May 10: Billy banishes Gordie; Slater eclipses Irvine

On this day, the Illawarra Steelers hammered the Cronulla Sharks, Bill Harrigan sent off Gorden Tallis, while Billy Slater broke Ken Irvine's try-scoring record.

1989

The Illawarra Steelers produce the boilover result of the Panasonic Cup with their stunning 40-0 whitewash of Cronulla at Parramatta Stadium. English imports Andy Gregory and Steve Hampson make their debuts but play only a small role in the win.

2000

New South Wales take first honours in the State of Origin series with a 20-16 victory at Stadium Australia. Referee Bill Harrigan comes under fire from Queensland for missing two apparent knock-ons in the lead-up to a crucial try and for sending Maroons forward Gorden Tallis from the field for dissent.

2002

City Origin score their first win over Country since 1995 with a 26-16 win before 8,342 fans at Wagga’s Eric Weissel Oval.

2010

North Queensland fullback Matt Bowen takes only 16 minutes of his comeback match from radical knee surgery to score a long-distance try as the Cowboys trounce the Sydney Roosters 34-18 at the Sydney Football Stadium.

2011

Penrith announce that dual premiership-winning coach Phil Gould has been appointed to a coaching director’s role at the club. 

2015

Melbourne fullback Billy Slater surpasses Ken Irvine for most tries for a single premiership club when he crosses for a double against Parramatta to move to 172 career tries. Slater would finish his career in 2018 with 190 tries for the Storm.

This article contains information from the official records of NRL historian David Middleton.