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Rugby league in Western Australia

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Rugby league in Western Australia
Governing bodyWestern Australia Rugby League
First played1948, Perth, Western Australia
Registered players5,443[1]
30,000+ (including variants)[2]
Clubs31
Audience records
Single match59,721 (2019 State of Origin series. Optus Stadium, Perth, Western Australia)

In Western Australia, rugby league is played at amateur level by 31 clubs across 5 regional leagues with a total of around 7,900 players. It attracts an audience mainly for the State of Origin series.

The state had a professional club in a national competition in the Western Reds/Perth Reds, but they were not included in the new National Rugby League in 1998 following the Super League war.

History

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The Western Australia Rugby League was formed in 1948 with Fremantle, Perth, South Perth and Cottesloe as the foundation clubs. In 1950 the Australian Rugby League Board of Control sent ex Kangaroos hooker Arthur Folwell to Western Australia to try to promote the game.[3]

Although touring Great Britain and French rugby league teams had played tour matches in Perth, it was not until the late 1980s that the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) played games there.

New South Wales Rugby League matches

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In August 1989, the NSWRL played the first game outside New South Wales or Queensland, with a crowd of 21,992 watching Canberra play Canterbury at the WACA.

Subsequent fixtures between 1990 and 1993 were equally well supported, and the League realised that a Perth team could be successful. Perth's application for the Winfield Cup was accepted on 30 November 1992, along with the South Queensland Crushers, the North Queensland Cowboys and the Auckland Warriors. The early tip for the nickname of the Perth side was Pumas, but the red kangaroo, Western Australia's best-known native animal, was chosen and the team became known as the Western Reds, with the colours of Red, Black, Yellow and White.

Western Reds and Super League War

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Western Australia's first rugby league team to play in a national competition were the Western Reds, who played in the 1995 and 1996 seasons of the Australian Rugby League. In 1997 they changed their name to the Perth Reds and joined the Super League as inaugural members.

Despite showing some promise (particularly in the underage competitions) the Reds were not invited to join the National Rugby League in 1998 as part of the agreement to end the Super League war.

In 2007 NRL WA re-formed the team as the WA Reds to compete in the Jim Beam Cup from 2008, with a view to entering the National Rugby League competition in 2012.[4] Their home ground is Perth Oval.

NRL and State of Origin series in Perth

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On 14 February 2009 Perth Oval played host to the first NRL pre-season match for the year between St George-Illawarra Dragons and Sydney Roosters. The match was a one sided affair but a great stepping stone for WA Rugby League with just under 10,000 supporters in attendance.

On Saturday 13 June 2009 at Members Equity Stadium, Perth the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Melbourne Storm played in front of a crowd of 15,197.[citation needed] The Melbourne Storm ran out winners 28–22 in a very successful night for organisers of the Rabbitohs who took their home game to Perth, the NRL and the WARL (Western Australia Rugby League), who now have even more reasons to seriously consider a bid to have the WA Reds back into the Elite Rugby League Competition (NRL).[citation needed] The Rabbitohs again hosted one of their home games in Perth 2010, on the back of the success of the 2009 encounter, again against the Storm.[citation needed] In 2011, the Rabbitohs' played the Brisbane Broncos on a Friday night, a rarity in such a foreign territory for the NRL.[citation needed]

West Coast Pirates (2012–2020)

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Main article: West Coast Pirates

In 2012, the WARL launched the West Coast Pirates as the Perth bid team for an NRL licence. West Coast competed in the SG Ball Cup instead of the WA Reds.[5] This bid collapsed due to Covid 19 pandemic and the emergence of a new bid from West Australian backed Cash Converters and the North Sydney Bears to form the Western Bears.

The National Rugby League played a double-header at Perth Stadium in round 1 of the 2018 NRL season in front of 38,842 fans.[6]

In recent years State of Origin series matches between Queensland and New South Wales have been showcased in Perth in an effort to grow the code's audience, attracting fans from across the country. The second match of the 2019 State of Origin series between New South Wales and Queensland was played at Perth Stadium on 23 June 2019 and marked the first Origin game to be played in Western Australia. New South Wales defeated Queensland 38–6 in front of a record crowd for the code in the state of 59,721 spectators.[7] The second match of the 2022 State of Origin series was also played in Perth, attracting an attendance of 59,358.[8][9]

Western Bears NRL bid (2024)

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Main article: Western Bears

In August 2024, the North Sydney Bears and a Western Australian consortium headed by Cash Converters founders the Cumins family, signed off on an agreement to lodge an application for the Western Bears to enter a team in the 2027 NRL season. The logo will be red, white and black with yellow as a nod to the Western Reds.[10][11]

On 9 October 2024, the bid was formally rejected by ARL commission head Peter V'landys. Although there remains an option for a Western Australian based team to enter the league, independent of the bid consortium.[12]

Governing body

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NRL Western Australia is responsible for administering the game of rugby league in Western Australia. Western Australia is an Affiliated State of the overall Australian governing body the Australian Rugby League.

