South Sydney District Junior Rugby Football League

The South Sydney District Junior Rugby Football League is an affiliation of junior clubs in the South Sydney area.[1]

South Sydney District Rugby Football League
Current season or competition:
2018 South Sydney District Rugby Football League
SportRugby league
Number of teams14
RegionInner Southern Suburbs, South-Eastern Suburbs (New South Wales Rugby League)
PremiersMatraville Tigers (2022 South Sydney District Rugby Football League season)
Most titlesCoogee Randwick Wombats (13 titles)
Websitesouthsjuniors.leaguenet.com.au
Related competitionSydney Combined Competition

History

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When the South Sydney Rabbitohs first entered the NSWRL competition as South Sydney in 1908, Souths would become neighbours to fellow city counterpart, the Eastern Suburbs Roosters. Anzac Parade separated the territories for both inner-Sydney clubs when the boundaries were first established the previous year. Souths' boundaries were based on the municipalities of Redfern, Botany, Alexandria, Mascot and Waterloo, while the Roosters' boundaries were those of the eastern municipalities of Paddington, Woollahra, Vaucluse and Waverley.

The new junior league boundaries set out in the early 1950s would take territory away from the Roosters, and hand it over to rival neighbouring club South Sydney.

In the mid-20th century, the southern half of Roosters territory within the Randwick local government area was handed to South Sydney. The NSWRL made this change to 'even the competition' as South Sydney's original heartland, around Redfern and Waterloo, had rapidly industrialised and de-populated. Rabbitohs stalwart S.G. Ball was a dual administrator within South Sydney Rabbitohs and the New South Wales Rugby League at the time. The Rabbitohs were in a highly successful period and had established South Sydney Juniors Rugby League Club in Kingsford, Roosters territory in recent times.

Debate still continues amongst rival fans as to how and why Eastern Suburbs territory, comprising suburbs with junior league clubs rich in talent and numbers in the Randwick and Coogee areas, was given to South Sydney. The Roosters expressed disappointment at losing some of its junior clubs, but the NSWRL would not waver.

This was not to be the end of struggle for junior territory between the two inner-city clubs. In the 1980s some junior clubs such as Paddington Colts that were within Roosters territory became dissatisfied with Roosters management and affiliated with South Sydney.

After the Newtown Jets were expelled from the NSWRL in 1983, their junior district was eventually absorbed into the South Sydney junior district in 1987. With the tide having turned compared to the situation decades earlier, and the Roosters having a much smaller junior League than South Sydney, Eastern Suburbs at this time then made unsuccessful attempts to regain the suburbs on the same grounds used to hand the southern parts of Coogee and Randwick from Easts to Souths, that of providing an 'even competition'. The NSWRL, controlled at the time by a Board with a ruling faction of representatives from South Sydney (Terry Parker), Balmain (Keith Barnes), Canterbury (Peter Moore) and Manly (Ken Arthurson), refused to redraw the boundaries.

Current District Clubs

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Club Home Ground Premierships
  Alexandria Rovers Erskineville Oval 7 (1951, 1954, 1962, 1965, 1969, 1975, 1990)
  Botany Rams Booralee Park 1 (1947)
  Coogee Dolphins Kensington Oval 3 (2004, 2007, 2008)
  Coogee Randwick Wombats Coogee Oval 14 (1956, 1970*, 1973, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2019)
  La Perouse United Yarra Reserve 8 (1963, 1964*, 1970*, 1991, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005)
  Maroubra Lions Snape Park 1 (1979)
  Marrickville RSL Kings Marrickville Oval 1 (1995)
  Mascot Juniors Mascot Oval 7 (1952, 1953, 1955, 1984, 1985, 1989, 1998)
  Matraville Tigers Heffron Park 0
  Moore Park Broncos 12 (1961, 1964*, 1971, 1977, 1980, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2014)
  Newtown Jnr Jets Tempe Reserve 2003
  Redfern All Blacks Waterloo Oval 6 (1974, 1987*, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)
  Saints JRLFC Kensington Oval, Kensington 0
  South Eastern Seagulls Pioneers Park, Malabar 0
  South Sydney Mustangs Rowland Park, Daceyville 0
  Waterloo Waratahs 1 (1988)
  • Asterisks indicates years where premierships were shared between two teams.

2023 A Grade Clubs

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Club[2] Moniker Suburb A Grade A Reserve
  Alexandria Rovers Rovers Alexandria, New South Wales No Yes
  Coogee Dolphins Coogee, New South Wales Yes Yes
  Coogee Randwick Wombats Coogee, New South Wales No Yes
  La Perouse United Panthers La Perouse, New South Wales Yes Yes
  Mascot Juniors Jets Mascot, New South Wales Yes Yes
  Marrickville RSL Kings Marrickville, New South Wales No Yes
  Matraville Tigers Matraville, New South Wales Yes Yes
  Moore Park Broncos Moore Park, New South Wales No Yes
  Redfern All Blacks All Blacks Redfern, New South Wales Yes Yes
  South Eastern Seagulls Malabar, New South Wales Yes Yes

