2009 in Sports - Rugby League

Rugby League

• March 1 – Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles defeats Leeds Rhinos 28–20 to win the 2009 World Club Challenge at Elland Road
• March 22: Maesteg, South Wales – 20-year-old forward Leon Walker collapses and dies on the field in a reserve match between Wakefield Wildcats and Celtic Crusaders.
• June–July – Queensland defeats New South Wales 2–1 in the 2009 State of Origin series to claim a record 4th straight Origin series victory.
• August 29 – Warrington Wolves defeats Huddersfield Giants 25 – 16 to win The Carnegie Challenge Cup at Wembley
• October 4 – Melbourne Storm defeat Parramatta Eels 23–16 in the 2009 NRL Grand Final to win their third premiership and second in two years. Billy Slater named Clive Churchill Medalist. On April 22, 2010, the Melbourne Storm were stripped of the 2007 and 2009 premierships and the 2006–2008 minor premierships, after Storm officials confessed to the NRL that the club had committed serious and systematic breaches of the salary cap between 2006 and 2010 by running a well-organized dual contract and bookkeeping system which concealed a total of $3.17 million in payments made to players outside of the salary cap.
• November – Australia defeat England 46–16 in the final of the Rugby League Four Nations tournament in England.