Sport | Rugby league |
---|---|
Formerly known as | Group 1 Rugby League / Group 18 Rugby League |
Instituted | 2005 |
Inaugural season | 2005 |
Number of teams | 13 |
Country | Australia |
Premiers | Ballina Seagulls (2024) |
Most titles | Ballina Seagulls (5 titles) |
Website | NRRRL Facebook |
Broadcast partner | BarTV |
The Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League (NRRRL) is a rugby league competition run in the far north of New South Wales, Australia. It is run under the auspices of the Country Rugby League. The league formed in 2005 as an extended Group 1 Rugby League competition, featuring teams from Group 18 Rugby League. Prior to this, teams from Group 18 played in a competition with teams from the Gold Coast region of Queensland; these clubs have since gone on to form the Gold Coast Rugby League competition. Both Group 1 and Group 18 continue to run junior competitions from Under 5s to Under 16s.
The competitions run by NRRRL include: First grade, Reserve grade, Under-18's and Ladies League Tag.
Due to sponsorship reasons, in 2007 and 2008 the competition was known as the Retravision Northern League. [1] As a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 competition was suspended until August, with four clubs withdrawing. When it resumed, the competition was split in two due to Queensland border restrictions. The former Group 18 teams contested the Green competition, with the former Group 1 teams contesting the Gold competition.
There are fourteen member clubs of the Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League as 2023.
The following clubs in NRRRL fielded teams in the 2024 Senior Mens and Ladies League Tag competitions:
Club | City/Town | Formed | Group | Home Ground | Premierships | Premiership Years |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ballina Seagulls | Ballina | 1920 | Group 1 | Kingsford Smith Park | 7 | 2013–15, 2017, 2019–20, 2024 |
Bilambil Jets | Bilambil | 1923 [2] | Group 18 | Bilambil East Sports Field | 1 | 2022 |
Byron Bay Red Devils | Byron Bay | 1974 | Group 18 | Red Devil Park | 1 | 2008 |
Casino Cougars | Casino | Group 1 | Queen Elizabeth Park | 0 | None | |
Cudgen Hornets | Cudgen | 1950 | Group 18 | Ned Byrne Oval | 2 | 2006, 2023 |
Evans Head Bombers | Evans Head | 1999 | Group 1 | Stan Payne Oval | 0 | None |
Kyogle Turkeys | Kyogle | 1960 | Group 1 | New Park | 0 | None |
Lismore Marist Brothers Rams | Lismore | 1912 | Group 1 | Oakes Oval | 0 | None |
Lower Clarence Magpies | Yamba | 1915 | Group 1 | Yamba Sporting Complex | 1 | 2009 |
Mullumbimby Giants | Mullumbimby | 1909 | Group 18 | Mullumbimby RLFC | 1 | 2007 |
Murwillumbah Mustangs | Murwillumbah | 1989 [3] | Group 18 | Murwillumbah Colts JRL | 2 | 2012, 2016 |
Northern United Dirawongs | Lismore | 2009 | N/A | Clifford Park | 0 | None |
Tweed Coast Raiders | Casuarina | 1980 | Group 18 | Les Burger Field | 2 | 2018, 2020 |
Tweed Heads Seagulls | Tweed Heads | 1909 | Group 18 | Piggabeen Sports Complex | 1 | 2005 |
The following clubs fielded teams in 2018 Group 1 junior competitions: Ballina Seagulls, Casino Cougars, Clarence Coast Magpies, Grafton Ghosts, Kyogle Tukeys, Lismore Marist Brothers Rams, South Grafton Rebels
The following clubs fielded teams in 2019 Group 18 junior competitions: Bilambil Terranora Jets, Byron Bay Lennox Head Red Devils/Dolphins, Cudgen Headland Hornets, Mullumbimby Giants, Murwillimbah Colts, South Tweed Koala Bears/Ospreys, Tugun Seahawks, Tweed Coast Raiders, Tweed Heads Seagulls
Season | Grand Final Information | Minor Premiers | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Premiers | Score | Runners-up | Reports | ||
2005 | Tweed Heads Seagulls | 44–18 | Murwillumbah Mustangs | MDN [4] | Tweed Heads Seagulls [5] |
2006 | Cudgen Hornets | 19–16 | Murwillumbah Mustangs | Murwillumbah Mustangs [6] | |
2007 | Mullumbimby Giants | 34–30 | Ballina Seagulls | Star [7] | Mullumbimby Giants [8] |
2008 | Byron Bay Red Devils | 25–24 | Grafton Ghosts | FNC [9] | Grafton Ghosts [10] |
2009 | Lower Clarence Magpies | 21–20 | Northern United | ABC [11] | Lower Clarence Magpies [12] |
2010 | Grafton Ghosts | 14–6 | Ballina Seagulls | FNC [13] | Grafton Ghosts [14] |
2011 | Grafton Ghosts | 10–6 | Murwillumbah Mustangs | FNC [15] | Murwillumbah Mustangs [16] |
2012 | Murwillumbah Mustangs | 27–26 | Grafton Ghosts | MDN [17] | Murwillumbah Mustangs [16] |
2013 | Ballina Seagulls | 30–24 | Murwillumbah Mustangs | Star [18] | Murwillumbah Mustangs |
2014 | Ballina Seagulls | 17–6 | Byron Bay Red Devils | Star [19] | Ballina Seagulls |
2015 | Ballina Seagulls | 34–6 | Murwillumbah Mustangs | Star [20] | Murwillumbah Mustangs |
2016 | Murwillumbah Mustangs | 16–14 | Cudgen Hornets | ABC [21] | Murwillumbah Mustangs |
2017 | Ballina Seagulls | 36–28 | Cudgen Hornets | Star [22] | Ballina Seagulls |
2018 | Tweed Coast Raiders | 24–4 | Ballina Seagulls | TDN [23] | Tweed Coast Raiders |
2019 | Ballina Seagulls | 38–18 | Murwillumbah Mustangs | NBN [24] Star [25] | Ballina Seagulls |
