NRL Western Australia

Last updated

NRL Western Australia
Western Australian Rugby League logo.svg
Founded1948
Formerly namedWestern Australian Amateur Rugby League [1]
Responsibility Western Australia
Headquarters NIB Stadium, Pier Street, Perth
Key peopleJohn Sackson [2] (Chief Executive)
Website nrlwa.com.au
Flag of Western Australia.svg

NRL Western Australia (abbreviated as NRLWA, and formerly the Western Australian Rugby League) is responsible for administering the game of rugby league football in the state of Western Australia.

Contents

The NRLWA administers all forms of the game in Western Australia and runs the main Perth metropolitan competitions. This includes eleven clubs in the Perth metropolitan competition (seven fielding first grade), sponsored as the Fuel to Go and Play Premiership, as well as representative teams that compete in interstate competitions. There are over 4,000 participants

History

Formed in April 1948 as the Western Australian Amateur Rugby Football League, foundation clubs were Cottesloe, Fremantle, Perth and South Perth. [1]

The first interstate match played by Western Australians was against the South Australia in 1948, with WA winning the series 2–0.

In 1969 Darwin City invited the WARL to Darwin to play a match in celebration of Darwin's 100th founding anniversary in which WA won 23–19. In 1976 WA was invited to participate in the nationwide Amco Cup, where they defeated the Northern Territory 23–18. [1]

On 2 October 1982 to begin the 1982 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France, Western Australia played the Wally Lewis captained Australian Kangaroos in a match at the Cannington Raceway in Perth (on the same day the Australian test team played their first ever test match against Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby). Predictably the Kangaroos defeated WA 57–5, running in 13 tries to 1 with Parramatta Eels winger Eric Grothe, Sr. crossing for 4 tries. [3] The Australian team that day included players who would go on to be mainstays in the Australian test team over the next 5–10 years including Lewis, Grothe, Gene Miles, Steve Mortimer, Greg Conescu and Wayne Pearce as well as test veterans Rod Morris and Les Boyd.

NT toured again in 1981, 1983 & 1985 and since 2001 Western Australia has competed annually in the Affiliated States Championship, winning the most titles of any state. [1]

International touring teams in WA

International football also has a history in WA, with Great Britain Lions touring Perth in 1950, 1957 1962 1975 England 1958, and France touring in 1951, 1955, 1964, 1990. [1]

Club Football

The first tour game by an interstate club was in 1949 when Balmain Tigers, NSWRL, traveled to Perth. The first tour match by a club affiliated with the Queensland Rugby League was in 1985 when the Qld Country side played a match against the WA State Team. Further interstate club matches occurred in (see list above)

Following the demise of the Western Reds professional rugby league was lost to WA. The next match occurred in 1999 when the Western Suburbs Magpies hosted the Melbourne Storm in an NRL premiership match. Further premiership matches followed in 2005 when Cronulla Sharks hosted the New Zealand Warriors, [1] and in July 2013 when the South Sydney Rabbitohs hosted the New Zealand Warriors at NIB Stadium

Trial matches have also been played, with South Sydney Rabbitohs hosting Canterbury Bulldogs in the 2005 pre-season. [1]

National competition

The staging of New South Wales Rugby League premiership matches in the late 1980s and early 1990s led to a push for a Perth-based entry into the Australian Rugby League competition. In 1992 the Western Reds club was accepted into the national competition and would play its first season in 1995. The Reds would play in 1996 and in the Australian Super League in 1997 under the Perth Reds moniker.

Debt, issues surrounding the Super League war and formation of the National Rugby League led to the club being wound-up at the end of the 1997 season.

On 12 December 2006 the Australian Rugby League board accepted a proposal to establish a Western Australian Rugby League representative side to play in the NSWRL Jim Beam Cup for seasons 2008 & 2009, known as the WA Reds and played home matches at Perth Oval. In season 2010 the decision was made to enter the WA Reds team into the SG Ball Cup Under 18 competition. The season was a tough one with the 'Reds' finishing next to bottom of the ladder winning only their opening game of the season. The 2011 season saw the young Reds side improve their credentials finishing 13/18 with 3 wins from 9 matches for the season.

On 27 June 2012 the Western Australian Rugby League announced a new identity for its NRL entry bid. The West Coast Pirates has been released as the team name, with the logo a Pirate Skull over Crossed Cutlasses.

The announcement of this new bid identity is viewed as a longer-term strategy for a Western Australian-based National Rugby League but as yet seems further from implementation than when first conceived many due to the NRL officially stating that will be no further expansion until 2017 to shore up its financially weak structure.

