The 1917 Auckland Rugby League season was its 9th. Due to the large number of players now serving in the First World War it was agreed to relax transfer rules to allow players from stronger teams to join weaker teams to even the competition. [1] It was noted how many men from various clubs had been killed in battle by the beginning of 1917. They were Cecil Walker, Doug Dawson, T Marshall (Grafton Athletic), Charles Savory, Frank McWhirter (Ponsonby United), Graham Cook (Ponsonby United), N Vause, Victor McCollum, Alf Gault, T Lambert, E Tiernan, F Stubbs, W. G. Handle (Ponsonby United), B Hart, Frederick Gladding, A Powley, Chas Mann (North Shore Albions), William Moeki, G Jones, W Harris, Sam Magee, S Greer (City Rovers), Alan Miller, Charles Sinton, and Leslie O'Leary (Sunnyside). City Rovers had 'sent' ninety men to war by this time and twenty-one had been wounded and five killed. The Sunnyside club had only nine members left and one of those who had gone to the war (William O'Shaughnessey) said that in the trenches he had made a list of league players from various clubs which totaled 120. All three of the Sunnyside secretaries had enlisted and the executive was also gone. Ponsonby had also had over eighty of its members join the war effort. [2]
Thirty three teams entered the six grades. This was down on previous seasons due to the number of men who had gone to fight. In the senior grade there were still six teams entered, with five second grade teams, five third grade teams, nine fourth grade teams, six fifth grade teams, and four sixth grade teams. The season was notable for the fact that Otahuhu was forced to drop out of the first grade competition after round 4 as it struggled to field senior players. Grafton Athletic also fell by the way-side soon after for the same reason.
Ponsonby United won the first grade championship for the first time in their history. They also won the Roope Rooster trophy for the first time with a 12–6 win over City Rovers in the final. By winning both competitions they became the second Auckland senior club to win multiple trophies in the same season following on the footsteps of City Rovers who had won both titles the year prior.
Team | 1st Grade | 2nd Grade | 3rd Grade | 4th Grade | 5th Grade | 6th Grade | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
City Rovers | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
Newton Rangers | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Otahuhu Rovers | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
North Shore Albions | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
Ponsonby United | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Grafton Athletic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Thames Old Boys | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Richmond Rovers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Telegraph Messengers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Pupuke | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Sunnyside | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Total | 6 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 35 |
On May 17, 1917 the Pupuke rugby league club was granted affiliation with the Auckland Rugby League at their weekly management meeting. [3] They entered a single team in the 3rd grade competition. The Observer newspaper reported that “Takapuna is the latest recruit to Northern Unionism. Forty-three lads there have formed a club to be known as the Pupuke Club. One team has been entered in the third grade competitions to play in all red jerseys”. [4] In 1921 a club was formed in the same Takapuna area and played until 1925.
At the season end rather than a strong representative program which had been a feature of earlier years several charity and exhibition matches were played instead. These included a match versus the victorious Auckland Rugby Union club champions Railway. The team in its entirety switched to the rugby league code. They played matches with Ponsonby United and City Rovers at the end of the season. The team would go on to struggle for numbers itself in 1918 before eventually amalgamating with Grafton Athletic.
In 1916 the fence around Victoria Park had been removed by the council which made it very difficult to collect gate revenue. The league had however secured land which would be developed as Carlaw Park with the aim being to secure the ground and gain revenue from ticket sales in the future.
The 1st grade championship had been competing for the Myers Cup from 1910 to 1914 but after the beginning of the war the league decided to not award trophies though the grade competitions were still competed for as normal. Twenty three first grade season matches were played which was less than previous seasons but owing to the fact that both Otahuhu and Grafton Athletic were forced to drop out of the competition due to a lack of players as a result of so many leaving to join the war effort. After their Round 4 default to North Shore where only two Otahuhu players turned up they decided to amalgamate senior teams with Grafton. [5] This was short lived however as Grafton themselves only lasted until Round 7 when they themselves defaulted a week later. Ponsonby United were crowned champions for the first time in their existence.
Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ponsonby United | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 109 | 51 | 14 |
Newton Rangers | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 153 | 77 | 12 |
City Rovers | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 110 | 71 | 12 |
North Shore Albions | 9 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 84 | 91 | 8 |
Grafton Athletic | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 144 | 0 |
Otahuhu Rovers | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 55 | 0 |
The match at Otahuhu saw the kickoff delayed as the home team only had 8 players with several absent through illness. Eventually it got underway and a few players arrived to join the game, though they only ended up with 11. The Grafton club protested at the playing of Arthur Matthews and his brother W. Matthews for the North Shore side when they were registered with Ponsonby. The league decided to order both players to stand down until the matter was resolved and that the match should be replayed at a later date.
