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NRL Rivalries

CycloneSteve

CycloneSteve

Juniors
Messages
2,122
Which teams in the NRL have what would be considered a "rivalry" with other teams?
Knights/Sea Eagles?
Parramatta/Penrith?
 
tumbidragon

tumbidragon

First Grade
Messages
6,771
Dragons V Storm. Usually always something in games played between the two. (Grand final heartbreak, head butting, leg twisting, TRY's after buzzer etc.) Look forward to the fixture, even more so than Dragons V Sharks.
 
muzby

muzby

Village Idiot
Staff member
Messages
46,594
a personal favourite of mine over the past many years has been manly vs storm..

seemed to always be high quality games that had feeling in them..

fights, match ups, grand final wins against each other..
 
rabbitohs95

rabbitohs95

Bench
Messages
4,711
From what I understand. Do correct me/add anything in. I've probably missed something

Broncos;

Cowboys (Obvious one seeing as they were the only QLD teams for a while)
Titans ('Local' derby)
Raiders (Somewhat died off but had a big rivalry in the early 90's where both were winning comps)
Storm (Bellamy vs Bennett that went for a while, 06' Grand Final)
Dragons (Grew when Bennett left to the Dragons)
Warriors (Plenty of Kiwis in Brisbane makes the games at Suncorp blockbusters)
Roosters (Brisbane vs Sydney, bit of a meh rivalry but still has merit I suppose, 00' Grand Final)


Bulldogs;

Eels (Big rivals since the 80's as both featured in most of the grand finals through the decade)
Rabbitohs (67' and 14' Grand Final adversaries, both with huge supporter bases that turn up in big numbers)
Dragons (Local rivals that have competed in many big games)
Roosters (I believe they have played each other in Grand Finals before and have a big rivalry)
Panthers (Western Sydney rivals)
Tigers (Both big western Sydney teams that compete in big games)
Sea Eagles (Hasler vs Manly)


Raiders;

Broncos (See above)
Storm (Seemingly have a hoodoo against the Storm especially when played in Melbourne. Local rivals)
Dragons (Famous Canberra hoodoo was broken this year but we all know what happened beforehand)
Tigers (Similar to the rivalry with the Broncos, both Balmain and Canberra were competitive in the late 80's and early 90's and played in the 89' Grand Final)
Panthers (90' and 91' Grand Final adversaries)


Sharks;

Dragons (Local rivals)
Sea Eagles (Grand Final adversaries in 73' and 78' I think)
Tigers (Recent rivalry that began when the Sharks bought Tigers players such as Beau Ryan, Andrew Fifita, Chris Heighington and Blake Ayshford)


Titans;

Broncos (See above)
Cowboys (Rounds off the QLD rivalries)
Dragons (Always big games when these two sides face off, the Titans first game in the NRL was against them)


Sea Eagles;

Storm (07' and 08' Grand Final adversaries which has only grown through the years)
Eels (Jamie Lyon fiasco in 2004 really sparked the rivalry)
Rabbitohs (Grand Final combatants through the 50's and early 70's, took Souths players which eventually won them their maiden GF in 72', bitter rivals since, seeing Glenn Stewart in Rabbits gear should be interesting)
Sharks (See above)
Knights (97' Grand Final teams, Carroll vs Harragon rivalry only pushed the rivalry more)
Tigers (Silvertails vs Fibros)
Roosters (Both teams won comps in through the 70's and player trades such as Bob Fulton and Paul Vautin rounded off a strong rivalry. 2013 Grand Final competed between these teams)
Warriors (11' Grand Final adversaries)
Bulldogs (See above)


Storm;

Sea Eagles (See above)
Raiders (See above)
Broncos (See above)
Dragons (99' Grand Final teams, Bennett vs Bellamy from 09'-11')
Warriors (ANZAC Day rivals, bit of a bogey team)
Eels (09' Grand Final controversies, Slater vs Hayne 09'-14')


Knights;

Sea Eagles (See above)
Roosters (Back when we had Fittler vs Johns for the best part of 10 years)
Eels (01' Grand Final)
Dragons (Gimmicky rivalry, will the Knights slay the Dragons? Bennett vs Dragons 12'-14')


Warriors;

Storm (See above)
Broncos (See above)
Roosters (02' Grand Final combatants, player rivalries like Fittler vs Stacey Jones, Auckland vs Sydney)


Cowboys;

Broncos (See above)
Titans (See above)
Tigers (05' Grand Final, Benji vs Thurston from 05'-13')


Eels;

