Dapto Canaries
Encyclopedia
The Dapto Canaries are an Australia
n rugby league
football team based in the Wollongong suburb of Dapto
. The club are a part of Country Rugby League and have competed in the Illawarra Rugby League
premiership since its inception in 1911.
. However, it took the Canaries many decades to win their first title in 1966, and they have been strong competitors ever since. The Canaries won four premierships in five years during the 1970s, and a further three in each of the 80s and 90s. They won another three consecutive premierships between 2000 and 2002, with their final premiership in 2006. The Dapto team is represented by a yellow canary on their emblem, displayed in front of a blue background. The inscription "Dapto R.L.F.C." is displayed underneath. Their jerseys reflect this emblem with the use of gold on blue. The Canaries play at Dapto Showground, Dapto.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
football team based in the Wollongong suburb of Dapto
Dapto, New South Wales
Dapto is a southern suburb of Wollongong in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia, located on the western side of Lake Illawarra and covering an area 7.15 square kilometres in size...
. The club are a part of Country Rugby League and have competed in the Illawarra Rugby League
Illawarra Rugby League
The Illawarra Rugby League is a rugby league competition in Wollongong, NSW. It is one of the oldest rugby league competitions in Australia, founded in 1911 with five clubs ....
premiership since its inception in 1911.
History, colours and emblem
The Dapto Canaries were established in 1911 and are one of five founding clubs of the Illawarra Rugby LeagueIllawarra Rugby League
The Illawarra Rugby League is a rugby league competition in Wollongong, NSW. It is one of the oldest rugby league competitions in Australia, founded in 1911 with five clubs ....
. However, it took the Canaries many decades to win their first title in 1966, and they have been strong competitors ever since. The Canaries won four premierships in five years during the 1970s, and a further three in each of the 80s and 90s. They won another three consecutive premierships between 2000 and 2002, with their final premiership in 2006. The Dapto team is represented by a yellow canary on their emblem, displayed in front of a blue background. The inscription "Dapto R.L.F.C." is displayed underneath. Their jerseys reflect this emblem with the use of gold on blue. The Canaries play at Dapto Showground, Dapto.
Notable players
Players that have played or gone on to play in the Sydney Premiership, or selected for Country, New South Wales or Australia:- Ronn Mann - Country (1948), NSWNew South Wales rugby league teamThe New South Wales rugby league team has represented the Australian state of New South Wales in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1907. Administered by the New South Wales Rugby League, the team competes in the annual State of Origin series against arch-rivals, the...
(1948). - Bobby DimondBobby DimondBobby Dimond was an Australian rugby league footballer of the 1940s and '50s. Born in Dapto, New South Wales, he is the older brother of Peter Dimond. He made his first grade debut at the age of sixteen. He played his club rugby league in the NSWRFL Premiership for the Western Suburbs Magpies....
- Western Suburbs MagpiesWestern Suburbs MagpiesThe Western Suburbs Magpies are an Australian rugby league football club based in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 1908, Wests, as they are commonly referred to, were one of the nine foundation clubs of the first New South Wales Rugby League competition in Australia...
, Country (1948), NSW (1948), and Australian representative. - Peter DimondPeter DimondPeter Dimond is a former Australian rugby league footballer who played his club rugby league for the Western Suburbs Magpies. Born in born in Dapto, New South Wales, he is the younger brother of Bobby Dimond...
- Wests, Country (1952), NSW (1950-60), and Australia. - Lionel Simmonds - Country (1965-68)
- Noel Morris - Country (1969)
- Warwick Shirlaw (1971)
- Allan FitzgibbonAllan FitzgibbonAllan Fitzgibbon is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. He played for the Balmain Tigers between 1968 and 1970, and appeared in the 1969 Grand Final where the Tigers won in an upset against the South Sydney Rabbitohs...
- Balmain TigersBalmain TigersThe Balmain Tigers are a rugby league football club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in the history of the premiership, with eleven titles...
(1968-70), Country (1971), NSW (1968), ~~Dapto captain/coach (1971-81), Illawarra SteelersIllawarra SteelersThe Illawarra Steelers are an Australian rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales. The club competed in Australia's top-level Rugby League competition from 1982, when they, along with the Canberra Raiders, were admitted into the then New South Wales Rugby Football...
coach (1982-84) - Ted GoodwinTed GoodwinTed Goodwin is an Australian former professional rugby league player in the NSWRL competition. Goodwin played for the St. George Dragons, Newtown Jets and Western Suburbs Magpies as well as representing for Country and New South Wales and Australia....
- St. George DragonsSt. George DragonsThe St George Dragons was an Australian Rugby league football club in St George, Sydney, New South Wales that played in Australia's top-level Rugby league competition from New South Wales Rugby Football League in 1921 until 1998; in 1999 they formed a joint venture with the Illawarra Steelers,...
(1972-1978), Newtown JetsNewtown JetsThe Newtown Jets are an Australian rugby league football club based in Newtown, a suburb of Sydney's inner west. They currently compete in the NSWRL Premier League competition, having left the top grade after the 1983 NSWRFL season...
(1979), Wests Magpies (1980-82), Country (1971) - Eric White - Country (1975)
- Brian HetheringtonBrian HetheringtonBrian Hetherington is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1970s and 80s. He played in the New South Wales Rugby League competition. He primarily played in the centres...
- Newtown Jets (1978-81), Illawarra Steelers (1982-88), Country (1975-1984), NSW (1984-86) - Ron Pilon - Country (1976)
- Steve MorrisSteve MorrisSteve Morris is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1970s and 80s. A state and national representative, his club career was played with the St. George Dragons and the Eastern Suburbs Roosters....
- St. George (1979-86), EastsSydney RoostersThe Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
(1987-90), Country (1978-1981), NSW (1978-86), Australia (1978) - Brian Johnson - Country (1978)
- Michael Priest - Country (1979)
- David WalshDavid WalshDavid or Dave Walsh may refer to:* David I. Walsh , American politician, governor of Massachusetts, and U.S. Senator* David Walsh , American voice actor...
- Country (2000) - Daniel Mathews - Country (2000)
- Adam Blake - Country (2001-03)
- Paul McGregor - Illawarra Steelers (1991-98), St. George Illawarra Dragons (1999-2001), NSW (1992-1998), Australia (1994-97)
- Craig FitzgibbonCraig FitzgibbonCraig "Fitzy" Fitzgibbon is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for Hull in the European Super League and previously the Sydney Roosters of the NRL. A New South Wales State of Origin and Australian international representative forward, he is the son of former rugby league player and...
- Illawarra Steelers (1998), St. George Illawarra (1999), Sydney Roosters (2000-2009), Country Origin (2001-08), NSW (2003-08), Australia (2002-08) - Dean Young - Dragons (2003-), Country Origin (2010), NSW (2011), Australia (2010)
Team
- Illawarra Rugby LeagueIllawarra Rugby LeagueThe Illawarra Rugby League is a rugby league competition in Wollongong, NSW. It is one of the oldest rugby league competitions in Australia, founded in 1911 with five clubs ....
First Grade Premierships: 16
-
- 1966, 1968, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1990, 1992, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006
- Illawarra Rugby League Club Championships: 8
- 1976, 1985, 1990, 1992, 1997, 2000, 2006, 2007
- 1966, 1968, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1990, 1992, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006