Melbourne Rugby League

Last updated
Melbourne Rugby League
Current season or competition:
Rugby football current event.svg 2023 Melbourne Rugby League season
Sport Rugby league
Formerly known as Victorian Rugby League
Instituted1951
Inaugural season1952
Number of teams17
Country Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Premiers Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Waverley Oakleigh Panthers (5th title) (2023)
Most titles Canadacolours.png St Kilda Saints RLC (10 titles)
Website NRL Victoria website

The Melbourne Rugby League (currently the Storm Premiership for branding reasons) is a rugby league football competition located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and run by NRL Victoria. As of the 2022 season, there are currently 17 competing teams across the varying age groups who are affiliated with the Melbourne Storm junior system. [1]

Contents

The Senior competition features three men's grades and one women's grade.

History

The 1914 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand included a match in Melbourne, the first rugby league game to be played in the state. The match between England and New South Wales drew 13,000 spectators.

The Victorian Rugby League was running a rugby league premiership by the 1920s, and also selected a representative Victorian XIII to tour domestically.

After the initial Melbourne competition folded, the current competition was inaugurated in 1952 and has been running ever since. [2]

Clubs

ColoursClubsLocationGroundFoundedPremierships1st2nd3rdWRLJnr
Wcatscolours.svg Altona Roosters Newport Bruce Comben Reserve, Altona Meadows19878 (1997, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012)YesNoYesYesYes
New Zealand Kiwis colours.svg Casey Warriors Clyde Casey Fields, Cranbourne East20101 (2015)NoYesYesYesYes
Western Reds colours.svg Doveton Steelers Doveton Betula Reserve, Doveton20011 (2007)NoNoYesNoYes
Gold Coast Chargers colours.svg Eastern Raptors Boronia Colchester Reserve, Colchester Rd, Boronia20110NoYesNoNoYes
Canberra colours.svg Frankston Raiders Frankston Peninsula Reserve, Frankston20151 (1983)NoNoYesNoYes
Cronulla colours.svg Geelong Sharks Geelong Ervin Reserve, Newcomb20230NoNoYesNoYes
Wellington colours.svg Hume Eagles Craigieburn Hothlyn Drive Reserve, Craigieburn20200NoNoNoNoYes
Mackay Cutters colours.svg Melton Broncos Melton Mt Carberry Reserve, Melton South20130NoNoYesNoYes
Leigh colours.svg Mernda Dragons Lalor Huskisson Reserve, Lalor20150NoNoNoNoYes
Canadacolours.png North West Wolves Niddrie AJ Davis Reserve, Fullarton Rd, Airport West20100NoNoYesNoYes
Parramatta colours.svg Northern Thunder Broadmeadows Seabrook Reserve, Goulburn St, Broadmeadows19990YesNoYesNoYes
Souths-Logan Magpies Colours.svg Pakenham Eels Pakenham Cardinia Recreation Reserve, Cardinia20160NoYesNoNoYes
Norths Devils colours.svg South Eastern Titans Dandenong Greaves Reserve, Dandenong20070NoNoYesNoYes
Balmain colours.svg Sunbury United Tigers Sunbury Langama Park, Sunbury19924 (2009, 2011, 2013, 2014)YesNoNoNoYes
North Queensland colours.svg Sunshine Cowboys Ardeer More Park, Ardeer20160NoYesNoYesYes
South Sydney colours.svg Truganina Rabbitohs Truganina Clearwood Drive Reserve, Truganina20152 (2019, 2022)YesYesNoYesYes
Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Waverley Oakleigh Panthers Clayton Fregon Reserve, Clayton19765 (1980, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2023)YesYesNoNoYes
Wests Panthers Colours.svg Werribee Bears Werribee Haines Reserve, Werribee20083 (2016, 2017, 2018)YesNoYesYesYes