Bulldogs (See above)
Panthers (Local derby, battle of the west)
Tigers (Pretty much the same as Panthers, Hayne vs Benji 09'-13')
Storm (See above)


Panthers;

Eels (See above)
Tigers (Local wester Sydney rivals, battle of the big cats)
Bulldogs (See above)
Raiders (See above)
Roosters (03' Grand Final, Brad Fittler leaving to Sydney from Penrith in 96' began the rivalry)


Rabbitohs;

Roosters (Only remaining foundation teams, local rivals who hate each other. Controversies including Braith Anasta, Craig Wing, SBW vs Sam Burgess and the 14' Prelim final are just some examples)
Dragons (Charity Shield rivals, and the only teams who won the comp from 1953-1968. Strong rivalry with two of the most recognisable kits and logos in rugby league)
Sea Eagles (See above)
Tigers (Rivals since 1909 Grand Final where the Balmain team boycotted and the Rabbitohs kicked off, regathered and scored to win it. Big teams which played in recent and classic rivalry round games)
Bulldogs (See above)


Dragons;

Rabbitohs (see above)
Roosters (ANZAC Day Rivals, played in 75' Grand Final and got demolished 38-0, but got revenge in the 2010 final 32-8. Both great contests and a great rivalry between two famous Sydney clubs)
Tigers (Both merged teams who have competed in big games such as the 05' and 10' Prelim where they have won one a piece)
Raiders (See above)
Broncos (See above)
Storm (See above)
Sharks (See above)
Titans (See above)
Bulldogs (See above)
Knights (See above)


Roosters;

Rabbitohs (See above)
Bulldogs (See above)
Dragons (See above)
Broncos (See above)
Warriors (See above)
Sea Eagles (See above)
Panthers (See above)
Tigers (Strong rivalry since 1908 with both Western Suburbs and Balmain, Western Sydney vs Eastern Sydney, compete(d) in the Foundation Cup every preseason)


Tigers;

Rabbitohs (See above)
Raiders (See above)
Roosters (See above)
Sea Eagles (See above)
Bulldogs (See above)
Sharks (See above)
Cowboys (See above)
 
Last edited:
El Diablo

El Diablo

Post Whore
Messages
94,107
Eels (Jamie Lyon fiasco in 2004 really sparked the rivalry)
Click to expand...

existed long before then

Tooheys even had a Manly v Parra ad in the 80's

[youtube]yldJ5bJ1YMg[/youtube]
 
CycloneSteve

CycloneSteve

Juniors
Messages
2,122
Wow I didnt realise there were so many.

Ok here is the next challenge. If you could organise the 16 NRL teams into 4 divisions of 4, ensuring that you get the most important rivalries/local derbies in each pool, how would you do it?

rabbitohs95 said:
From what I understand. Do correct me/add anything in. I've probably missed something

Broncos;

Cowboys (Obvious one seeing as they were the only QLD teams for a while)
Titans ('Local' derby)
Raiders (Somewhat died off but had a big rivalry in the early 90's where both were winning comps)
Storm (Bellamy vs Bennett that went for a while, 06' Grand Final)
Dragons (Grew when Bennett left to the Dragons)
Warriors (Plenty of Kiwis in Brisbane makes the games at Suncorp blockbusters)
Roosters (Brisbane vs Sydney, bit of a meh rivalry but still has merit I suppose, 00' Grand Final)


Bulldogs;

Eels (Big rivals since the 80's as both featured in most of the grand finals through the decade)
Rabbitohs (67' and 14' Grand Final adversaries, both with huge supporter bases that turn up in big numbers)
Dragons (Local rivals that have competed in many big games)
Roosters (I believe they have played each other in Grand Finals before and have a big rivalry)
Panthers (Western Sydney rivals)
Tigers (Both big western Sydney teams that compete in big games)
Sea Eagles (Hasler vs Manly)


Raiders;

Broncos (See above)
Storm (Seemingly have a hoodoo against the Storm especially when played in Melbourne. Local rivals)
Dragons (Famous Canberra hoodoo was broken this year but we all know what happened beforehand)
Tigers (Similar to the rivalry with the Broncos, both Balmain and Canberra were competitive in the late 80's and early 90's and played in the 89' Grand Final)
Panthers (90' and 91' Grand Final adversaries)


Sharks;

Dragons (Local rivals)
Sea Eagles (Grand Final adversaries in 73' and 78' I think)
Tigers (Recent rivalry that began when the Sharks bought Tigers players such as Beau Ryan, Andrew Fifita, Chris Heighington and Blake Ayshford)


Titans;

