The Richmond Rovers Rugby League Club is a rugby league club based in Grey Lynn, New Zealand. The premier team is called the Richmond Bulldogs/Richmond Rovers and compete in Auckland Rugby League's first grade Fox Memorial competition. They have won the first grade championship on 12 occasions.

Richmond Rovers
Club information
Full nameRichmond Rovers Rugby League Club
Nickname(s)The Bulldogs
Founded1913
Websitewww.richmondroversrugbyleague.com
Current details
Ground(s)
  • Grey Lynn Park
Records
Premierships(12) 1934, 1935, 1937, 1940, 1946, 1949, 1951, 1955, 1956, 1979, 1980, 2024
Minor premierships(Rukutai Shield 11) 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1955, 1956, 1980, 2000, 2001, 2023, 2024
Rangatira Shield1934
Roope Rooster1926, 1927, 1933, 1934, 1938, 1940, 1942, 1949, 1969, 1976, 1990, 2006
Stormont Shield(13) 1934, 1935, 1936, 1938, 1946, 1949, 1956, 1976, 1979, 1980, 2007, 2008, 2024
Sharman Cup1953, 1972, 1983, 2008, 2015
Richmond celebrating winning the 2024 Fox Memorial championship.

Early history

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Action from Richmond's Roope Rooster win in 1927 v Devonport (North Shore Albions).

The club was formed in 1913 by employees at Mr. B. W. Davis' Boot Factory and Elliott's, following a scratch game in 1912. They didn't in fact play an official game until 1914 when they affiliated with the Grafton Athletic club and entered a team in the 4th grade and played in the Grafton Athletic colours.[1]

In 1883 the land surrounding Grey Lynn Park was subdivided and the houses were built. The area that is now Grey Lynn Park was too steep to build houses on and so, in 1914, the area was drained and flattened so sport could be played. Flood lights were installed at the park in the 1950s.[2]

Richmond's first ever first grade game was against Athletic (Maritime) on April 22, 1922. They lost 14-2 with Henderson scoring their first ever points in the grade with a penalty.

22 April Richmond 2–14 Athletic Grey Lynn Park  
3:00 Pen: Henderson [3] Try: Eric Grey 2, Hall, George Yardley
Con: George Yardley
Referee: T Neill

Richmond enjoyed considerable success in the middle decades of the 1900s. They were the first club ever to win the Fox Memorial, Roope Rooster, and Stormont Shield in a single season (1934). They went on to win these trophies several more times in the following years. They also defeated 4 Australian club teams from 1934 to 1939 (including the Sydney champions - Western Suburbs 18–16, and 10–3 in 1934).[4][5] This saw them win the Rangatira Shield, played for between Sydney and Auckland clubs. They won the Fox Memorial in 1934, 1935, 1937, 1940, 1946, 1949, 1951, 1955 and 1956.

 
The 1937 Fox Memorial championship winning side.
 
Grey Lynn Park being developed in 1952. In the distance is the main field adjacent to the clubrooms.

Bartercard Cup

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The Richmond club were involved in the Bartercard Cup as a joint venture with the Marist Saints between 2000 and 2005. This team was called the Marist Richmond Brothers.

Notable players

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48 Richmond Juniors have played for the New Zealand national rugby league team including Nigel Vagana, Fred Ah Kuoi, Steve Matai, David Solomona and Evarn Tuimavave. In addition 19 women have represented the New Zealand Women's team.[6]

Other Warriors such as Tevita Latu, Steve Matai, Sam Lousi, Sione Lousi, John Palavi, Wayne McDade, Daniel Vasau, Evarn Tuimavave, Faavae Kalolo, & Malo Solomona were also Richmond juniors.

American actor Geno Segers had a stint with the club.[7]

A team of the century was named in 2013, and consisted of: 1. Bert Cooke, 2. Nigel Vagana, 3. Tom Baxter, 4. Maurie Robertson, 5. Vern Bakalich, 6. Fred Ah Kuoi, 7. Shane Varley, 8. Joe Vagana, 9. John Lasher, 10. Cliff Johnson (c), 11. Jim Riddell, 12. Se'e Solomona and 13. Raymond Williams.[8][2]

Richmond Senior Team Records (1915-1945, 1993-2004 + 2022-24)

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The season record for the most senior men's team in the club.

