Rugby league in Western Australia is played at amateur level, but attracts an audience particularly for the State of Origin series.
| Rugby league in Western Australia | |
|---|---|
| Governing body | Western Australia Rugby League |
| First played | 1948, Perth, Western Australia |
| Registered players | 7,900[1] 30,000+ (including variants)[2] |
Audience records | |
| Single match | 59,721 (2019 State of Origin series. Optus Stadium, Perth, Western Australia) |
The state was represented at national level by the Western Reds/Perth Reds, but they were not included in the new National Rugby League in 1998 following the Super League war. The West Coast Pirates are aiming for eventual inclusion in the National Rugby League.[citation needed]
History edit
The Western Australia Rugby League was formed in 1948 with Fremantle, Perth, South Perth and Cottesloe as the foundation clubs. In 1950 the Australian Rugby League Board of Control sent ex Kangaroos hooker Arthur Folwell to Western Australia to try to promote the game.[3]
Although touring Great Britain and French rugby league teams had played tour matches in Perth, it was not until the late 1980s that the New South Wales Rugby League played games there.
New South Wales Rugby League matches edit
In August 1989, the NSWRL played the first game outside New South Wales or Queensland, with a crowd of 21,992 watching Canberra play Canterbury at the WACA.
Subsequent fixtures between 1990 and 1993 were equally well supported, and the League realised that a Perth team could be successful. Perth's application for the Winfield Cup was accepted on 30 November 1992, along with the South Queensland Crushers, the North Queensland Cowboys and the Auckland Warriors. The early tip for the nickname of the Perth side was Pumas, but the red kangaroo, Western Australia's best-known native animal, was chosen and the team became known as the Western Reds, with the colours of Red, Black, Yellow and White.
Western Reds and Super League War edit
Western Australia's first rugby league team to play in a national competition were the Western Reds, who played in the 1995 and 1996 seasons of the Australian Rugby League. In 1997 they changed their name to the Perth Reds and joined the Super League as inaugural members.
Despite showing some promise (particularly in the underage competitions) the Reds were not invited to join the National Rugby League in 1998 as part of the agreement to end the Super League war.
In 2007 the Western Australia Rugby League re-formed the team as the WA Reds to compete in the Jim Beam Cup from 2008, with a view to entering the National Rugby League competition in 2012.[4] Their home ground is Perth Oval.
NRL and State of Origin series in Perth edit
On 14 February 2009 Perth Oval played host to the first NRL pre-season match for the year between St George-Illawarra Dragons and Sydney Roosters. The match was a one sided affair but a great stepping stone for WA Rugby League with just under 10,000 supporters in attendance.
On Saturday 13 June 2009 at Members Equity Stadium, Perth the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Melbourne Storm played in front of a crowd of 15,197.[citation needed] The Melbourne Storm ran out winners 28–22 in a very successful night for organisers of the Rabbitohs who took their home game to Perth, the NRL and the WARL (Western Australia Rugby League), who now have even more reasons to seriously consider a bid to have the WA Reds back into the Elite Rugby League Competition (NRL).[citation needed] The Rabbitohs again hosted one of their home games in Perth 2010, on the back of the success of the 2009 encounter, again against the Storm.[citation needed] In 2011, the Rabbitohs' played the Brisbane Broncos on a Friday night, a rarity in such a foreign territory for the NRL.[citation needed]
The National Rugby League played a double-header at Perth Stadium in round 1 of the 2018 NRL season in front of 38,842 fans.[5]
In recent years State of Origin series matches between Queensland and New South Wales have been showcased in Perth in an effort to grow the code's audience, attracting fans from across the country. The second match of the 2019 State of Origin series between New South Wales and Queensland was played at Perth Stadium on 23 June 2019 and marked the first Origin game to be played in Western Australia. New South Wales defeated Queensland 38–6 in front of a record crowd for the code in the state of 59,721 spectators.[6] The second match of the 2022 State of Origin series was also played in Perth, attracting an attendance of 59,358.[7][8]
Governing body edit
The Western Australia Rugby League (WARL) is responsible for administering the game of rugby league in Western Australia. Western Australia is an Affiliated State of the overall Australian governing body the Australian Rugby League.
WARL competitions edit
WARL Premiership edit
The NRLWA, sponsored as the Fuel to Go and Play Premiership, is the premier rugby league football competition in the state. The majority of the Eleven clubs originate in the Perth metro area and both Fremantle and South Perth are foundation WARL clubs. Junior grades run from under 6's up to under 16's and senior competition is divided into four divisions, Men's First Grade, Men's Reserve Grade (Val Murphy Trophy), Women's Tackle and Women's League Tag (Flag Belt).
* Denotes currently fielding a First Grade Team in the Fuel to Go and Play Premiership
Regional Competitions edit
East Pilbara Rugby League edit
Newman Crushers RLC
Paraburdoo Pirates Touch & Rugby League Football Club
Pannawonica Panthers
Tom Price Steelers Rugby League Club
Goldfields Rugby League edit
Goldfields Titans (Kalgoorlie)
Kimberley Rugby League edit
Pilbara Rugby League edit
The Pilbara Rugby League is a seven club competition in the north-west of Western Australia. The clubs are:[9]
State Representative Team edit
The WARL also forms a state team to compete in the Affiliated States Championship each year. Western Australia is considered to have the strongest state team of the three non-rugby league states in mainland Australia and have won most of the Affiliated States Championships.
Players edit
- Cory Paterson (South Perth Lions)
- Kurt De Luis (South Perth Lions)
- Shanice Parker (Willagee Bears)
- Kennedy Cherrington (Rockingham Sharks)
- Chance Peni (Willagee Bears)
- Royce Hunt (Willagee Bears and Goldfields Titans)
- Jordan Pereira (Willagee Bears)
- Jon Green (South Perth Lions)
- Josh Rogers (North Beach Sea Eagles)
- Bryson Goodwin (Canning Bulldogs, South Perth Lions)
- Adrian Barich (North Beach Sea Eagles)
- Daniel Holdsworth (North Beach Sea Eagles)
- Lee Te Maari (Joondalup Giants)
- Curtis Rona (Joondalup Giants, Western Force Academy)
- Waqa Blake (Joondalup Giants, Western Pirates)
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Commission, Australian Sports Commission; jurisdiction=Commonwealth of Australia; corporateName=Australian Sports. "AusPlay results". Australian Sports Commission.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ https://touchfootball.com.au/media/13721/tfa_annual-report-2021-2022.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "Tom Goodman's League Column". The Sydney Morning Herald. 4 May 1950. p. 9. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2009.
- ^ Hughes, Dave; Rugby league Reds are back, on war footing; The West Australian; 8 February 2007
- ^ "Perth NRL Double Header". Optus Stadium. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- ^ "Holden State of Origin". Optus Stadium. 17 July 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
- ^ Lenehan, Martin (26 June 2022). "Cleary sublime as brilliant Blues level series in Perth". NRL. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- ^ Davies, Justin (26 June 2022). "Blues batter Maroons to set up a decider". League Unlimited. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- ^ "Pilbara Rugby League". Retrieved 15 September 2012.