| Round 1 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Queensland | 4t 4g | 24 | Adelaide | 2t 4g | 16 | Willows | Sat,01-Mar-1997 | B.Grant | 17738 |
| Brisbane | 3t 1g | 14 | Auckland | 1g | 2 | QE_II | Sat,01-Mar-1997 | B.Harrigan | 42361 |
| Penrith | 5t 5g | 30 | Perth Reds | 4t 2g | 20 | Penrith | Sun,02-Mar-1997 | T.Mander | 8398 |
| Hunter | 2t 4g | 16 | Canterbury | 4t 2g | 20 | Topper | Sun,02-Mar-1997 | S.Clark | 6579 |
| Cronulla | 5t 3g | 26 | Canberra | 1t | 4 | S.F.S. | Mon,03-Mar-1997 | G.Annesley | 22683 |
| Round 2 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Queensland | 3t 4g | 20 | Perth Reds | 4t 3g | 22 | Willows | Fri,07-Mar-1997 | T.Mander | 15745 |
| Auckland | 3t 3g | 18 | Hunter | 3t 1g | 14 | Mt_Smart | Sat,08-Mar-1997 | B.Grant | 20300 |
| Brisbane | 6t 2g | 28 | Adelaide | 2t 2g | 12 | QE_II | Sun,09-Mar-1997 | S.Clark | 16279 |
| Canberra | 4t 2g | 20 | Penrith | 6t 4g 1fg | 33 | Bruce | Sun,09-Mar-1997 | G.Annesley | 10849 |
| Canterbury | 1t 4g | 12 | Cronulla | 2t 2g 1fg | 13 | Belmore | Mon,10-Mar-1997 | B.Harrigan | 14490 |
| Round 3 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide | 1t 3g | 10 | Hunter | 1t 2g | 8 | Adelaide | Fri,14-Mar-1997 | B.Grant | 27435 |
| North Queensland | 2t 2g | 12 | Penrith | 3t 3g 1fg | 19 | Willows | Sat,15-Mar-1997 | T.Mander | 18003 |
| Perth Reds | 3t 2g | 16 | Brisbane | 4t 5g | 26 | W.A.C.A. | Sun,16-Mar-1997 | S.Clark | 11109 |
| Canterbury | 6t 7g | 38 | Canberra | 5t 3g | 26 | Belmore | Sun,16-Mar-1997 | B.Harrigan | 9025 |
| Cronulla | 5t 7g | 34 | Auckland | 1t 2g | 8 | Endeavour | Mon,17-Mar-1997 | G.Annesley | 16860 |
| Round 4 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland | 2t 2g | 12 | Adelaide | 2t 4g | 16 | Mt_Smart | Fri,21-Mar-1997 | T.Mander | 13000 |
| Hunter | 7t 5g | 38 | North Queensland | 2t 1g | 10 | Topper | Sat,22-Mar-1997 | B.Grant | 6090 |
| Perth Reds | 6t 5g | 34 | Canterbury | 1t 1g | 6 | Perth | Sun,23-Mar-1997 | G.Annesley | 7135 |
| Penrith | 6t 7g | 38 | Cronulla | 2t 1g | 10 | Penrith | Sun,23-Mar-1997 | S.Clark | 8138 |
| Brisbane | 4t 4g | 24 | Canberra | 2t | 8 | QE_II | Mon,24-Mar-1997 | B.Harrigan | 26103 |
| Round 5 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide | 2t 4g | 16 | Perth Reds | 3t 2g 2fg | 18 | Adelaide | Thu,27-Mar-1997 | B.Grant | 16294 |
| Auckland | 3t 2g | 16 | Penrith | 2t 3g | 14 | Mt_Smart | Sat,29-Mar-1997 | B.Harrigan | 19400 |
| Canberra | 3t 3g | 18 | Hunter | 2t 2g | 12 | Bruce | Sun,30-Mar-1997 | T.Mander | 15650 |
| Brisbane | 2t 3g | 14 | Cronulla | 2t 2g | 12 | QE_II | Mon,31-Mar-1997 | G.Annesley | 17294 |
| Canterbury | 2t 3g | 14 | North Queensland | 3t 2g | 16 | Belmore | Mon,31-Mar-1997 | S.Clark | 9830 |
| Round 6 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penrith | 5t 8g | 36 | Hunter | 4t 4g | 24 | Penrith | Fri,04-Apr-1997 | S.Clark | 8926 |
| North Queensland | 3t 2g | 16 | Brisbane | 8t 5g | 42 | Willows | Sat,05-Apr-1997 | B.Harrigan | 30122 |
| Canterbury | 6t 5g | 34 | Adelaide | 4t 3g | 22 | Belmore | Sun,06-Apr-1997 | G.Annesley | 7234 |
