Rugby league in the Northern Territory
Encyclopedia
Rugby 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.
. was in 1941 when 9 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 (tt was a season which 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 damaged was done to its surroundings, fortunately however, 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
.
in the Northern Territory
of Australia. It controls the Darwin Rugby League, Darwin Junior Rugby League and the Centralia Australian Rugby Football League.
Northern Territory is an Affiliated State of the overall Australian governing body the Australian Rugby League
.
Foundation teams are Wests Dragons and United Magpies.
Current Ground Announcer is Mick Gallagher
along with Queensland
are the highest participators per capita of rugby league in Australia.
The Northern Territory competed in the Amco Cup
in 1977
, 1978
and 1987
.
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....
. Rugby league in the Darwin
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...
is played at Richardson Park, whilst Rugby league in Alice Springs is played at Anzac Oval.
History
The first organized competition played in DarwinDarwin, 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 9 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 (tt was a season which 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 damaged was done to its surroundings, fortunately however, 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
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...
.
Governing body
The Northern Territory Rugby League is responsible for administering the game of rugby leagueRugby 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...
in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
of Australia. It controls the Darwin Rugby League, Darwin Junior Rugby League and the Centralia Australian Rugby Football League.
Northern Territory 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...
.
Darwin Rugby League
| Club | Suburb | Ground |
|---|---|---|
| Brothers (Darwin) | Anula | Anula Oval |
| Katherine Wests Tigers | Katherine | Sports & Recreation Club |
| Litchfield Bears | Litchfield | Freds Pass Reserve |
| Nightcliff Dragons | Nightcliff | Dripstone High School Oval |
| Palmerston Raiders | Palmerston | Archer Oval |
| South Darwin Rabbitohs | South Darwin | Mararra Sporting Complex |
| University Sharks | Casuarina | University Oval |
Central Australian Rugby Football League
| Club | Suburb | Ground |
|---|---|---|
| Wests Dragons | Alice Springs | ANZAC Oval |
| United Magpies | Alice Springs | ANZAC Oval |
| Vikings | Alice Springs | ANZAC Oval |
| Memo Bulls | Alice Springs | ANZAC Oval |
Foundation teams are Wests Dragons and United Magpies.
Current Ground Announcer is Mick Gallagher
Katherine Rugby League
| Club | Suburb | Ground |
|---|---|---|
| Katherine Bushrangers | Katherine | Sports & Recreation Club |
| Katherine Raiders | Katherine | Sports & Recreation Club |
| Katherine Wests Tigers | Katherine | Sports & Recreation Club |
Gove Rugby League
| Club | Suburb | Ground |
|---|---|---|
| Gove Rugby League | Gove / Nhulunbuy |
Popularity
Per capita figures show that the Northern TerritoryNorthern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
along with 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...
are the highest participators per capita of rugby league in Australia.
Representative Fixtures
The Northern Territory team play in the Affiliated States Championship along with the other three affiliated states (South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia) plus the Australian Police and Australian Defence Force. They won the title in 2004.The Northern Territory competed in the Amco Cup
Amco Cup
The Amco Cup was a mid-week rugby league competition held in Australia between 1974 and 1989. The format was usually a straight knock-out, but various group formats were used between 1979 and 1982...
in 1977
1977 Amco Cup
-Format:Random draw, straight knock-out with 38 teams, 12 of which played off in a preliminary round.-Preliminary round:-Round 1:-Round 2:-Quarter finals:-Semi finals:-Final:* *- Advanced on penalty count-back-Sources:...
, 1978
1978 Amco Cup
-Format:The competition was again played as a straight knock-out, but some teams received byes through to the second, third or even fourth round.-Round 1:-Round 2:-Round 3:-Round 4:-Quarter finals:-Semi finals:-Final:-Sources:...
and 1987
1987 National Panasonic Cup
The National Panasonic Cup was a mid-week rugby league competition held in Australia. For background information about this competition, please refer to the Amco Cup main page.-Format:...
.