Norths Devils

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Norths Devils
Norths Devils Logo1.png
Club information
Full nameNorths Devils Rugby League Football Club
Nickname(s)The Devils, Norths, Norty Norfs, The Devs
Colours Norths Devils colours.svg Sky Blue, Navy Blue, Gold
FoundedPast Grammar (1891;133 years ago (1891))
Northern Suburbs District (1933;91 years ago (1933))
Website northsdevilsrlfc.com
Current details
Ground(s)
CEOTroy Rovelli
CoachDave Elliott
Captain Kierran Moseley
Competition Queensland Cup
Brisbane Rugby League
Hastings Deering Colts
Mal Meninga Cup
Cyril Connell Challenge
2024 Premiers
Rugby football current event.png Current season
Records
Premierships13 (1927, 1934, 1938, 1940, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1969, 1980)
Runners-up9 (1931, 1932, 1939, 1941, 1944, 1945, 1967, 1970, 1990)
Minor premierships 11 (1935, 1939, 1940, 1945, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1966, 1969, 1974)
Wooden spoons 7 (1949, 1950, 1954, 1976, 1978, 1984, 1994)
Premierships (2nd grade)4 (1998, 2021, 2022, 2024)
Runners-up (2nd grade)1 (2010)
Minor premierships (2nd grade) 2 (1998, 2021)
Wooden spoons (2nd grade) 1 (2008)
Premierships (3rd grade)0
Runners-up (3rd grade)2 (2001, 2011)

The Northern Suburbs Devils, or North Brisbane Devils, or often simply referred to as Norths for short, are a rugby league club representing the northern suburbs of Brisbane, Australia. The team colours are sky blue, navy blue and gold. They play in the Hostplus Cup, and, through their predecessors, are one of the oldest clubs in Australia. Norths have won 14 A Grade, 17 Reserve Grade and 14 Colts/Third Grade Premierships. They hold the record for most consecutive first grade Brisbane Rugby League premierships, winning six in a row between 1959 and 1964 and being crowned champions most recently in 2024.

Contents

History

Before rugby league

The first incarnation of Northern Suburbs was the Past Grammars Rugby Union club, which was formed in 1891 as a separate Old Boys football club for Brisbane Grammar School.It shouldn't be confused with the school team known as Past & Present Grammar (made up of students, teachers & past students) which competed from 1888 to 1890. [1] The club was quite successful in its early years, winning premierships in 1892, 1898 and 1899, as well as 1914. [1] Wallaby captain Bob McCowan was a Past Grammar player when he led the national side in 1899.

Switch to rugby league

Following the disbandment of club rugby union in Brisbane towards the end of the First World War, Past Grammars, along with Christian Brothers and University, joined the Rugby Football League in 1920 [2]

From Past Grammars RLFC to Norths

Past Grammars, also known as Grammar Norths, won their first premiership in 1927, before becoming Northern Suburbs, following the introduction of District Football by the Brisbane Rugby League in 1933.

Post-war

In 1959 Clive Churchill captain-coached Brisbane Rugby League club Norths to a premiership, his training methods were carried on by Bob Bax who coached Northern Suburbs RLFC to become the first club in BRL history to win three consecutive first grade premierships when they defeated Fortitude Valley 29–5 in the 1961 grand final in front of a then-record club crowd of 19,824 at Lang Park. [3] Norths continued to dominate the decade with 7 grand final wins in 8 appearances. It would be another 11 years before they tasted success again.

Norths' Queensland representative player Nick Geiger was selected as the Australia national team's hooker in the final of the 1977 Rugby League World Cup tournament.

1990s

Norths-Devils LOGO.PNG
Logo in use during 1980s and 1990s

In the 1990s, along with many other Queensland clubs, Norths suffered heavily financially. Eventually it came to the stage that in 1998 they became a feeder club with National Rugby League newcomers, the Melbourne Storm, which attracted much needed finance, as well as some quality players, as well as securing the Devils' future. Also in 1998, the club won its first First Grade premiership since 1980, [4] beating Wests in the Grand Final.

2000s

In the 2006 NRL Grand Final Melbourne's 17 man team had 13 players who had played with Norths in past years, including Matt Geyer, who won a Premiership with the Devils in 1998[ citation needed ] and Melbourne in 1999. In the 2006 Tri-Nations series, 4 Norths players graduated to the Australian Kangaroos squad and 2 players, via Melbourne Storm, represented New Zealand Kiwis [ citation needed ].

In 2008 the Devils signed a partnership agreement with the Brisbane Broncos which sees developing Broncos players train with and compete for the Devils in the Intrust Super Cup.

In 2018 Rohan Smith was recruited to be the Head Coach of the club. In 2019 he led the Devils to the finals, with the team falling agonizingly short of progressing past the first round.

In 2021, Norths won their first premiership since the 1998 season beating The Wynnum Manly Seagulls in the Grand Final as well as achieving the minor premiership. Such success was replicated the following season when Norths won the 2022 Queensland Cup with a 16-10 victory over club rivals Redcliffe marking The Devils first "back to back" premiership run in the Queensland Cup era. [5] Norths also won the 2024 Cup, also in a final over Redcliffe. [6] On 6 October 2024, Norths claimed the NRL State Championship defeating the NSW Cup winners Newtown 20-18. [7]

Home grounds

For many years Norths played out of Oxenham Park in Nundah, but they moved to their current home ground, Albert Bishop Park, in 1969. Commonly referred to simply as 'Bishop Park', it borders the Schulz Canal in Nundah, and is named after club stalwart Albert Bishop, MBE. Norths has a licensed Leagues Club, Norths Leagues, at Bishop Park, as well as a second licensed Club at Anzac Avenue, Kallangur, further north of Brisbane.