19 May | Ponsonby | 12–8 | Newton | Victoria Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: Spence Jones, D McCarthy Con: A Cross 2 Pen: A Cross | [6] | Try: Ronald Lovett, Wally Somers Con: Charles Potier | Referee: Archie Ferguson |
19 May | North Shore | 14–4 | Grafton | Devonport Domain | ||
3:00 | Try: Percy Pullen, G Stewart, Stan Walters, Leonard Boon Pen: Frederick Neighbour | [6] | Pen: Karl Ifwersen 2 | Referee: Billy Murray |
19 May | Otahuhu | 2–14 | City | Otahuhu 1 | ||
3:00 | Pen: Martin | [6] | Try: McAubrey 3, Tom Sheehan Con: Bill Davidson | Referee: Tom Fielding |
Newton, who had themselves struggled in 1916 now found themselves against a depleted Grafton side due to the war. Grafton field what was said to be a "scratch team" with just one senior player and were trounced 43-0. Ernie Asher converted a try from the sideline on full time to win the match for City over North Shore. It came after North Shore took the lead with a try with 5 minutes to go. Then City attacked and a series of scrums were held near the North Shore line. The referee had to stop the game for 2 and a half minutes to clear the field of spectators who were encroaching on the field of play before George Paki secured the ball from a scrum and crossed to level the scores before Asher's goal. It was said that "hat's coats, etc, were thrown in the air by the red barrackers". [7] The Pukekohe & Waiuku Times reported that the match between Otahuhu and Ponsonby at the formers ground was played "on a sodden ground and under very unfavourable weather conditions" and after ten minutes the players were unrecognisable as they were covered in mud. [8]
26 May | City | 18–16 | North Shore | Victoria Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: Tom Sheehan, Bill Davidson, Herb Lunn, George Paki Con: Ernie Asher 3 | [9] | Try: Leonard Boon, Cyril Nicholson, Stan Walters, George Seagar Pen: Frederick Neighbour, Jim Griffen (mark) | Attendance: 2,500 Referee: Dick Benson |
26 May | Newton | 43–0 | Grafton | Victoria Park 2 | ||
3:00 | Try: Bill Williams 2, Len Farrant 3, George Iles 3, A McSweeney 2, Charles Potier Con: Phil Castles, Len Farrant, Charles Potier 2, Wally Somers | [10] | Attendance: 2,500 Referee: Stan Weston |
26 May | Otahuhu | 5–13 | Ponsonby | Otahuhu | ||
3:00 | Try: P Higgins Con: Gus Martin | [11] | Try: Bill Walsh, A Cross, Arthur Rae Con: A Cross 2 | Referee: T. Hill |
2 June | Ponsonby | 15–6 | North Shore | Victoria Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: Spence Jones, Thomas McClymont 2 Con: A Cross Pen: A Cross (and 1 mark) | [12] | Try: Leonard Boon, Cyril Nicholson | Referee: Tom Fielding |
2 June | City | 20–3 | Grafton | Victoria Park 2 | ||
3:00 | Try: Tom Sheehan, Robert Clark 2, Bill Davidson 2, Ernie Asher Pen: Ernie Asher | [12] | Try: Les Bull | Referee: A Ball |
2 June | Newton | 28–5 | Otahuhu | Victoria Park 3 | ||
3:00 | Try: unknown x 1, George Iles, Bill Williams 2, Phil Castles, Len Farrant Con: Charles Potier 3, Phil Castles Pen: Phil Castles | [12] | Try: King Pen: Gus Martin | Referee: A Vause |
9 June | Newton | 15–13 | City | Victoria Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: Arthur Iles, Dick Tobin 2 Con: Charles Potier 1 Pen: Charles Potier | [13] | Try: Hastedt, Robert Clark 2 Con: Ernie Asher 2 | Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Stan Weston |
9 June | Ponsonby | 37–3 | Grafton | Victoria Park 2 | ||
3:00 | Try: W Henderson 2, Spence Jones 2, Arthur Rae 2, A Cross, Jim Clark, L Martin Con: Arthur Rae, A Cross 2, J Winters Pen: A Cross | [13] | Try: unknown x 1 | Attendance: 4,000 Referee: F. Tyson |
9 June | North Shore | WBD-LBD | Otahuhu | Devonport Domain | ||
2:00 | [13] | Referee: Frank Thompson |
