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Oldest junior club

innsaneink

Referee
Messages
29,362
Tamazoid said:
Cronulla-Caringbah were the first junior club in the Cronulla-Sutherland league.

Do the Mascot Jets play on that ground that's about 1min drive from the Airport? I forget the street, but it says Mascot JRLFC or something on a fading sign.

Yeah, Mascot Park... its close to the airport...O-Riordan & Coward St's I think..on the corner there...not a bad ground for juniors , grandstand etc not many have that
 

mightybears

Bench
Messages
4,342
for norths juniors

Earliest records indicate there was a Crows Nest JRLFC in 1913 with A grade being runners up in the competition. The first recorded premiership was B grade in 1921. Up until 1984 Crows Nest had won 29 premierships throughout the club in various grades. In the 1950s they won 6 consecutive Club Championships. Up until 1949 the club colours were black and white but then changed to red white and blue. Known as the Roosters.
 

Booyah

Bench
Messages
4,666
As far as I know, Mascot in the Souths comp is the oldest Junior League club.

This is based on records etc, not on hearsay i.e. My dads' Uncles' brothers' fathers' Pop played for 'X' in 1909.
 

PAGEY

Juniors
Messages
4
Go the Wanderers!!!!!!!!!!!!! :p :p
I currently play for them and yeah im pretty sure they were a foundation club
 

brendothejet

First Grade
Messages
7,998
Mascot love to tout themselves as the oldest junior club in the universe.

Either way as stated they have had periods of innactivity and when on the field they are generally merkins.

One of the more despised games of the season is against Mascot.

Last year there was about 20 blokes on the hill swearing their heads of at us.

end result:

newtown jets 50 Mascot jets 4

go.and.get.f**ked.
 

Booyah

Bench
Messages
4,666
brendothejet said:
Mascot love to tout themselves as the oldest junior club in the universe.

Either way as stated they have had periods of innactivity and when on the field they are generally merkins.

One of the more despised games of the season is against Mascot.

Last year there was about 20 blokes on the hill swearing their heads of at us.

end result:

newtown jets 50 Mascot jets 4

go.and.get.f**ked.

Absolutely. Mascot are a pack of Knobs. It's common knowledge that teams in the comp traditionally fire up when they play the Jets, especially teams like South Eastern, Kensington and La Perouse because there is nothing better then belting the Jets at Mascot in front of their own crowd on their own turf.

And for the record, they're just as big a bunch of merkins off the field as they are on it. Particularly some of their officials.
 

H.H

Juniors
Messages
1,250
The Clovelly Crocodile, an Easts junior club celebrate their 100th season in 2017.

Great achievement.
 

magpie4ever

First Grade
Messages
9,992
Is this a LU record for time between posts?, 11 & 1/2 years and still no known winner!.

Reckon you will need to look at junior clubs that played under the Rugby League banner in the first year of the Sydney comp - 1908. The point will be have they remained in existence every year since.
 

rightleftin

Juniors
Messages
1,888
An interesting one is Penrith United, started in the Western Districts League in 1912. They won the C Grade in 1945 with Merv Cartwright in the team and started winning Parramatta A Grade titles in the 50's and 60's. They entered the new NSWRL 2nd Division in 1964 and a few years later were playing at the highest level. The elevation to district club status meant that the junior club were then to be known as Penrith Waratahs. So they are both an old junior club and the genesis of an NRL club.
 

magpie4ever

First Grade
Messages
9,992
An interesting one is Penrith United, started in the Western Districts League in 1912. They won the C Grade in 1945 with Merv Cartwright in the team and started winning Parramatta A Grade titles in the 50's and 60's. They entered the new NSWRL 2nd Division in 1964 and a few years later were playing at the highest level. The elevation to district club status meant that the junior club were then to be known as Penrith Waratahs. So they are both an old junior club and the genesis of an NRL club.

I think you could say the same about Canterbury and St George, both lower grade sides for Western Suburbs before gaining entry in the top grade. Someone would need to look into it.
 

rightleftin

Juniors
Messages
1,888
Western Suburbs had several comps under their control - apart from their own league centred on Ashfield, they also controlled the Western Districts league from Lidcombe to Richmond and the St George comp. By 1922 the Canterbury comp split out of St George comp and about the same time the Southern Metropolitan from Merrylands to Picton split out of the Western Districts league.

Campsie won the St George B Grade in 1909 or 1911?. Other teams to play in St George before the Canterbury comp started were Belmore Black and Whites, Belmore Rockley, Bankstown United, Punchbowl Waratahs and Belmore Federals but none of those clubs lasted.

The St George comp included teams from "the shire" with Sutherland Loftus still existing and established in 1913.
 
Last edited:

girvie

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
4,867
Junior Rugby League in the North Sydney District commenced in 1909 and was known as the Northern Suburbs District Junior Rugby Football League. The name was changed in 1947 to the North Sydney District Junior Rugby Football League.
 

rightleftin

Juniors
Messages
1,888
Junior Rugby League in the North Sydney District commenced in 1909 and was known as the Northern Suburbs District Junior Rugby Football League. The name was changed in 1947 to the North Sydney District Junior Rugby Football League.

Trove has made it far easier to establish the facts. Apart from organised competitions, RU teams would arrange one off games in the new code, but in 1908 and 1909 there were only 2 junior leagues - South Sydney and Balmain. I think that the competition table in South Sydney in 1908 was as follows:

Waterloo Oaks 12, South Sydney carltons 10, Waterloo Centennials 2, Alexandria Buccaneers 2.

The Balmain comp was won by Balmain Iona. Other teams were Leichhardt Royals, Drummoyne, Birchgrove, Rosebuds and Norwood. Before too long Iona, Royals and Drummoyne were having stints in the NSWRL 3rd grade comp with Royals winning that competition.

The number of teams in Balmain had fallen away by 1910 and with RU teams having switched over to league on the north side, the Balmain-Northern Districts competition existed for one season and the tables were:

A grade - Neutral Bay 16, All Blacks 11, Rozelle Waratahs 11, Elliott Bros 8, Berrys Bay 2, Crows Nest 2.
B grade - Balmain Iona 18, Berrys Bay 12, Rozelle Rangers 4, Crows Nest 2.

The Eastern Suburbs and Western Suburbs Junior Leagues were also established in 1910 with the tables as follows:

Western Suburbs - Parramatta Iona 16, Parramatta District 14, Campsie Triers 11, Granville Royals 11, Enfield Mercantile 9, Ashfield Surreyville 7, Auburn Park 2

Eastern Suburbs
A Grade - Darlinghurst 14, Paddington Waratah 14, Double Bay 8, Sydney Jnrs 6, Waverley Waratah 2
B Grade - Paddington Waratah 16, Royal Iona 14, Gipps Jnrs 10, Royal Surry 8, Sydney Jnrs 6

In 1911 the Northern Suburbs JL was established
A Grade - Berrys Bay 18, NS Feds 16, Willoughby 12, Neutral Bay 10, Mosman 4
B Grade - Crows Nest 17, Berrys Bay 15, Willoughby 4, Blues Pt Waratah 0

1911 also saw the St George comp started and the Western Districts split out Western Suburbs.
For 1911 only the Balmain comp was known as Balmain-Leichhardt JL,

The Newtown teams playing in the Western suburbs comp in 1911 & 1912 formed their JL in 1913 and the Glebe teams in 1914.

1919 saw Southern Districts split from western districts in 1919.

1920 was the only season of the Annandale JL, and also saw the formation of the a second feeder district to North Sydney when the Northern Districts JL was established but in 1923 the clubs were redistributed between North Sydney and Balmain, while the Leichhardt clubs that had previously played in Wests, Annandale and Balmain were now shifted into Glebe.

The Canterbury teams split out of St George to form their own league in 1922.
The last season of the Glebe JL was 1926 but they continued in the Presidents Cup for another 3 years with clubs playing in Wests & Newtown.

The last season for Southern Districts was 1936 with remaining teams split between western suburbs and Western Districts.

Other competitions were Tramways (1910-1951)
Catholic Sporting Association 1915- 1929) & 1938-80's
Metropolitan JL (1930-19410
City Houses (1919 to late 1990's)
also Druids, Rechabites, Surf Clubs, RSL Clubs, Protestant Churches (took over the Esatern Suburbs JL for 1926-27).
 
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