Illawarra Rugby League

Illawarra Division Rugby League
Sport Rugby league football
Instituted 1911
Inaugural season 1911
Number of teams 7
Premiers Helensburgh (2015)
Website Illawarra Carlton 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 (Dapto, Helensburgh, Mount Keira, Unanderra and Wollongong).. Due to sponsorship rights, the Senior competition (First Grade, Second Grade and Under 19s) is named the Illawarra Coal Rugby League. The Under 13 to Under 17 competitions are merged with the South Coast Group 7 Junior Rugby League, with the Under 6 to Under 12 competitions being run solely by the Illawarra Division. The area provides a nursery of juniors for the St George Illawarra Dragons. The season is contested by nine teams and concludes with a finals series involving the top four teams.

History

Only the Northern parts of the Illawarra have traditionally been included in this competition, with teams further south playing in Group 7. However, Shellharbour's decision in 2009 to field a team in the NSW Cup was coupled with a decision to play in the Illawarra Rugby League as well, blurring the boundary between the two competitions. Other Group 7 clubs are fielding teams in the lower leagues of Illawarra competitions and there's a possibility the two competitions may merge.

The Illawarra Division is one of the strongest, along with Newcastle, local competition in New South Wales. The league features many former and current NRL players and also Toyota Cup players. The Illawarra Division Senior representative team are two-time National Country champions and have won the Country Rugby League championships consistently. The Division also supplies players to the NSWRL Harold Matthews and SG Ball Cup competitions.

2011: The Centenary

On 21 July 2011, whilst celebrating their centenary, Illawarra Rugby League announced their "Team of the Century".[1][2] Immortals Graeme Langlands and Bob Fulton featured at fullback and five-eighth respectively, as well as Harry Wells at centre. The entire team follows:

Teams

Firsts and Reserves

In 2013, Eight clubs fielded teams in the First and Second Grade:


Berkeley Eagles
Berkeley, NSW
Ground: Berkeley Sports Ground
First season: 1955
Collegians
North Wollongong, NSW
Ground: University Oval
First season: 1933
Corrimal Cougars
Corrimal, NSW
Ground: Robert Ziems Park
First season: 1912
Dapto Canaries
Dapto, NSW
Ground: Dapto Showground
First season: 1911

Helensburgh Tigers
Helensburgh, NSW
Ground: Rex Jackson Oval
First season: 1911
Thirroul Butchers
Thirroul, NSW
Ground: Thomas Gibson Oval
First season: 1913
Western Suburbs Red Devils
Unanderra, NSW
Ground: Sid Parrish Park
First season:1949

Former clubs

^merged to form Western Suburbs Red Devils(1949)