2020 (Green) | Tweed Coast Raiders | 24–18 | Murwillumbah Mustangs | NBN [26] | Tweed Coast Raiders |
2020 (Gold) | Ballina Seagulls | 30–16 | Lismore Marist Brothers | NBN [27] | Ballina Seagulls |
2021 season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | |||||
2022 | Bilambil Jets | 30–18 | Evans Head Bombers | Murwillumbah Mustangs | |
2023 | Cudgen Hornets | 18-4 | Ballina Seagulls | Ballina Seagulls |
Season | Grand Final Information | Minor Premiers | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Premiers | Score | Runners-up | Reports | ||
2017 | Byron Bay Red Devils | 12–8 | Lismore Marist Brothers | ||
2018 | Lismore Marist Brothers | 22–4 | Byron Bay Red Devils | Lismore Marist Brothers | |
2019 | Tweed Coast Raiders | 12–10 | Lismore Marist Brothers | ||
2020 (Green) | Tweed Coast Raiders | 4–2 | Cudgen Hornets | Cudgen Hornets | |
2020 (Gold) | Lismore Marist Brothers | 18–0 | Ballina Seagulls | Lismore Marist Brothers | |
2021 season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | |||||
2022 | Cudgen Hornets | 14–10 | Lismore Marist Brothers | Cudgen Hornets |
Both Group 1 and Group 18 run independent junior competitions as was before the merger to form the NRRRL in seniors.
Years | Acronym | Item | Available Online | Via |
---|---|---|---|---|
1967–69, 1971–96 | - | Country Rugby League Annual Report | No | State Library of NSW |
2003 to 2014 | RLW | Rugby League Week | Yes | eResources at State Library of NSW |
2007 to 2019 | Star | The Northern Star | Yes | Northern Star website |
2005 to 2019 | - | Various Newspaper Websites | Yes | As referenced |
Northern Rivers is the most northeasterly region of the Australian state of New South Wales, located between 590 and 820 kilometres north of the state capital, Sydney, and encompasses the catchments and fertile valleys of the Clarence, Richmond, and Tweed rivers. It extends from Tweed Heads in the north to the southern extent of the Clarence river catchment which lies between Grafton and Coffs Harbour, and includes the main towns of Tweed Heads, Byron Bay, Ballina, Kyogle, Lismore, Casino and Grafton. At its most northern point, the region is 102 kilometres (63 mi) south-southeast of the Queensland capital, Brisbane.
Ballina is a town in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia, and the seat of the Ballina Shire local government area. It lies 740 km (460 mi) north of Sydney and 185 km (115 mi) south of Brisbane. Ballina's urban population at the end of 2021 was 46,190.
Tweed Heads is a coastal city at the mouth of the Tweed River in the Northern Rivers region of the state of New South Wales, Australia. Tweed Heads is the northernmost town in New South Wales, and is located in the Tweed Shire local government area. It is situated 830 km (520 mi) north of Sydney and 103 km (64 mi) south of Brisbane. The town is next to the border with Queensland and is adjacent to its "twin town" of Coolangatta, which is a suburb of the Gold Coast in Queensland.
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Luke Covell is a former New Zealand international rugby league footballer who played as a goal-kicking winger for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and Wests Tigers in the NRL.
The Summerland Australian Football League or SAFL was an Australian rules football competition in the Northern Rivers and New England region of New South Wales, Australia, in existence from 1984 to 2011. It now is reformed under the AFL Queensland banner under various QFA divisions, currently QFA Division 2 South/Northern Rivers.
Football Far North Coast (FFNC) is the governing body controlling association football on the Far North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. The name of the organisation was changed in late 2005 from Soccer Far North Coast in line with the national governing body which changed from Soccer Australia to Football Federation Australia.
Group 1 Rugby League was a rugby league competition held in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia, run under the auspices of the Country Rugby League. The group, however, still runs a junior rugby league competition. When the Group 18-Gold Coast competition dissolved in 2005, the New South Wales sides joined together with Group 1 to form a divisional league, Northern Rivers Regional Rugby League (NRRRL). Group 18 also still holds its own individual junior rugby league competition.
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The Murwillumbah railway line is a mostly disused railway line in far north-eastern Northern Rivers New South Wales, Australia. The line ran from Casino to Lismore, Byron Bay, Mullumbimby and Murwillumbah, opening in 1894. It is one of only two branches off the North Coast line,. Train services to the region ceased in May 2004. The line from Casino to Bentley and Murwillumbah to Crabbes Creek was formally closed on 23 September 2020 to facilitate the construction of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail.
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