Season 2000 began with an air of uncertainty. South Sydney's demise had polarised the game in Australia, with those seeing the benefits of progress and rationalisation supporting the move, and the vocal majority opposed it. The sporting landscape in Australia was set to change, with the Olympic Games set to take the country into the global spotlight as it had never done before.

As a result of the September timing of the Olympics the rugby league season was forced to move itself forward, beginning at the beginning of one of the most unforgiving months in Australia's climate - February. The Grand Final was to be contested in August, and it was anyone's guess who would be there.

Melbourne were understandably amongst the favourites after their watershed premiership the year before, while the likes of Newcastle, St George-Illawarra, Canterbury and Sydney Roosters were also expected to challenge for the title. The Broncos, having lost so many classy experienced players the year before were expected to go through their first rebuilding period since 1991.

Frustrated North Sydney backline utility, Ben Ikin, had come on board, and veteran British prop Harvey Howard was thrown a lifeline after being unwanted by the newly merged Wests Tigers, but largely the Broncos appeared to have done little to offset the massive personnel losses.

The premiership got underway without much incident, despite unfounded threats of protests and violence from some of South Sydney's more irrational supporters. The Broncos ventured to Campbelltown Stadium for the debut of the Tigers. They were walking into a powderkeg of emotion after the Tigers' most vocal supporter, Laurie Nicholls, tragically passed away in the week before the match. The Tigers, expectedly, lifted, taking an 18-6 lead shortly after half time when Joel Caine scored his second try. But the Broncos, led by Gorden Tallis and Phillip Lee, rallied, scoring three converted tries unanswered to take a 24-18 lead. But the Tigers weren't to be denied, Caine scoring his third and kicking the conversion from the sideline to level the scores. Despite some late heart flutters, the scoreline remain unchanged, the Broncos beginning the season with a draw for the third time.

The aftermath of the match was just as charged. Tigers forward, Jarrod McCracken, was cited after an apparently blatant elbow on Broncos' prop Shane Webcke. He was also cited on an additional charge of kneeing. Incredibly, the judiciary found the former Bulldogs and Parramatta star not guilty. McCracken later thanked the panel's understanding that Rugby League is "a tough, hard game". Sadly those words would come back to haunt him when later that season he was speartackled against Melbourne, receiving a neck injury that ended his career. McCracken attempted to sue the offenders for damages, forgetting his comment about the "tough, hard game" in which he condoned his attempt to take Webcke's head off.

Nevertheless, the Broncos moved on to the second of their four-game away streak to begin the season. Parramatta Stadium had been a happy hunting ground for the Broncos, despite not having beaten Parramatta since 1996. Only once the Eels had prevailed at the ground, but many felt the young, developing Brisbane outfit would struggle. The match was dour for the most part, the Broncos creeping to a 12-0 lead shortly after half time when Brad Thorn crashed over. But the Eels fought back, scoring two tries with an incredible run of possession to trail by just 2 points with more than 10 minutes remaining. But Thorn put the icing on the cake with one of the great forward tries of the modern era. Taking the ball 40 metres out from the line, the giant second rower ran to the line, stepped through and then beat the fullback with a beautiful step to score.

Tragically Lee, who had been one of the Broncos' most impressive performers in the opening two rounds, was lost for the rest of the season after rupturing his cruciate ligament.

Gaining confidence, the Broncos crossed the Tasman to face the Auckland Warriors, promising a much greater impression on the premiership than their lacklustre performance since joining the competition in 1995. Their promise seemed to turn to nothing as Brisbane scored two first half tries through Wendell Sailor and Luke Priddis. Sailor's length of the field effort, with the assistance of Ikin, was a joy to watch. But the Warriors fought back to trail by just 2 points early in the second half. However, Darren Lockyer helped put the game to bed, setting up two tries to centre Mick De Vere and scoring one himself as the Broncos won 28-10. 18-year-old lock forward Ashley Harrison made his debut late in the match, setting up Lockyer's try with his first touch of the football.

