenous Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Gold Coast Titans of the National Rugby League...
, who was the first person that ventured the idea of the All Stars match.
| Year | Recipient | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 2010 All Stars match The 2010 All Stars Match was the first time the event was held. The match was a pre season game between representative teams, Indigenous Australians versus the best in the National Rugby League and took place at the Gold Coast's Skilled Park on 13 February 2010. The Indigenous team featured 20... |
Johnathan Thurston Johnathan Thurston Johnathan Dean Thurston is an Indigenous Australian professional rugby league footballer in the NRL with the North Queensland Cowboys whom he co-captains... |
Indigenous All Stars | Halfback |
| 2011 2011 All Stars match The 2011 All Stars Match was the second of the annual representative exhibition match played between the Indigenous All Stars and the NRL All Stars which was held on the 12 of February 2011 at the Gold Coast's Skilled Park. The game was won by the NRL All Stars 28–12, claiming their first... |
Josh Dugan Josh Dugan Josh Dugan is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Canberra Raiders of the National Rugby League. A Country New South Wales representative and NRL All Stars backline player, he has played his entire club career to date with the Raiders.... |
NRL All Stars | Fullback |