Defunct Clubs

ColoursClubsLocationGroundFoundedDefunct Year
Widnes colours.svg Ballarat Highlanders Ballarat Doug Dean Reserve2000sMoved to newly formed Central Highlands Rugby League as Ballarat Dragons
Canterbury colours.svg Berwick Bulldogs Berwick Greaves Reserve1992 2007 (Replaced South Eastern Titans)
Canterbury colours.svg Canterbury RLFC Canterbury
Central Comets colours.svg Casey Chiefs Casey Casey Fields, Cranbourne East1997 2005 (Renamed Casey Sharks)
Cronulla colours.svg Casey Sharks Casey Casey Fields, Cranbourne East2005 2010 (Renamed Casey Warriors)
New South Wales colours.svg Coburg RLFC Coburg Brearley Reserve 19811994
Port Moresby Vipers Colours.svg Craigieburn Phoenix Craigieburn Hothlyn Drive Reserve2008 2016 (Renamed Hume City Bulldogs)
Newcastle colours.svg Dandenong Knights Dandenong Greaves Reserve2002
Australian colours.svg East Sale RAAF Sale
North Sydney colours.svg Essendon RLC Essendon
New Zealand colours.svg Fitzroy All Blacks Fitzroy
Cronulla colours.svg Frankston Sharks Frankston Ballam Park19812007 Replaced
Australian colours.svg Geelong Bulldogs Geelong Osborne Park1991 1993
Canberra colours.svg Geelong Raiders Geelong Rippleside Park20102012
Australian colours.svg Geelong Tiger Snakes Geelong Friers Reserve2004 2010 (Renamed Geelong Raiders)
Adelaide colours.svg Gippsland Wildcats Morwell Maryvale Reserve2002
Canterbury colours.svg Hume City Bulldogs Craigieburn Hothlyn Drive Reserve2016 2020 (Renamed Hume Eagles)
Canberra colours.svg Laverton RLFC Laverton 1987 (Merged with Point Cook RLFC)
Widnes colours.svg Maroondah Magpies Bayswater Glen Park20042007
Faxcolours.svg Melbourne University Parkville HG Smith Oval2003
Widnes colours.svg Moorabbin Rams Moorabbin Keys Road Reserve 1965 (Rugby Union)2007 Returned to Rugby Union
Western Suburbs colours.svg Parkdale RLFC Parkdale
Western Suburbs colours.svg Point Cook RLFC Point Cook
Wellington colours.svg Richmond RLC Richmond
Canadacolours.png St Kilda Saints St Kilda Elwood Reserve2003
Western Suburbs colours.svg Tottenham RLFC Tottenham
Gold Coast Titans colours.svg Wodonga Storm Wodonga Baranduda Recreation Reserve2000s2022 (left MRL in 2014 for Murray Cup)

Mens First Grade Premiers

Since the commencement of the competition in 1952, the St Kilda Saints RLC have won the most premierships (10) over all, however, of the current clubs, the most premierships have been won by Altona Roosters (8). [2]

