NRL Western Australia explained

Leaguename:NRL Western Australia
Logosize:200px
Founded:1948
Formerly:Western Australian Amateur Rugby League
Region:ARL
Remit:Western Australia
Headquarters:NIB Stadium, Pier Street, Perth
Ceo:John Sackson[1]
Website:nrlwa.com.au
Countryflag:Western Australia

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.

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.[2]

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.[2]

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.[2]

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.[2]

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,[2] 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.[2]

National competition

See main article: WA Reds. 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)
Fremantle
Roosters
FremantleTreeby Sports Complex1948Southern Pride
Joondalup
Giants
JoondalupAdmiral Reserve1990Northern Fusion
North Beach
Sea Eagles
North BeachCharles Riley Reserve1951Northern Fusion
Rockingham
Coastal Sharks
RockinghamLark Hill Sports Complex1988South West Dolphins
South Perth
Lions
South PerthGeorge Burnett Park1948Southern Pride
Reserve Grade (Val Murphy Trophy)
AlkimosTigersEglintonAmberton Playing Fields2015Northern Fusion
Ellenbrook
Rabbitohs*EllenbrookCharlottes Vinyard Pavillion2015Northern Fusion
KalamundaBulldogsBelmontHartfield Park1949Northern Fusion
WillageeBearsWillageeWebber Reserve1962Southern Pride
Third Grade
KwinanaTitansKwinanaThomas Oval2022South West Dolphins
MandurahStormMandurahOcean Road Reserve2013South West Dolphins
Serpentine-JarrahdaleSerpentsSerpentineLark Hill Sportsplex2023South West Dolphins
Juniors
BusseltonBroncosBusselltonBusselton Sportsmans Club2017South West Dolphins
BunburyTitansBunburyHay Park Sports Complex2017South West Dolphins
DalyellupRhinosDalleyupEast Dalyellup Pavilion2017South West Dolphins
EatonPanthersEatonEaton2017South West Dolphins
AlbanySea DragonsAlbanyAlbany2019South West Dolphins

First Grade Premiers

YearClubTitles
1948South Perth Lions1
1949Perth*1
1950Fremantle Roosters1
1951Perth*2
1952South Perth Lions2
1953South Perth Lions3
1954South Perth Lions4
1955Cottesloe Tigers*1
1956Victoria Park Butchers1
1957South Perth Lions5
1958South Perth Lions6
1959Victoria Park Butchers2
1960Victoria Park Butchers3
1961Fremantle Roosters2
1962Victoria Park Butchers4
1963Fremantle Roosters3
1964Applecross Jets*1
1965Applecross Jets*2
1966Applecross Jets*3
1967Applecross Jets*4
1968Victoria Park Butchers5
1969Applecross Jets*5
1970Applecross Jets*6
1971North Beach Sea Eagles1
1972Applecross Jets*7
1973South Perth Lions7
1974North Beach Sea Eagles2
1975South Perth Lions8
1976Fremantle Roosters4
1977Fremantle Roosters5
1978Canning Bulldogs1
1979Mosman-Cottesloe Tigers*2
1980North Beach Sea Eagles3
1981Fremantle/Mosman-Cottesloe*6/3
1982South Perth Lions9
1983South Perth Lions10
1984North Beach Sea Eagles4
1985South Perth Lions11
1986Applecross Jets*8
1987Belmont Steelers*1
1988Belmont Steelers*2
1989Belmont Steelers*3
1990Canning Bulldogs2
1991Canning Bulldogs3
1992Applecross Jets*9
1993Rockingham Raiders1
1994Canning Bulldogs4
1995Belmont Steelers*4
1996South Perth Lions12
1997Fremantle Roosters7
1998North Beach Sea Eagles5
1999Canning Bulldogs5
2000Joondalup Giants1
2001North Beach Sea Eagles6
2002South Perth Lions13
2003North Beach Sea Eagles7
2004South Perth Lions14
2005South Perth Lions15
2006North Beach Sea Eagles8
2007North Beach Sea Eagles9
2008South Perth Lions16
2009South Perth Lions17
2010South Perth Lions18
2011South Perth Lions19
2012North Beach Sea Eagles10
2013North Beach Sea Eagles11
2014South Perth Lions20
2015Fremantle Roosters8
2016North Beach Sea Eagles12
2017Fremantle Roosters9
2018Fremantle Roosters10
2019Fremantle Roosters11
2020Joondalup Giants2
2021North Beach Sea Eagles13
2022Fremantle Roosters12
2023North Beach Sea Eagles 14

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

Notes and References

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