Rugby league in Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Rugby league in Western Australia describes the sport of rugby league
, which is currently a minority sport
, as it is played at amateur level and watched by people in Western Australia
. The state was once represented at the highest level, by the Western Reds/Perth Reds until it was decided they would not be included in the new National Rugby League
of 1998 following the Super League war
. Today, the WA Reds compete in the Bundaberg Red Cup and are aiming for eventual re-inclusion in the National 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.
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
played games there. 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 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 the Western Australia Rugby League
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. Their home ground is Members Equity Stadium
.
On 14 February 2009 Members Equity Stadium
in Perth
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 at in front of a crowd of 15,197. 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). 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. In 2011, the Rabbitohs' opponents were the Brisbane Broncos
, and the match was won by the Rabbitohs by a narrow score of 16-14 after the Rabbitohs scored two tries in the first ten minutes. The match was played on a Friday night, a rarity in such a foreign territory for the NRL.
(WARL) 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
.
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.
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...
, which is currently a minority sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
, as it is played at amateur level and watched by people in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. The state was once represented at the highest level, by the Western Reds/Perth Reds until it was decided they would not be included in the new National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
of 1998 following the Super League war
Super League war
The Super League war is the common name given to the corporate dispute that was fought in and out of court during the mid-1990s between the Rupert Murdoch and News Corporation-backed Super League and the Kerry Packer and Optus Vision-backed Australian Rugby League organisations over broadcasting...
. Today, the WA Reds compete in the Bundaberg Red Cup and are aiming for eventual re-inclusion in the National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
.
History
The Western Australia Rugby LeagueWestern Australia Rugby League
The Western Australia Rugby League 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....
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.
Although touring Great Britain
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
and French
France national rugby league team
The France national rugby league team represent France in international rugby league tournaments. They are also sometimes referred to as "Les Tricolores" or more commonly "Les Chanticleers"...
rugby league teams had played tour matches in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, it was not until the late 1980s that the New South Wales Rugby League
New South Wales Rugby League premiership
The New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first rugby league football club competition established in Australia. Run by the New South Wales Rugby League from 1908 until 1994, the premiership was the state's and later the country's elite rugby league competition...
played games there. In August 1989, the NSWRL played the first game outside New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
or Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, with a crowd of 21,992 watching Canberra play Canterbury at the WACA
WACA Ground
The WACA is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. WACA are the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association....
.
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
South Queensland Crushers
The South Queensland Crushers were an Australian rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. In 1992 it was decided that the team would be admitted into the New South Wales Rugby League competition, along with three other teams, as part of the League's expansion plans for professional...
, the North Queensland Cowboys
North Queensland Cowboys
The North Queensland Cowboys are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugby League premiership...
and the Auckland Warriors
New Zealand Warriors
The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership and are the League's only team from outside Australia...
. The early tip for the nickname of the Perth side was Pumas, but the Red Kangaroo
Red Kangaroo
The Red Kangaroo is the largest of all kangaroos, the largest mammal native to Australia, and the largest surviving marsupial. It is found across mainland Australia, avoiding only the more fertile areas in the south, the east coast, and the northern rainforests.-Description:This species is a very...
, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
'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 Australia's first rugby league team to play in a national competition were the Western Reds, who played in the 1995
Australian Rugby League season 1995
The 1995 ARL premiership was the 88th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the first to be run by the Australian Rugby League. For the first time since 1988, the League expanded again, with the addition of four new clubs from North Queensland, Western Australia, South...
and 1996
Australian Rugby League season 1996
The 1996 ARL premiership was the 89th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the second to be run by the Australian Rugby League...
seasons of 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...
. In 1997
Super League (Australia) season 1997
The 1997 Super League season was the 90th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the first and only to be run by the News Limited-controlled Super League organisation...
they changed their name to the Perth Reds and joined the Super League
Super League (Australia)
Super League was an Australian rugby league football administrative body that conducted professional competition in Australasia for one season in 1997. Along with Super League of Europe, it was created by News Corporation during the Super League war which arose following an unsuccessful attempt to...
as inaugural members.