First Grade Premiers

Season Grand Final Information Minor Premiers
Premiers Score Runners-Up
1911 Wollongong 5-5 Mt. Keira Wollongong
1912 Unanderra
1913 Wollongong 10-5 Mt. Keira Wollongong
1914 Unanderra 5-3 Wollongong
1915–1918 - No competition due to World War I
1919 Unanderra 8-5 Wollongong
1920 Wollongong Wollongong
1921 Wollongong
1922 Port Kembla 5-3 Wollongong
1923 Port Kembla 3-0 Wollongong
1924 Port Kembla 22-13 Wollongong(Glebe)
1925 Gerringong
1926 Wollongong(Glebe)
1927 Port Kembla 2-0 Wollongong(Glebe)
1928 Port Kembla Port Kembla
1929 Wollongong Forfeit Port Kembla
1930 Wollongong 13-6 Port Kembla
1931 Wollongong 31-14 Thirroul
1932 Wollongong
1933
1934 Port Kembla 8-6 West Wollongong West Wollongong
1935 Port Kembla
1936 Mount Kembla
1937 Port Kembla
1938 Port Kembla
1939 Mount Kembla 8-2 Corrimal Corrimal
1940 Thirroul 4-3 Corrimal Thirroul
1941 Port Kembla 24-7 Corrimal
1942 Port Kembla 17-9 Collegians(CBC) Port Kembla
1943 Port Kembla
1944 Port Kembla 10-8 Thirroul
1945 Wollongong 5-2 Port Kembla
1946 Port Kembla
1947 Wollongong
1948 Corrimal 22-7 Port Kembla
1949 Port Kembla 20-9 Wollongong Wollongong
1950 Wollongong Port Kembla
1951 Wollongong 15-11 Corrimal Corrimal
1952 Northern Suburbs
1953 Port Kembla 10-7 Northern Suburbs Port Kembla
1954 Thirroul 20-7 Port Kembla Thirroul
1955 Port Kembla Port Kembla
1956 Port Kembla
1957 Wests 22-6 Wollongong
1958 Port Kembla 10-8 Wests
1959 Wests 12-6 Northern Suburbs
1960 Northern Suburbs
1961 Northern Suburbs 10-2 Wollongong
1962 Port Kembla
1963 Port Kembla
1964 Wollongong Wollongong
1965 Port Kembla 6-4 Wollongong Collegians
1966 Dapto 13-6 Collegians Collegians
1967 Collegians 12-4 Port Kembla Collegians
1968 Dapto
1969 Wests 11-2 Port Kembla Port Kembla
1970 Wests Dapto Thirroul
1971 Wests 18-11 Thirroul
1972 Wests 23-9 Thirroul
1973 Thirroul 8-6 Wests
1974 Corrimal 22-8 Wollongong
1975 Dapto 15-2 Thirroul
1976 Dapto 22-6 Corrimal
1977 Dapto 18-5 Port Kembla Wests
1978 Wests 17-13 Port Kembla Wests
1979 Dapto Wests
1980 Wests 6-0 Port Kembla
1981 Wests 22-0 Corrimal
1982 Dapto 15-12 Corrimal Corrimal
1983 Dapto 23-10 Wests Wests
1984 Wests
1985 Dapto 40-4 Collegians
1986 Helensburgh
1987 Collegians
1988 Helensburgh
1989 Wests 13-12 Corrimal Corrimal
1990 Dapto 28-2 Collegians
1991 Wests 14-12 Dapto Wests
1992 Dapto Wollongong University Books
1993 Helensburgh 22-8 Wests Helensburgh
1994 Dapto
1995 Thirroul 23-22 Wests Thirroul
1996 Collegians 11-2 Thirroul Collegians
1997 Collegians Dapto
1998 Collegians
1999 Thirroul 40-12 Collegians
2000 Dapto 30-14 Thirroul
2001 Dapto 18-12 Thirroul Collegians
2002 Dapto 20-16 Collegians Collegians
2003 Thirroul Thirroul
2004 Collegians
2005 Collegians 16-14 Wests
2006 Dapto 34-14 Thirroul Dapto
2007 Collegians 20-18 Dapto
2008 Thirroul 16-12 Collegians Thirroul
2009 Wests 14-4 Thirroul Wests
2010 Wests 24-0 Thirroul Wests
2011 Wests 34-24 Helensburgh Wests
2012 Thirroul 20-16 Wests Wests
2013 Collegians 29-28 Helensburgh Collegians
2014 Thirroul 18-16 Helensburgh Thirroul
2015 Helensburgh 16-10 Wests Helensburgh

Thirds(Shield)

The Illawarra District Rugby League runs a "Third Grade" competition known as the Illawarra Coal Shield - featuring Predominately Second Division(Village Clubs)mixed with Third Grade teams from the Illawarra:

Recent Shield Premiers

Club Status Homeground
Avondale Village Reed Park, Dapto
Corrimal Cougars Third Grade Ziems Park, Corrimal
Mount Kembla Village Mt. Kembla Oval, Mount Kembla
Northern Suburbs Village Jim Allen Oval, Wombarra
North Wollongong Surf Village University Oval, Wollongong
Windang Village Boronia Oval, Windang

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Illawarra Team of the Century". NineMSN. 21 July 2011. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
  2. ↑ "Illawarra rugby league name 'team of the century'". ABC News. 21 July 2011.

External links

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