Western Suburbs Red Devils
Encyclopedia
The Western Suburbs Red Devils (Wests Illawarra, Wests Wollongong or Wests Red Devils) are an Australia
n rugby league
football team based in Figtree
. The club are a part of Country Rugby League and compete in the Illawarra Rugby League
premiership. The club play out of Figtree Oval, Figtree. Wests wear red and blue jerseys and have won 14 premierships. Wests Illawarra Leagues club is a thriving club in Unanderra
.
and opened in 1956. The Red Devils won the premiership the following year with a 22-6 win over Wollongong. They repeated this effort in 1959 when they defeated Northern Suburbs 12-6 in the Grand Final.
at the helm as captain-coach, Wests took back-to-back titles in 1969-70. Warren Ryan
continued this trend the following two seasons when he took over, defeating Thirroul
(18-11 in 1971, and 23-9 in 1972). Cronulla Sharks
legend, Tommy Bishop
also guided the team to a premiership in 1978.
were accepted into the NSWRL premiership, thus all the sides in the league became feeder clubs to this side. Being premiers, a large portion of the Red Devils were contracted to the Steelers. This made life difficult in the 1982 premiership for the Red Devils, but within three years they won another premiership. They followed this up with another in 1989 and 1991.
Players in bold represent current NRL players.
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 Figtree
Figtree, New South Wales
Figtree is an inner western suburb of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. It is southwest of West Wollongong and connected to Wollongong by the Princes Highway and The Avenue....
. The club are a part of Country Rugby League and compete 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. The club play out of Figtree Oval, Figtree. Wests wear red and blue jerseys and have won 14 premierships. Wests Illawarra Leagues club is a thriving club in Unanderra
Unanderra, New South Wales
Unanderra is a suburb of Wollongong in New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 10 km south-west of the Wollongong CBD. It is bordered to the west by Farmborough, Cordeaux Heights and Farmborough Heights in the Mount Kembla foothills, the north by Figtree, the east by Berkeley...
.
History
Wests formed in 1949 with the amalgamation of clubs in the district (primarily Unanderra and Mount Keira). The Leagues Club was established in UnanderraUnanderra, New South Wales
Unanderra is a suburb of Wollongong in New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 10 km south-west of the Wollongong CBD. It is bordered to the west by Farmborough, Cordeaux Heights and Farmborough Heights in the Mount Kembla foothills, the north by Figtree, the east by Berkeley...
and opened in 1956. The Red Devils won the premiership the following year with a 22-6 win over Wollongong. They repeated this effort in 1959 when they defeated Northern Suburbs 12-6 in the Grand Final.
Four Consecutive Premierships
With Don ParrishDon Parrish
Don Parrish is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the 12th round of the 1977 NFL Draft. He played college football at Pittsburgh....
at the helm as captain-coach, Wests took back-to-back titles in 1969-70. Warren Ryan
Warren Ryan
Warren Ryan is former rugby league football coach and player from Sydney, Australia. He is considered as one of the most influential coaches in recent times. Ryan also played 1st Grade Rugby League for the St George Dragons and Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks....
continued this trend the following two seasons when he took over, defeating Thirroul
Thirroul Butchers
The Thirroul Butchers are an Australian rugby league football team based in Thirroul, a coastal town of the Illawarra region. The club was formed in 1913 and entered the Illawarra Carlton League, where it still competes today.-History:...
(18-11 in 1971, and 23-9 in 1972). Cronulla Sharks
Cronulla Sharks
The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales...
legend, Tommy Bishop
Tommy Bishop
Tommy Bishop is an English former rugby league footballer and coach of the 1960s and 70s. He played for St. Helens in the English Rugby Football League Championship and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the New South Wales Rugby League competition in Australia...
also guided the team to a premiership in 1978.
1980's
Wests were again premiers two years later, winning in 1980 and 1981. The following year the Illawarra SteelersIllawarra Steelers
The 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...
were accepted into the NSWRL premiership, thus all the sides in the league became feeder clubs to this side. Being premiers, a large portion of the Red Devils were contracted to the Steelers. This made life difficult in the 1982 premiership for the Red Devils, but within three years they won another premiership. They followed this up with another in 1989 and 1991.
