Mid Week Cups
Amco Cup | Tooth Cup | KB Cup | National Panasonic Cup | Panasonic Cup

The mid-week cup or Amco Cup (also known by various other sponsors' names including the Tooth Cup, KB Cup, National Panasonic Cup and Panasonic Cup) was a mid-week rugby league competition held in Australia between 1974 and 1989. The format was usually a straight knock-out, but various group formats were used between 1979 and 1982. It aired on Channel Ten with Ray Warren and Keith Barnes the commentators for many years.

The competition was essentially a "made for TV" event, featuring 4 x 20-minute quarters and a penalty countback rule in the event of a draw. Matches were played under floodlights (usually) on a Wednesday evening at venues. Initially Leichhardt Oval in Sydney was the main venue, though later matches were played at Lang Park in Brisbane, Parramatta Stadium and various New South Wales country centres. The competition was scrapped after the increasingly professional clubs resented the additional burdens on their players caused by the mid-week games. In 1990 it was replaced by a preseason challenge cup played for only by the New South Wales Rugby League premiership teams.


Year Cup   Winners   Runners-Up   Venue Player of the Series
1974 Amco Cup   Western Division 6 Penrith 2 Leichhardt Oval Paul Dowling*
(Western Division)
1975 Amco Cup Eastern Suburbs 17 Parramatta 7 Leichhardt Oval  
1976 Amco Cup Balmain 21 North Sydney 7 Leichhardt Oval John Gray
(North Sydney)
1977 Amco Cup Wests 6 Easts 5 Leichhardt Oval Graeme O'Grady*
(Western Suburbs)
1978 Amco Cup Easts 16 St. George 4 Leichhardt Oval Kevin Hastings
(Eastern Suburbs)
1979 Amco Cup Cronulla 22 Brisbane 5 Leichhardt Oval Kurt Sorensen
(Cronulla Sutherland)
1980 Tooth Cup Parramatta 8 Balmain 5 Leichhardt Oval Peter Sterling
(Parramatta)
1981 Tooth Cup South Sydney 10 Cronulla 2 Leichhardt Oval Steve Rogers
(Cronulla Sutherland)
1982 KB Cup Manly 23 Newtown 8 Leichhardt Oval Michael Eden
(Manly Warringah)
1983 KB Cup Manly 26 Cronrulla 6 Leichhardt Oval Ian Schubert
(Manly)
1984 National Panasonic Cup Brisbane 12 Easts 11 Leichhardt Oval Wally Lewis
(Brisbane)
1985 National Panasonic Cup Balmain 14 Cronulla 12 Leichhardt Oval Scott Gale
(Balmain)
1986 National Panasonic Cup Parramatta 32 Balmain 16 Leichhardt Oval Ray Price
(Parramatta)
1987 National Panasonic Cup Balmain 14 Penrith 12 Parramatta Stadium Benny Elias
(Balmain)
1988 Panasonic Cup St George 16 Balmain 8 Parramatta Stadium Peter Gill
(St George)
1989 Panasonic Cup Brisbane Broncos 22 Illawarra 20 Parramatta Stadium Terry Matterson
(Brisbane Broncos)

 

* Source : This infomation is thanks to Paul Dowling who was Captain of the 1974 Western Division side who won the AMCO CUP against Penrith. (He scored all 6 points for Western Division in this match).

 


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