Only one word for it.
Stunning.
http://www.couriermail.news.com.au/comm ... 936,168014
NRL final scores a TV goal
Louise Crossen, entertainment reporter
04oct05
THIS year's NRL grand final has entered the history books, scoring the highest television ratings for a rugby league final.
The nation came to a halt on Sunday night as 2.8 million viewers across Australia gathered to watch the game.
The NRL final also racked up record figures in Brisbane, becoming the city's top-rating show for the year.
Channel 9 said it was the highest-rating NRL grand final in southeast Queensland, outstripping State of Origin for the first time.
The finals clash between the Wests Tigers and the North Queensland Cowboys may not have delivered the result most Queensland fans were hoping for, but the marathon 11-hour broadcast kept viewers glued to their sets.
In Brisbane an average of 778,000 viewers tuned in to watch the game.
The TV audience peaked at 8.30pm, with a record 824,000 Brisbane viewers watching as the Wests Tigers romped home in the second half.
Nationally, Sydney recorded the highest viewers, with a peak audience of 1.2 million on Sunday night, or three-quarters of viewers.
Even in Melbourne – traditionally AFL territory – the grand final broadcast shot to the position of No.1 program of the night, with a peak of 587,000 viewers.
Speculation Queenslanders had abandoned league for Australian rules was silenced by Sunday's ratings figures.
In Brisbane the previous weekend, Channel 10 struggled to attract a peak audience of 431,378, with an average of 341,435 viewers tuning in to see the Sydney Swans walk away with the AFL premiership
Record ratings in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.
Channel 9 will be very pleased with this result..it will encourage them to give League a real go in Melbourne when they lose the AFL rights..
I like the bit in the article referring to speculation that Queenslanders are abandoning rugby league...

2005 ..what a year..
To quote Benny Elias, the winner is Rugby League...