1.
South Sydney Rabbitohs
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The South Sydney Rabbitohs are a professional Australian rugby league team based in Redfern, a suburb of inner-southern Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital, the club was formed in 1908 as one of the founding members of the New South Wales Rugby Football League, making them one of Australias oldest rugby league teams. They are one of two foundation clubs still present in the NRL, the other being the Sydney Roosters. The Rabbitohs traditional heartland covers the once typically working-class suburbs of inner-south Sydney now generally occupied by factories, the club is based in Redfern, where the clubs administration and training facilities are located, however they have long held a wide supporter base spread all over New South Wales. The teams home ground is currently Stadium Australia in Sydney Olympic Park, the club played in the first round of the newly formed New South Wales Rugby League, defeating North Sydney 11–7 at Birchgrove Oval on 20 April 1908. The team went on to win the inaugural premiership then successfully defended their title in the 1909 season, during these early years Arthur Hennessy was considered the founding father of the South Sydney rugby league club. A hooker and prop forward, Hennessy was Souths first captain and he was also New South Wales first captain and Australias first test captain in 1908. After further premiership success in 1914 and 1918, South Sydney won seven of the eight premierships from 1925–1932, the 1925 side went through the season undefeated and is only one of six Australian premiership sides in history to have achieved this feat. Such was Souths dominance in the years of the rugby league competition that the Rabbitohs were labelled The Pride of the League. South Sydney struggled through most of the 1940s, only making the semifinals on two occasions, South Sydneys longest losing streak of 22 games was during the period 1945–1947. In the 1945 season they managed to win one game while in 1946 they were unable to win a single game. In the 1950s South Sydney again had success, winning five of the six premierships from 1950–1955. Players that were involved in these years included Denis Donoghue, Jack Rayner, Les Chicka Cowie, Johnny Graves, Ian Moir, Greg Hawick, Ernie Hammerton, Bernie Purcell and Clive Churchill. Churchill, nicknamed the Little Master for his brilliant attacking play, is universally regarded as one of the greatest ever Australian rugby league players. In the late 1950s Souths began a run of form failing to make the finals from 1958–1964. However, in 1965 a talented young side made the Grand Final against St. George who were aiming to secure their 10th straight premiership. The young Rabbitohs werent overawed by the Dragons formidable experience and in front of a crowd of 78,056 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Financial problems started to hit Souths in the early 1970s, forcing players to go to other clubs
2.
Balmain Tigers
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The Balmain Tigers are a rugby league football club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in the history of the premiership. In 1999 they formed a joint venture club with the neighbouring Western Suburbs Magpies club to form the Wests Tigers for competition in the National Rugby League and they no longer field any senior teams in the lower divisions. At the time of the joint venture only South Sydney Rabbitohs, the clubs home grounds are at present Leichhardt Oval, in Lilyfield, and T. G Milner Sportsground, in Marsfield. The distinctive black and gold colours of their 1908 thin striped jerseys lead their fans to nickname them THE TIGERS. Though it is claimed they were known as The Watersiders in the early days. It seemed to be used to not only to most Balmain sporting teams. The following boxing quote is an example, taken from Sydney Sportsman 11 Dec,1901. On Xmas Eve, Cam Brookes and Ike Stewart, heavyweights, meet at the Golden Gate, Brookes is another Balmain boy, as late as the 1930s some journalists were still using both Tigers and Watersiders in the same article. One of the earliest newspaper references to Balmain & Tigers appears in The Arrow 12 August 1911, the journalist Gulliver in his Football Notes column reports, W. G. B. Writes, Who said Balmain werent rough and he is very wild, but not so wild as the Balmain footballers. In 1908 Australias first season of rugby league began in Sydney, one of the clubs founders was future Premier of New South Wales, John Storey. Their home ground was Birchgrove Park, Wallabies game at Souths home ground. Souths were officially awarded the Premiership when they kicked off to an empty half of the field, Tigers dominance continued winning the 1919 and 1920 seasons comfortably. When they won the 1924 premiership this would be the last success for Balmain for over a decade to come and it would not be until 1939 the Tigers won back the Premiership smashing Souths 33-4. The weekend of the Final will also be remembered for the invasion of Poland by Germany which led to England, post-World War II marked a golden era for Balmain with the Tigers reaching five consecutive Grand Finals winning three of them. In the 1944 Grand Final the Tigers beat the strong favourites Newtown 19-16, Balmain reached the Grand Final again in 1945 but fell at the last hurdle against Easts 22-18. The loss was not long remembered as the Tigers went on to take out the two seasons, beating St George 14-12 in 1946, and Canterbury 13-9 in 1947
3.
