By league reporter
John Whiting
What was your most memorable moment of 2007? Have your say on the messageboard at the bottom of the page
Just like a Hollywood blockbuster the 2007 year of rugby league had highs and lows, laughs and tears, heroes and villains.
The past year has been a mixed bag for league fans in New Zealand with the Warriors making the finals while the dismal Kiwis won just one of six internationals.
Tantalising NRL
With the Test scene proving to be dull at best, thankfully the NRL provided more drama than a daytime soap.
It was a season that had it all.
From the predictability of a Melbourne Storm premiership win to a shock admission from Andrew Johns about his drug habits.
Bad behaviour always seems to lurk around league, but 2007 really was the "year of the bad boy" with players making front pages for all the wrong reasons.
Sonny Bill Williams grabbed headlines in Round One when his swinging arm knocked Knights playmaker Andrew Johns into the next week.
The hit effectively forced Johns into retirement after medical advice that the implications of re-injuring his neck were too great to risk.
It should've been a heroic goodbye for one of league's best ever players, but it wasn't long before Joey made the front pages after being arrested in London for possession of drugs.
The arrest forced out remarkable revelations that Johns had been taking drugs for the majority of his career, was an alcoholic, depressed and had even contemplated taking his own life.
It wasn't the end for Sonny Bill either after being caught in a, let's say, compromising position with a female in a pub toilet.
Next it was Williams in trouble for urinating on a nightclub wall, and later for destroying the camera of a member of the paparazzi.
St George Illawarra's Wes Naiqama was given 12 months detention four being caught for a fourth time driving while disqualified while the Warriors' Michael Crockett was embroiled in sexual assault accusations.
But it wasn't all bad news this season, there were plenty of feel-good stories too.
In 2007 the NRL got a new expansion team - the Gold Coast Titans. And with star signing Scott Prince at the helm the new side put in a respectable season performance, finishing at 12th on the competition ladder.
After losing to the Brisbane Broncos in the 2006 grand final, the Storm held true to their season dominance to take out the 2007 decider 34-8 over the Manly Sea Eagles.
Melbourne hooker Cameron Smith won the Churchill medal for best player in the decider while North Queensland Cowboy Johnathan Thurston edged Tigers' No.9 Robbie Farah for the Dally M player of the year.
The Queenslanders went back-to-back to take out a tight State of Origin series 2-1.
Teenager Jarryd Hayne went from hero to villain in Game One at Suncorp Stadium after a stunning chip and chase try at the end of the first half before throwing a horror pass in the second which Darren Lockyer pounced on to score the game-winning try.
Russell Crowe put the heart back into the Rabbitohs, and while his hands on "I love you" sessions seemed absolutely ridiculous on the surface, it seemed to work. The Bunnies made their first finals appearance in 18 years.
2007 also saw the demise, and resurgence of the Sydney Roosters. After a shocking start to the season, coach Chris Anderson deserted the sinking ship. Brad Fittler took over at the back end of the season and remarkably almost guided his side into the playoffs.
Wonderful Warriors
While the Warriors went down in straight sets to the Eels and then Cowboys in the finals, it was a tremendous season for the New Zealand franchise.
2007 saw inspirational captain Steve Price top the metres gained statistics week-in, week-out.
Price was rewarded for his stellar year by the NRL winning the best prop and best captain awards for the competition.
Michael Witt took over goal-kicking duties and never looked back. The halfback was fourth in the NRL for total conversions at a strike rate of near 90 percent.
Micheal Luck showed everyone he's a tackling machine after racking up 959 tackles, the most of any player all season.
And while New Zealand fans were enjoying their side in the top eight for most of the year, they were even more excited when it was announce star centre Brent Tate was coming to the Warriors on a three-year deal in 2008.
Finishing fourth at the end of the regular season, the Warriors earned a home final at Mt Smart Stadium.
Warriors fans caught the fever as the Auckland stadium was packed to full capacity to watch the home side painfully go down to Parramatta10-12.
That meant New Zealand would have to get past the Cowboys at Dairy Farmers Stadium to progress. In the sweltering Townsville heat the Warriors were destroyed 49-12.
Woeful Kiwis
Despite the success of the Warriors, the good times didn't roll on for the Kiwis.
2007 was the worst ever year for the international side, winning just one game all year.
The disaster began in July when the NZRL foolishly decided it would be a good idea to get rid of Brian McClennan as head coach because of a move the Leeds Rhinos in the UK Super League.
The ANZAC Test was McClennan's last game as top dog and while the Kiwis lost 30-6 to the Kangaroos, the worst was yet to come.
Celebrating 100 years of rugby league, newly appointed coach Gary Kemble looked completely out of his depth.
To be fair Kemble did have injury influence his selections, but the boys who did take the field underperformed and even came to doubt the credentials of their own coach.
After being humiliated 58-0 by Australia in the end of year Test in Wellington, the Kiwis went on be be whitewashed in a three-game series by a weak Great Britain side.
The Kiwis managed to gain back a shred of dignity by edging out France 22-14 in the final Test of the year.
Stacey's swansong
While the Kiwis were painful to watch, the All Golds game against the Northern Union was a memory to cherish.
Kiwi hero Stacey Jones said goodbye to all forms of rugby league with a fitting 25-18 win in a team alongside many of his former Warriors and Test team-mates.
After the win Jones ceremoniously hung up the boots and was lauded in front of adoring players and fans.
It marked the end of an era for New Zealand rugby league but Jones will undoubtedly go down in one of the game's immortals.
I just hope the future Kiwi players learn from his determination and intense pride in the jersey.
Winners and losers in 2007
NRL
Premiers: Melbourne Storm
Minor Premiers: Melbourne Storm
Wooden spooners: Penrith Panthers
Dally M: Johnathan Thurston (Cowboys)
Rookie of the Year: Israel Folau (Storm)
State of Origin
Queensland won the series 2-1:
Game one: Queensland 25-18 NSW
Game two: Queensland 10-6 NSW
Game three: NSW 18-4 Queensland
Player of the Series: Cameron Smith
Kiwis
Kangaroos 30-6 Kiwis (ANZAC Test)
Kangaroos 58-0 Kiwis (End of year Test)
Centenary tour:
All Golds 25-18 Northern Union
Great Britain 20-14 Kiwis
Great Britain 44-0 Kiwis
Great Britain 28-22 Kiwis
Kiwis 22-14 France
