Harold Matthews Cup

Harold Matthews Cup

Current season or competition: [[2022 Harold Matthews Cup]]
Sport	Rugby league
Instituted	1970
Inaugural season	1970
Number of teams	17
Country	Australia (16 teams)   New Zealand 1 team
Premiers	New Zealand Warriors (2024)
Most titles	Parramatta Eels (20 titles)
Website	Harold Matthews Cup
Broadcast partner	NSWRL channel on facebook
Related competition	Andrew Johns Cup S. G. Ball Cup

The NSWRL Harold Matthews Cup is a junior rugby league competition played in New South Wales between teams made up of players aged under 17. The competition is administered by the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL). The competition is made up of NSW-based clubs and includes both junior representative teams of the elite National Rugby League (NRL) and clubs that do not field teams in the NRL competition.

The competition is named after Harold Matthews, a Balmain Tigers secretary who later was appointed as manager of the Australian Test squad and later went on to become secretary of the NSWRL and ARL. ^{[1] [2]}
The competition was run as a knock-out tournament until 1991. ^{[3] [4]} From the 1992 onwards, the format has been a number of home-and-away rounds in which all teams compete, followed by a finals series. ^[5]

The clubs

In 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, 15 clubs fielded teams in the NSWRL UNE Harold Matthews Cup.
The New Zealand Warriors joined the competition in 2024, having previously fielded teams in the older age S.G. Ball Cup. The Melbourne Storm re-joined the Harold Matthews Cup in 2024, having previously fielded a team in the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

• Balmain Tigers
• Canberra Raiders
• Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
• Central Coast Roosters
• Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
• Illawarra Steelers
• Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
• Melbourne Storm
• Newcastle Knights
• New Zealand Warriors
• North Sydney Bears
• Parramatta Eels
• Penrith Panthers
• South Sydney Rabbitohs
• St George Dragons
• Sydney Roosters
• Western Suburbs Magpies

In the 1970s and early 1980s the Harold Matthews Cup was played in a carnival format over three to five successive days. Teams from the country groups and regions competed alongside representative teams from the NSWRL clubs of Sydney. The competition later changed to a partial round-robin format.

Former teams in the Harold Matthews Cup include: Gold Coast Titans (2009), South-Western Sydney Academy of Sport (2008–16) and Western Sydney Academy of Sport (2007–17).

After the sixth round on 14 & 15 March, the 2020 competition was suspended and subsequently cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. ^[6]

Harold Matthews Cup Premiers

Knock-Out Tournament

Year	Age	Premiers	Runners Up	Report
1970		Parramatta Eels
1971		Parramatta Eels
1972		Parramatta Eels
1973		Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
1974		South Sydney Rabbitohs
1975		Parramatta Eels
1976	U14	Parramatta Eels
1977	U14	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
1978	U14	Canberra Rugby League (CRL)	Parramatta Eels	[7]
1979	U14	Penrith Panthers
1980	U14	Group 12 (CRL)	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	[8]
1981	U14	Parramatta Eels
1982	U14	Parramatta Eels
1983	U14	Group 6 Rugby League (CRL)	Penrith Panthers	[9]
1984	U14	Canberra Raiders	Central Coast	[10]
1985	U14	Penrith Panthers
1986	U15	Parramatta Eels	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
1987	U15	Illawarra Steelers	Penrith Panthers
1988	U15	Parramatta Eels	Penrith Panthers	[11]
1989	U15	Penrith Panthers	Parramatta Eels
1990	U15	Parramatta Eels	Gold Coast Seagulls
1991	U15	Gold Coast Seagulls	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

Regular Season and Finals

From 1992 to 2002 and again since 2004, the Harold Matthews Cup has been run as a regular season — a series of home-and-away matches — followed by a final series. ^[5] The number of rounds in the regular season is limited, with the limit being less than the number of teams. This means that each team plays some but not all of their opponents in the competition.