Ending the away trip was a tough encounter with the Sharks at Toyota Park, one of the graveyards of opposition sides for more than a decade. It appeared to be the case again with the Sharks racing to a 10-0 half time lead. However Brisbane fought back with an early try to Tonie Carroll getting them back within four points before Brett Howland created one of the enduring images of the season when he outpaced a chasing Sailor to score a length of the field try. The Broncos looked beaten before Ikin planted a grubber on the line to get back within two points before Thorn seemed to lose the game when he was ruled to have lost the ball in scoring a try. Thorn made amends in the dying stages, putting up a wayward bomb for Sailor who tossed the ball inside for Lockyer, who found Ikin in support, Sailor doubling around to race over and score under the posts to get the Broncos home 18-14 much to the disbelief of the Cronulla locals. Coach Wayne Bennett was understandably delighted that his side had come through the opening four rounds away from home unbeaten.

The Newcastle Knights were the next item on the menu, and were a club who had never enjoyed much success in Brisbane. In fact, no success. The Broncos had never lost to the Knights at home, but many felt the Brisbane bubble was about to burst. When Tallis charged over to give his side an 8-0 half time lead, the bubble looked to be holding strong. But then came Adam MacDougall. The controversial winger laid on two tries, had a third disallowed and setup one for Mark Hughes. His steal and sprint on Sailor was one of the most mindboggling moments of the season. But once again the Broncos refused to lie down. De Vere scored after the Knights failed to clean up a grubber before Lockyer won the game for the Broncos with a runaway try. Despite the win and maintaining an unbeaten record, Bennett was furious. He felt his side had allowed the Knights to come back by playing sloppy, and few could argue.

But over the next three weeks the Broncos went from strength to strength. Dismantling North Queensland 50-8, they looked superb. Young winger Lote Tuqiri, who had had a solid but not great debut year in 1999, scored a hat trick to really come of age. Lock Kevin Campion was breaking out of his shell with his attacking player and was the same dependable defender that had served the club so well for so long. Tonie Carroll was hitting some of the most devastating form of his career. The following week the Broncos dug deep and ground out a 14-6 win over Canberra, despite trailing 6-4 for much of the second half. The next week, despite a very poor second half effort, the Broncos put away the Bulldogs 24-14. After 8 rounds they were unbeaten, alone at the top of the premiership, and suddenly the rebuilding season didn't look like eventuating, or else everyone had slept through it.

Penrith had been decimated by injuries and they were not expected to halt the Broncos' progress at Penrith Stadium. They had other ideas. Kevin Walters had just returned from injury and was put straight back off the park during a rough contest in which the Panthers used in-your-face aggression to force the Broncos to falter. It worked to a treat, holding Brisbane tryless for the first time since 1995 to win 18-2.

Suddenly hit by an injury crisis in the halves, with Ben Ikin and Walters unavailable, Brisbane gambled on Carroll at five-eighth outside Ben Walker at halfback. The gamble failed with Walker dislocating his elbow in the opening seconds of the match against Melbourne at ANZ Stadium, and the Storm scoring on their first set of six. In an absolute thriller the match went point-for-point, and ultimately that's how it finished, 18-all. A frantic last minute field goal shootout came up empty for the Broncos' second draw of the season.

The next week St George-Illawarra came to ANZ Stadium. An unhappy hunting ground for them at the best of times, the Dragons were enveloped in a controversy that shook Rugby League. Five-eighth and self-confessed best player in the world, Anthony Mundine, having missed selection for the ANZAC Test, withdrew from the Dragons line up, apparently from a shoulder injury. Two days later he was gone, dashing overseas without notifying his club of where he was going or when or if he'd be back. Luke Branighan got his debut in his place and watched as former Dragon Tallis dismantled them. With Darren Lockyer and Walker missing, the two regular kickers, the Broncos landed just three successful conversions, making the scoreline a little more respectable for the Dragons at 34-16.

Test football in New Zealand copped a battering the following Friday night. They ventured to Stadium Australia buoyed by their last two narrow contests against their great Trans-Tasman rivals and hopeful of an upset. 52 unanswered points later, it was the darkest day in Kiwi Rugby League.

Two days later, the Broncos' four Test players had to back up against the Northern Eagles at Brookvale Oval, where they had not won since 1991. That record remained intact with the struggling joint-venture running away with a 16-6 win, scoring one of the miraculous tries of the season in the process.

