was an essentially a brand new operation. 1996 Season During the 1996 season the club won five matches which was an impressive achievement. Newly appointed head coach Phil Economidis led a team that was hastily assembled over the Summer. Joining the new team were Martin Bella, Lee Oudenryn, Dave Watson and Brett Plowman. Sporting a new strip of jade, black, purple and gold, the Gold Coast Chargers made their 1996 debut at Carrara Stadium on 23 March. Captained by former Kiwi international Dave Watson the Chargers, having only three members of the last Gold Coast side from 1995, acquitted themselves well in a 42–26 defeat against the North Sydney Bears in front of more than 8000 supporters. In round two against the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles the team managed to score four tries, which was more than any other team managed throughout 199, and when they met the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Redfern Oval, the Chargers broke through for their first victory 18–16. They backed up this performance with a mighty effort against Manly at Carrara. The Sea Eagles team was brimming with international class players, yet could only manage a 10–6 result against a team thrown together in a month. Victories over the Illawarra Steelers at Carrara 28–20 and the multi-million dollar Parramatta Eels at Parramatta Stadium 27–14 made the league world sit up and take notice. The Chargers had moved to 10th position, after six rounds. A monumental achievement considering early off field drama. However sustaining the high level of their performances on a weekly basis became increasingly difficult and the Chargers came back to the field throughout the second half of the season. They only managed one draw and a win in the final 12 rounds. But it was a massive win over their new northern neighbors. The Gold Coast thrashed the hapless South Queensland Crushers 52–6 at Suncorp Stadium, establishing a record score and a record winning margin for the club. And that day their achieved their third away win for the season, another first for the Gold Coast. Brendan Hurst was the club's leading point scorer for the season with 107 points (3 tries, 47 goals and a field goal), while Lee Oudenryn crossed for 8 tries. 1997 Season After having been in the league for eight seasons, the Chargers that made the Gold Coast club's only finals appearance in the Australian Rugby League's half