Broncos (See above)
Cowboys (Rounds off the QLD rivalries)
Dragons (Always big games when these two sides face off, the Titans first game in the NRL was against them)


Sea Eagles;

Storm (07' and 08' Grand Final adversaries which has only grown through the years)
Eels (Jamie Lyon fiasco in 2004 really sparked the rivalry)
Rabbitohs (Grand Final combatants through the 50's and early 70's, took Souths players which eventually won them their maiden GF in 72', bitter rivals since, seeing Glenn Stewart in Rabbits gear should be interesting)
Sharks (See above)
Knights (97' Grand Final teams, Carroll vs Harragon rivalry only pushed the rivalry more)
Tigers (Silvertails vs Fibros)
Roosters (Both teams won comps in through the 70's and player trades such as Bob Fulton and Paul Vautin rounded off a strong rivalry. 2013 Grand Final competed between these teams)
Warriors (11' Grand Final adversaries)
Bulldogs (See above)


Storm;

Sea Eagles (See above)
Raiders (See above)
Broncos (See above)
Dragons (99' Grand Final teams, Bennett vs Bellamy from 09'-11')
Warriors (ANZAC Day rivals, bit of a bogey team)
Eels (09' Grand Final controversies, Slater vs Hayne 09'-14')


Knights;

Sea Eagles (See above)
Roosters (Back when we had Fittler vs Johns for the best part of 10 years)
Eels (01' Grand Final)
Dragons (Gimmicky rivalry, will the Knights slay the Dragons? Bennett vs Dragons 12'-14')


Warriors;

Storm (See above)
Broncos (See above)
Roosters (02' Grand Final combatants, player rivalries like Fittler vs Stacey Jones, Auckland vs Sydney)


Cowboys;

Broncos (See above)
Titans (See above)
Tigers (05' Grand Final, Benji vs Thurston from 05'-13')


Eels;

Bulldogs (See above)
Panthers (Local derby, battle of the west)
Tigers (Pretty much the same as Panthers, Hayne vs Benji 09'-13')
Storm (See above)


Panthers;

Eels (See above)
Tigers (Local wester Sydney rivals, battle of the big cats)
Bulldogs (See above)
Raiders (See above)
Roosters (03' Grand Final, Brad Fittler leaving to Sydney from Penrith in 96' began the rivalry)


Rabbitohs;

Roosters (Only remaining foundation teams, local rivals who hate each other. Controversies including Braith Anasta, Craig Wing, SBW vs Sam Burgess and the 14' Prelim final are just some examples)
Dragons (Charity Shield rivals, and the only teams who won the comp from 1953-1968. Strong rivalry with two of the most recognisable kits and logos in rugby league)
Sea Eagles (See above)
Tigers (Rivals since 1909 Grand Final where the Balmain team boycotted and the Rabbitohs kicked off, regathered and scored to win it. Big teams which played in recent and classic rivalry round games)
Bulldogs (See above)


Dragons;

Rabbitohs (see above)
Roosters (ANZAC Day Rivals, played in 75' Grand Final and got demolished 38-0, but got revenge in the 2010 final 32-8. Both great contests and a great rivalry between two famous Sydney clubs)
Tigers (Both merged teams who have competed in big games such as the 05' and 10' Prelim where they have won one a piece)
Raiders (See above)
Broncos (See above)
Storm (See above)
Sharks (See above)
Titans (See above)
Bulldogs (See above)
Knights (See above)


Roosters;

Rabbitohs (See above)
Bulldogs (See above)
Dragons (See above)
Broncos (See above)
Warriors (See above)
Sea Eagles (See above)
Panthers (See above)
Tigers (Strong rivalry since 1908 with both Western Suburbs and Balmain, Western Sydney vs Eastern Sydney, compete(d) in the Foundation Cup every preseason)


Tigers;

Rabbitohs (See above)
Raiders (See above)
Roosters (See above)
Sea Eagles (See above)
Bulldogs (See above)
Sharks (See above)
Cowboys (See above)
Click to expand...
 
rabbitohs95

rabbitohs95

Bench
Messages
4,711
CycloneSteve said:
Wow I didnt realise there were so many.

Ok here is the next challenge. If you could organise the 16 NRL teams into 4 divisions of 4, ensuring that you get the most important rivalries/local derbies in each pool, how would you do it?
Click to expand...

No idea how. But you could condense each team to their biggest 4 rivalries i suppose, while it could go for one team it might not go the same way for the other.

E.g. Broncos vs Dragons might be big for the Broncos, but for the Dragons they have many more bigger rivalries against other teams.
 