The following Friday night the Eels came to town, an event that sends chills down every Brisbane fan's spine. Parramatta had been beaten just once at the ground since it opened in 1993, and despite struggling for form in 2000 the Broncos were wary. The game was locked 6-all at half time before a Tuqiri intercept broke the game open. Eventually the Broncos ran out winners 28-6, with Kevin Walters back at halfback and controlling the show.

Little did many people know but Walters had very nearly given the game away after the loss to Penrith. Struggling with injury, lacking confidence and seemingly losing interest in the game, Walters was set to give the game away. Ironically, it was his good friend Allan Langer, who 12 months earlier had given it away in similar circumstances, who convinced him to stay on. Langer had regreted his hasty exit from the game, and while enjoying his stint in England with Warrington would have preferred to go on in Australia. Walters heeded the advice.

With the time for the season short, State of Origin was unable to be accommodated with split rounds. So the Broncos, contributing yet another seven players, fielded a highly unfamiliar side against the struggling Raiders at Bruce Stadium. However, the "baby Broncos" as they were touted, held their own and in fact led 14-10 during the second half. However, a converted try to Luke Davico ended hopes of a surprising win, Canberra holding on 16-14.

The news wasn't good for Queensland, either. The Maroons looked strong in the opening Origin clash at Stadium Australia, leading 14-6 after 44 minutes. However, the Blues hit back soon after through Adam MacDougall to be within two points. The biggest drama came 10 minutes from full time however when Terry Hill appeared to knock on not once but twice 15 metres out from his own line. Inexplicably, Bill Harrigan called play on. Seconds later Ryan Girdler was over to level the scores and at the same time Gorden Tallis was issued his marching orders after calling Harrigan a "f***ing cheat". The impact was immediate, David Peachey clinching the match 20-16, despite most observers agreeing that Queensland were the better side.

It only went from bad to worse. The second game at Lang Park became New South Wales' biggest ever win against Queensland in State of Origin. The Blues ran out 28-10 winners to clinch the series and avenge the year before's drawn series and shield retention by the Maroons. The third game was just an embarassment. Queensland had evidently heeded the thoughts of Tallis that the third game should not be played, seemingly not turning up as the Blues ran roughshod over Maroon hearts 56-16 to complete not only a clean sweep but to many peoples' way of thinking the death knell of State of Origin Rugby League.

Back in club football the Broncos were chugging along without major discomfort. Big wins over Sydney Roosters and the Sharks were mixed with undermanned losses to Melbourne and Newcastle. The Knights loss was particularly bitter. With less than a handful of regular first graders in the side, the Broncos led 22-4 at half time only to watch in vain as Newcastle ran over the top of them in the second thanks to a blatant forward pass being let go for an early Knights try.

But with Origin now over, the Broncos could focus on the job at hand. A hard-fought win over North Queensland was the prelude to a remarkable run of victories. Some revenge was exacted on Wayne Pearce for the Origin debacle when the Broncos went on from 12-all at half time to annihilate his Wests Tigers 56-12 by full time. The following week they gave the Bulldogs a 48-18 shellacking at Stadium Australia, and the week after that avenged the Penrith defeat 48-6 at ANZ Stadium. Wendell Sailor scored seven tries in that time and Michael De Vere scored a remarkable 56 points in those three games, at an average of just under 19 points per game.

An unremarkable 32-22 win over the Northern Eagles followed, wrapping up the minor premiership. With three rounds to go, the Broncos led the competition by 8 points with just games against struggling St George-Illawarra and Auckland and finals contender Sydney Roosters to come. Commentators felt the Broncos would struggle against the Dragons at WIN Stadium with little to play for. How wrong they were. After going point-for-point in the opening 25 minutes, Tuqiri put the Broncos in front at half time with a try. After the break it was all Brisbane, Sailor starting the rot with a length of the field classic after collecting a bomb and Mick De Vere equalling the club individual match pointscoring record of 24 for the second time in a fortnight.