Year	Age	Premiers	Score	Runners Up	Minor Premiers	Wooden Spoon	Report
1992	U15	Newcastle Knights	16–12	South Sydney Rabbitohs
1993	U15	Canberra Raiders	14–6	Parramatta Eels			[12]
1994	U15	Parramatta Eels	19–18	Penrith Panthers
1995	U15	Canberra Raiders	20–19	Parramatta Eels			[13]
1996	U15	Illawarra Steelers	36–20	Newcastle Knights	Newcastle Knights	Sydney Roosters
1997	U16	Parramatta Eels	28–10	North Sydney Bears	Parramatta Eels		[14]
1998	U16	Parramatta Eels	24–10	Illawarra Steelers	Parramatta Eels	St. George Dragons
1999	U16	Parramatta Eels		South Sydney Rabbitohs	Parramatta Eels	Balmain Tigers
2000	U16	Newcastle Knights		Penrith Panthers	Newcastle Knights	Sydney Roosters
2001	U16	Cronulla Sharks	32–26	Penrith Panthers	Parramatta Eels	Sydney Roosters
2002	U16	Penrith Panthers	38–0	Newcastle Knights	Penrith Panthers	Manly Sea Eagles	[15]
2003	U15	Parramatta Eels	28–4	St George Dragons			[16] [17] [18]
2004	U16	Parramatta Eels	18–16	Penrith Panthers	Parramatta Eels	Wests Magpies	[19] [20]
2005	U16	Penrith Panthers	38–10	Illawarra Steelers	Illawarra Steelers	Newcastle Knights	[21] [22] [23]
2006	U16	Penrith Panthers	20–8	Canterbury Bulldogs	Canterbury Bulldogs	North Sydney Bears	[24] [25] [26]
2007	U16	Canterbury Bulldogs	18–14	Penrith Panthers	Canterbury Bulldogs	North Sydney Bears	[27] [28]
2008	U16	Parramatta Eels	30–17	Penrith Panthers	Penrith Panthers	South-West Academy	[29] [30]
2009	U16	Canterbury Bulldogs	34–22	Parramatta Eels	Canterbury Bulldogs	South-West Academy
2010	U16	Penrith Panthers	22–12	Parramatta Eels	Parramatta Eels	South-West Academy
2011	U16	Canterbury Bulldogs	13–12	Illawarra Steelers	Illawarra Steelers	North Sydney Bears
2012	U16	Parramatta Eels	39–32	Newcastle Knights	South Sydney Rabbitohs	Sydney Roosters	[31] [32]
2013	U16	Parramatta Eels	24–16	South Sydney Rabbitohs	South Sydney Rabbitohs	South-West Academy	[33] [34]
2014	U16	Newcastle Knights	34–4	Penrith Panthers	Newcastle Knights	North Sydney Bears	[35] [36]
2015	U16	Cronulla Sharks	30–16	Parramatta Eels	Parramatta Eels	Sydney Roosters	[37] [38]
2016	U16	Parramatta Eels	16–14	Newcastle Knights	Parramatta Eels	South-West Academy	[39] [40]
2017	U16	Newcastle Knights	26–20	Manly Sea Eagles	Newcastle Knights	Wests Magpies	[41] [42]
2018	U16	Manly Sea Eagles	26–18	Parramatta Eels	Penrith Panthers	North Sydney Bears	[43] [44]
2019	U16	Newcastle Knights	28–8	Canterbury Bulldogs	Newcastle Knights	St George Dragons	[45] [46]
2020	Season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [47]
2021	U17	Manly Sea Eagles	24–12	Parramatta Eels	Manly Sea Eagles	Canberra Raiders	[48]
2022	U17	Wests Magpies	42–16	Cronulla Sharks	Wests Magpies	Central Coast Roosters	[49]
2023	U17	Canterbury Bulldogs	32–6	Newcastle Knights	Penrith Panthers	Manly Sea Eagles
2024	U17	New Zealand Warriors	34–16	Wests Magpies	Canterbury Bulldogs	Balmain Tigers	[50]

Premiership Tally

No.	Club	Seasons
1	Parramatta Eels	20 (1970, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1976, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2016)
2	Penrith Panthers	7 (1979, 1985, 1989, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2010)
3	Newcastle Knights	5 (1992, 2000, 2014, 2017, 2019)
4	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	4 (2007, 2009, 2011, 2023)
4	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	4 (1973, 1977, 2001, 2015)
6	Canberra Raiders	3 (1984, 1993, 1995)
7	Illawarra Steelers	2 (1987, 1996)
7	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	2 (2018, 2021)
9	South Sydney Rabbitohs	1 (1974)
9	Canberra Rugby League (CRL)	1 (1978)
9	Group 12 (Central Coast, CRL)	1 (1980)
9	Group 6 (CRL)	1 (1983)
9	Gold Coast Seagulls	1 (1991)
9	Western Suburbs Magpies	1 (2022)
9	New Zealand Warriors	1 (2024)

Bold means that the team is still currently plays in the competition.