Western Suburbs Magpies
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The Western Suburbs Magpies are an Australian rugby league football club based in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 1908, Wests, as they are referred to, were one of the nine foundation clubs of the first New South Wales Rugby League competition in Australia. The club, as an entity, departed the top-flight competition in 1999 after forming a 50–50 joint venture with Balmain Tigers to form the Wests Tigers. The club currently fields sides in the Ron Massey Cup, Sydney Shield, S. G. Ball Cup, Campbelltown Stadium, which has a capacity of 20,000, is their home stadium. The club was one of the members of the Sydney rugby football league competition in 1908. Founded at a meeting on 4 February 1908 at Ashfield Town Hall, though they spent long periods of time as also-rans they did taste premiership success four times in the mid 20th century. They won their first premiership in 1930, beating St George 27–2, four years later they defeated Eastern Suburbs to win their second title. For the 1944 NSWRFL season Queensland 1910s representative player Henry Bolewski became coach the Western Suburbs club, replacing Alf Blair, Wests improved slightly on the previous season, finishing 5th, but failing to make the finals, and Bolewski was replaced by club great, Frank McMillan. Wests won a pair of premierships, beating Balmain in 1948. Both times they defeated a club hunting its third title in a row, apart from these occasions, the club was famous for three successive grand final matches in 1961,1962 and 1963 against the St George Dragons in the midst of their 11-premiership run. The club boasted footballers such as halfback Arthur Summons, Harry Bomber Wells, Kel OShea, Noel Kelly, the 1963 grand final was immortalised in a photograph which became known as The Gladiators after St. George captain Norm Provan and Summons trudged off the field together. A final period of glory beckoned in the late 1970s where they spent a few years at the top or near-top of the table, however attractive offers from other clubs and then doubts about the clubs viability led to years of exodus of talent. Wests did manage to win the 1977 Amco Cup, John Ribot, a winger for Wests, was the top try-scorer for the 1980 season. In 1983 the NSWRFL attempted to expel Wests from the competition, eventually, Wests relocated to Campbelltown in 1987. Ironically, this was where Newtown had unsuccessfully tried to move to four years earlier, Wests begun a rebuilding process in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Laurie Freier started the 1988 Winfield Cup season as the coach but was replaced during the season by John Bailey. The club made the finals in 1991 and 1992 under coach Warren Ryan. They were also NSWRL Club Champions in 1991 when all three made the semi-finals
4.
Newcastle Rebels
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Newcastle were a rugby league team who played in the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership from 1908–1909, one of the nine foundation clubs. After the formation of clubs in January 1908, members of the NSWRFL came to Newcastle to hold talks with the local footballing community at a meeting on 8 February 1908. However, at meeting the motion to have a public meeting was lost. The local rugby union fraternity threatened sanctions and further recruitment occurred in secret, finally a band of Rebel Pioneers assembled and signed up on 10 April, just days before the start of the competition. Sometimes called the Rebels, Newcastle played in a strip of red and they boasted the likes of dual-code international Pat Walsh in their side. Their moment of glory came in the weeks of 1909 when they beat league leaders South Sydney 7-6 on 7 August in front of 3,000 spectators at the Newcastle Showground. It was Souths only loss for the season and this had come three days after beating a New Zealand Maori team. Newcastle finished fourth and made the semis but were beaten by Souths 20-0, the following year, the team left the NSWRL as a local Newcastle Rugby League competition was established and many players joined the four Newcastle foundation clubs. They were replaced by Annandale in the NSWRL, in 1988, a new team, the Newcastle Knights again represented the Newcastle district in the NSWRL and its successors. In 2008 the Newcastle Knights wore a special red and white hooped jersey to celebrate the regions rugby league heritage for the NRLs heritage round. Stan Carpenter was the captain of the club who played their first match against Glebe. This was then followed by a bye in the round of the premiership. A win against Western Suburbs was followed by a loss against North Sydney in round five, arguably the most significant event of the season for the club was in round six when they were scheduled to play against Newtown in the only match of the weekend. This fact meant that a crowd of 14,000, the second largest in the season, in this match Newcastle were able to win 17–8. The club had a draw at the end of the season. All three of the losses were against the eventual finalists - two against the eventual premiers South Sydney and the other against the runners-up, Eastern Suburbs, Pat Walsh Pat Walsh Power, Bob. The Rebels of Rugby, The Story of Newcastle Rugby League Pioneers The Bolsheviks vs
5.