Season Grade Name Played W D L PF PA PD Pts Position (Teams)
1915 3rd Grade Richmond 6 1 0 5 17 66 -49 2 10 teams, full results unknown
1916 3rd Grade Richmond 4 3 0 1 34 21 13 6 8 teams, full results unknown
1917 4th Grade Richmond 7 4 0 3 25 45 -20 8 8 teams, full results unknown
1918 4th Grade Richmond 6 5 0 1 34 25 9 10 9 teams, full results unknown
1919 4th Grade Richmond 7 6 1 0 77 6 71 13 4th of 10
1920 4th Grade Richmond 7 4 0 3 92 26 66 8 Approx 3rd of 10
1921 4th Grade Richmond 6 5 0 1 51 13 38 10 Approx 3rd of 8
1922 1st Grade (Monteith) Richmond 14 3 0 11 141 295 -154 6 7th of 8
1923 1st Grade (Monteith) Richmond 12 1 0 11 93 239 -146 2 7th of 7
1924 1st Grade (Monteith) Richmond 16 5 0 11 97 194 -97 10 7th of 9
1925 1st Grade (Monteith) Richmond 11 4 0 7 155 184 -29 8 5th of 7
1926 1st Grade (Monteith) Richmond 11 3 0 8 142 176 -34 6 5th of 7
1927 1st Grade (Monteith) Richmond 12 4 1 7 134 182 -48 9 5th of 7
1928 1st Grade (Monteith) Richmond 12 7 1 4 143 132 11 15 2nd of 7
1929 1st Grade (Monteith) Richmond 14 3 0 11 105 161 -56 6 7th of 8
1930 1st Grade (Monteith) Richmond 13 4 0 9 118 156 -38 8 8th of 8
1931 1st Grade (Fox) Richmond 12 7 1 4 143 93 50 15 3rd of 7
1932 1st Grade (Fox) Richmond 10 3 0 7 117 134 -17 6 5th of 6
1933 1st Grade (Fox) Richmond 10 3 1 6 147 131 16 7 5th of 6
1934 1st Grade (Fox) Richmond 13 11 0 2 257 108 149 22 1st of 6
1935 1st Grade (Fox) Richmond 13 10 1 2 217 95 122 21 1st of 7
1936 1st Grade (Fox) Richmond 14 8 2 4 199 136 63 18 2nd of 8
1937 1st Grade (Fox) Richmond 14 10 1 3 266 156 110 21 1st of 8
1938 1st Grade (Fox) Richmond 15 8 1 6 205 180 25 17 5th of 9
1939 1st Grade (Fox) Richmond 15 7 0 8 171 174 -3 14 6th of 9
1940 1st Grade (Fox) Richmond 16 12 1 3 303 143 160 25 1st of 9
1941 1st Grade (Fox) Richmond 15 9 0 6 235 149 86 18 3rd of 9
1942 1st Grade (Fox) Richmond 15 5 0 10 148 186 -38 10 5th of 6
1943 1st Grade (Fox) Richmond 16 11 0 5 247 123 124 22 3rd of 9
1944 1st Grade (Fox) Richmond 18 10 0 8 242 153 89 20 6th of 10
1945 1st Grade (Fox) Richmond 14 11 0 3 266 100 166 22 2nd of 10
1993 Lion Red Rukutai Richmond 18 11 1 6 352 353 99.7% 23 2nd of 10, SF 10-7 v Mt Albert, PF 7-3 v Ponsonby, GF 5-11 v Otahuhu. Roope Rooster GF 12-22 v North Shore
1994 Lion Red Rukutai Richmond 22 10 0 12 596 618 96.4% 20 7th of 12
1995 Lion Red Rukutai Richmond 24 14 0 10 715 605 118.2% 32 5th of 13
1996 Lion Red Prelim Richmond 13 5 1 7 318 301 105.6% 11 9th of 14
1998 Super 10 Central Sharks 18 3 1 14 327 601 54.41% 7 9th of 10
1999 Rukutai Shield Super 12 Central Sharks 22 3 1 18 401 740 54.19% 7 12th of 12
2000 Mad Butcher Fox Top 8 Richmond 14 12 1 1 517 254 203.5% 25 1st of 8
Playoffs Richmond 3 1 0 2 44 63 - - L 10-26 v Ōtāhuhu in minor SF, W 20-16 v Te Atatū in major SF, L 14-21 v Ōtāhuhu in Fox final
2001 Mad Butcher Fox Top 8 Richmond 14 9 2 3 460 385 119.5% 20
Playoffs Richmond 2 1 0 1 51 48 106.3% - W 22-18 v Northcote in Major SF, L 29-30 v Northcote in Fox Final
2002 Fox Memorial Top 8 Richmond 14 3 1 10 276 428 64.5% 7 7th of 8
2003 Playoffs Richmond 3 1 0 2 79 77 - - L v Hib Coast 28-41 in PF, W v Marist 32-28 in Minor Final, L v Mangere East 19-24 in Major final
2004 Mad Butcher Fox Richmond 14 9 0 5 438 322 136% 18 4th of 8
Playoffs Richmond 2 1 0 1 42 29 - - W 30-10 v Papakura in Prel final, L 12-19 v Manurewa in Minor final
2022 Fox Premiership Section 2 Richmond 9 6 0 3 326 134 192 12 4th of 10 in section 2, W v Marist 34-0 in PF, L v Otahuhu 20-12 in QF
Playoffs Richmond 2 1 0 1 46 20 - - W 34-0 v Marist in Prel SF, L v Otahuhu 20-12 in QF
2023 Fox Grading Richmond 3 2 0 1 98 48 204.2% 4 2nd of 4 in Pool B
Fox (Rukutai Shield) Richmond 11 9 1 1 316 116 272.4% 19 1st of 12 (Rukutai winner)
Playoffs Richmond 2 1 0 1 24 30 - - W v Papakura 8-6 in Major SF, L v Pt Chevalier in Grand Final
2024 Fox Grading Richmond 3 2 0 1 122 30 +92 4 2nd of 4 in Pool A
Fox (Rukutai Shield) Richmond 11 10 0 1 383 147 +236 20 1st of 12 (Rukutai winner)
Playoffs Richmond 2 2 0 0 38 26 - - W v Pt Chevalier 23-12 in PF, W v Papakura in GF 15-14 (after ET)
1922-45, 1993–96, 2000-2002, 2004, 2022-2024 TOTAL 594 303 20 272 10590 9359 - 614