Vic Mackey

Vic Mackey

Referee
Messages
26,420
Tigers:

Dragons - two merged teams. Both were strong premiership contenders in 05/10/11 and met in big finals all those years. Played completely opposite styles of footy. Large supporter bases. The moltzen saga/benji etc

Dogs - again large fan bases, located near each other. Have played out some epic games since the NRL came about. Even when the dogs were premiership contenders and the tigers cellar dwellers the tigers would often upset them.

Sea eagles - nothing to do with the silver tails stuff anymore. The players seem to genuinely hate each other. Every year the manly game is where I see the most niggle and out right thuggery in a tigers game. Every time manly lose they end up with like 4 players on report.

Raiders - bit of an odd one but these games are always full of drama and controversy. Incorrect tries, bullshit penalties in golden point, last minute wins, injuries galore. The 2010 semi is a great example of all of these.

Cowboys - the 05 grand final, luke Odonnell wishbone tackle, Farah v watts. There is always something in these games. Again plenty of controversy seemingly every game.

Souths - honestly I've never overly felt this one. Maybe because of the Balmain/souths history but it doesn't feel like a huge rivalry to me. Both teams have been bottom of the ladder so regularly for the past 15 years which I suppose hasn't helped, then when either has had success the others been terrible. Hopefully one day soon they'll both be strong teams because I think this rivalry could be a sleeping giant.

Eels - again it doesn't massively feel like a rivalry but the Easter Monday game last year had the atmosphere and intensity of a final. Hopefully it can continue to build into one of the games biggest days.
 
Last edited:
rabbitohs95

rabbitohs95

Bench
Messages
4,711
Vic Mackey said:
Tigers:

Dragons - two merged teams. Both were strong premiership contenders in 05/10/11 and met in big finals all those years. Played completely opposite styles of footy. Large supporter bases. The moltzen saga/benji etc

Dogs - again large fan bases, located near each other. Have played out some epic games since the NRL came about. Even when the dogs were premiership contenders and the tigers cellar dwellers the tigers would often upset them.

Sea eagles - nothing to do with the silver tails stuff anymore. The players seem to genuinely hate each other. Every year the manly game is where I see the most niggle and out right thuggery in a tigers game. Every time manly lose they end up with like 4 players on report.

Raiders - bit of an odd one but these games are always full of drama and controversy. Incorrect tries, bullshit penalties in golden point, last minute wins, injuries galore. The 2010 semi is a great example of all of these.

Cowboys - the 05 grand final, luke Odonnell wishbone tackle, Farah v watts. There is always something in these games. Again plenty of controversy seemingly every game.

Souths - honestly I've never overly felt this one. Maybe because of the Balmain/souths history but it doesn't feel like a huge rivalry to me. Both teams have been bottom of the ladder so regularly for the past 15 years which I suppose hasn't helped, then when either has had success the others been terrible. Hopefully one day soon they'll both be strong teams because I think this rivalry could be a sleeping giant.

Eels - again it doesn't massively feel like a rivalry but the Easter Monday game last year had the atmosphere and intensity of a final. Hopefully it can continue to build into one of the games biggest days.
Click to expand...


Imagine if most if not all these players were in form

Inglis vs Tedesco
Walker vs Simona
Johnston vs Nofoaluma
Keary vs Moses
Reynolds vs Brooks
Luke vs Farah
Burgess vs Woods
Turner vs Sironen

If the Tigers kept Adam Blair it would've been interesting to see him come up against Glenn Stewart again, especially with the decent rivalry...
 
roofromoz

roofromoz

First Grade
Messages
7,580
From a Penrith perspective, the biggest one is Parra, based on being western Sydney neighbour up/down the M4 from each other, and to a lesser extent little brother v big brother (well, to me anyway).

The next biggest one would be the Roosters. East v West, the 2003 grand final and will be probably be re-ignited next season due to our shenenighans in week 1 of the finals last year.

Third would probably be Canberra, but it only tends to be for commemoration matches centering on the 1990 or 1991 grand finals.
 
Dav0c

Dav0c

Juniors
Messages
291
Not sure if it's a rivalry but as a warriors fan, I always look forward to warriors vs storm. They always deliver.
 
Bulldog Force

Bulldog Force

Referee
Messages
20,619
I always love the Broncos and Storm clashes. Always fast and furious, big hits, flare ups. The 2 biggest teams outside Sydney going to war. I love them.

This is a personal favorite...