WARL competitions

WARL Premiership

The NRLWA, sponsored as the Fuel to Go and Play Premiership, is the premier rugby league football competition in the state. The majority of the Eleven clubs originate in the Perth metro area and both Fremantle and South Perth are foundation WARL clubs. Junior grades run from under 6's up to under 16's and senior competition is divided into four divisions, Men's First Grade, Men's Reserve Grade (Val Murphy Trophy), Women's Tackle and Women's League Tag (Flag Belt).

ColoursClubNicknameDistrictGroundFoundedJunior Association
First Grade (Premiership)
Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Fremantle * Roosters * Fremantle Treeby Sports Complex 1948Southern Pride
Giantscolours.svg Joondalup * Giants * Joondalup Admiral Reserve 1990Northern Fusion
Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg North Beach * Sea Eagles * North Beach Charles Riley Reserve 1951Northern Fusion
Cronulla colours.svg Rockingham * Coastal Sharks * Rockingham Lark Hill Sports Complex 1988South West Dolphins
Saintscolours.svg South Perth * Lions * South Perth George Burnett Park 1948Southern Pride
Reserve Grade (Val Murphy Trophy)
Wests Tigers colours.svg Alkimos Tigers Eglinton Amberton Playing Fields 2015Northern Fusion
South Sydney colours.svg Ellenbrook *Rabbitohs* Ellenbrook Charlottes Vinyard Pavilion 2015Northern Fusion
Canterbury colours.svg Kalamunda Bulldogs Belmont Hartfield Park 1949Northern Fusion
North Sydney colours.svg Willagee Bears Willagee Webber Reserve 1962Southern Pride
Third Grade
Gold Coast Titans colours.svg Kwinana Titans Kwinana Thomas Oval 2022South West Dolphins
Gthundercolours.svg Mandurah Storm Mandurah Ocean Road Reserve 2013South West Dolphins
Ireland colours.svg Serpentine-Jarrahdale Serpents Serpentine Lark Hill Sportsplex2023South West Dolphins
Juniors
Brisbane colours.svg Busselton Broncos Bussellton Busselton Sportsmans Club 2017South West Dolphins
Norths Devils colours.svg Bunbury Titans Bunbury Hay Park Sports Complex 2017South West Dolphins
Italy colours.svg Dalyellup Rhinos Dalleyup East Dalyellup Pavilion 2017South West Dolphins
Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Eaton Panthers Eaton Eaton2017South West Dolphins
Canberra colours.svg Albany Sea Dragons Albany Albany2019South West Dolphins


* Denotes currently fielding a First Grade Team in the Fuel to Go and Play Premiership