SeasonPremiersScoreRunners-up
1952 Ballarat RAAF
1953 Essendon RLC
1954 Richmond RLC
1955 Western Suburbs colours.svg Moorabbin Rams
1956 Canberra colours.svg Laverton RLFC
1957 Richmond RLC
1958 Canterbury RLFC
1959 Ballarat RLFC
1960 Ballarat RLFC
1961 Canberra colours.svg Laverton RLFC
1962 Point Cook RLFC
1963 Point Cook RLFC
1964 Tottenham RLFC
1965 Canberra colours.svg Laverton RLFC
1966 Western Suburbs colours.svg Moorabbin Rams
1967 Point Cook RLFC
1968 Western Suburbs colours.svg Moorabbin Rams
1969 Western Suburbs colours.svg Moorabbin Rams
1970 Western Suburbs colours.svg Moorabbin Rams
1971 RAAF East Sale
1972 Western Suburbs colours.svg Moorabbin Rams
1973Melbourne RLFC
1974 Western Suburbs colours.svg Moorabbin Rams
1975Match Abandoned
1976 RAAF Bombers
1977 Western Suburbs colours.svg Moorabbin Rams
1978 RAAF Laverton
1979No Record
1980 Australian colours.svg Waverley RLFC
1981 Canadacolours.png St Kilda Saints RL
1982 Canadacolours.png St Kilda Saints RL
1983 Canberra colours.svg Frankston RLFC
1984 New Zealand colours.svg Fitzroy All Blacks
1985 Canberra colours.svg Laverton RLFC
1986Parkdale RLFC
1987 New South Wales colours.svg Coburg Lions
1988Laverton RLFC
1989 New South Wales colours.svg Coburg Lions24-18 Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Waverley Oakleigh Panthers
1990 New South Wales colours.svg Coburg Lions20-14 Canadacolours.png St Kilda Saints RL
1991 Canadacolours.png St Kilda Saints RL26-10 New South Wales colours.svg Coburg Lions
1992 Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Waverley Oakleigh Panthers 24-12Peninsula
1993 Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Waverley Oakleigh Panthers 34-22 Canadacolours.png St Kilda Saints RL
1994 Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Waverley Oakleigh Panthers 20-16 Canadacolours.png St Kilda Saints RL
1995 Canadacolours.png St Kilda Saints RL38-26 Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Waverley Oakleigh Panthers
1996 Canadacolours.png St Kilda Saints RL38-18 Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Waverley Oakleigh Panthers
1997 Wcatscolours.svg Altona Roosters 28-12 Canadacolours.png St Kilda Saints RL
1998 Canadacolours.png St Kilda Saints RL38-10 Wcatscolours.svg Altona Roosters
1999 Canadacolours.png St Kilda Saints RL54-0 Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Waverley Oakleigh Panthers
2000 Canadacolours.png St Kilda Saints RL26-8Sunbury Cougars
2001 [3] Canadacolours.png St Kilda Saints RL58-22 Cronulla colours.svg Southern Sharks
2002 [4] Canadacolours.png St Kilda Saints RL26-14 Wcatscolours.svg Altona Roosters
2003 Wcatscolours.svg Altona Roosters 40-12 Canadacolours.png St Kilda Saints RL
2004 [5] Wcatscolours.svg Altona Roosters 54-22 Cronulla colours.svg Southern Sharks
2005 [6] Wcatscolours.svg Altona Roosters 36–16 Western Reds colours.svg Doveton Steelers
2006 [7] Wcatscolours.svg Altona Roosters 20–12 New Zealand colours.svg Casey Sharks
2007 [8] Western Reds colours.svg Doveton Steelers 23–22 Wcatscolours.svg Altona Roosters
2008 [9] Wcatscolours.svg Altona Roosters 72–10 Widnes colours.svg Moorabbin Rams
2009 [10] Balmain colours.svg Sunbury Tigers 48–18 New Zealand colours.svg Casey Sharks
2010 [11] Wcatscolours.svg Altona Roosters 28–26 Balmain colours.svg Sunbury Tigers
2011 [12] Balmain colours.svg Sunbury Tigers 32–26 Canadacolours.png North West Wolves
2012 [13] Wcatscolours.svg Altona Roosters 25–22 Balmain colours.svg Sunbury Tigers
2013 [14] Balmain colours.svg Sunbury Tigers 34–16 Wcatscolours.svg Altona Roosters
2014 [15] Balmain colours.svg Sunbury Tigers 48–16 New Zealand colours.svg Casey Warriors
2015 [16] New Zealand colours.svg Casey Warriors 30–22 Wests Panthers Colours.svg Werribee Bears
2016 [17] Wests Panthers Colours.svg Werribee Bears 14-10 New Zealand colours.svg Casey Warriors
2017 [18] Wests Panthers Colours.svg Werribee Bears 20-18 New Zealand colours.svg Casey Warriors
2018 [19] Wests Panthers Colours.svg Werribee Bears 12-8 Balmain colours.svg Sunbury Tigers
2019 South Sydney colours.svg Truganina Rabbitohs 52-16 Wcatscolours.svg Altona Roosters
2020Seasons Cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
2021
2022 South Sydney colours.svg Truganina Rabbitohs 48-12 Wcatscolours.svg Altona Roosters
2023 Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Waverley Oakleigh Panthers 28-18 South Sydney colours.svg Truganina Rabbitohs

Women's First Grade Premiers

The NRL Victoria women's first grade competition has been run since 2015. The most premierships have been won by Werribee Bears (2). [2]