Otahuhu had withdrawn from the competition meaning only two games per round from this point onwards. A letter was written to the newspapers explaining their situation that some players had requested transfers while others had been injured and the junior teams were too young or low in ability to replace the senior defections to put out a full team each week. They had also lost many club members to military service. [14] The match at Victoria Park drew 5,000 spectators but was considered a "poor exhibition" with the field in a heavy state due to wet weather, with rain again coming down late in the match. Arthur Rae scored twice for Ponsonby and it was A. Cross's goal kicking which separated the sides as City matched Ponsonby's three tries. Bill Davidson only converting one of theirs. At Devonport Domain the visiting Newton side proved too strong scoring 4 tries to 3 with internationals George Iles, Bill Cloke, and Bill Williams all crossing the line and Charles Potier kicking 4 goals. Ernie Asher started the match at fullback but was replaced by George Paki who was celebrating his 24th birthday and it was said that City had uncovered a "tip top full" in Paki as he "never made a mistake in the game". [15]
16 June | Ponsonby | 15–11 | City | Victoria Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: Spence Jones, Arthur Rae 2 Con: A Cross Pen: A Cross 2 | [16] | Try: J Sutton, Robert Clark, Bill Davidson Con: Bill Davidson | Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Billy Murray |
16 June | North Shore | 13–20 | Newton | Devonport Domain 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: Cyril Nicholson, Frederick Neighbour, Ernie Bailey Con: William Matthews Pen: William Matthews | [16] | Try: George Iles, Phil Castles, Bill Cloke, Bill Williams Con: Charles Potier 2 Pen: Charles Potier 2 | Attendance: "Fair Attendance" Referee: Archie Ferguson |
The matches played at Victoria Park were the 100th and 101st senior club games played at that venue stretching from 1909 to 1917. Though both kicked off at the same time so the honour of being the 100th is shared. The Ponsonby team took the field wearing armbands after a club mate, Herbert Arthur Brewer, had been killed in action on June 7 in Belgium at the age of 25. [17] During the week eight of the Otahuhu senior side were granted transfers due to them folding. Alf Eustace moved to City along with hooker Montrose (Monty) Stanaway, brother of Alex and Jack who had both represented New Zealand and New Zealand Māori respectively, while Bill Cloke and Gus Martin went to Newton.
30 June | Ponsonby | 10–7 | Newton | Victoria Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: Spence Jones, Jim Clark Con: A Cross 2 | [18] | Try: Lang Con: Charles Potier Pen: Charles Potier | Referee: Stan Weston |
30 June | North Shore | 11–8 | Grafton | Victoria Park 2 | ||
3:00 | Try: W Matthews, Stan Walters, Kirk Pen: Stan Walters | [18] | Try: Parks, Marshbank Pen: Martin | Referee: T Hill |
Grafton continued to struggle to put out a competitive team and played 3 men short against Newton. The unknown try scorer for City came about when most of the forwards piled over the line together with the press unable to see who scored. And evidently not bothering to ask the players who scored after the match.
7 July | North Shore | 15–11 | City | Victoria Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: Cyril Nicholson, George Seagar, Jim Griffen Con: Cyril Nicholson 3 | [19] | Try: Bill Davidson, unknown x 1, F Sheehan Con: Ernie Asher | Attendance: 2,500 Referee: Frank Thompson |
7 July | Newton | 19–3 | Grafton | Victoria Park 2 | ||
3:00 | Try: George Iles 3, James, R Clark Con: George Iles 2 | [19] | Try: Phil Castles | Attendance: 2,500 Referee: W. Aughton |
The unknown try for Ponsonby in their win over North Shore was described in the New Zealand Herald match report as “a fierce combined rally resulted in the pack taking the ball over for a try”. Grafton defaulted their match with City and this ended their season as they were unable to field a side for any further competitive matches.
