Darwin Rugby League
Encyclopedia
The Darwin Rugby League is a rugby league
competition based in Darwin, Northern Territory
. The competition is administered by the Northern Territory Rugby League
which is the body that takes care of the League's Affairs. It administered the competition, officially, since 1950 in Darwin.
On 6th May 2010, the Australian Rugby League
disbanded the Darwin Rugby League due to ongoing issues, including the scheduling of matches and the playing clubs arguing these changes. The competition in Darwin is now controlled by the Northern Territory Rugby League.
. was in 1941 when nine teams, mostly made up of ex-servicemen decided to make one unified competition and compete between and against each other. Some of the teams represented the Royal Australian Air Force
, the Royal Australian Navy
, and the Australian Army
. There were also teams made up of citizens in Darwin, along with a team made up entirely of indigenous Australians living in Darwin.
The competition was cancelled due to the bombing of Darwin and the air raid attacks on the city. Since most of the competition was made from ex-servicemen and the army divisions in Darwin, the competition was severely effected when many of these personal had to go to war and when they were no longer stationed in the Darwin area.
Another competition resumed in 1942 and continued onto 1943 (the season elapsed two years) but because of the evacuation of Darwin and then the subsequent shipping out of army and navy personnel from Darwin meant that the competition was completely halted. There appears to be no other competition formed between 1943 and 1949. After 1949, the competition was finally revived.
In 1950, a small group of men, mainly ex-servicemen, joined together to form the Northern Territory Rugby League
. The first official season was started in 1950 in Darwin, with a number of pre-season trial matches and tournaments. The first official match was played on 14 June 1951.
Cyclone Tracey smashed into Darwin on 24 December 1974 and completely devastated Darwin. Although much damage was done to the city and its surroundings, little damage occurred on Richardson Park, the home of rugby league in Darwin. The cyclone had an effect on the competition itself as players and administrators of the clubs and boards of the competition either left Darwin or were involved in the clean-up in Darwin after the cyclone had subsided.
In recent years however, the league has expanded a little. It has picked in areas previously dominated by Aussie Rules Football. Some of the areas the league has moved into include the Katherine, Northern Territory
.
BrothersLitchfield Bears
Nightcliff DragonsUniversity Sharks (formerly known as the Northern Suburbs)Palmerston Raiders
South Darwin Rabbitohs
There are also 6 Reserve Grade Clubs:
The Katherine Tigers compete in the Under 18's competition
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2007
2008
2009
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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...
competition based in Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
. The competition is administered by the Northern Territory Rugby League
Northern Territory Rugby League
The Northern Territory Rugby League is responsible for administering the game of rugby league in the Northern Territory. It controls the Darwin Rugby League, Darwin Junior Rugby League and the Central Australian Rugby Football League....
which is the body that takes care of the League's Affairs. It administered the competition, officially, since 1950 in Darwin.
On 6th May 2010, the Australian Rugby League
Australian Rugby League
The Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
disbanded the Darwin Rugby League due to ongoing issues, including the scheduling of matches and the playing clubs arguing these changes. The competition in Darwin is now controlled by the Northern Territory Rugby League.
History
The first organized competition played in Darwin, Northern TerritoryDarwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
. was in 1941 when nine teams, mostly made up of ex-servicemen decided to make one unified competition and compete between and against each other. Some of the teams represented the Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
, the Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
, and the Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
. There were also teams made up of citizens in Darwin, along with a team made up entirely of indigenous Australians living in Darwin.
The competition was cancelled due to the bombing of Darwin and the air raid attacks on the city. Since most of the competition was made from ex-servicemen and the army divisions in Darwin, the competition was severely effected when many of these personal had to go to war and when they were no longer stationed in the Darwin area.
Another competition resumed in 1942 and continued onto 1943 (the season elapsed two years) but because of the evacuation of Darwin and then the subsequent shipping out of army and navy personnel from Darwin meant that the competition was completely halted. There appears to be no other competition formed between 1943 and 1949. After 1949, the competition was finally revived.
