Brisbane Rugby League premiership

Not to be confused with Brisbane A-Grade Rugby League.
Brisbane Rugby League
Sport Rugby league football
Inaugural season 1922
Ceased 1997
Replaced by Queensland Cup
Country  Australia
Last premiers Redcliffe Dolphins (1997)
Most titles Fortitude Valley Diehards (16 titles)
Related competition Queensland Cup

The Brisbane Rugby League (BRL) premiership was the city of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia's top rugby league football club competition from 1922 to 1997.

Prior to 1922, the competition was conducted under the auspices of the Queensland Rugby League. Until the 1980s it was the premier sporting competition in Brisbane, attracting large crowds and broad media coverage. The BRL however, had been in slow decline for some 15 years as large numbers of its players left to compete in the more lucrative New South Wales Rugby League premiership, and began to lose popular interest with the creation of the Brisbane Broncos in 1988. The BRL premiership was replaced by the Queensland Cup before the 1998 season.

History

Establishment of the Queensland Rugby League

The Queensland Amateur Rugby Football League (QARFL) was formed in 1908 by seven former rugby union players who were dissatisfied with the administration of the Queensland Rugby Union (QRU). The new organisation was attacked by both the local press and the QRU for introducing professionalism, which they claimed would destroy the sport. The "founding fathers" of the QARFL included John Fihelly, an Australian Labor Party Member of Parliament who became Minister for Railways and Deputy Premier.

The first official club competition kicked off in Brisbane on 8 May 1909. Norths played against Souths before a handful of spectators at the Gabba.[1] Matches were played under the auspices of the Queensland Amateur Rugby Football League (later renamed Queensland Rugby League). The foundation clubs were:

Schism: establishment of the Brisbane Rugby League

In 1922 the Brisbane Rugby Football League (BRFL, later BRL) was formed out of dissatisfaction with the way the QRL ran the game. Those involved took particular exception to the salary being earned by Harry Sunderland as secretary of the QRL. The BRL took control of the local competition. Competing in the BRL competition that year were Brothers, Carltons, Coorparoo, University, Valley and Past Grammars. Although the QRL attempted to regain control of the BRL competition in 1923 and 1924, the BRL remained steadfast and the dispute simmered into the next decade. so dire did the situation become, that by the late 1920s, the QRL commenced its own competition involving Ipswich clubs and two supporting Brisbane clubs.

Until 1932 the Brisbane Exhibition Ground was the home of rugby league in the city. The complicated arrangement between the BRL, QRL and Royal National Association (who administered the Exhibition Ground) led to "The Gabba" being used for rugby league matches.

In 1933 district football was introduced to provide community support and player equalisation. This meant that players had to live within a certain distance of their club. Accordingly, Brisbane was divided into Eastern Suburbs (incorporating Coorparoo and Wynnum), Southern Suburbs (incorporating Carltons), Western Suburbs, Northern Suburbs (incorporating Past Grammars), Fortitude Valley and Past Brothers (whose players had to prove that they had attended a Christian Brothers school). In 1934, the University Amateur Rugby League Club folded and disappeared from the competition.

In 1953 the friction between the Queensland Rugby League and Brisbane Rugby League ended, with the BRL being replaced by the Brisbane division of the QRL.[2] Former BRL chairman and QRL secretary Ron McAullife eventually secured the use of Lang Park as a permanent home for rugby league in Queensland. Teams that joined the BRL competition around this time were South Coast (1952–1953), Wynnum-Manly (1951) and Redcliffe (1960).

A record crowd at Lang Park of 19,824 saw Northern Suburbs defeat Fortitude Valley in the BRL grand final in September 1961.[3]

Decline

In 1967 the QRL removed the residential qualifications for player in BRL clubs, meaning that players did not have to reside in their certain suburbs to play for their teams. This reduced community support for teams, and club decisions began to be made on a more commercial basis.

This coincided with the commencement of television broadcasts of BRL games in the same year. The money made from jersey sponsorships and advertising hoardings at grounds was not able to compete with poker machine money available to clubs in the New South Wales Rugby League, and an increasing number of players left the BRL. This also affected the popularity of the Bulimba Cup which had been held between the cities of Brisbane, Ipswich and Toowoomba since the 1930s.

The effect of television coverage on attendances became pronounced by the mid-1970s and crowds began to desert the BRL competition. Clubs found themselves in financial hardship, and the public began to support the Sydney competition which by then was being broadcast in Queensland. In 1978 the premiership trophy, the Kirks Cup was replaced by the Winfield Cup.

The QRL commissioned Eric White Associates to investigate the administrative structure of the game in Queensland in 1977. One of the recommendations was the creation of a statewide competition. The Winfield State League was created in 1982. The State League competition ran in parallel to the BRL competition from 1982 to 1995. Also, like the NSWRL's competition, the BRL's was called the Winfield Cup during the 1980s, due to sponsorship from Winfield cigarettes. The Queensland Cup would eventually replace both the State league and the BRL premiership in 1998.

