The Warilla-Lake South Gorillas (or sometimes simplified to Warilla Gorillas) are an Australia

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 Lake Illawarra

Lake Illawarra, New South Wales

Lake Illawarra is a southern suburb of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia located on the southern side of the Lake Illawarra entrance....

, a coastal town of the Illawarra

Illawarra

Illawarra is a region in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is a coastal region situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the Shoalhaven or South Coast region. It encompasses the cities of Wollongong, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven and the town of Kiama. The central region contains Lake...

 region. The club is a part of Country Rugby League and have competed in the South Coast

Group 7 Rugby League

South Coast Group 7 Rugby League is the divisional boundary drawn from the Southern Illawarra and South Coast regions of New South Wales, Australia and is governed by the NSWCRL...

 first grade competition since 1970. The club's greatest achievement to date is winning the Clayton Cup

Clayton Cup

The Clayton Cup is a trophy awarded by the Country Rugby League to the NSW country rugby league team with the best overall record for that season. To be eligible, the team must win the highest level of competition in its region. Usually the winner of the Clayton Cup goes through the season undefeated...

 in 1982.

History

The very first team to play for Warilla was an under-9's side in the Illawarra competition in 1964. On the back of this, in 1965, Warilla successfully split from Shellharbour-Lake Illawarra

Shellharbour Sharks

The Shellharbour City Sharks are an Australian rugby league football team based in Shellharbour, a coastal town of the Illawarra region...

 to form their own club known as Warilla. The club fielded an under-18s squad that year entered their inaugural grade team in reserves in 1966. In 1970, the club took its first step into first grade, as well as fielding a third grade side for the first time.

The side won their first premiership in 1978 and have been strong ever since, winning three more first grade titles in the 80's and again in the 90's. The turn of the century hasn't been as fruitful for the club winning no first grade titles, though have participated in a few finals. Notably, the Gorillas lost the previous two finals, in 2009 to the Albion Park-Oak Flats Eagles

Albion Park-Oak Flats Eagles

The Albion Park-Oak Flats Eagles are an Australian rugby league football team based in Albion Park, a country town of the Illawarra region. The club are a part of Country Rugby League and have competed in both the Illawarra and South Coast competitions, where it competes today...

 and in 2010 to the Gerringong Lions

Gerringong Lions

The Gerringong Lions are an Australian rugby league football team based in Gerringong, a coastal town of the Illawarra and South Coast regions. The club was formed in 1914 as one of the founding members of South Coast Rugby League, and continue to participate in this league's local...

.

Team

• Group 7 Rugby League
  Group 7 Rugby League
  South Coast Group 7 Rugby League is the divisional boundary drawn from the Southern Illawarra and South Coast regions of New South Wales, Australia and is governed by the NSWCRL...
  
   Premierships: 7

1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1991, 1995, 1997

• Second Grade Premierships: 7

1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1994, 2007, 2010

• Third Grade Premierships (Regan Cup): 3

1975, 1976, 1983

• U-18's Premierships: 8

1968, 1970, 1974, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1998

• Club Championships: 11

1972, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 2009

• Clayton Cup
  Clayton Cup
  The Clayton Cup is a trophy awarded by the Country Rugby League to the NSW country rugby league team with the best overall record for that season. To be eligible, the team must win the highest level of competition in its region. Usually the winner of the Clayton Cup goes through the season undefeated...
  
  : 1

1982

Source: Warilla Gorillas About Us

Individuals

• Michael Cronin Medal: 6

Greg Hooper (1990 & 1996), Mark Payer (1992), Neil Farmilo (1997), Damien Paulissen (2008), Alex Volkanovski (2010)

• Group 7 Player of the Year: 9

Ron Warren (1978), Brian Love (1980), Merv Veitch (1982), Tommy Fowler (1984 & 1986), Neil Farmilo (1992 & 1997), Brade Miller (1994), Damien Paulissen (2008)

• Rookie of the Year: 6

Peter Duffy (1985), Paul Veitch (1978), Wayne Marsh (1984), Mark Westaway (1985), Mark Walsh (2005), Tyson Brown (2009)

• Leading Point-scorer of the Year: 4

Neil Street (1980), David Moffat (1982), Rod Roach (1987), Liam Watson (2002)

• Leading Try-scorer of the Year: 4

Tommy Dennis (1980 & 1981), Richard Harvey (1984), Neil Farmilo (1987)

• Kevin Walsh Scholarship: 5

Glen Southwell (1987), Paul Veitch (1984), Richard Finter (1985), Peter Hooper (1989), Daniel Castelli (1991)

• Under-18s Player of the Year: 6

Mark Westaway (1984), Darren Davison (1986), Jason Hughes (1987), Gary Pabis (1989), Darren O'Sullivan (1991), Chris Henry (2000)

• Under-21s Player of the Year: 2

Clint Poole (1992), Travis Munro (1995)

Source: Group 7 History

External links

• Warilla-Lake South Gorillas Homepage
• Country Rugby League Homepage
• Country Rugby League
• South Coast Rugby League Homepage
• Group 7 Rugby League
  Group 7 Rugby League
  South Coast Group 7 Rugby League is the divisional boundary drawn from the Southern Illawarra and South Coast regions of New South Wales, Australia and is governed by the NSWCRL...