In 1950, a small group of men, mainly ex-servicemen, joined together to form the Northern Territory Rugby League
Northern Territory Rugby League
The Northern Territory Rugby League is responsible for administering the game of rugby league in the Northern Territory. It controls the Darwin Rugby League, Darwin Junior Rugby League and the Central Australian Rugby Football League....
. The first official season was started in 1950 in Darwin, with a number of pre-season trial matches and tournaments. The first official match was played on 14 June 1951.
Cyclone Tracey smashed into Darwin on 24 December 1974 and completely devastated Darwin. Although much damage was done to the city and its surroundings, little damage occurred on Richardson Park, the home of rugby league in Darwin. The cyclone had an effect on the competition itself as players and administrators of the clubs and boards of the competition either left Darwin or were involved in the clean-up in Darwin after the cyclone had subsided.
In recent years however, the league has expanded a little. It has picked in areas previously dominated by Aussie Rules Football. Some of the areas the league has moved into include the Katherine, Northern Territory
Katherine, Northern Territory
Katherine is a town situated southeast of Darwin in the "Top End" of Australia in the Northern Territory. It is the fourth largest settlement in the Territory after the capital Darwin, Palmerston and Alice Springs...
.
Teams
Today in the Darwin Rugby League, there are 6 First Grade Club, the clubs are as follows:BrothersLitchfield Bears
Litchfield Bears
- Frank Johnson Medal recipients :* 1988 - John Alder * 1992 - Anthony Matua* 1996 - John Alder* 1998 - Lance Bradley* 2002 - Liam McEnereny* 2008 - Aaron Barnes...
Nightcliff DragonsUniversity Sharks (formerly known as the Northern Suburbs)Palmerston Raiders
Palmerston Raiders
The are an Australian Semi-professional rugby league team based in Palmerston, Northern Territory. They compete in the Darwin Rugby League , Darwin's Local rugby league competition....
South Darwin Rabbitohs
There are also 6 Reserve Grade Clubs:
- Brothers
- Nightcliff Dragons
- Litchfield BearsLitchfield Bears- Frank Johnson Medal recipients :* 1988 - John Alder * 1992 - Anthony Matua* 1996 - John Alder* 1998 - Lance Bradley* 2002 - Liam McEnereny* 2008 - Aaron Barnes...
- Palmerston RaidersPalmerston RaidersThe are an Australian Semi-professional rugby league team based in Palmerston, Northern Territory. They compete in the Darwin Rugby League , Darwin's Local rugby league competition....
- South Darwin Rabbitohs
- University Sharks
The Katherine Tigers compete in the Under 18's competition
See also
- Northern Territory Rugby LeagueNorthern Territory Rugby LeagueThe Northern Territory Rugby League is responsible for administering the game of rugby league in the Northern Territory. It controls the Darwin Rugby League, Darwin Junior Rugby League and the Central Australian Rugby Football League....
- Rugby league in the Northern TerritoryRugby league in the Northern TerritoryRugby league is administered by the Northern Territory Rugby League. Rugby league in the Darwin is played at Richardson Park, whilst Rugby league in Alice Springs is played at Anzac Oval.-History:...
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!colspan="3" style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;"|DRL seasons
|-
|colspan="3" style="padding: 0 5% 0 5%; text-align: center; font-size: smaller;"|
1941-2006
2007
Darwin Rugby League season 2007
The first matches of the season were played on 19 May 2007 with the season ending in the Grand Final, played on 22 September 2007.-Teams:Six Teams completed in the 2007 Darwin Rugby League season, 4 from Darwin, 1 from Palmerston and 1 from Litchfield....
2008
Darwin Rugby League season 2008
The first matches of the season were played on 19 April 2008 with the season ending in the Grand Final, played on 13 September 2008.-Teams:Six Teams completed in the 2008 Darwin Rugby League season, 4 from Darwin, 1 from Palmerston and 1 from Litchfield....
2009
Darwin Rugby League season 2009
The first matches of the season were be played on 18 April 2009 with the season ending in the Grand Final, played on 12 September 2009.- Teams :Six Teams played in the 2009 Darwin Rugby League season, 4 from Darwin, 1 from Palmerston and 1 from Litchfield....
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