In the 1980s, two further teams were added to the BRL competition: Ipswich (1986) and Logan (1987).

In 1986 the New South Wales Rugby League decided to allow a team from Brisbane to enter the Sydney competition. The Brisbane Broncos debuted in the NSWRL in 1988. As the Broncos began to represent Brisbane at rugby league in the public eye the BRL competition entered the terminal phase of its decline. Indeed, 1987, the year before the Broncos commenced playing, was the last year that a BRL player would be selected to play for Queensland in the State of Origin series.

The BRL premiership was fully superseded by the Queensland Cup competition in 1998. Redcliffe won the last BRL Grand Final in 1997 defeating Easts 35–6.

Rebirth

On September 26, 2014, the South East Queensland Division announced that they will be scrapping the existing FOGS Cup structure and reforming the Brisbane Rugby League as the state's secondary competition.[4]

Teams

Club Years Contested Seasons
Premiers Runners-Up Minor Premiers
Easts Tigers 1917–1997 8 16
Fortitude Valley Diehards 1909–1995 17 14
Ipswich Jets 1986–1997 0 2
Logan Scorpions 1987–1997 0 0
Norths Devils 1920–1997 13 9
Brothers Old Boys 1917–1918, 1920–1929 1 4
Past Brothers 1930–1997 9 10
Redcliffe Dolphins 1947–1997 4 6
Souths Magpies 1919–1997 8 8
University 1920–1929 2 0
University Amateur RLFC 1930–1934 0 0
Wests Panthers 1915–1997 10 8
Wynnum-Manly Seagulls 1951–1997 4 1

The Brisbane Rugby League was also represented by a representative side whose players were selected from BRL clubs' first grade teams.

Grand Final results

Queensland Rugby League premiership (1909–1921)

Season Grand Final Information Minor Premiers
Premiers Score Second
1909 Fortitude Valley Diehards 22–4 South Brisbane
1910 Ipswich 17–2 Toombul
1911 Valley-Toombul 13–2 Ipswich
1912 Natives 10–0 South Brisbane
1913 West End 5–3 Natives
1914 Fortitude Valley Diehards 18–8 West End
1915 Fortitude Valley Diehards 10–9 Wests Panthers
1916 Wests Panthers 4–2 Fortitude Valley Diehards
1917 Fortitude Valley Diehards 13–5 Merthyrs
1918 Fortitude Valley Diehards 16–12 Merthyrs
1919 Fortitude Valley Diehards 28–2 Cooparoo
1920 Wests Panthers 16–8 Christian Brothers
1921 Carltons 12–10 Cooparoo

Brisbane Rugby League premiership (1922–1997)