Sydney Roosters
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The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. Only the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the St. George Dragons have won more premierships, the club holds the record for having the most wins and the second greatest margin of victory in a match in Australian rugby league history. The Eastern Suburbs DRLFC is the club to have played in each and every season at the elite level. Coached by Trent Robinson along with captains Boyd Cordner and Jake Friend, as such, much of the clubs merchandise and paraphernalia, especially those marketed directly to long-serving and dedicated members, includes the insignia ESDRLFC. Indeed, the suburb of Sydney, postcode 2000, falls entirely within the boundaries of the ESDRLFC. Unofficially nicknamed the Tricolours due to their red, white and blue playing strip, Eastern Suburbs won its first match, however, the club rapidly declined and failed to win the premiership for the next nine seasons. Eastern Suburbs missed the finals once from 1926 to 1942, and in time won four titles. During this period, Dave Brown set several point-scoring records that still stand, in 1935, the team lost just one game, and recorded the highest winning margin in their history, an 87–7 victory over Canterbury. In 1936, Eastern Suburbs became one of five teams in history to remain undefeated for an entire season. They are the club to remain unbeaten for two consecutive seasons. Despite claiming the premiership in 1945, Eastern Suburbs failed to make the finals for the seven seasons. A runners-up finish in 1960 was the closest the club came to claiming the premiership during this era, Eastern Suburbs were soundly defeated 31–6 in the grand final that year, by the famous record-beating St George outfit. In 1966, the fell to new depths and was winless for the first time in its history. It was also the last occasion in which the Roosters won the wooden spoon until claiming it again in the 2009 season. It ended a run for Eastern Suburbs, from 1963 to 1966, they won 8 of 72 matches, finishing second to last in 1964. The club underwent a renaissance in 1967 after appointing Jack Gibson as coach, and introducing a new emblem on the playing jerseys, from 1972 to 1982, the Roosters won four minor premierships and played in four grand finals, winning two consecutively. Gibson, now dubbed as Super Coach, returned to lead the team from 1974 to 1976, in 1974 and 1975, the team won 39 of 44 matches, both minor premierships, and both grand finals and set a premiership record of 19 consecutive wins. Between 1984 and 1995, the Roosters reached the semi-finals once, the club came close to reaching the premiership in 1987 under coach and favourite son Arthur Beetson, being defeated by eventual premiers Manly in a bruising major semi-final, 10–6
6.
Glebe (rugby league team)
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They were formed on 9 January 1908, with some sources suggesting that they may have been the first Sydney rugby league club to have been created. They were nicknamed and well known as the Dirty Reds due to the colour of their playing jerseys. Based in Glebe, New South Wales and playing most of their home out of the local Wentworth Oval. Though they came close at times, the club was never able to secure a premiership title, after struggling towards the end of the 1920s the club was eventually voted out of the premiership. The club was revived in late 2015 and intends to field teams in 2017 for the first time in 87 years, at the turn of the 20th century, Glebe was a working-class suburb of Sydney, situated a few kilometres to the west of the city centre. A Glebe team had played in the Sydney second grade competition for a number of years. Glebe immediately made a big impact on the competition, winning all three grades in the inaugural season before taking out another three first grade titles over the next seven years. When the push for the formation of a new rugby league competition began. The Glebe District Rugby League Football Club was formed as a result on 8 January 1908, there was much support from both players and locals for the new team and this was considered an achievement in itself for the New South Wales Rugby League. As with the rugby team, the new rugby league club chose to play in maroon-coloured jerseys. The club began their campaign with an 8–5 victory over Newcastle on 20 April 1908. Throughout the season they remained close to or on top of the ladder and with one round remaining were on equal points with South Sydney. In their semi final, Glebe went down 16–3 to minor premiers South Sydney and were knocked out of the competition, in 1909, the club again lost their final regular-season match against Balmain 10–5 and ended up missing out on a possible finals berth by virtue of the loss. In 1910, the club had a season and had little chance of ever taking the premiership out. The 1911 season was arguably the most successful in the clubs history and they also secured their first-ever victory over local rivals Balmain, winning 41–2 in the second last regular-season match of the season. However, they came up against an Eastern Suburbs side led by Dally Messenger who had won six matches straight. In a match where Glebe were leading almost all the way, Eastern Suburbs fought back and took the lead within the ten minutes to 11–8. In round four, Glebe faced Eastern Suburbs in front of a crowd of 22,000 at the Royal Agricultural Society Grounds
7.