Club Titles

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Richmond Rovers grade championships (1910-1944)

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  • 1921 Sixth Grade
  • 1922 Fourth Grade
  • 1923 Fifth Grade
  • 1924 Second Grade B Section winners (lost final to Otahuhu 17-5, who won the A Section), Fourth Grade B Section winners (lost final to Ponsonby, who were A Section winners), Fifth Grade knockout (Section B)
  • 1925 Second Grade, Fourth Grade, Fifth Grade, Sixth Grade A, & Sixth Grade B
  • 1926 Third Grade Intermediate, & Fifth Grade
  • 1927 Third Grade Intermediate and Third Grade knockout competition, Fourth Grade (Hospital Cup), & Sixth Grade B (Myers Cup)
  • 1928 Third Grade Open, Third Grade Intermediate, & Fourth Grade
  • 1929 Third Grade Open, Fifth Grade, Sixth Grade A, & Sixth Grade B
  • 1930 Second Grade, Fourth Grade & Fourth Grade knockout, Seventh Grade & Seventh Grade knockout, & Schoolboys (Richmond Schools A)
  • 1931 Third Grade Intermediate, & Seventh Grade
  • 1932 Reserve Grade, & Sixth Grade
  • 1933 Reserve Grade, Fifth Grade, & Seventh Grade
  • 1934 First Grade (Fox Memorial), Reserve Grade, Third Grade Open, & Seventh Grade
  • 1935 First Grade (Fox Memorial), Second Grade, Fifth Grade, Sixth Grade A, Seventh Grade, & Schoolboys (Senior)
  • 1936 Sixth Grade A, & Schoolboys (Senior)
  • 1937 First Grade (Fox Memorial), Reserve Grade, Fourth Grade, Schoolboys (Senior)
  • 1938 Reserve Grade, Third Grade Open, Seventh Grade, Schoolboy (Senior), Schoolboy (Intermediate)
  • 1939 Reserve Grade, Sixth Grade A, Seventh Grade
  • 1940 First Grade (Fox Memorial), Reserve Grade, Fifth Grade, Seventh Grade, Schoolboys (Senior)
  • 1941 Sixth Grade