SeasonPremiersScoreRunners-up
2015 [16] Gold Coast Titans colours.svg South Eastern Titans
2016 [17] Bullscolours.svg Doveton Steelers
2017 [18] South Sydney colours.svg Truganina Rabbitohs 28 - 4 Bullscolours.svg Doveton Steelers
2018 [19] Wests Panthers Colours.svg Werribee Bears 14 - 12 South Sydney colours.svg Truganina Rabbitohs
2019 Wests Panthers Colours.svg Werribee Bears
2020Seasons Cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
2021
2022 Wests Panthers Colours.svg Werribee Bears 10 - 6 South Sydney colours.svg Truganina Rabbitohs
2023 New Zealand colours.svg Casey Warriors 40 - 4 Wests Panthers Colours.svg Werribee Bears

Notable Juniors

Altona Roosters

North West Wolves

South Eastern Titans

Northern Thunder

Waverley Oakleigh Panthers

Sunbury Tigers

Casey Warriors

See also

Related Research Articles

NRL Victoria is responsible for administering the game of rugby league in the Australian state of Victoria. Victoria is an Affiliated State of the overall Australian governing body the National Rugby League. The VRL commenced in 1952 and has been running each year since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunbury United Rugby League</span> Australian rugby league team based in Sunbury, VIC

The Sunbury United Rugby League Club is a rugby league team based in Sunbury, Victoria, Australia.

Matthew Bartlett is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer. He previously played for the Melbourne Storm and North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League. He primarily played second-row and lock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Martin (rugby league)</span> Australian rugby league footballer

Tony Martin is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who last played for Hull in the Super League. He previously played for Crusaders Rugby League and Wakefield Trinity Wildcats in the Super League. Martin moved back to England from New Zealand Warriors on 31 July 2007 after two spells with the London Broncos either side of a move to Australia with Melbourne Storm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremy Smith (rugby league, born 1980)</span> New Zealand international rugby league footballer

Jeremy Smith is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. A New Zealand international representative, he played as a second-row and lock. He played for the Melbourne Storm, the St. George Illawarra Dragons, with whom he won the 2010 NRL Grand Final with, the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and the Newcastle Knights, who he co-captained, in the NRL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mackay Cutters</span> Australian rugby league club, based in Mackay, QLD

The Mackay Cutters are a semi-professional rugby league football club based in Mackay, Queensland. They compete in Queensland's top rugby league competition, the Queensland Cup. The club was admitted to the Queensland Cup in 2007, alongside the Northern Pride, and first competed in the 2008 season.

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

Rugby league football has been played and watched by people in the Australian state of Victoria since the early 20th century. While for most of its history there the game's popularity has been marginal due to the dominance of Australian rules football in Victoria, rugby league's popularity has rapidly increased in recent years in the state's capital of Melbourne, due mainly to the introduction of a professional Melbourne-based team in the national competition.

The Goulburn Murray Premiership is a rugby league competition on the border of Victoria and New South Wales. Initially the competition was established in 1998 as the Goulburn Murray Rugby League by the Country Rugby League and the Victorian Rugby League. The league was disbanded in 2009 before being re-established as the Murray Cup in 2014. As of 2022 there is a competition for both Senior Men's and Women's Tag football. In 2023, as part of a branding arrangement, the competition is known as the Storm Goulburn Murray Premiership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gareth Widdop</span> GB & England international rugby league footballer

Gareth Edward Widdop is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played as a stand-off or fullback in the NRL and the Super League, and England and Great Britain at international level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Adams (rugby league)</span> Australian rugby league footballer

Chris Adams is an Australian professional rugby league footballer. He plays at hooker. He previously played for the Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League.

The 2010 Melbourne Storm season was the 13th in the club's history and competed in the NRL's 2010 Telstra Premiership. After winning the first four games of the season, Storm's season would hit a significant challenge after Round 6 when the NRL penalised the club for salary cap breaches with the team unable to play for points for the remainder of the season. These revelations also saw them stripped of the 2007 and 2009 Premierships and the 2006, 2007 and 2008 minor premiership titles.