But the lethargy commentators predicted did come. With Shane Webcke out with a broken arm suffered against the Dragons, joining fellow prop Petero Civoniceva who suffered a similar injury in round 16, ruling him out for the season, and Brad Meyers struggling with a stress fracture in his leg, Brisbane's forward stocks were low. Dane Carlaw was doing an admirable job at prop, and Harvey Howard had earnt a recall from the Toowoomba Clydesdales. Despite putting in a great effort, the Broncos still managed to look ordinary against Auckland in winning 38-20, having to fight back from 10-0 down after as many minutes. And in the final round, having rested key players Kevin Campion, Brad Thorn and Darren Lockyer, they capitulated 28-0 to Sydney Roosters after being locked at nil-all at half time. It was the first time the Broncos had been held scoreless since round 8 of 1995.

The top 8 was finalised, with the Broncos safely in first place, followed by Sydney Roosters, Newcastle, Canberra, Penrith, Melbourne, Parramatta and the Sharks. With the McIntyre system in place, Brisbane came up against the Sharks at ANZ Stadium with Cronulla set for elimination if they failed to win.

That didn't look to be a concern at half time, as the Sharks dumbfounded the crowd with a blistering 20-6 opening stanza. Brisbane looked flat, lethargic, disinterested, a far cry from the determined, committed side that had dominated all and sundry all season. An early mistake from the Sharks in the second half was all the tonic the Broncos needed, Gorden Tallis scoring his second immediately to put the Broncos on the right track. Ben Ikin followed soon after to get within two and then Lote Tuqiri barged over from close range for Brisbane to hit the front for the first time in the match, with 14 minutes on the clock. Just minutes earlier the Sharks looked to seal the match after a scintillating final tackle play went through 13 sets of hands before Russell Richardson lost the ball over the line.

Ikin scored his second to seal the game with 8 minutes on the clock, and then replacement back Shaun Berrigan darted over to ice the cake 34-20. It was, thankfully, a happy farewell for halfback and captain Kevin Walters who, after announcing he was playing his last season in the NRL, had played his final game at ANZ Stadium.

The Broncos earnt the week off after that victory, along with Newcastle who eliminated 1999 premiers Melbourne. Parramatta were emerging as the surprise packets of the finals, having stunned second placed Sydney Roosters and then overpowering Penrith. The lead-up to their much anticipated preliminary final clash with Brisbane at ANZ Stadium was dominated with speculation Webcke would return from his broken arm earlier than expected, sporting a specially designed arm guard.

As expected, he took the field, engaging in one of the toughest displays by a player in recent years. Visibly suffering discomfort, he unleashed big hits, toughening up a Bronco defence that had seemed to be on the decline in the past six weeks. Brisbane started strongly, Darren Lockyer and Gorden Tallis scoring fantastic tries to lead 12-0. But the Eels hit back after half time with tries to Luke Burt and Jason Moodie having them within two points.

The Broncos held on, Brad Thorn - as he did against the same opponent in round 2 - crashing over to seal victory 16-10 and propel the Broncos into their fifth Grand Final.

The Sydney Roosters had earnt the right to join Brisbane in the decider at Stadium Australia after fighting back from 16-2 down at half time to defeat Newcastle 26-20. 94000 people packed the ground for the decider, despite dire predictions that with an out of town team and the largely uncared about Roosters nobody would turn up. But they did, and an enthralling opening 40 minutes unfolded.

After an early error, Brisbane were under pressure and Shannon Hegarty looked certain to score in the opening four minutes, only to be denied by a powerful last line tackle from Lockyer which unseated the ball. Shortly after Lockyer crossed only to be denied by Harrigan for a forward pass. There was to be no denial next time. After Matt Sing coughed up the ball 20 metres out, Lockyer sprinted from the scrumbase, finding Tuqiri in support to score the opening try of the Grand Final.

It could have been more at half time too but for last ditch tackles from Roosters fullback Luke Phillips. First Brad Thorn then Wendell Sailor were away and set to score tries before the talented former Cowboy, only on the field thanks to pain killers, brought them to ground. At half time, Mick De Vere's kicking gave the Broncos a 10-2 buffer - the same half time margin the Broncos enjoyed against St George in the 1993 Grand Final.