1908 NSWRFL season
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The season culminated in the first premiership final, for the Royal Agricultural Society Challenge Shield, which was contested by Eastern Suburbs and South Sydney. Early in the 20th century in Sydney, the game of football was contested in competitions that were affiliated with the Rugby Football Union based in England. In 1895 the breakaway Northern Rugby Football Union was formed and its own version of football started to evolve. The reasons for this split were ultimately based around the fact that clubs had wanted to compensate their players for time away from due to injuries. When crowd numbers started to rise, clubs were able to afford to pay players benefits as a result of increased gate takings. In 1906 in Sydney, crowd numbers for football began to increase significantly following the emergence of a special player, Dally Messenger. It was around this time that the discontent of players with their clubs for continually failing to shift away from the culture of the Rugby Football Union was starting to show. Even though bigger crowds had brought increased revenue to the game, on 8 August 1907 a group of leading players and supporters met at Batemans Hotel, George Street, Sydney and resolved to form the New South Wales Rugby Football League. It would turn out to be Messengers popularity that would ensure the success of the new competition, the popularity amongst players in support of the new competition was overwhelming, with only some players deciding to continue playing in the traditional amateur Rugby Football Union competition. The Rugby Football League clubs that were formed were essentially breakaway clubs, a key aspect of the new code was that players would be paid for playing the game. Adopting the playing rules of the rebel Northern Union of England, the 1907–08 All Golds arrived back in Australia on 9 April. They spread themselves around the eight clubs that were preparing for the season, the team watched the first round of the competition before heading to Newcastle and playing the first game of rugby league in that city. They then played matches against New South Wales and Australia before heading north to Queensland, the final test was held on 6 June and Australia defeated New Zealand 14–9 for their first test win. A New Zealand Māori side had arrived in Sydney in the first week of June and they played four matches in New South Wales before also heading north to Queensland. On their return they played three matches, including one against Australia, before financial and legal disputes ended the tour. Eight teams contested the first round of the season, seven teams from Sydney, another Sydney team, Cumberland, joined the competition in the second round, making it nine teams in total, however the club exited the League at the end of the season. All four games of the opening round were played on 20 April 1908. Two games were held at Wentworth Park and the two at Birchgrove Oval
8.
1910 NSWRFL season
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The 1910 NSWRFL season was the third season of the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership, Sydney’s top-level rugby league club competition, Australia’s first. Eight teams from across the city contested during the season for the premiership, during the season, many of the league’s top players took part in matches of the 1910 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia. On 23 July 1910 at the Sydney Showground the South Sydney club defeated Western Suburbs 67–0 and this would stand as Souths’ highest ever score and biggest winning margin in a premiership game for over one hundred years. It was not beaten in the NSWRFL until St. George defeated Canterbury-Bankstown 91–6 on 11 May 1935 – this remains the record score, during the season Annandale’s Ray, Roy, Rex and Bernard Norman became the first set of four brothers to play in the same NSWRFL side. The Leagues takings for all matches this year amounted to £13,512, with the loss of Cumberland at the end of the 1908 season, the league remained with eight teams, a preferable outcome since no byes would be needed. However by the end of the 1909 season, interest for a local Newcastle competition as well as the difficulties of travel for the Newcastle side saw it pull out of the premiership. As a result, a team from Annandale joined the premiership to leave the competition eight teams. Also this season St. Lukes Park became the Western Suburbs clubs homeground, Newtown finished on top of the Leagues ladder at the end of the regular season. Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the finished the round inside the top 2. Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round, the top two teams, Newtown and South Sydney, played off in a memorable match in front of fifteen or sixteen thousand people at the Sydney Showground on 17 September 1910. Leading 4-2 with reportedly only seconds to go, South Sydney seemed set to take out their third straight premiership, the rules at the time allowed Hawkes to claim a fair mark and Newtown to have a shot at goal. Newtown captain Charles Boxer Russell was successful in kicking the goal from a position, allowing Newtown to tie the game. Newtown 4 drew with South Sydney Rabbitohs 4 Collis, Ian, Whiticker, archived from the original on 7 August 2013. Rugby League Tables - Season 1910, archived from the original on 8 October 2014. Premiership History and Statistics RL19081910 - Stunning Goal Gives Newtown The Title RL1908 Annandale RLFC RL1908 Newcastle RLFC RL1908 Results, 1908-1910 at rabbitohs. com. au
9.