14 July | Ponsonby | 7–6 | North Shore | Victoria Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: Unknown x 1 Con: Bill Walsh Pen: Bill Walsh | [20] | Try: Stan Walters, George Seagar | Attendance: 3,500 Referee: Billy Murray |
14 July | City | WBD-LBD | Grafton | Victoria Park 2 | ||
3:00 | [20] | Referee: J. Clow |
21 July | City | 18–5 | Newton | Victoria Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: Ernie Asher, Bill Davidson, Hogan 2 Con: Ernie Asher 2, Bill Davidson | [21] | Try: Browne Pen: C Potier | Referee: Tom Fielding |
28 July | City | 5–0 | Ponsonby | Victoria Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: C Mitchell Con: Bill Davidson | [22] | Attendance: 6000 Referee: Archie Ferguson |
28 July | Newton | 8–3 | North Shore | Victoria Park 1 | ||
1:45 | Try: Albert Ivil, George Iles Con: George Iles | [22] | Try: Leonard Boon | Attendance: 6000 Referee: A. Ball |
On 21 July Ponsonby played a match versus the Waterside Workers after both Otahuhu and Grafton had left the competition. Ponsonby won the match by 14 points to 3.
After both Otahuhu and Grafton Athletic had dropped out of the senior grade there were only 4 senior teams left. However the Waterside Workers formed a team and played a match versus Ponsonby during the season, and they also played in the first round of the Roope Rooster.
Following the conclusion of the Roope Rooster competition on 25 August a benefit match was played between City Rovers and Newton Rangers at Victoria Park. It was won by City 31 points to 11. [23] On 1 September City defeated Ponsonby in another exhibition match, described as “one of the fastest and most exciting matches this season” by 13 points to 12 at Victoria Park. [24]
4 August | Newton | 24–6 | North Shore | Victoria Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: George Iles 2, Dick Tobin, Bill Williams, Bill Cloke, A Thomas Con: C Potier Pen: C Potier Drop: C Potier | [25] | Try: C Nicholson, Frederick Neighbour | Attendance: 5000 Referee: Stan Weston |
4 August | City | 13–7 | Waterside Workers | Victoria Park 2 | ||
3:00 | Try: A Eustace, McAubrey, Bill Davison Con: Ernie Asher 2 | [25] | Try: Tierney Con: Len Farrant Pen: Curtis | Attendance: 5000 Referee: A. Vause |
11 August | Ponsonby | 15–6 | Newton | Victoria Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: Arthur Rae, Bill Walsh, Sam Lowrie Con: Bill Walsh, A Cross Pen: A Cross | [26] | Pen: C Potier 2 (+ 1 mark) | Referee: Tom Fielding |
18 August | Ponsonby | 12–6 | City | Victoria Park | ||
3:00 | Try: Thomas McClymont, A Maddison Con: A Cross Pen: A Cross 2 | [27] | Pen: Ernie Asher 3 | Attendance: 5000 Referee: Billy Murray |
The following point scoring lists include both Senior Championship matches and the Roope Rooster competition.
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The match saw 17 year old Maurice Wetherill debut for City. He would then go off to war and then after his return he played for City from 1917 to 1930, playing 130 matches for them. He would also play 39 games for Auckland and 20 for New Zealand. He also coached City Rovers in 1930, the Northland representative side in 1929, and then became a referee in the 1930s, going on to referee at international level.
1 September | City | 13-3 | Ponsonby | Victoria Park | ||
3:00 | Try: Maurice Wetherill, Bill Davidson, Jim Clark Con: Bill Davidson Pen: Bill Davidson | [28] | Try: Spence Jones, Arthur Pooley Con: A Cross 2 Pen: A Cross (mark) | Attendance: 4,500 Referee: Archie Ferguson |
On 8 September a combined match was played between Ponsonby-Shore and Newton-City with the proceeds devoted to a memorial to the late William Mackrell. This was a premonition of the future with City and Newton several decades later actually combining clubs.
