Dewar Shield

Last updated

Dewar Shield
Dewar Shieid logo.png
Sport Rugby union
Founded1909;115 years ago (1909)
No. of teams8; See teams
Country Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Most recent
champion(s)
Power House (2024)
Most titles Melbourne (20)

The Dewar Shield is a rugby union competition in Melbourne. It is the premier amateur rugby competition in Victoria. A total of eight teams from the Victorian Rugby Union compete for the trophy. Clubs must field teams in 3 grades, Dewar Shield Reserves (Penwill Cup) and Dewar Shield 3rd Grade (Mawhinney Cup), to be eligible to compete.

Contents

A "Game of the week" is streamed on the Rugby Victoria Facebook Page.

History

The Victorian Rugby Union senior competition was established in 1909 with five teams, namely East Melbourne, Melbourne, South Melbourne, St Kilda and University. The Melbourne Rugby Club of that time won the first year of the five-team competition for the new trophy the Dewar Shield (donated by the Scotch Whisky Distillery John Dewar and Sons). One hundred years later in 2009 the current Melbourne Rugby Club once again won the premiership defeating Box Hill in the Grand Final for the same Dewar Shield. The Current (2024) Premiers are Power House who defeated Footscray 31-12 in the Grand Final held at Box Hill

The Premier competition is contested by eight clubs with each club fielding three teams (1st Grade, Reserve Grade, and 3rd Grade). Other senior competitions offered are Metro 2nd Division with an A, B & C Grade, Colts (U20), Country, Women and Masters (over 35s).

During this time, a number of clubs have dominated the 1st Grade results. Melbourne Rugby Club has the most number of Premierships with 20. Moorabbin holds the record for consecutive Premierships, winning six in a row from 1981 to 1986. Other prominent clubs during this 100-year period include Melbourne University, Power House and Navy. [1]

Footscray and Endeavour Hills were promoted to the Premier division for the 2011 season.

Dewar Shield Clubs

ClubLocationHome groundNicknameFoundedFirst season
Box Hill Box Hill RHL Sparks ReserveBroncos19581966
Endeavour Hills Endeavour Hills Frog Hollow ReserveEagles19792007
Footscray Footscray Henry Turner Memorial ReserveBulldogs1928
Harlequin Ashwood Ashwood ReserveQuins19281930
Melbourne Armadale Romanis Reserve, Orrong ParkUnicorns19091929
Melbourne University Parkville Royal ParkStudents19091910
Moorabbin Moorabbin Keys Rd ReserveRams1965
Power House Albert Park Albert ParkThe Society19331936

Winners

Victorian Rugby Union Premiership winners [1]

Former clubs

(list may not be complete)

a Kiwi-Hawthorn now play in the Premiership competition.

b Southern Districts now play in the Premiership competition.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New South Wales Suburban Rugby Union</span>

The New South Wales Suburban Rugby Union, or NSWSRU, is affiliated to the New South Wales Rugby Union and runs the competition affectionately known as "Subbies" rugby. There are around 7,500 players and 55 clubs competing across 6 divisions, making "Subbies" the largest centrally administered rugby competition in the world. NSWSRU is truly the grassroots of rugby in Sydney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victorian Premier Cricket</span> Club cricket competition in Victoria, Australia

Victorian Premier Cricket is a club cricket competition in the state of Victoria administered by Cricket Victoria. Each club fields four teams of adult players and usually play on weekends and public holidays. Matches are played on turf wickets under limited-time rules, with most results being decided on a first-innings basis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rugby Victoria</span> Member and founding union of Rugby Australia

Rugby Victoria, formerly the Victorian Rugby Union, is a member and founding union of Rugby Australia. Within the state of Victoria, it is the governing body for the sport of rugby union.

The 1992 AFL season was the 96th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured fifteen clubs, ran from 21 March until 26 September, and comprised a 22-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top six clubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melbourne Rugby Union Football Club</span> Rugby team

The Melbourne Rugby Union Football Club, is a rugby union football club based in Melbourne, Australia. Nicknamed the Unicorns, the club plays at Romanis Reserve in Prahran and was founded in 1926. The club's colours are green, blue and gold.