Sydney
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Sydney /ˈsɪdni/ is the state capital of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia and Oceania. Located on Australias east coast, the metropolis surrounds the worlds largest natural harbour, residents of Sydney are known as Sydneysiders. The Sydney area has been inhabited by indigenous Australians for at least 30,000 years, the first British settlers, led by Captain Arthur Phillip, arrived in 1788 to found Sydney as a penal colony, the first European settlement in Australia. Since convict transportation ended in the century, the city has transformed from a colonial outpost into a major global cultural. As at June 2016 Sydneys estimated population was 5,005,358, in the 2011 census,34 percent of the population reported having been born overseas, representing many different nationalities and making Sydney one of the most multicultural cities in the world. There are more than 250 different languages spoken in Sydney and about one-third of residents speak a language other than English at home and it is classified as an Alpha+ World City by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network, indicating its influence in the region and throughout the world. Ranked eleventh in the world for economic opportunity, Sydney has a market economy with strengths in finance, manufacturing. Its gross regional product was $337 billion in 2013, the largest in Australia, there is a significant concentration of foreign banks and multinational corporations in Sydney and the city is promoted as one of Asia Pacifics leading financial hubs. Its natural features include Sydney Harbour, the Royal National Park, man-made attractions such as the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Tower and the Sydney Harbour Bridge are also well known to international visitors. The first people to inhabit the now known as Sydney were indigenous Australians having migrated from northern Australia. Radiocarbon dating suggests human activity first started to occur in the Sydney area from around 30,735 years ago, the earliest British settlers called them Eora people. Eora is the term the indigenous used to explain their origins upon first contact with the British. Its literal meaning is from this place, prior to the arrival of the British there were 4,000 to 8,000 native people in Sydney from as many as 29 different clans. Sydney Cove from Port Jackson to Petersham was inhabited by the Cadigal clan, the principal language groups were Darug, Guringai, and Dharawal. The earliest Europeans to visit the area noted that the people were conducting activities such as camping and fishing, using trees for bark and food, collecting shells. Development has destroyed much of the citys history including that of the first inhabitants, there continues to be examples of rock art and engravings located in the protected Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. The first meeting between the people and the British occurred on 29 April 1770 when Lieutenant James Cook landed at Botany Bay on the Kurnell Peninsula. He noted in his journal that they were confused and somewhat hostile towards the foreign visitors, Cook was on a mission of exploration and was not commissioned to start a settlement
10.
Rugby league
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Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field. One of the two codes of football, it originated in England in 1895 as a split from the Rugby Football Union over the issue of payments to players. Its rules gradually changed with the aim of producing a faster, in rugby league, points are scored by carrying the ball and touching it to the ground beyond the opposing teams goal line, this is called a try, and is the primary method of scoring. The opposing team attempts to stop the side scoring points by tackling the player carrying the ball. In addition to tries, points can be scored by kicking goals, after each try, the scoring team gains a free kick to try at goal with a conversion for further points. Kicks at goal may also be awarded for penalties, and field goals can be attempted at any time. Rugby league is a sport in Northern England, the states of Queensland and New South Wales in Australia, New Zealand. The European Super League and Australasian National Rugby League are the club competitions. Rugby league is played internationally, predominantly by European, Australasian and Pacific Island countries, the first Rugby League World Cup was held in France in 1954, the current holders are Australia. The first of these, the Northern Rugby Football Union, was established in 1895 as a faction of Englands Rugby Football Union. Similar breakaway factions split from RFU-affiliated unions in Australia and New Zealand in 1907 and 1908, renaming themselves rugby football leagues, in 1922, the Northern Union also changed its name to the Rugby Football League and thus over time the sport itself became known as rugby league football. In 1895, a schism in Rugby football resulted in the formation of the Northern Rugby Football Union, within fifteen years of that first meeting in Huddersfield, more than 200 RFU clubs had left to join the rugby revolution. In 1897, the line-out was abolished and in 1898 professionalism introduced, in 1906, the Northern Union changed its rules, reducing teams from 15 to 13 a side and replacing the ruck formed after every tackle with the play the ball. A similar schism to that which occurred in England took place in Sydney, There, on 8 August 1907 the New South Wales Rugby Football League was founded at Batemans Hotel in George Street. Rugby league then went on to rugby union as the primary football code in New South Wales. On 5 May 1954 over 100,000 spectators watched the 1953–54 Challenge Cup Final at Odsal Stadium, Bradford, England, also in 1954 the Rugby League World Cup, the first for either code of rugby, was formed at the instigation of the French. In 1966, the International Board introduced a rule that a team in possession was allowed three play-the-balls and on the tackle a scrum was to be formed. This was increased to six tackles in 1972 and in 1983 the scrum was replaced by a handover,1967 saw the first professional Sunday matches of rugby league played
11.