[youtube]Lh6xEHj_Zh4[/youtube]
 
Perth Red

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
73,698
too easily thrown around, one GF loss or an incident in a game makes not a great rivalry imo. Games where there is spite and where the result matters more than most games every time, games that draw the big crowds every time, games where a win is as sweet as a Gf appearance. Growing up hating that other club. These are real rivalaries. Then again I grew up on the biggest rivalary in world RL so I guess I am used to the bar being set higher.
 
pennywisealfie

pennywisealfie

Coach
Messages
13,811
Broncos/Storm for sure. Have played each other in the finals in the last 10 years more than any other side, I would say.....and because I like the Broncos the most and I hate Melbourne the most. :p

Broncos fans couldn't care less about SGI. It's just that there are lots of their fans in Brisbane/Gold Coast which makes the crowd and atmosphere massive.
 
W

WireMan

Bench
Messages
4,479
Perth Red said:
too easily thrown around, one GF loss or an incident in a game makes not a great rivalry imo. Games where there is spite and where the result matters more than most games every time, games that draw the big crowds every time, games where a win is as sweet as a Gf appearance. Growing up hating that other club. These are real rivalaries. Then again I grew up on the biggest rivalary in world RL so I guess I am used to the bar being set higher.
Click to expand...

You mean the tin pot hull affair?

Don't be silly. That's just playing at it.
 
maple_69

maple_69

Bench
Messages
4,703
Perth Red said:
too easily thrown around, one GF loss or an incident in a game makes not a great rivalry imo. Games where there is spite and where the result matters more than most games every time, games that draw the big crowds every time, games where a win is as sweet as a Gf appearance. Growing up hating that other club. These are real rivalaries. Then again I grew up on the biggest rivalary in world RL so I guess I am used to the bar being set higher.
Click to expand...

So do you support the Blues or Maroons then?

I agree with the sentiment though. I'd cut the above list down to

Broncos;

Cowboys (Obvious one seeing as they were the only QLD teams for a while)
Titans ('Local' derby)



Bulldogs;

Eels (Big rivals since the 80's as both featured in most of the grand finals through the decade)
Rabbitohs (67' and 14' Grand Final adversaries, both with huge supporter bases that turn up in big numbers)
Roosters (I believe they have played each other in Grand Finals before and have a big rivalry)
Panthers (Western Sydney rivals)
Tigers (Both big western Sydney teams that compete in big games)



Raiders;

Storm (Seemingly have a hoodoo against the Storm especially when played in Melbourne. Local rivals)
Dragons (Famous Canberra hoodoo was broken this year but we all know what happened beforehand)
Panthers (90' and 91' Grand Final adversaries)


Sharks;

Dragons (Local rivals)
Sea Eagles (Grand Final adversaries in 73' and 78' I think)

Titans;

Broncos (See above)




Sea Eagles;

Storm (07' and 08' Grand Final adversaries which has only grown through the years)
Eels (Jamie Lyon fiasco in 2004 really sparked the rivalry)
Rabbitohs (Grand Final combatants through the 50's and early 70's, took Souths players which eventually won them their maiden GF in 72', bitter rivals since, seeing Glenn Stewart in Rabbits gear should be interesting)
Sharks (See above)
Bulldogs (See above)


Storm;

Sea Eagles (See above)
Warriors (ANZAC Day rivals, bit of a bogey team)



Knights;

Knights fans?


Warriors;

Storm (See above)
Broncos (See above)


Cowboys;

Broncos (See above)
Roosters after their two finals wins in 04/14


Eels;

Bulldogs (See above)
Panthers (Local derby, battle of the west)
Manly


Panthers;

Eels (See above)
Bulldogs I think this one has some legs in the next 5 years. Both with great squads, western sydney rivals, potential for big fanbases, big prelims in 04/14 and always good clashes. Two of the best coaches out there
Raiders (See above)
Roosters (03' Grand Final, Brad Fittler leaving to Sydney from Penrith in 96' began the rivalry)


Rabbitohs;

Roosters (Only remaining foundation teams, local rivals who hate each other. Controversies including Braith Anasta, Craig Wing, SBW vs Sam Burgess and the 14' Prelim final are just some examples)
Dragons (Charity Shield rivals, and the only teams who won the comp from 1953-1968. Strong rivalry with two of the most recognisable kits and logos in rugby league)
Bulldogs (See above)


Dragons;

Rabbitohs (see above)
Roosters (ANZAC Day Rivals, played in 75' Grand Final and got demolished 38-0, but got revenge in the 2010 final 32-8. Both great contests and a great rivalry between two famous Sydney clubs)
Raiders (See above)
Sharks (See above)



Roosters;

Rabbitohs (See above)
Dragons (See above)


Tigers;

Rabbitohs (See above)
Bulldogs (See above)
 
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