Other titles

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  • 1926 Roope Rooster
  • 1927 Roope Rooster
  • 1933 Roope Rooster
  • 1934 Roope Rooster, & Stormont Shield
  • 1935 Stormont Shield
  • 1936 Stormont Shield
  • 1938 Roope Rooster, & Stormont Shield
  • 1940 Roope Rooster
  • 1942 Roope Rooster

All time top point scorers (1922-1945)

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The point scoring lists are compiled from first grade matches in the championship, Roope Rooster, Phelan Shield, Sharman Cup and official exhibition matches including organised preseason rounds.

Top point scorers
No Player Start End Games Tries Con Pen DG Pts
1 Ted Mincham 1928 1942 120 52 55 36 0 338
2 L Taylor 1926 1930 - 20 37 40 3 220
3 Bernard Lowther (snr) 1941 1945 - 43 23 8 0 191
4= Frank Furnell 1937 1945 - 8 50 22 0 168
4= Cliff Satherley 1933 1936 65 16 38 22 0 168
6 Reece Marshall 1932 1936 - 12 27 17 0 124
7= George Tittleton 1936 1938 50 25 21 3 0 123
7= Wally Tittleton 1936 1943 117 41 0 0 0 123
9 Charles W Webb 1939 1942 - 2 41 16 0 120
10= Leo Davis 1936 1945 - 33 6 0 0 111
10= Stan Prentice 1926 1935 141 37 0 0 0 111
12 Trevor Hanlon 1924 1933 - 15 19 9 0 101
13 Bill Telford 1927 1937 - 31 2 1 0 99
14 J McDonald 1942 1944 - 7 31 6 1 97
15 Trevor Bramley 1938 1940 - 5 26 14 0 95
16 Jack Magill 1942 1945 - 5 23 16 0 93
17 William Kinney 1942 1945 - 27 0 0 0 81
18= Alf Broadhead 1934 1941 - 26 1 0 0 80
18= Eric Hugh (Mick) Carroll 1922 1927 43 4 26 8 0 80
20 Dave Solomon 1937 1941 - 25 0 0 0 79
21 Laurie Mills 1938 1940 - 26 0 0 0 78
22 George Mitchell 1937 1941 - 25 0 0 0 75
23 Ralph Jenkinson 1925 1934 - 24 0 0 0 74
23 Jack Satherley 1934 1945 147 24 0 1 0 74
25 Ron McGregor 1942 1945 - 24 0 0 0 72

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Richmond Club". New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15585. 17 April 1914. p. 10. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  2. ^ a b "History". Richmond Rovers Rugby League. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Opening of the Season/Standard of Play Moderate". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LIX, no. 18073. 24 April 1922. p. 9. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  4. ^ "Thrilling League/Champion Club Teams/Richmond Takes Honours/Western Suburbs Beaten". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LXXI, no. 21919. 1 October 1934. p. 13. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  5. ^ "Sydney Team Defeated/Richmond's Second Success/Spectacular Low-Scoring Game". Auckland Star. Vol. LXV, no. 238. 8 October 1934. p. 13. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  6. ^ "Roll of Honour". Richmond Rovers Rugby League. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  7. ^ Geno Seger's Bio at Disney XD Archived July 10, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "Richmond Rovers Team of the Century". Richmond Rovers Rugby League. 4 June 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
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