The 1964 VFL season was the 68th season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured twelve clubs, ran from 18 April until 19 September, and comprised an 18-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring the top four clubs.

The Tasmanian Rugby Union, or TRU, is the governing body for the sport of rugby union within the state of Tasmania in Australia. The TRU was established in 1933. It is a member and founding union of Rugby Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rugby union in Victoria</span>

Rugby union in Victoria describes the sport of rugby union being played and watched in the state of Victoria in Australia. The code was first introduced some time between the 1850s and 1880s but remained a minor sport played primarily in the private schools and amongst interstate expats. This has changed, particularly since the professionalisation of the game in the mid 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunshine Football Club (VFA)</span> Australian rules football club

The Sunshine Football Club, nicknamed the Crows, was an Australian rules football club which played in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) from 1959 until 1989.

The AFL Australian Football League is the top professional Australian rules football league in the world. The league consists of eighteen teams: nine based in the city of Melbourne, one from regional Victoria, and eight based in other Australian states. The reason for this unbalanced geographic distribution lies in the history of the league, which was based solely within Victoria from the time it was established in 1897, until the time the league expanded through the addition of clubs from interstate to the existing teams starting in the 1980s; until this expansion, the league was known as the VFL (Victorian Football League).

The Harlequin Rugby Club is an Australian rugby union club formed in 1928. Originally membership was restricted to people born in Britain, but this restriction was removed by the 1950s. Although Rugby is the main sport, the club still plays friendly cricket, golf and darts. One of Melbourne's largest and oldest clubs, Quins promote the ethos of running with the ball in hand. The club has teams in all Junior age groups, youth girls 7s and six Senior teams including a women's team. 1st Grade have been "Dewar Shield" Premiers 5 times in the last 10 seasons and the Colts U20 have been Premiers 5 times this decade including an undefeated Premiership season in 2019. The club claimed their 5th consecutive Cowper Shield Club Championship in 2021 as the best overall performing club in Victoria across Seniors and Juniors.

The 1958 Victorian Football Association season was the 77th season of the Australian rules football competition. The premiership was won by the Williamstown Football Club, after it defeated Moorabbin in the grand final replay on 4 October by 32 points. It was Williamstown's ninth premiership, drawing it level with Footscray for the most premierships won in VFA history, and it was the fourth of five premierships won in six seasons between 1954 and 1959.

The 1959 Victorian Football Association season was the 78th season of the Australian rules football competition. The premiership was won by the Williamstown Football Club after it defeated Coburg in the Grand Final on 10 October by 35 points. It was Williamstown's tenth premiership, taking it past Footscray to become the club with the most premierships won in VFA history, a title it held until it was passed by Port Melbourne in 1976; it was also the fifth of five premierships won in six seasons between 1954 and 1959, and the club's fourth consecutive minor premiership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queensland Suburban Rugby Union</span>

The Queensland Suburban Rugby Union, or QSRU, is affiliated to the Queensland Rugby Union (QRU) and runs the rugby competition colloquially known as "Subbies" in Brisbane and South East Queensland.

Melbourne University Rugby Football Club (MURFC), the oldest rugby club in Victoria, is a Foundation Club of the Victorian Rugby Union, participating in the top-tier Victorian Premier Division since 1909. MURFC is the only Foundation Club to remain continuously in the Victorian Premier Division since its inception.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moorabbin Rugby Club</span> Australian rugby club

The Moorabbin Rugby Union Football Club, is a rugby union football club based in Moorabbin, Victoria, Australia. Nicknamed the Rams, the club's home ground is located in Keys Road reserve in Cheltenham and was found in 1965. The club's colours are black and white.

The Victorian Junior Football Association (VJFA), sometimes known simply as the Victorian Junior Association (VJA), was an open age Australian rules football competition and administrative body. It was the first successful junior football competition in Melbourne, and was in existence from 1883 until 1932.

References

  1. 1 2 "Dewar Shield". Melbourne Rebels. 2014. Archived from the original on 8 October 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2014.

Club websites