First Grade Premiers

YearClubTitles
Saintscolours.svg 1948South Perth Lions1
Saintscolours.svg 1949Perth*1
Eastern Suburbs colours.svg 1950Fremantle Roosters1
North Sydney colours.svg 1951Perth*2
Saintscolours.svg 1952South Perth Lions2
Saintscolours.svg 1953South Perth Lions3
Saintscolours.svg 1954South Perth Lions4
Wests Tigers colours.svg 1955Cottesloe Tigers*1
Canterbury colours.svg 1956Victoria Park Butchers1
Saintscolours.svg 1957South Perth Lions5
Saintscolours.svg 1958South Perth Lions6
Canterbury colours.svg 1959Victoria Park Butchers2
Canterbury colours.svg 1960Victoria Park Butchers3
Eastern Suburbs colours.svg 1961Fremantle Roosters2
Canterbury colours.svg 1962Victoria Park Butchers4
Eastern Suburbs colours.svg 1963Fremantle Roosters3
Parramatta colours.svg 1964Applecross Jets*1
Parramatta colours.svg 1965Applecross Jets*2
Parramatta colours.svg 1966Applecross Jets*3
Parramatta colours.svg 1967Applecross Jets*4
Canterbury colours.svg 1968Victoria Park Butchers5
Parramatta colours.svg 1969Applecross Jets*5
Parramatta colours.svg 1970Applecross Jets*6
Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg 1971North Beach Sea Eagles1
Parramatta colours.svg 1972Applecross Jets*7
Saintscolours.svg 1973South Perth Lions7
Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg 1974North Beach Sea Eagles2
Saintscolours.svg 1975South Perth Lions8
Eastern Suburbs colours.svg 1976Fremantle Roosters4
Eastern Suburbs colours.svg 1977Fremantle Roosters5
Canterbury colours.svg 1978Canning Bulldogs1
Wests Tigers colours.svg 1979Mosman-Cottesloe Tigers*2
Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg 1980North Beach Sea Eagles3
Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Wests Tigers colours.svg 1981Fremantle/Mosman-Cottesloe*6/3
Saintscolours.svg 1982South Perth Lions9
Saintscolours.svg 1983South Perth Lions10
Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg 1984North Beach Sea Eagles4
Saintscolours.svg 1985South Perth Lions11
Parramatta colours.svg 1986Applecross Jets*8
Western Suburbs colours.svg 1987Belmont Steelers*1
Western Suburbs colours.svg 1988Belmont Steelers*2
Western Suburbs colours.svg 1989Belmont Steelers*3
Canterbury colours.svg 1990Canning Bulldogs2
Canterbury colours.svg 1991Canning Bulldogs3
Parramatta colours.svg 1992Applecross Jets*9
Canberra colours.svg 1993Rockingham Raiders1
Canterbury colours.svg 1994Canning Bulldogs4
Western Suburbs colours.svg 1995Belmont Steelers*4
Saintscolours.svg 1996South Perth Lions12
Eastern Suburbs colours.svg 1997Fremantle Roosters7
Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg 1998North Beach Sea Eagles5
Canterbury colours.svg 1999Canning Bulldogs5
Giantscolours.svg 2000Joondalup Giants1
Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg 2001North Beach Sea Eagles6
Saintscolours.svg 2002South Perth Lions13
Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg 2003North Beach Sea Eagles7
Saintscolours.svg 2004South Perth Lions14
Saintscolours.svg 2005South Perth Lions15
Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg 2006North Beach Sea Eagles8
Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg 2007North Beach Sea Eagles9
Saintscolours.svg 2008South Perth Lions16
Saintscolours.svg 2009South Perth Lions17
Saintscolours.svg 2010South Perth Lions18
Saintscolours.svg 2011South Perth Lions19
Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg 2012North Beach Sea Eagles10
Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg 2013North Beach Sea Eagles11
Saintscolours.svg 2014South Perth Lions20
Eastern Suburbs colours.svg 2015Fremantle Roosters8
Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg 2016North Beach Sea Eagles12
Eastern Suburbs colours.svg 2017Fremantle Roosters9
Eastern Suburbs colours.svg 2018Fremantle Roosters10
Eastern Suburbs colours.svg 2019Fremantle Roosters11
Giantscolours.svg 2020Joondalup Giants2
Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg 2021North Beach Sea Eagles13
Eastern Suburbs colours.svg 2022Fremantle Roosters12
Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg 2023North Beach Sea Eagles14
Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg 2024North Beach Sea Eagles 15

* Denotes club dissolved and no longer exists

Regional Competitions

East Pilbara Rugby League

Goldfields Rugby League

Kimberley Rugby League

Pilbara Rugby League

The Pilbara Rugby League is a seven club competition in the north-west of Western Australia. The clubs are: [4]

Notable WARL juniors competed in the NRL and NRLW

Fremantle Roosters

South Perth Lions

Canning Bulldogs

North Beach Sea Eagles

Belmont Steelers

Joondalup Giants

Willagee Bears

Ellenbrook Rabbitohs

Rockingham Coastal Sharks

South Headland Cougars

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "WARL – Our History". Western Australian Rugby League. Retrieved 2 December 2009.
  2. ↑ "WA Rugby League Staff Members". Western Australian Rugby League. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  3. ↑ 1982 Western Australia vs Australia at Rugby League Project
  4. ↑ "Pilbara Rugby League" . Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  5. ↑ Barrows, Tim (10 February 2010). "Jon Green embarks on Perth with Dragons". The Age. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 Taylor, Nick (2 June 2015). "Goodwin chasing win for Souths and softer landing". The West Australian. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  7. ↑ Proszenko, Adrian (8 July 2007). "How a Brave Dad and dead uncle spurs this young knight to chase dreams of glory". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  8. ↑ Forrest, Brad (6 March 2014). "DJ looks set for chance in halves". St George & Sutherland Shire Leader. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  9. ↑ Webeck, Tony (18 April 2014). "Roosters trash a Cowboy". NRL.com. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  10. ↑ Stewart, Antony (22 April 2014). "North Queensland Cowboys Perth Product Curtis Rona strengthens West Coast Pirates NRL expansion case". Townsville Bulletin. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  11. ↑ Walshaw, Nick (26 April 2015). "Waqa Blake a Future State of Origin Star". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
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