A Grade Premierships

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Season Grand Final Information Minor Premiers
Premiers Score Runners-Up
1947   Botany United
1948 South Sydney Fernleigh
1949 South Sydney Fernleigh
1950 South Sydney Fernleigh
1951   Alexandria Rovers
1952   Mascot Juniors
1953   Mascot Juniors
1954   Alexandria Rovers
1955   Mascot Juniors
1956   Coogee Randwick Wombats
1957 South Sydney Fernleigh
1958   Chelsea Eagles
1959   Chelsea Eagles
1960   Kensington United
1961   Moore Park Broncos
1962   Alexandria Rovers
1963   La Perouse United
1964   Moore Park Broncos /   La Perouse United
1965   Alexandria Rovers
1966   Kensington United
1967 South Sydney Fernleigh
1968   Kensington United
1969   Alexandria Rovers
1970   La Perouse United /   Coogee Randwick Wombats
1971   Moore Park Broncos
1972   Zetland Magpies
1973   Coogee Randwick Wombats
1974   Redfern All Blacks
1975   Alexandria Rovers
1976   Chelsea Eagles
1977   Moore Park Broncos
1978   Coogee Randwick Wombats
1979   Maroubra Lions
1980   Moore Park Broncos
1981   Zetland Magpies
1982   Coogee Randwick Wombats
1983   Coogee Randwick Wombats
1984   Mascot Juniors
1985   Mascot Juniors
1986   Chelsea Eagles
1987   Redfern All Blacks /   Kensington United
1988   Waterloo Waratahs
1989   Mascot Juniors
1990   Alexandria Rovers
1991   La Perouse United
1992   Coogee Randwick Wombats
1993   Coogee Randwick Wombats
1994   Coogee Randwick Wombats
1995   Marrickville Kings
1996   Coogee Randwick Wombats
1997   Moore Park Broncos
1998   Mascot Juniors
1999   Moore Park Broncos
2000   La Perouse United
2001   La Perouse United
2002   La Perouse United
2003   Moore Park Broncos
2004   Coogee Dolphins
2005   La Perouse United
2006   Moore Park Broncos
2007   Coogee Dolphins
2008   Coogee Dolphins
2009   Coogee Randwick Wombats
2010   Coogee Randwick Wombats
2011   Coogee Randwick Wombats
2012   Moore Park Broncos 20 – 8   Coogee Randwick Wombats   La Perouse United
2013   Moore Park Broncos
2014   Moore Park Broncos 16 – 12   Mascot Juniors
2015   Redfern All Blacks 42 – 24   Coogee Randwick Wombats   Coogee Randwick Wombats
2016   Redfern All Blacks 28 – 16   Coogee Randwick Wombats   Coogee Randwick Wombats
2017   Redfern All Blacks 16 – 12   Coogee Randwick Wombats   Moore Park Broncos
2018   Redfern All Blacks 28 – 12   Mascot Juniors   Coogee Randwick Wombats
2019   Coogee Randwick Wombats 32 – 0   South Eastern Seagulls   South Eastern Seagulls
2020 Season cancelled due to COVID-19.[3]
2021 Season was suspended after COVID-19 breakout.[4]

Reference: [5]

A Reserve Premierships

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Season Grand Final Information Minor Premiers
Premiers Score Runners-Up
2015   Bondi United 20 – 18   South Eastern Seagulls   Bondi United
2016   Bondi United 22 – 20   Coogee Dolphins   Bondi United
2017   Coogee Dolphins 28 – 18   La Perouse United   La Perouse United
2018   Mascot Juniors 20 – 18   La Perouse United   Mascot Juniors
2019   South Sydney Mustangs 10 – 8   South Eastern Seagulls   South Sydney Mustangs
2020 Season cancelled due to COVID-19.[3]
2021 Season was suspended after COVID-19 breakout.[4]

2023 Alexandria rovers

Team of the Century

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On 16 May 2008, the South Sydney Juniors Team of the Century was named at the Centenary Ball.[6]

  1. Eric Simms (La Perouse United)
  2. Harold Holder (Kinkora Juniors)
  3. Paul Sait (Matraville Tigers)
  4. Ray Branighan (Moore Park)
  5. Benny Wearing (Redfern Ioanas)
  6. Greg Hawick (Alexandria Rovers)
  7. Clem Kennedy (Cleveland Street)
  8. Brian Hambly (Mascot Jets)
  9. George Piggins (Mascot Jets)
  10. Ian Roberts (Mascot Jets)
  11. Bob McCarthy (Moore Park)
  12. George Treweek (Mascot Jets)
  13. Ron Coote (c) (Kensington United)
  14. Terry Hill (Zetland Magpies)
  15. Craig Wing (Maroubra Lions)
  16. Craig Coleman (Waterloo Waratahs)
  17. Gary Stevens (Chelsea United)

Coach: Alf Blair (Waterloo Albions)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ https://www.rabbitohs.com.au [bare URL]
  2. ^ "Competition: 2022 A Grade Draw". www.playrugbyleague.com.
  3. ^ a b "NSWRL cancels nine competitions for 2020 season". New South Wales Rugby League. 2020-03-27. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  4. ^ a b "Community Competitions abandoned in Greater Sydney and adjoining areas". New South Wales Rugby League. 2021-08-16. Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  5. ^ "Souths Referees › A Grade Honour Roll". Retrieved 2021-09-29.
  6. ^ "2008 South Sydney Juniors Team of the Century - South Sydney Junior Rugby League". Fox Sports Pulse. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
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