8 September | Ponsonby-North Shore | 22–3 | City-Newton | Victoria Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: Bill Walsh 2, Thomas McClymont 2, Cyril Nicholson, G Stewart Con: A Cross 2 | [29] | Try: Bill Davidson | Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Billy Murray |
On 15 September a gala day was held with Rugby League and Football (“Association”) played to raise money for the RSA. It was declared a success and 200 pounds was raised. The match was played between Ponsonby United who had won the league championship and a combined team from the remainder of the clubs in the senior grade (City Rovers, Newton Rangers, and North Shore Albions). The combined team won by 26 to 21. The day also featured a sprint race between 6 players from the senior teams. It was won by Nicholson of the North Shore Albions. A ‘house match’ was also played between Hobson Hotel and Thompson and Hill's which Hobson Hotel won by 23 points to 3. [31] [32]
15 September | Combined Team | 26–21 | Ponsonby | Auckland Domain | ||
3:00 | Try: Thomas 2, C Nicholson, Phil Castles, George Seagar, Ernie Bailey Con: Bill Davidson 4 | [33] . [34] | Try: D McCarthy 2, Sam Lowrie, Iles, Arthur Rae Con: A Cross 3 | Attendance: 5,000 |
City and Ponsonby United played an exhibition match on 24 September at Victoria Park. [35] The City club applied for permission to play Maurice Wetherill as he was playing for their 4th grade side. The league granted permission and he played in the five eight position and played well. He would later go on to play for Auckland and New Zealand and also become an international referee. On 29 September a very controversial cross code match was played between Railway (a combination of Marist Brothers Old Boys and City) who were the winners of the Auckland Rugby Union competition, and Ponsonby, the Auckland Rugby League club champions. The match was not sanctioned by the Auckland Rugby Union as Railway was also scheduled to play an annual charity rugby union match versus University on the same day. The Railway team playing the league code had “gone over to the Northern Union game”. [36] They played a further match against City Rovers which they lost by 18 points to 6 before moving to the Auckland Rugby League full-time in 1918. They would eventually amalgamate with Grafton Athletic and in 1919 they would reform as the Marist Rugby League Old Boys club”. The Railway team included Ces Dacre who went on to play cricket and soccer for New Zealand. Jimmy (Sonny) Hing who switched to Marist and had a long involvement in rugby league including with the Point Chevalier club also played in the matches. [37]
22 September | City | 16–6 | Ponsonby | Victoria Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: Bill Davidson, Harry Francis 2, Hogan Con: Bill Davidson | [38] | Try: Arthur Rae 2 | Attendance: 4,000 |
29 September | Railway | 12–3 | Ponsonby | Victoria Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: Ces Dacre, Simpson, James (Sonny) Hing, P Courtney | [39] | Try: W Henderson | Attendance: 2,000 |
6 October | City | 18–6 | Railway | Victoria Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: I Hogan, Stanaway, Bill Davidson, Jim Rukutai, A Eustace, C Mitchell | [40] | Try: H Barclay, James (Sonny) Hing | Attendance: 3,500 |
The newly formed Pupuke club entered a side in the third grade. They were based in the Takapuna area and wore red uniforms. Manukau, Remuera and Riverhead did not field teams in any grades in 1917. It was decided at the start of the season that no trophies would be awarded in any of the grades due to the effect of the war on the competition and in line with there being no representative football being played in the war years. On several occasions it was asked if they would reconsider awarding winning teams anything but they consistently stated that nothing would be awarded, including badges.
There were also house matches played. On August 4 Thompson and Hill defeated A. & T. Burt 7-2.
Ponsonby won the grade. Otahuhu withdrew after 1 round following a 12-0 loss to Newton. Only 18 results were reported from 25 scheduled matches though in the 1949 Rugby League Annual it was stated that Ponsonby had won 8 from 9 matches with a for of 85 and against of 18. The June 23 matches were rained out so it is possible that they won 8 from 8 as they only had 8 scheduled matches in the newspaper draws.
Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | F | A | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ponsonby United | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 85 | 18 | 16 |
Thames Old Boys | 8 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 24 | 22 | 4 |
Newton Rangers | 7 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 29 | 2 |
City Rovers | 8 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 45 | 0 |
Otahuhu Rovers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
Newton withdrew from the competition after 1 round, while Ponsonby withdrew after 3 rounds. City Rovers beat Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers in round 11, 5-3 to seal the championship. Of the 21 matches played only 12 scores were reported.
Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | F | A | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
City Rovers | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 96 | 16 | 14 |
North Shore Albions | 9 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 67 | 36 | 6 |
Pupuke | 10 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 15 | 51 | 2 |
Newton Rangers | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 2 |
Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers | 11 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 83 | 0 |
Ponsonby United | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
City won the fourth grade competition after going undefeated. Otahuhu (the runner up did manage a 3-3 draw with them however. City won the majority of their matches without conceding any points (19-0, 26-0, 42-0, 68-0, 35-0, 3-3, 13-5, 33-0, 10-0, 25-0, 8-0, and 33-0). Thames Old Boys were awarded their round one match after Sunnyside fielded an overweight player. The match had finished in a 0-0 draw. North Shore withdrew after failing to field a side in round 1 and have not been included in the standings. Ponsonby withdrew after defaulting in round 10. There were only 26 scores reported, with 26 scores not reported.
Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | F | A | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
City Rovers | 14 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 315 | 8 | 27 |
Richmond Rovers | 14 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 25 | 45 | 8 |
Otahuhu Rovers | 13 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 78 | 13 | 7 |
Grafton Athletic | 13 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 38 | 47 | 7 |
Thames Old Boys | 12 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 69 | 4 |
Ponsonby United | 10 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 75 | 2 |
Sunnyside | 13 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 15 | 125 | 0 |
Newton Rangers | 14 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 100 | 0 |
North Shore Albions won the championship. Only 12 match results were reported with 21 results not reported. Otahuhu only had 4 of their results reported but were said to have finished runner up, not 3rd.
Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | F | A | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
North Shore Albions | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 61 | 8 | 11 |
City Rovers B | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 57 | 9 | 6 |
Otahuhu Rovers | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 21 | 5 |
Telegraph Messengers | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 24 | 2 |
City Rovers A | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 56 | 0 |
Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 75 | 0 |
North Shore won the championship. There were 16 results reported and 5 were not reported.
Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | F | A | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
North Shore Albions | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 89 | 35 | 14 |
Richmond Rovers | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 35 | 36 | 8 |
City Rovers | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 39 | 46 | 8 |
Telegraph Messengers | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 26 | 72 | 2 |
Auckland played a match against a Military Representative side representing the Trentham, Featherston, and Tauherenikau camps at the Auckland Domain on 13 October. A large crowd attended and the total proceeds of the game were devoted to the Red Cross. Maurice Wetherill debuted for Auckland when he came on for Bill Davidson who was injured. Wetherill would join the war effort and then return to City, going on to play 20 matches for New Zealand and 39 for Auckland before his retirement from playing in 1930. He later became a first grade and representative referee who controlled test matches.
13 October | Auckland | 23–20 | Military Camps | Auckland Domain | ||
3:00 | Try: Bill Davidson 2, Thomas McClymont, A Thomas, C Mitchell, Sam Lowrie, Maurice Wetherill Con: A Cross | [41] | Try: Clark 2, Guiney, Hickey Con: Clark 2, McPhee Pen: Clark | Attendance: 1,500 Referee: Leonard Nield |
No | Name | Club Team | Play | Tries | Con | Pen | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bill Davidson | City | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
2 | Thomas McClymont | Ponsonby | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
2 | A Thomas | Newton | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
2 | C 'Chook' Mitchell | City | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
2 | Sam Lowrie | Ponsonby | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
2 | Maurice Wetherill | City | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
7 | A Cross | Ponsonby | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
8 | Ivan Stewart | North Shore | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
8 | J Hogan | City | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
8 | Jim Rukutai | City | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
8 | Jim Clark | City | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
8 | Albert Ivil | Newton | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
8 | George Seagar | North Shore | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
8 | George Paki | City | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
8 | Maurice Wetherill | City | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The Auckland Rugby League competition has been competed for since 1909 when the first organised match was played between North Shore and City Rovers. The following year an official champion was crowned for the first time, namely the City Rovers club who won the 1910 1st Grade title and were one of the 4 original teams at that time. Over the following 110 years many team and individual trophies have been awarded. The following is a list of the clubs and individuals that they have been awarded to at the premier-grade level.
The 1911 Auckland Rugby League season was the second full organised club season in Auckland following the 1910 Auckland Rugby League season. City Rovers won the title again after winning it in the competitions inaugural year.
The 1914 season was the sixth season of Auckland Rugby League since its formation in 1909. It followed the 1913 Auckland Rugby League season where North Shore Albions were crowned senior champions for the first time. The senior grade saw the addition of Otahuhu Rovers, who had previously competed in the lower grades only, and Grafton Athletic. The Manukau Rovers and Eden Ramblers no longer contributed teams. The first grade was won once again by North Shore Albions.
The 1915 season, and 7th of Auckland Rugby League saw the First Grade competition begin on 8 May featuring the same 6 senior clubs who had competed in 1914.
The 1916 Auckland Rugby League season was the 8th year of the organisation.