Newcastle, New South Wales
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Located 162 kilometres north-northeast of Sydney, at the mouth of the Hunter River, it is the predominant city within the Hunter Region. Famous for its coal, Newcastle is the largest coal exporting harbour in the world, beyond the city, the Hunter Region possesses large coal deposits. Geologically, the area is located in the part of the Sydney basin. Newcastle and the lower Hunter Region were traditionally occupied by the Awabakal and Worimi Aboriginal People, in September 1797 Lieutenant John Shortland became the first European settler to explore the area. His discovery of the area was largely accidental, as he had sent in search of a number of convicts who had seized HMS Cumberland as she was sailing from Sydney Cove. While returning, Lt. Shortland entered what he described as a very fine river. He returned with reports of the port and the areas abundant coal. Over the next two years, coal mined from the area was the New South Wales colonys first export, Newcastle gained a reputation as a hellhole as it was a place where the most dangerous convicts were sent to dig in the coal mines as harsh punishment for their crimes. By the start of the 19th century the mouth of the Hunter River was being visited by groups of men, including coal diggers, timber-cutters. Philip Gidley King, the Governor of New South Wales from 1800, in 1801, a convict camp called Kings Town was established to mine coal and cut timber. In the same year, the first shipment of coal was dispatched to Sydney and this settlement closed less than a year later. A settlement was attempted in 1804, as a place of secondary punishment for unruly convicts. The settlement was named Coal River, also Kingstown and then renamed Newcastle, the new settlement, comprising convicts and a military guard, arrived at the Hunter River on 27 March 1804 in three ships, HMS Lady Nelson, the Resource and the James. The convicts were rebels from the 1804 Castle Hill convict rebellion, Morpeth, New South Wales is a similar distance north of Newcastle as Morpeth, Northumberland is north of Newcastle upon Tyne. Under Captain James Wallis, commandant from 1815 to 1818, the conditions improved. The quality of these first buildings was poor, and only breakwater survives, during this period, in 1816, the oldest public school in Australia was built in East Newcastle. Newcastle remained a settlement until 1822, when the settlement was opened up to farming. As a penal colony, the rule was harsh, especially at Limeburners Bay
12.
Victor Trumper
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Archie MacLaren said of him, Compared to Victor I was a cab-horse to a Derby winner. Trumper was also a key figure in the foundation of rugby league in Australia, Trumper was probably born in Sydney, no definite record of his birth exists. Trumpers parents are believed to be Charles Thomas Trumper and his wife Louise Alice Louie, Trumper was educated at Crown Street Superior Public School and showed early ability as a batsman. When only 17 years old Trumper made 67 runs for a team of promising juniors against Andrew Stoddarts touring English team at Sydney Cricket Ground, in 1894/95 he played for New South Wales against South Australia but made only 11 and 0 runs in his two innings. At his next attempt he also failed with the bat and was out of representative cricket for two years. M. A. Noble, always a judge, was confident about young Vics ability. He soon showed his ability, scoring 135 not out against England at Lords Cricket Ground and 300 not out against Sussex and that bat now belongs to the Australian Museum collection in Canberra. Trumpers most remarkable Test season was played in England in 1902 and it was one of the wettest summers on record, yet Trumper in 53 innings scored 2,570 runs, and without a single not out had an average of 48.49. Fry added, He had no style, and yet he was all style and he had no fixed canonical method of play, he defied all orthodox rules, yet every stroke he played satisfied the ultimate criterion of style – the minimum of effort, the maximum of effect. No one, wrote Plum Warner, ever played so naturally, batting seemed just part of himself, and he was as modest as he was magnificent. Trumper was modest, retiring and generous, a teetotaller and non-smoker, his general conduct was an example to his fellow players, and he was a great favourite with the public both in England and Australia. Monty Noble had no hesitation in calling him the worlds greatest batsman, in August 1904, Trumper, with Hanson Carter, opened a sports store in Market Street, Sydney. Although he is best known for his prowess as a cricketer, Trumper was also a competent rugby player and he hosted meetings at his store during 1907 as discontent amongst players with the games administration grew louder. On 8 August 1907 at Batemans Crystal Hotel, George Street, Sydney independent politician Henry Hoyle chaired a meeting of fifty, comprising several leading rugby players and officials. The New South Wales Rugby Football League, the body that would go on to conduct the national rugby league premiership of Australia, was founded. Trumpers health during this period declined to the point where he missed the 1908/09 season due to illness, at the beginning of the 1909 NSWRFL season the League, which was almost broke, had met and kicked out its founders, Trumper, Hoyle and J J Giltinan. In 1912 Trumper opened Victor Trumper and Dodge Ltd. a sports and mercery store in George Street, some notable highlights of Trumpers career include scoring 292 against Tasmania, including a century before lunch, scoring 100 in 58 minutes against Victoria,201 against South Australia. His last 68 first-class innings, from 1910 to 1914, gave him an average of 60 and his ability as a batsman, however, cannot be valued by averages or the number of runs scored
13.