See also

• Andrew Johns Cup
• S. G. Ball Cup
• Rugby League Competitions in Australia

References

1. "1920". TIGERS. Archived from the original on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
2. New South Wales Rugby Football League. "Harold Matthews - League was his Life". Rugby League news. Sydney: N.S.W. Rugby Football League. Retrieved 7 September 2020– via Trove.
3. Hannan, Bevan (10 June 1990). "Raiders still in contest". The Canberra Times . Canberra: National Library of Australia. p. 16. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
4. Hannan, Bevan (5 July 1991). "Stanik's stunning selection". The Canberra Times . Canberra: National Library of Australia. p. 27. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
5. Lilley, John (17 April 1992). "Ball side flies the flag for Canberra". The Canberra Times . Canberra: National Library of Australia. p. 2. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
6. "NSWRL cancels nine competitions for 2020 season". NSWRL. 27 March 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
7. "Sport in Brief". The Canberra Times . Canberra: National Library of Australia. 24 April 1978. p. 16. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
8. Harrison, Ian (14 August 1980). "Group 12 wins Matthews Cup". The Canberra Times . Canberra: National Library of Australia. p. 16. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
9. "Sports results, details". The Canberra Times . Canberra: National Library of Australia. 4 April 1983. p. 12. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
10. "Under-14 team waits six years for win". The Canberra Times . Canberra: National Library of Australia. 14 April 1984. p. 51. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
11. "Times Sport". The Canberra Times . Canberra: National Library of Australia. 14 June 1988. p. 27. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
12. Kirkman, Janette (2 May 1993). "Excellent U15s roll the Eels". The Canberra Times . Canberra: National Library of Australia. p. 17. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
13. Hannan, Bevan (1 May 1995). "Raiders outclass favourites to take junior title". The Canberra Times . Canberra: National Library of Australia. p. 25. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
14. "District Representative Competitions". New South Wales Rugby League Limited Annual Report: 22. 1997.
15. "NSWRL District Representative Competitions". New South Wales Rugby League Annual Report: 15. 2002.
16. "NSWRL District Representative Competitions". New South Wales Rugby League Annual Report: 13. 2003.
17. Earl, Brad (17 September 2003). "Eels have to qualify for finals". Parramatta Advertiser. p. 103.
18. "Baby Eels show off their Harold Matthews Cup". Parramatta Advertiser. 24 September 2003. p. 96.
19. "Knights on the ball in final". Daily Telegraph. News Limited. 18 May 2004. p. 36.
20. "Grand final goes down to the wire". Penrith Press. 21 May 2004. p. 79.
21. "Your games - school and weekend club results - part two of two". Daily Telegraph. News Limited. 17 May 2005. p. 38.
22. "Steelers junior reps earn praise - Junior Sport". Illawarra Mercury. 19 May 2005. p. 55.
23. "Finals glory for Penrith". Penrith Press. 31 May 2005. p. 74.
24. "All the details". Sunday Telegraph. 14 May 2006. p. 67.
25. "Young Dogs defeated". Canterbury-Bankstown Express. 16 May 2006. p. 42.
26. "Young guns make it two". Penrith Press. 19 May 2006. p. 96.
27. "Sports results - part 1 of 4". Sunday Telegraph. 13 May 2007. p. 70.
28. "Favourites victorious". Canterbury-Bankstown Express. 15 May 2007. p. 64.
29. "All the details". Sunday Telegraph. 18 May 2008. p. 78.
30. MacDonald, John (20 May 2008). "Eels victorious in Harold Matthews grand final". Parramatta Sun.
31. "Eels win Harold Matthews Cup". Fairfield City Champion. 8 May 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
32. "NSWRL 2012 Harold Matthews Cup - GRAND FINAL". OurFootyTeam. 5 May 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
33. "2013 HMATTS Grand Final". NSWRL. 7 May 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
34. "Under 16s Go Down in Harold Matthews Cup Grand Final in 2013". South Sydney Rabbitohs. 6 May 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
35. "Cessnock boys star in Harold Matthews grand final". Cessnock Advertiser. 14 May 2014. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
36. "2014 Harold Matthews Grand Final". NSWRL. 4 May 2017 [2014]. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
37. "District Reps: Harold Matthews Grand Final". ParraEels. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
38. "Harold Matthews highlights: Grand Final". NSWRL. 13 May 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
39. "Live Blog – Harold Matthews Grand Final vs Newcastle Knights". The Cumberland Throw. 10 May 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
40. "Highlights - 2016 Harold Matthews Cup Grand Final". NSWRL. 10 May 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
41. Gardiner, James (6 May 2017). "Newcastle Knights score in extra-time to snatch thrilling comeback win over Manly Sea Eagles in Harold Matthews Cup final". Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
42. "Highlights - Harold Matthews Cup Grand Final". NSWRL. 10 May 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
43. Masterton, Simon (5 May 2018). "Sea Eagles Win First-Ever UNE Harold Matthews Cup". NSWRL. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
44. "Highlights - UNE Harold Matthews Grand Final". NSWRL. 10 May 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
45. Honeysett, Stuart (4 May 2019). "Newcastle crowned Harold Matthews champions". NSWRL. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
46. "Highlights - UNE Harold Matthews Cup Grand Final". NSWRL. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
47. "NSWRL cancels nine competitions for 2020 season". New South Wales Rugby League. 27 March 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
48. "Fainu puts on masterclass for Harold Matthews decider". NSWRL. 1 May 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
49. Honeysett, Stuart (30 April 2022). "Magpies cap stunning season with Harold Matthews Cup Grand Final win". NSWRL. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
50. Micallef, Tayla (27 April 2024). "Warriors make history with UNE Harold Matthews Cup title". NSWRL. Retrieved 27 April 2024.