A dry spell
The Red Devils went through a dry spell from here, not winning the premiership for 18 years. They came close during Brendon Reeves' reign in 2005. They did eventually break the drought in 2009 when they defeated reigning premiers, Thirroul, 14-4 under coach Paul McGregor in his first season. They went back-to-back with a 24-0 win in 2010, again over the Butchers.Notable former players
| Player | Country Firsts | City Firsts | Country Origin | New South Wales New South Wales rugby league team The 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... |
Australia Australian national rugby league team The Australian national rugby league team have represented Australia in senior men's rugby league football competition since the establishment of the game in Australia in 1908. Administered by the Australian Rugby League, the Kangaroos' are ranked number one in the RLIF World Rankings... |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Years | Apps | Years | Apps | Years | Apps | Years | Apps | Years | Apps | |
| Bob Fulton Bob Fulton Robert "Bob" Fulton AM is an Australian rugby league football identity. Fulton played, coached, selected for and has commentated on the game with great success at the highest levels and has been named amongst Australia's greatest rugby league players of the 20th century.As a player Fulton won... |
1967-1978 | 9 | 1971-72, 1974 | 6 | 1968-78 | 51 | ||||
| Graham Lye | 1969-70 | |||||||||
| David Waite David Waite David Waite is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. He has also coached Great Britain in the Rugby League Tri-Nations.Waite holds a British passport, courtesy of his father being born in Leicester.... |
1973 | 1 | 1973-74 | 2 | 1973-74 | 6 | ||||
| John Dorahy | 1972-73 | 2 | 1980 | 1 | 1988 | 1 | 1979 | 2 | 1978 | 2 |
| Royce Ayliffe Royce Ayliffe David Royce Ayliffe is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1970s and 80s. An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative, he played for and captained the Eastern Suburbs club... |
1982 | 3 | 1981 | 1 | ||||||
| Garry Jack Garry Jack Garry Jack is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. He was a representative in the Australian national team and star player with the Balmain Tigers. Jack was a for the Tigers during the late 1980s and early 1990s, under the captaincy of Wayne Pearce and the coaching of Warren Ryan... |
1986 | 1 | 1984-85 | 2 | 1987 | 1 | 1984-89 | 17 | 1984-88 | 29 |
| Steve Roach Steve Roach -Collaboration albums:-Compilation albums:* The Lost Pieces – rarities collection* Truth & Beauty: The Lost Pieces Volume Two – rarities collection* Dreaming..... |
1986-86 | 2 | 1984 | 1 | 1988, 1990 | 2 | 1984-86, 1988, 1990-91 | 17 | 1985-86, 1988-91 | 27 |
| Jason Ryles Jason Ryles Jason Ryles is an Australian rugby league player. He has played in the National Rugby League for the Sydney Roosters and the St. George Illawarra Dragons and in Europe's Super League for the Catalans Dragons. He is contracted to play for the Melbourne Storm from 2012... |
2001, 2003, 2005 | 3 | 2002-05 | 8 | 2001-02, 2004-05 | 15 | ||||
| Brett Stewart Brett Stewart Brett Stewart is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in the National Rugby League. He is an Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative fullback known for pace and his prolific try-scoring... |
2007 | 1 | 2007-08 | 5 | 2007 | 1 | ||||
| Glenn Stewart Glenn Stewart Glenn Stewart is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles of the National Rugby League . An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative second-row forward, Stewart has played all of his club football to date with Manly,... |
2008, 2010-11 | 3 | 2009, 2011 | 3 | 2008-09 | 5 | ||||
| Bruce Olivie | 1958 | |||||||||
| Al Maddelena | 1969 | |||||||||
| Brian Hetherington Brian Hetherington Brian 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... |
1977, 1984 | 2 | 1986 | 1 | 1984, 1986 | 2 | ||||
| Brett Rodwell Brett Rodwell Brett Rodwell is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s. He played in the Australian National Rugby League competition for the Illawarra Steelers and South Sydney Rabbitohs... |
1991, 1993, 1995 | 3 | 1995 | 1 | ||||||
Players in bold represent current NRL players.
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: 14
-
- 1957, 1959, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1989, 1991, 2009, 2010
- Illawarra Rugby League Reserve Grade Premierships: 6
- 1985, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008
- Illawarra Rugby League Under-18's Premierships: 3
- 1992, 2003, 2005
- 1957, 1959, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1989, 1991, 2009, 2010
External links
- Western Suburbs Official Site
- Wests Red Devils Homepage (Sportingpulse)
- Country Rugby League Homepage
- Country Rugby League
- Illawarra Rugby League Homepage
- 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 ....