J J Giltinan
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James Joseph Giltinan was an Australian entrepreneur who helped to found the sport of rugby league football in Australia. Giltinan Shield, which is awarded annually to the National Rugby League minor premiers, was named after him, on 8 August 1907 at Batemans Crystal Hotel, George Street, Sydney politician Henry Hoyle chaired a meeting of fifty, comprising several leading rugby players and officials. The New South Wales Rugby Football League, the body that would go on to conduct the national rugby league premiership of Australia, was founded. Before that he had invited the 1907 All Golds New Zealand professional rugby team to tour Australia en route to Britain, J. J. Giltinan led the first Kangaroo tour to England in 1908. An all round sports enthusiast, Giltinan had also officiated as an umpire in representative cricket matches, at the begninning of the season, the 1909 NSWRFL season the League had met and kicked out its founders, Giltinan, Victor Trumper and Henry Hoyle although, J. J. Giltinan remained Hon. Secretary of the New South Wales Rugby League from its inception until the six months of his life. Giltinan was also President of the Annandale Rugby League Club during the early years. In 1935, Giltinan formed a breakaway from the established Sydney Flying Squadron and his tenure at the Australian 18 Footers League culminated in his founding the JJ Giltinan International Trophy. This event is effectively the world championships for the spectacular 18ft Skiff class and is contested each year on Sydney Harbour, giltinans last public appearance was when he watched the Kangaroos win the ashes at the S. C. G. on 22 July 1950. He died less than 3 months later on 6 September 1950 and his funeral was held the following day at St. The President of the New South Wales Rugby League, Harry Jersey Flegg also attended the large funeral, the J J Giltinan Shield was created for the following New South Wales Rugby Football League season in his honour. Giltinan was awarded membership of the New South Wales Rugby League in 1914. Giltinan was born on 30 August 1866 and is a relative of notable Australian tennis professional Bob Giltinan, in The First Kangaroos, a 1988 British–Australian made for TV sports film, the role of James Giltinan was played by well known Australian actor Chris Haywood. James Joseph Giltinan biography at Sport Australia Hall of Fame
14.
Edward Larkin
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He was one of only two serving members of any Australian parliament to fall in World War I. Larkin was the member for Willoughby in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from December 1913 until his death, Larkin was born at North Lambton, New South Wales, to William Joseph Larkin, a quarryman and his wife Mary Ann, née Rennix. His family moved to Camperdown in Sydney where the young Ted Larkin was schooled at St Benedicts Broadway, for his last two years of senior schooling he boarded at St. Josephs College, Hunters Hill, where he played in the colleges 1896 first rugby XV. After school he worked in journalism before joining the Metropolitan Police Force in 1903 as a foot-constable and his prematurely grey hair made him appear much older than he actually was. Larkin played hooker for the Australian representative side, in a pack featuring future rugby league pioneers and dual-code rugby internationals Alex Burdon, Denis Lutge, the Australians were soundly beaten 22-3. The breakaway in Australia took place in 1908, as it had earlier in 1895 with the Northern Union in Northern England, a gifted public speaker, Larkin had continued to develop a strong sense of social justice during his years in the police force. In June 1909 Larkin left the force and was appointed the first full-time secretary of the almost bankrupt New South Wales Rugby League. He was an excellent organizer and had success in promoting the new game evidenced by the crowd of 42,000 who filled the Agricultural Oval in June 1910 to see the Australia v Great Britain Test. During his administration which lasted till 1913, he convinced the Catholic education hierarchy, the code benefits from this legacy to this day in New South Wales and Queensland. In December 1913 Larkin stood as the Australian Labor Party candidate for the seat of Willoughby winning 51. 61% of the vote in a second ballot. He was living at Milsons Point at the time and became the first Labor Member of Parliament elected from the side of the harbor. Ted Larkins promising career was cut short with the outbreak of World War I on 4 August 1914, demonstrating a patriotic fervor Larkin enlisted within ten days of wars declaration joining C Company of the 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade of the First Australian Imperial Forces 1st Division. In his final address to the NSW Parliament, on 18 August 1914, Larkin said, I cannot engage in the work of recruiting, gray quotes a brief poem published in the Sydney Sun in 1918 acclaiming Larkin for his virtue in enlisting. The battalion left Australia in October 1914, arriving in Egypt on 2 December, Larkins brother Martin also embarked on the Transport A19 Afric for Egypt where Ted, a sergeant was active in promoting games of rugby league amongst the troops. The battalion landed at Anzac Cove at dawn on 25 April 1915 as part of the second and it took part in the desperate struggle for the dominating hill known as Baby 700. The Turks wrested control of the hill and counter-attacked to drive the Australians from the high ground and that afternoon Ted Larkin died from a chest wound in a hail of machine gun fire. His brother Martin aged 37 also lost his life that day on the heights above Anzac Cove, Ted and Martin were both awarded posthumously the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. The 1915 Sydney rugby league City Cup grand final was held as a testimonial for Ted Larkins widow and sons, the St Josephs College Old Boys Union set up the Sergeant Larkin Bursary to help finance his sons fees at the College
15.