Season summaries

Easts Tigers versus Norths Devils at Langlands Park, Brisbane Australia. May 4, 2014. Easts vs Norths QLD league May 2014 02.jpg
Easts Tigers versus Norths Devils at Langlands Park, Brisbane Australia. May 4, 2014.

BRL (1920–1995)

SeasonLadder positionResult
Past Grammar
19207thdid not qualify
19243rdSemi-finalists
19256thdid not qualify
19265thdid not qualify
19272ndPremiers
19286thdid not qualify
19295thdid not qualify
19304thSemi-finalists
19313rdLost Grand Final Challenge
19322ndLost Grand Final Challenge
Northern Suburbs
19335thdid not qualify
19342ndPremiers
19351stPreliminary finalists
19363rdPreliminary finalists
19374thSemi-finalists
19382ndPremiers
19391stRunner-up
19401stPremiers
19413rdRunner-up
19424thSemi-finalists
19434thPreliminary finalists
19443rdRunner-up
19451stRunner-up
19465thdid not qualify
19474thSemi-finalists
19485thdid not qualify
19496thWooden spoon
19506thWooden spoon
19513rdSemi-finalists
19523rdSemi-finalists
19533rdSemi-finalists
19546thWooden spoon
19554thSemi-finalists
19566thdid not qualify
19574thSemi-finalists
19585thdid not qualify
19591stPremiers
19602ndPremiers
19611stPremiers
19621stPremiers
19631stPremiers
19643rdPremiers
19653rdSemi-finalists
19661stPremiers
19672ndRunner-up
19684thSemi-finalists
19691stPremiers
19702ndRunner-up
19714thSemi-finalists
19726thdid not qualify
19733rdSemi-finalists
19741stPreliminary finalists
19752ndPreliminary finalists
19768thWooden spoon
19774thSemi-finalists
19788thWooden spoon
19795thdid not qualify
19804thPremiers
19816thdid not qualify
19825thdid not qualify
19837thdid not qualify
19848thWooden spoon
19857thdid not qualify
19865thdid not qualify
19872ndSemi-finalists
19886thdid not qualify
19893rdSemi-finalists
19904thRunner-up
19912ndSemi-finalists
19923rdPreliminary finalists
19937thdid not qualify
199412thWooden spoon
199511thdid not qualify

Queensland Cup

SeasonLadder positionResult
19969thdid not qualify
19977thdid not qualify
19981stPremiers
19992ndPreliminary Finalists
20005thPreliminary Semi-Finalists
20014thPreliminary Semi-Finalists
20025thPreliminary Semi-Finalists
20038thdid not qualify
20042ndSemi-Finalists
20052ndSemi-Finalists
20067thdid not qualify
20078thdid not qualify
200811thWooden spoon
20095thSemi-Finalists
20102ndRunner-Up
201110thdid not qualify
20125thSemi-Finalists
20136thdid not qualify
20148thdid not qualify
201513thdid not qualify
201611thdid not qualify
201711thdid not qualify
20188thdid not qualify
20195thFinalists
2020N/ACompetition cancelled
20211stPremiers
20224thPremiers
202311thdid not qualify
20242ndPremiers

Source: [8]

Notable players

Ross henrick

Greatest Team

On 16 August 2008 in the year of the Centenary of Rugby League, Norths Devils announced their greatest team ever. The team is made up of players in their entire 75-year tenure. [9]

  1. Harry Bates
  2. Fonda Metassa
  3. Jack Reardon
  4. Henry Hegarty
  5. Joe Kilroy
  6. Bill Pearson
  7. Jack Stapleton
  8. Vic Rudd
  9. Cameron Smith
  10. Lloyd Weier
  11. Trevor Gillmeister
  12. Mark Graham
  13. Edward "Babe" Collins
  14. Mark Murray
  15. Greg Inglis
  16. Greg Conescu
  17. Ian Massie

Coach:

  1. Bob Bax

Manager:

  1. Albert Bishop

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 Brief History of GPS
  2. Howell, Max and Reet. The Greatest Game Under The Sun: The History of Rugby League in Queensland (p47)
  3. Higgison, Mike. "Fantastic Footy Flashback: 1961". qrl.com.au. Queensland Rugby League . Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  4. Queensland Rugby League
  5. "Norths Devils announce 2023 head coach". Queensland Rugby League. 4 August 2022.
  6. "Devils dynasty: Niu fires to make it three in four years for Norths". Queensland Rugby League. 22 September 2024. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  7. "Late Keeley double propels Devils to State". www.nrl.com.
  8. Waite, Roger (2017). "A history of Brisbane rugby league (1909-2017)" (PDF). rogerswebsite.com.[ self-published source ]
  9. Pramberg, Bernie (17 August 2008). "Cameron Smith and Greg Inglis in Norths Devis 'greatest' team". The Courier-Mail . Retrieved 17 August 2008.