| Perth Reds | 1t 1g | 6 | Cronulla | 4t 2g | 20 | W.A.C.A. | Sun,06-Apr-1997 | B.Grant | 9200 |
| Canberra | 5t 2g | 24 | Auckland | 5t 5g 1fg | 31 | Bruce | Mon,07-Apr-1997 | T.Mander | 15061 |
| Round 7 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perth Reds | 1t 1g | 6 | North Queensland | 2g | 4 | W.A.C.A. | Sat,12-Apr-1997 | S.Clark | 9701 |
| Hunter | 4t 1g | 18 | Auckland | 2t 1g | 10 | Topper | Sat,12-Apr-1997 | T.Mander | 7719 |
| Adelaide | 2t 1g | 10 | Brisbane | 4t 2g | 20 | Adelaide | Sun,13-Apr-1997 | B.Grant | 17633 |
| Penrith | 3t 4g | 20 | Canberra | 5t 5g | 30 | Penrith | Sun,13-Apr-1997 | G.Annesley | 7134 |
| Cronulla | 3g | 6 | Canterbury | 3t 2g | 16 | Endeavour | Mon,14-Apr-1997 | B.Harrigan | 15108 |
| Round 8 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter | 7t 4g | 36 | Perth Reds | 3t 2g | 16 | Topper | Fri,18-Apr-1997 | G.Annesley | 4139 |
| Auckland | 4t 4g | 24 | Canterbury | 7t 5g | 38 | Mt_Smart | Sat,19-Apr-1997 | S.Clark | 17000 |
| Cronulla | 3t 3g | 18 | Adelaide | 4t 6g 1fg | 29 | Endeavour | Sat,19-Apr-1997 | T.Mander | 10112 |
| Canberra | 7t 6g | 40 | North Queensland | 3t 2g | 16 | Bruce | Sun,20-Apr-1997 | B.Grant | 10071 |
| Penrith | 4t 5g 1fg | 27 | Brisbane | 6t 1g | 26 | Penrith | Mon,21-Apr-1997 | B.Harrigan | 12648 |
| Round 9 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cronulla | 4t 5g | 26 | Hunter | 0 | Endeavour | Sat,26-Apr-1997 | B.Grant | 12284 | |
| Penrith | 2t 4g | 16 | Adelaide | 3t 5g | 22 | Penrith | Sun,27-Apr-1997 | B.Harrigan | 5815 |
| North Queensland | 5t 5g | 30 | Auckland | 3t 5g | 22 | Willows | Sun,27-Apr-1997 | T.Mander | 12464 |
| Brisbane | 6t 5g | 34 | Canterbury | 3t 2g | 16 | QE_II | Mon,28-Apr-1997 | G.Annesley | 17921 |
| Canberra | 5t 4g 2fg | 30 | Perth Reds | 2t 1g | 10 | Bruce | Mon,28-Apr-1997 | S.Clark | 10270 |
| Round 10 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide | 3t 1g | 14 | North Queensland | 3t 1g | 14 | Adelaide | Fri,02-May-1997 | G.Annesley | 15970 |
| Auckland | 3t 3g | 18 | Brisbane | 6t 5g | 34 | Mt_Smart | Sun,04-May-1997 | B.Grant | 16471 |
| Perth Reds | 5t 7g 1fg | 35 | Penrith | 3t 4g | 20 | W.A.C.A. | Sun,04-May-1997 | B.Harrigan | 7042 |
| Canberra | 4t 3g | 22 | Cronulla | 1t 2g | 8 | Bruce | Mon,05-May-1997 | S.Clark | 13875 |
| Canterbury | 8t 8g | 48 | Hunter | 7t 4g | 36 | Belmore | Mon,12-May-1997 | T.Mander | 7126 |
| Round 11 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter | 6t 3g | 30 | Penrith | 1t 1g | 6 | Topper | Fri,16-May-1997 | B.Harrigan | 2198 |
| Adelaide | 4t 3g | 22 | Canterbury | 7t 7g | 42 | Adelaide | Fri,23-May-1997 | S.Clark | 15022 |
| Cronulla | 7t 2g | 32 | Perth Reds | 1g | 2 | Endeavour | Sat,24-May-1997 | B.Grant | 9184 |
| Brisbane | 4t 2g | 20 | North Queensland | 3t 4g | 20 | QE_II | Sun,25-May-1997 | T.Mander | 14167 |
| Auckland | 2t 1g | 10 | Canberra | 3t 4g | 20 | Mt_Smart | Mon,26-May-1997 | G.Annesley | 15100 |
| Round 12 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter | 5t 2g | 24 | Brisbane | 1t 1g | 6 | Topper | Fri,30-May-1997 | G.Annesley | 7124 |