Despite showing some promise (particularly in the underage competitions) the Reds were not invited to join the National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
in 1998
National Rugby League season 1998
The 1998 NRL season was the 91st season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the inaugural season of the newly formed National Rugby League. After the Australian Rugby League and Super League organisations ran separate competitions parallel to each other in 1997, they joined to...
as part of the agreement to end the Super League war
Super League war
The Super League war is the common name given to the corporate dispute that was fought in and out of court during the mid-1990s between the Rupert Murdoch and News Corporation-backed Super League and the Kerry Packer and Optus Vision-backed Australian Rugby League organisations over broadcasting...
.
In 2007 the Western Australia Rugby League
Western Australia Rugby League
The Western Australia Rugby League 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....
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
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
competition in 2012. Their home ground is Members Equity Stadium
Members Equity Stadium
Perth Oval, known by its sponsored name nib Stadium since July 2010, is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. It has been the home of A-League club Perth Glory since 1996 and has housed the administrative facilities of the Western Australia Rugby League since 2003...
.
On 14 February 2009 Members Equity Stadium
Members Equity Stadium
Perth Oval, known by its sponsored name nib Stadium since July 2010, is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. It has been the home of A-League club Perth Glory since 1996 and has housed the administrative facilities of the Western Australia Rugby League since 2003...
in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
played host to the first NRL pre-season match for the year between St George-Illawarra Dragons and Sydney Roosters
Sydney Roosters
The 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...
. 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 at in front of a crowd of 15,197. 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). 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. In 2011, the Rabbitohs' opponents were the Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
, and the match was won by the Rabbitohs by a narrow score of 16-14 after the Rabbitohs scored two tries in the first ten minutes. The match was played on a Friday night, a rarity in such a foreign territory for the NRL.
Governing body
The Western Australia Rugby LeagueWestern Australia Rugby League
The Western Australia Rugby League 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....
(WARL) 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
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...
.
Perth Rugby League
| Club | Suburb | Ground |
|---|---|---|
| Central Bulldogs | Belmont | Centenary Park |
| Fremantle Roosters | Fremantle | Ken Allen Field |
| Joondalup Giants | Joondalup | Joondalup Arena |
| Goldfields Titans Goldfields Titans The Goldfields Titans are a semi professional rugby league club based in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Western Australia, Australia. They compete in the Western Australia Rugby League's Harvey Norman Cup first grade competition from 2010 and home games are played at the Goldfields Oasis Playing Fields.The... |
Kalgoorlie | Goldfields Oasis |
| North Beach Sea Eagles | North Beach | Charles Riley Reserve |
| Rockingham Coastal Sharks | Rockingham | Lark Hill Sports Complex |
| South Perth Lions | South Perth | George Burnett Park |
| South West Warriors | Bunbury | Bunbury Racing Club |
| Willagee Bears | Willagee | Webber Reserve |
Premier Grade
In addition to the above first grade teams, the following teams appear in Premier Grade.- East Districts
Goldfields Rugby League
| Club | Suburb | Ground |
|---|---|---|
| Goldfields Titans Goldfields Titans The Goldfields Titans are a semi professional rugby league club based in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Western Australia, Australia. They compete in the Western Australia Rugby League's Harvey Norman Cup first grade competition from 2010 and home games are played at the Goldfields Oasis Playing Fields.The... |
Kalgoorlie | Goldfields Oasis |
| Goldfield Juniors | Kalgoorlie |
Pilbara Rugby League
| Club | Suburb | Ground |
|---|---|---|
| Karratha Broncos | Karratha | |
| Karratha Roosters | Karratha | |
| Port Hedland Juniors | Port Hedland | Marimarland Oval |
| South Hedland Cougars | South Hedland | Marimarland Oval |
| Wickham Wasps | Wickham | |
State Representative Team
The WARL also forms a state team to compete in the Affiliated States ChampionshipAffiliated States Championship
The Affiliated States Championship is an annual rugby league competition run by the Australian Rugby League involving the four affiliated states plus the Australian Police and Australian Defence Force.Following the Championship, an Australian representative side is selected from the teams to tour...
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.