The 1994 New South Wales Rugby League season was one of the best season for the sport on the field, and it was the start of one of the biggest upheavals of the sport off it!
As the season got underway we had the defending two time premiers in the Brisbane Broncos looking strong, the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs having a fierce looking side, the Manly Sea Eagles coached by Bob Fulton just entering another golden era for the club, the North Sydney Bears having one of the best seasons in the clubs history, while the Illawarra Steelers and Cronulla Sharks were also having one of their best seasons in recent memory.
In the middle of all of these teams were the 1994 Canberra Raiders. A very good team with a great mix of players that provided youth and experience. The Raiders hadn’t won a Grand Final since 1990, and it is fair to say that many felt like they had under achieved in recent season. They had to much potential but could never bring it all together when it mattered.
Then, half way through the 1994 season Canberra Raiders fullback would light a spark in the competition that would power the club to the Grand Final.
As the Raiders came into round 14 against the Cronulla Sharks Brett Mullins had 6 tries over the course of the season. Mullins would score 3 tries against the Sharks in a 52-16 demolition job by the Raiders.
In the following game the Raiders faced off against the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Brett Mullins would score 4 tries in the match as the Raiders ran away with a 48-8 victory.
By this stage the Rugby League world was taking notice, and Mullins, having just scored 7 tries in two games was the name on everyone’s lips. That is what made the next match all the more remarkable.
Against the Newcastle Knights Brett Mullins was untouchable, scoring 4 tries, two of which were lent of the field efforts, as the Raiders ran away with a 52-16 victory.
Mullins would score another try the following week against the Canterbury Bulldogs in a game that many were already guessing was a Grand Final preview. The Raiders would win the match 36-6.
Brett Mullins would go on to score 22 tries in 1994, with 16 of those tries being scored in the ten matches between round 14 of the season and the 1994 Grand Final.
It was a remarkable run of form that saw Mullins go from being a little known outside back, to a fully fledged superstar, and it set the standard for having an explosive season that could power a club to a premiership.
Below are the highlights from Brett Mullins match against the Newcastle Knights, a famous game as it was televised (Not all games were televised in 1994) and made Brett Mullins a household name!
Enjoy:
