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NRL club's name changes

blue bags

Coach
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10,072
Remember the Sydney Bulldog's
The eastern suburbs roosters
And Sydney City roosters
The old name of the Panthers
Penrith chocolate Packers
 

Diesel

Referee
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25,470
Or super league when it couldn’t get the names of the clubs so they proposed

Brisbane Brumbies
Canterbury Dingos
Cronulla Dolphins
Canberra Vikings
 

Nuke

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5,638
Balmain Tigers changed, briefly, to Sydney Tigers in, I think, 1995 for a couple of years. Same time as Canterbury also became the Sydney Bulldogs. I also think it was at, or about, the same time Eastern Suburbs Roosters changed to Sydney City Roosters.

All, presumably, to try appearing bigger than what they were in the SuperLeague era and mergers, relocations, and removal from comps.
In the end, "a rose by any other name" proved true and both Balmain and Canterbury, eventually, reverted back (Balmain just before merging with Wests, and Canterbury after becoming just 'Bulldogs' for a bit).
 

SpaceMonkey

Immortal
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41,283
When was this ?
IT happens when merging with
western suburbs magpies ?
Before the merger, when they moved their home ground to Parramatta for a couple of years. Started in 1994, not sure if the kept the name right up to 1999 though. It wasn’t popular.
 

SpaceMonkey

Immortal
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41,283
One that has actually stuck was Auckland Warriors to NZ Warriors. Probably because the period immediately following the name change (2001-2003) was a successful one.
 

blue bags

Coach
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10,072
North Sydney Bear's 🐻
Merging with the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
The Northern Eagle's
And Parramatta EELS had ideas of changing to the Parramatta RAMS to appeal to more fans
 

Nuke

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Staff member
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5,638
The name changes in my lifetime (1981 to present) are:

* Balmain Tigers => Sydney Tigers => Balmain Tigers. Then the merger.
* Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs => Sydney Bulldogs => Bulldogs => Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
* Eastern Suburbs Roosters => Sydney City Roosters => Sydney Roosters.
* Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks => Sharks => Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.
* Auckland Warriors => Warriors (??) => New Zealand Warriors.

Technically ownership and licence changes and thus different clubs, but effectively the same club:
* Gold Coast-Tweed Giants => Gold Coast Seagulls => Gold Coast Gladiators => Gold Coast Chargers.
Years later, Gold Coast Titans came about, but that's a completely different club.

Back in the day, clubs only had nicknames, not emblems. The Cantabs and the Berries were Canterbury, before they chose a Bulldog as their mascot. St.George were the Dragon Slayers unofficially before taking on the Dragons as their official moniker. There are other examples too, but that's enough from me for the night..!
 
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MRN

Bench
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4,348
Western Reds became the Perth Reds in Super League. I think it technically it was Perth City Reds but I don't recall anyone referring to them as that full name.

Gold Coast Gladiators in the 1996 World Sevens tournament before becoming the Chargers for the 1996 season after the ARL revoked the licence from the new owner.
 

Nuke

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5,638
Western Reds became the Perth Reds in Super League. I think it technically it was Perth City Reds but I don't recall anyone referring to them as that full name.

Gold Coast Gladiators in the 1996 World Sevens tournament before becoming the Chargers for the 1996 season after the ARL revoked the licence from the new owner.
I remembered the Gladiators after I'd gone to bed last night, so I've updated my post to include that now too.

Funny thing is: I live in Perth and completely forgot about their name change! I think I was going over all the current clubs and wasn't thinking about any non-current ones.

I don't ever recall hearing 'Perth City' Reds ever. This is quite literally the first time I've ever heard that. It was Western Reds => Perth Reds as far as I know.
 

Nuke

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5,638
Officially, I suppose, all the SuperLeague clubs changed their name at the start.
They became:

* SuperLeague Perth
* SuperLeague Brisbane
* Superleague Cronulla
* SuperLeague Penrith
* SuperLeague North Queensland
* SuperLeague Canberra
* SuperLeague Canterbury
* SuperLeague Auckland

This was due to the legal action, with the ARL owning the names and logos of Western Reds, Brisbane Broncos, ect, ect...
 

Diesel

Referee
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25,470
Not sure if this counts but the ARL had earmarked Adelaide Aces until SL formed the Adelaide Rams. Melbourne Mavericks was a name SL used when talk of a Melbourne team was on the radar and was changed to Storm
 

Diesel

Referee
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25,470
North Sydney Bear's 🐻
Merging with the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
The Northern Eagle's
And Parramatta EELS had ideas of changing to the Parramatta RAMS to appeal to more fans
Wasn’t aware of the Rams, I assume this was prior to 1996/7 when the Adelaide team was announced.

Dennis Fitzgerald didn’t like the eels name from memory as it wasn’t marketable so he was very keen for a merger with the Tigers (or anyone else) to drop the Eels name
 

blue bags

Coach
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10,072
Eastside chicken's
Change to Eastern Suburbs Rooster's
The original borders was Oxford Street
Then some how Rooster's encroachment into Rabbitohs territory by moving the border to Moore Park road. ANZAC parade
Sydney football stadium is in Rabbitohs original territory
 

blue bags

Coach
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10,072
And when superleague world club championship final Played.
Brisbane Broncos V's Hunter Mariners
The English tv commenters kept calling them the Hunter's 🤡
 
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