Participation

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Category 2021/22 2023/24
Adult Male 4,441
Adult Female 1,002
Total 7,900[13] 5,443[1]

WARL/NRLWA competitions

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WARL/NRLWA Premiership

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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).

Colours Club District Ground Founded Junior Association
Fremantle Roosters* Fremantle Treeby Sports Complex 1948 Southern Pride
South Perth Lions* South Perth George Burnett Park 1948 Southern Pride
Kalamunda Bulldogs Belmont Hartfield Park 1949 Northern Fusion
North Beach Sea Eagles* North Beach Charles Riley Reserve 1951 Northern Fusion
Willagee Bears Willagee Webber Reserve 1962 Southern Pride
Rockingham Coastal Sharks* Rockingham Lark Hill Sports Complex 1988 South West Dolphins
Joondalup Giants* Joondalup Admiral Reserve 1990 Northern Fusion
Mandurah Storm Mandurah Ocean road reserve 2013 South West Dolphins
Ellenbrook Rabbitohs* Ellenbrook Charlottes Vinyard Pavilion 2015 Northern Fusion
Kwinana Titans Kwinana Thomas Oval 2022 South West Dolphins
Alkimos Tigers Eglinton Amberton Playing Fields 2015 Northern Fusion
Busselton Broncos Busselton Busselton Sportsmans Club 2017 South West Dolphins
Bunbury Titans Bunbury Hay Park Sports Complex 2017 South West Dolphins
Dalyellup Rhinos Dalleyup East Dalyellup Pavilion 2017 South West Dolphins
Eaton Panthers Eaton 2017 South West Dolphins
Albany Sea Dragons Albany 2019 South West Dolphins
Serpentine-Jarrahdale Serpents Serpentine 2023 South West Dolphins
Australind Cowboys Australind


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

Regional Competitions

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East Pilbara Rugby League

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Goldfields Rugby League

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Kimberley Rugby League

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Pilbara Rugby League

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The Pilbara Rugby League is a seven club competition in the north-west of Western Australia. The clubs are:[14]

State Representative Team

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The WARL also forms a state team to compete in the Affiliated States Championship each year. Western Australia is considered to have the strongest state team of the three non-rugby league states in mainland Australia and have won most of the Affiliated States Championships.

Players

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "AusPlay results". Sport Australia. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  2. ^ "TOUCH FOOTBALL AUSTRALIA 2021/2022 ANNUAL REPORT" (PDF). touchfootball.com.
  3. ^ "Tom Goodman's League Column". The Sydney Morning Herald. 4 May 1950. p. 9. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2009.
  4. ^ Hughes, Dave; Rugby league Reds are back, on war footing; The West Australian; 8 February 2007
  5. ^ "WA's new team: West Coast Pirates". 27 June 2012.
  6. ^ "Perth NRL Double Header". Optus Stadium. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  7. ^ "Holden State of Origin". Optus Stadium. 17 July 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  8. ^ Lenehan, Martin (26 June 2022). "Cleary sublime as brilliant Blues level series in Perth". NRL. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  9. ^ Davies, Justin (26 June 2022). "Blues batter Maroons to set up a decider". League Unlimited. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  10. ^ NRL’s newest franchise set to be formally announced... as details including logo revealed Fox Sports Australia 9 August 2024
  11. ^ West Australian consortium stands its ground on control of new NRL team The West Australian 9 August 2024
  12. ^ NRL reject Western Bears as bombshell breaks fans’ hearts all over again News Corp 9 October 2024
  13. ^ Commission, Australian Sports Commission; jurisdiction=Commonwealth of Australia; corporateName=Australian Sports. "AusPlay results". Australian Sports Commission.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ "Pilbara Rugby League". Retrieved 15 September 2012.
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