Season Grand Final Information Reserve Grade Third Grade
Premiers Score Runners-Up
1922 Wests Panthers* 20–9 Coorparoo Coorparoo Carltons
1923 Coorparoo 13–2 Fortitude Valley Diehards Grammar Wests
1924 Fortitude Valley Diehards 11–8 Christian Brothers Carltons* Valleys
1925 Carltons 24–5 Cooparoo Coorparoo Norths
1926 Christian Brothers 6–5 Cooparoo Wests* Valleys*
1927 Past Grammars 13–11 Wests Panthers Grammars Coorparoo
1928 University 10–7 Carltons Brothers Wests
1929 University 12–11 Coorparoo Carltons Coorparoo*
1930 Carltons 19–8 Fortitude Valley Diehards Coorparoo Wests*
1931 Fortitude Valley Diehards 27–9 Past Grammars Carltons* Wests*
1932 Wests Panthers 8–7 Past Grammars Carltons Valleys
1933 Fortitude Valley Diehards 9–3 Wests Panthers Wests* Wests
1934 Norths Devils 7–4 Wests Panthers Wests* Wests
1935 Past Brothers 11–9 Fortitude Valley Diehards Valleys Brothers
1936 Wests Panthers 13–12 Fortitude Valley Diehards Valleys Valleys
1937 Fortitude Valley Diehards 9–7 Wests Panthers Norths Valleys
1938 Norths Devils 16–10 Fortitude Valley Diehards Norths Valleys
1939 Past Brothers 11–9 Norths Devils Souths Norths
1940 Norths Devils 17–11 Past Brothers Easts Valleys
1941 Fortitude Valley Diehards 13–7 Norths Devils Valleys Souths
1942 Past Brothers 20–11 Souths Magpies Railway Souths
1943 Past Brothers 13–7 Fortitude Valley Diehards Valleys Souths
1944 Fortitude Valley Diehards 16–12 Norths Devils Valleys Souths
1945 Souths Magpies 21–11 Norths Devils Souths Souths
1946 Fortitude Valley Diehards 5–2 Easts Tigers Souths Easts
1947 Easts Tigers 15–2 Souths Magpies Wests Brothers
1948 Wests Panthers 14–8 Easts Tigers Valleys Souths
1949 Souths Magpies 22–8 Easts Tigers Easts Easts
1950 Easts Tigers 14–10 Wests Panthers Norths Wests
1951 Souths Magpies 20–10 Easts Tigers Norths Wests
1952 Wests Panthers 15–14 Past Brothers Norths Norths
1953 Souths Magpies 21–4 Easts Tigers Norths Brothers
1954 Wests Panthers 35–18 Past Brothers Valleys Norths
1955 Fortitude Valley Diehards* 17–7 Past Brothers Brothers Wests
1956 Past Brothers 17–10 Wests Panthers Norths Valleys
1957 Fortitude Valley Diehards 18–17 Past Brothers Wests Valleys
1958 Past Brothers 22–7 Fortitude Valley Diehards Valleys Valleys
1959 Norths Devils 24–18 Past Brothers Redcliffe Wests
1960 Norths Devils 18–5 Fortitude Valley Diehards Easts Valleys
1961 Norths Devils 29–5 Fortitude Valley Diehards Souths Valleys
1962 Norths Devils 22–0 Fortitude Valley Diehards Redclifffe Valleys
1963 Norths Devils 18–8 Souths Magpies Norths Valleys
1964 Norths Devils 13–4 Past Brothers Norths Wests
1965 Redcliffe Dolphins 15–2 Fortitude Valley Diehards Wests Easts
1966 Norths Devils 9–6 Past Brothers Redcliffe Norths
1967 Past Brothers 6–2 Norths Devils Norths Norths
1968 Past Brothers 21–4 Easts Tigers Norths Norths
1969 Norths Devils 14–2 Fortitude Valley Diehards Norths Valleys
1970 Fortitude Valley Diehards 13–11 Norths Devils Easts Valleys
1971 Fortitude Valley Diehards 18–10 Easts Tigers Norths Norths*
1972 Easts Tigers 16–15 Fortitude Valley Diehards Norths Wynnum-Manly
1973 Fortitude Valley Diehards 15–7 Redcliffe Dolphins Brothers Norths*
1974 Fortitude Valley Diehards 9–2 Past Brothers Easts Valleys
1975 Wests Panthers 26–24 Redcliffe Dolphins Wynnum-Manly Wynnum-Manly
1976 Wests Panthers 16–1 Easts Tigers Wests Wynnum-Manly
1977 Easts Tigers 17–13 Redcliffe Dolphins Easts Wests
1978 Easts Tigers 14–10 Fortitude Valley Diehards Redcliffe Easts
1979 Fortitude Valley Diehards 26–0 Souths Magpies Brothers Wynnum-Manly
1980 Norths Devils 17–15 Souths Magpies Souths Souths
1981 Souths Magpies 13–9 Redcliffe Dolphins Redcliffe Redcliffe
1982 Wynnum-Manly Seagulls 17–3 Souths Magpies Redcliffe Souths
1983 Easts Tigers 14–6 Redcliffe Dolphins Souths Easts
1984 Wynnum-Manly Seagulls 42–8 Souths Magpies Souths Redcliffe
1985 Souths Magpies 10–8 Wynnum-Manly Seagulls
1986 Wynnum-Manly Seagulls 14–6 Past Brothers
1987 Past Brothers 26–8 Redcliffe Dolphins
1988 Seagulls-Diehards 17–14 Ipswich Jets
1989 Fortitude Valley Diehards 28–4 Ipswich Jets
1990 Fortitude Valley Diehards 17–16 Norths Devils
1991 Easts Tigers 25–10 Wests Panthers
1992 Wests Panthers 40–10 Easts Tigers
1993 Wests Panthers 18–12 Easts Tigers
1994 Redcliffe Dolphins 24–18 Wests Panthers
1995 Wynnum-Manly Seagulls 32–24 Easts Tigers
1996 Redcliffe Dolphins 16–12 Souths Magpies
1997 Redcliffe Dolphins 35–6 Easts Tigers

Quotes

See also

References

  1. Pramberg, Bernie (2009-05-02). "Leo Donovan special guest at BRL celebrations". The Courier-Mail (Australia: Queensland Newspapers). Retrieved 2010-04-29.
  2. Gallaway, Jack (2003). Origin: Rugby League's greatest contest 1980–2002. Australia: University of Queensland Press. pp. 3–4. ISBN 978-0-7022-3383-8.
  3. "Norths thrash Valleys 29–5". The Sun-Herald (Australia). 1961-09-24. Retrieved 2010-04-22.
  4. "Brisbane Rugby League rebirth". Queensland Rugby League (Australia). 2014-09-26. Retrieved 2014-09-26.

External links

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