The 2011 Melbourne Storm season was the 14th in the club's history. They competed in the 2011 NRL season and finished the regular season in first place, winning the J.J. Giltinan Shield for taking out the minor premiership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Setanta Sports Asia</span> Asian pay television sports channel

Setanta Sports Asia was an Asian pay television sports channel operating in the Asia Pacific region owned by Discovery Communications. It primarily airs the sports of rugby union and rugby league.

The 2012 Melbourne Storm season was the club's 15th NRL season. Coached by Craig Bellamy and captained by Cameron Smith, they competed in and won the NRL's 2012 Telstra Premiership. The first nine weeks of the season were very successful, with the club winning all games for what was at the time their best start to a season. From round 10 to round 21 they won only three games and lost seven, including a five-game losing streak between rounds 16 and 21, their second worst ever. From round 22 onward they recovered their winning form and finished the regular season with five straight wins, finishing in second place. The Storm then went on to defeat South Sydney and Manly in the finals series before going on to face minor premiers, the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the 2012 NRL Grand Final, winning 14–4 to claim the Premiership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marika Koroibete</span> Australia international rugby union & Fiji international rugby league footballer

Marika Koroibete is a dual-code international rugby league and rugby union footballer. He plays for the Australia national rugby union team, and plays as a winger for the Melbourne Rebels in Super Rugby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahe Fonua</span> Tonga international rugby league footballer

Mahe Fonua is a Tonga international rugby league footballer who plays as a centre or winger for Doncaster RLFC in the RFL League 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Kennar</span> Samoan rugby league footballer

Richard Kennar is a Samoan professional rugby league footballer who plays as a winger and centre for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the NRL.

The 2016 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles season was the 67th in the club's history. The year also represented the 70th anniversary of the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles since their entry into the then New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership in 1947.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Addin Fonua-Blake</span> NZ & Tonga international rugby league footballer

Addin Fonua-Blake is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League (NRL). He has played for both Tonga and New Zealand at international level.

References

  1. "Association: NRL Victoria". www.playrugbyleague.com. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  2. 1 2 3 "Premiers".
  3. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-05. Retrieved 2016-11-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-05. Retrieved 2016-11-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-05. Retrieved 2016-11-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-30. Retrieved 2016-11-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-05. Retrieved 2016-11-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-05. Retrieved 2016-09-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-05. Retrieved 2016-11-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. [ dead link ]
  11. [ dead link ]
  12. [ dead link ]
  13. "Results for 2012 VRL First Grade - SportsTG". Archived from the original on 2016-10-11. Retrieved 2016-06-28.
  14. [ dead link ]
  15. [ dead link ]
  16. 1 2 Itsou, Michael (8 September 2015). "NRL Victoria First Grade Grand Final Match Report". NRL Victoria Sporting Pulse. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  17. 1 2 http://www.starweekly.com.au/sports/werribee-bears-claim-first-ever-top-flight-title/
  18. 1 2 "2017 NRL Victoria Grand Final Day Recap - NRL Victoria - SportsTG". websites.sportstg.com. Archived from the original on 2017-10-22.
  19. 1 2 "2018 NRL Victoria Grand Final Recap - NRL Victoria - SportsTG". websites.sportstg.com. Archived from the original on 2018-09-12.
  20. 1 2 Jenkinson, Lance (19 April 2015). "Altona Roosters plan to make it a year to remember". Maribyrnong Star Weekly. Archived from the original on 18 April 2015.
  21. 1 2 "Drury Low". The Bulldogs. 15 April 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  22. Rashneel Kumar. "Rising Kuki star signed by Warriors" . Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  23. "Mahe Fonua". Melbourne Storm. 15 April 2015. Archived from the original on 19 April 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  24. "Rising stars aim for the top". Berwick Star News. 21 July 2008. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  25. "Local Young Gun to Stay with Storm". Melbourne Storm. 28 May 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  26. "Richard Kennar". Melbourne Storm. 15 April 2015. Archived from the original on 19 April 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  27. Meade, Michaela (18 May 2021). "Thunder star signs with Storm". Northern Star Weekly. Retrieved 17 September 2023.