The 1918 Auckland Rugby League season was its 10th since its inception in 1909. It was again severely affected by the ongoing war with several hundred players serving overseas and 44 killed who were named in the annual report. North Shore Albions withdrew from the competition early in the season and on other occasions teams played short-handed. There was also a truncated representative program with only a trial match and one full Auckland representative match versus Canterbury, which was played at the Auckland Domain in front of 10,000 spectators.
The 1919 season of the Auckland Rugby League was its 11th. It was the first season post World War I and unsurprisingly it saw a resurgence in playing numbers with 56 teams across the six grades. North Shore Albions who had previously dropped out of the senior competition again fielded a senior side. As did Otahuhu, who had dropped out during the 1917 season. Ponsonby United won their third consecutive first grade title, while Newton Rangers won the Roope Rooster trophy.
The Auckland Rugby League was in its 12th season.
The 1922 Auckland Rugby League was the 14th in its history. There were 68 teams playing across the various grades. City Rovers won the first grade championship for the 5th time, with Ponsonby winning the Roope Rooster for the 2nd time. City Rovers also defended the Challenge Shield, warding off efforts from Petone, Tongariro, and Huntly to lift it from them. Bill Davidson set a record for points scored in an Auckland club rugby league season with 116 for City Rovers. He and his brothers Ben and George between them scored 186 of City Rover's 339 points which was also a competition record for a team in a single season. City scored a further 19 points in the Roope Rooster competition and 85 points in their 3 Challenge Shield matches for 443 points in all official games.
The 1923 season of the Auckland Rugby League was its 15th. The First Grade competition featured 7 teams with the Fire Brigade club who featured in it in 1922 not entering a team.
The 1926 season of the Auckland Rugby League was its 17th.
The 1927 Auckland Rugby League season was its 18th. Newton defeated Ponsonby by 6 points to 3 in the championship final to win the Monteith Shield after both teams finished the season tied with identical 8 win, 1 draw, 3 loss records. This was the second time Newton had won the championship in 18 efforts, with the first being in 1912 and was to be their last after they merged decades later with City Rovers and the combined team ceased in the early 2000s. Richmond won the Roope Rooster knockout trophy for the second consecutive season. Newton Rangers defeated Richmond to win the Stormont Shield.
The 1928 Auckland Rugby League season was its 19th. Devonport United won the Senior A Championship for the first time under the Devonport United name, though they had won it twice before as North Shore Albions, before the North Shore merger with Sunnyside. Marist Old Boys won the Roope Rooster trophy for the first time. This was their second major trophy after winning the championship in 1924. They also went on to defeat Devonport to win the Stormont Shield.
The 1929 Auckland Rugby League season was its 20th. One of the key events of the season was the tour of the South Sydney side.
The 1930 season of Auckland Rugby League was its 22nd. It was generally regarded that the season was very disappointing in terms of the quality of the football played and much of the blame was put down to the fact that too many teams were in the Senior A Grade and there was too much talent spread through the Senior B teams which in turn diluted the top division. There had been a noticeable drop in the attendances at matches at Carlaw Park which had seen 8 to 10 thousand regularly attending club matches. A review of the season was published in The New Zealand Herald on 22 October discussing the issue.
Arthur Matthews (1889–?) played for the New Zealand rugby league team in 1919 on their tour of Australia. He was Kiwi number 117. He played in 3 tour matches but did not play in any tests as there were none played on this tour. He lived in Auckland and played for the Ponsonby United and North Shore Albions senior teams from 1915 to 1920.
The 1940 Auckland Rugby League season was its 32nd.
Edward Joseph Bennett was a New Zealand rugby league footballer. Bennett played in the second row position. He represented the New Zealand rugby league team in two test matches against England in 1920. In the process he became the 144th player to represent New Zealand. He also played for the Waiuku rugby club, and the Newton Rangers, and Grafton Athletic rugby league clubs. Bennett also represented the Auckland and North Island rugby league teams.
The Thames Old Boys League Football Club was a rugby league club in Auckland, New Zealand which existed from 1915 to 1920. They competed in the Auckland Rugby League lower grade competitions. They were made up of former Thames residents who had moved to live in Auckland partly as the Coromandel Gold Rushes came to an end.
The Telegraph Messengers Club was a rugby league club in Auckland, New Zealand which existed from 1916 to 1919. They competed in the Auckland Rugby League lower grade competitions. They were initially affiliated to the Ponsonby United club before amalgamating with the Maritime Football Club during the 1920 season. They were composed of telegraph messengers for the Post and Telegraph organisation hence their name.