Ikin was knocked out early in the second half after dominating the first, De Vere failing with a shot at goal from the ensuing penalty. However, 15 minutes into the second half, Sailor made sure of it. After Shane Rigon coughed up possession 20 metres out, the Broncos drove the final nail into the coffin when Tonie Carroll flicked a ball out to Sailor who crashed over despite the attentions of Sing and Brad Fittler. The Roosters gained a faint sniff with 10 minutes on the clock when Craig Fitzgibbon crashed through Ikin to score, however his shot at goal hit the crossbar and bounced away. 10 centimetres more and it would have been 14-8 and a chance to draw level before full time. The Broncos, however, held on and Kevin Walters strode to the final scrum a happy man as the full time siren blew. The Broncos had done it, winning a premiership nobody thought possible at the start of the year. 14-6 victors in the Grand Final - ironically the same scoreline as their 1993 triumph.

Darren Lockyer deservedly won the Clive Churchill Medal for best on ground, and Walters gave a typically sporting speech and jovial farewell to Rugby League. "I won't see ya all next year," he proudly announced before picking up his youngest son Jett who had stood at his side throughout the ceremony. As Walters celebrated with his teammates and coaching staff - and children - it was easy to forget the trauma and personal tragedy he had gone through over the past four years. Losing his wife, Kim, to cancer was gutwrenching but his tireless work to use her memory to further support for victims of the disease is a credit to his character. His ability to go on and play some of the best football of his career since her death in 1998 astounding. To lead his club to a premiership was simply the perfect end to a rollercoaster ride in elite sport.

The Olympics followed, and while it's silly to go into it in detail in a Rugby League history section, it can't be ignored for the marvellous sporting spectacle it was. The best ever there is no doubt.

But for some of the players the season wasn't yet over. The World Cup, played in England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland and France was to come, and for the Broncos, the usual suspects were there. Shane Webcke, Darren Lockyer, Wendell Sailor and Gorden Tallis carried the torch for Australia, while Tonie Carroll (New Zealand), Kevin Campion (Ireland) and Lote Tuqiri (Fiji) had jobs of their own. Tuqiri took great pleasure in playing a starring role against Australia, although it didn't stop his birth nation going down 66-8. Tallis led Australia for the first time against Russia, and while the Australians won 110-4 he rated it his greatest honour in his illustrious career that features three premierships.

After a scare against Wales in which the unfancied home nation led 20-6 at half time, the Australians went on to win the tournament with a 40-12 win over New Zealand in the final that did not reflect the closeness of the contest.

The season finally wound down, a season that had gone a solid 10 months with only a brief pause for Olympic glory. Brisbane once again farewelled a number of players. Walters, of course, ended a 12 year playing stint with the club after joining in 1990 from Canberra. Tonie Carroll surprised many when he signed with English club Leeds at the tender age of 24, while most players were seeing England as a retirement home. Brad Thorn quit Rugby League to pursue his dream of becoming an All Black in Rugby Union. Kevin Campion was set to join Langer at Warrington before being put off by the weather in the UK and moving to Auckland instead. And Harvey Howard, after one enjoyable but challenging season with the club, returned home to England. Ben Walker, who had been earmarked to takeover from Allan Langer in 1999 faded out of view in 2000, hampered by poor form and injury problems. He took on a position with the Northern Eagles for 2001, and brothers Chris and Shane threatened to follow suit before re-signing.

North Queensland's Scott Prince was the club's star signing for 2001, under controversial circumstances. Prince told the Cowboys their original offer was insufficient, and in retaliation the Cowboys said take it or leave it, if you don't like it find somewhere else. He found the Broncos. Once again Brisbane were being accused of poaching talent, despite the Cowboys' own management shooting themselves in the foot. Parramatta club captain Stu Kelly also joined the club after being told by coach Brian Smith he was no longer required. It was a bitter pill to swallow for the talented back, but he hoped playing with Brisbane would boost his Origin chances. Veteran Canberra forward Mark Corvo also signed on for a year, and Roosters journeyman Darren Burns did likewise.

The year would go down as one of the club's proudest, but there is always one difficulty that comes with having such an outstanding season: defending the crown. In 2001 that would prove an incredibly testing feat, on and off the field.