| North Queensland | 2t 1g | 10 | Cronulla | 4t 4g | 24 | Willows | Sat,31-May-1997 | T.Mander | 16095 |
| Perth Reds | 4t 4g | 24 | Auckland | 2t 2g | 12 | W.A.C.A. | Sun,01-Jun-1997 | B.Harrigan | 10203 |
| Adelaide | 3t 3g | 18 | Canberra | 6t 5g | 34 | Adelaide | Sun,01-Jun-1997 | S.Clark | 13894 |
| Canterbury | 3t 4g | 20 | Penrith | 4t 6g | 28 | Belmore | Mon,02-Jun-1997 | B.Grant | 12431 |
| Round 13 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter | 3t 2g | 16 | Canberra | 2t 2g | 12 | Topper | Fri,27-Jun-1997 | B.Grant | 7404 |
| North Queensland | 4t 3g | 22 | Canterbury | 4t 6g 1fg | 29 | Willows | Sat,28-Jun-1997 | S.Clark | 14176 |
| Perth Reds | 1t | 4 | Adelaide | 4t 6g | 28 | W.A.C.A. | Sun,29-Jun-1997 | T.Mander | 7204 |
| Penrith | 4t 5g | 26 | Auckland | 4t 3g | 22 | Penrith | Sun,29-Jun-1997 | P.Houston | 4446 |
| Cronulla | 5t 6g | 32 | Brisbane | 1t | 4 | Endeavour | Mon,30-Jun-1997 | B.Harrigan | 12240 |
| Round 14 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penrith | 4t 5g | 26 | North Queensland | 6t 4g 1fg | 33 | Penrith | Fri,04-Jul-1997 | B.Grant | 5335 |
| Hunter | 2t 1g | 10 | Adelaide | 1g | 2 | Topper | Sat,05-Jul-1997 | S.Clark | 2345 |
| Auckland | 1t 3g 1fg | 11 | Cronulla | 1t 2g | 8 | Mt_Smart | Sun,06-Jul-1997 | P.Houston | 12568 |
| Brisbane | 9t 7g | 50 | Perth Reds | 2t 3g | 14 | QE_II | Sun,06-Jul-1997 | T.Mander | 11806 |
| Canberra | 5t 4g | 28 | Canterbury | 2t 1g | 10 | Bruce | Mon,07-Jul-1997 | B.Harrigan | 7791 |
| Round 15 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide | 1t 2g | 8 | Auckland | 3t 3g | 18 | Adelaide | Fri,11-Jul-1997 | T.Mander | 13278 |
| Cronulla | 7t 8g | 44 | Penrith | 3t 4g | 20 | Endeavour | Sat,12-Jul-1997 | G.Annesley | 11914 |
| North Queensland | 6t 4g 1fg | 33 | Hunter | 3t 1g | 14 | Willows | Sun,13-Jul-1997 | B.Grant | 11480 |
| Canterbury | 6t 7g | 38 | Perth Reds | 5t 3g | 26 | Belmore | Sun,13-Jul-1997 | S.Clark | 4290 |
| Canberra | 1t | 4 | Brisbane | 3t 3g 1fg | 19 | Bruce | Mon,14-Jul-1997 | B.Harrigan | 13067 |
| Round 16 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide | 1t 1g | 6 | Cronulla | 6t 2g | 28 | Adelaide | Fri,08-Aug-1997 | T.Mander | 7231 |
| North Queensland | 2t 3g | 14 | Canberra | 4t 3g | 22 | Willows | Sat,09-Aug-1997 | S.Clark | 22026 |
| Perth Reds | 5t 5g | 30 | Hunter | 5t 1g | 22 | W.A.C.A. | Sun,10-Aug-1997 | B.Grant | 5083 |
| Brisbane | 10t 7g | 54 | Penrith | 2t 2g | 12 | QE_II | Sun,10-Aug-1997 | B.Harrigan | 13921 |
| Canterbury | 7t 6g | 40 | Auckland | 3t 3g | 18 | Belmore | Mon,11-Aug-1997 | G.Annesley | 5126 |
| Round 17 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penrith | 8t 6g | 44 | Canterbury | 1t 2g | 8 | Penrith | Fri,15-Aug-1997 | B.Harrigan | 8213 |
| Auckland | 5t 5g | 30 | Perth Reds | 4t 3g | 22 | Mt_Smart | Sat,16-Aug-1997 | B.Grant | 13142 |
| Cronulla | 6t 5g | 34 | North Queensland | 2t 2g | 12 | Endeavour | Sat,16-Aug-1997 | T.Mander | 11640 |
| Canberra | 10t 9g | 58 | Adelaide | 2t 4g | 16 | Bruce | Sun,17-Aug-1997 | S.Clark | 7960 |
| Brisbane | 6t 5g | 34 | Hunter | 3t 2g | 16 | QE_II | Mon,18-Aug-1997 | G.Annesley | 13830 |
| Round 18 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide | 6t 6g | 36 | Penrith | 3t 2g | 16 | Adelaide | Fri,22-Aug-1997 | B.Grant | 11211 |
| Perth Reds | 3t 2g | 16 | Canberra | 7t 4g | 36 | W.A.C.A. | Sat,23-Aug-1997 | S.Clark | 12307 |
| Auckland | 9t 7g | 50 | North Queensland | 4t 3g | 22 | Mt_Smart | Sun,24-Aug-1997 | T.Mander | 12000 |
| Hunter | 3t 2g | 16 | Cronulla | 5t 4g | 28 | Topper | Sun,24-Aug-1997 | B.Harrigan | 5122 |
| Canterbury | 4t 4g | 24 | Brisbane | 6t 4g | 32 | Belmore | Mon,25-Aug-1997 | G.Annesley | 9781 |
| + denotes [golden point] | |||||||||
| 1997 Ladder | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | P | W | D | L | T G F | For | Ave. | T G F | Agn | Ave. | Diff. | Pts | |
| 1.Brisbane | 18 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 89t 62g 1fg | 481 | 26.72 | 49t 43g 1fg | 283 | 15.72 | +198 | 29 | |
| 2.Cronulla | 18 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 69t 63g 1fg | 403 | 22.39 | 36t 42g 2fg | 230 | 12.78 | +173 | 24 | |
| 3.Canberra | 18 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 79t 59g 2fg | 436 | 24.22 | 57t 53g 3fg | 337 | 18.72 | +99 | 22 | |
| 4.Canterbury | 18 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 75t 76g 1fg | 453 | 25.17 | 78t 67g 1fg | 447 | 24.83 | +6 | 20 | |
| 5.Penrith | 18 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 68t 78g 3fg | 431 | 23.94 | 81t 68g 2fg | 462 | 25.67 | -31 | 18 | |
| 6.Hunter | 18 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 67t 41g 0fg | 350 | 19.44 | 61t 59g 1fg | 363 | 20.17 | -13 | 14 | |
| 7.Auckland | 18 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 55t 55g 2fg | 332 | 18.44 | 70t 63g 0fg | 406 | 22.56 | -74 | 14 | |
| 8.Perth Reds | 18 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 56t 47g 3fg | 321 | 17.83 | 79t 69g 2fg | 456 | 25.33 | -135 | 14 | |
| 9.Adelaide | 18 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 46t 59g 1fg | 303 | 16.83 | 72t 56g 2fg | 402 | 22.33 | -99 | 13 | |
| 10.North Queensland | 18 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 57t 49g 2fg | 328 | 18.22 | 78t 69g 2fg | 452 | 25.11 | -124 | 12 | |
| Totals | 661 tries, 589 goals, 16 field goals = 3838 points, 21.32 average score | ||||||||||||
| Semi-Finals | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major Preliminary Semi | |||||||||
| Cronulla2 | 4t 3g | 22 | Canberra3 | 3t 3g | 18 | Endeavour | Sat,30-Aug-1997 | B.Harrigan | 17137 |
| Minor Preliminary Semi | |||||||||
| Penrith5 | 2t 3g 1fg | 15 | Canterbury4 | 2t 3g | 14 | Belmore | Mon,01-Sep-1997 | G.Annesley | 10492 |
| Major Semi | |||||||||
| Brisbane1 | 6t 5g | 34 | Cronulla2 | 1g | 2 | Willows | Sat,06-Sep-1997 | B.Harrigan | 26256 |
| Minor Semi | |||||||||
| Canberra3 | 5t 6g | 32 | Penrith5 | 2t 2g | 12 | Bruce | Mon,08-Sep-1997 | G.Annesley | 10153 |
| Preliminary Final | |||||||||
| Cronulla2 | 1t 3g | 10 | Canberra3 | 1t | 4 | Endeavour | Sat,13-Sep-1997 | B.Harrigan | 17638 |
| Grand Final | |||||||||
| Brisbane1 | 4t 5g | 26 | Cronulla2 | 1t 2g | 8 | QE_II | Sat,20-Sep-1997 | B.Harrigan | 58912 |