Queensland Rugby League
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The Queensland Rugby Football League is the governing body for rugby league in Queensland. It is a member of the Australian Rugby League Commission and selects the members of the Queensland rugby league team, the QRL aims to foster, develop, extend, govern and control Rugby League Football throughout the State of Queensland. Today the QRL administers the rugby league through its regional divisions and it is also responsible for the Queensland Rugby League team. The QRLs headquarters are on Vulture Street, Woolloongabba in Brisbane, the Queensland Rugby Football League was formed in 1908 by seven rugby players who were dissatisfied with the administration of the Queensland Rugby Union as the Queensland Rugby Association. Those founding fathers were Micky Dore, George Watson, Jack Fihelly, E Buchanan, Alf Faulkner and Sine Boland. On 16 May that year a hastily assembled Queensland team played the touring New Zealand All Golds side in Brisbane, later that month there were three representative games against New South Wales, which acted as selection trials for a national team. Other teams that entered the competition include, Milton, South Brisbane, West End, Natives, Merthyr, the QRL administers rugby league in Queensland through the following divisions. As of 2010 the Central, South West and Wide Bay divisions were amalgamated to form the new Central Division, since 1998 the team winning the Queensland Cup is considered to be the premier club team in Queensland. The Brisbane A-Grade Rugby League, also known as the FOGS Cup, and it is regarded as the division below the Queensland Cup. The Foley Shield competition began in North Queensland in 1948, with the introduction of the Queensland Cup in 1996 the Foley Shield competition was scrapped, only to be reintroduced in 2000. Since the revamp in 2000 it has only contested by the three largest cities in North Queensland, Cairns, Mackay and Townsville. The Cyril Connell & Mal Meninga Cups were introduced in 2009 to provide a pathway for young rugby players to reach the professional levels of the game. Named after famous Queensland rugby league personalities Cyril Connell and Mal Meninga, both competitions have the same structure of sixteen team split into two geographically aligned groups. Pool A contains teams from outside of Brisbane while Pool B comprises teams from the Brisbane metropolitan area, the teams are, Rugby league in Queensland Australian Rugby League Queensland Rugby League team Constitution of the Queensland Rugby Football League Limited. Archived from the original on 24 October 2009, official website Leagues Queensland page Queensland Rugby League History Rugby League clubs in Queensland Queensland Masters Rugby League Association inc
16.
Cumberland (rugby league team)
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Cumberland, officially known as Central Cumberland, were a rugby league team in 1908 based in the region of Cumberland Plain in western Sydney. They were one of the nine teams in the first New South Wales Rugby League season. They are the shortest lived team in the history of rugby league in Australia after disbanding late that year. Statistically, they are the club with the poorest all-time record, only lasting eight games in their inaugural, the Cumberland area was dominated by rugby union, another form of the game, as the main winter sport. The local Kings School took part in a competition of rugby union with other clubs Aallaroo, Calder House, Civil, Lyndhurst, Military, Newington, North Shore. These teams in the area by 1900, were put under the banner of Western Suburbs Rugby Union. The club was formed on the night of 21 April 1908 at Horse and Jockey Hotel, Homebush, on that morning, Sydney newspaper The Daily Telegraph advertised a meeting for that night to discuss the formation of rugby league club in the Cumberland area. The meeting was attended by annoyed members of the Western Suburbs Rugby Union Club who were asked to form a league club under the name Central Cumberland. When the Western Suburbs formed their club, most of their players had come from Ashfield Rugby Union Club, all but two of the first grade team of Western Suburbs Rugby Union Club rejected offers from Western Suburbs. However, when Cumberland were looking for players,23 of the 27 players present at the signed with the club. The NSWRL were reluctant to admit a ninth team into the premiership, however, the clubs involved declined so the NSWRL agreed to allowing the Cumberland team to a trial match against Eastern Suburbs. While Eastern Suburbs won the match 18–4, the NSWRL was convinced of that they could be competitive, as the NSWRL premiership had already begun, the NSWRL had to reformat the draw to include Cumberland, which meant increasing the number of teams from eight to nine. Cumberland did not have a ground, like some of the other teams. The first match played was against Souths on 9 May 1908 and despite the loss. Though the game, which Cumberland lost 23–2 was played as a curtain-raiser to a match between Australia and New Zealand. Abercrombie scored another penalty goal to make it 9–6, after which Bloomfield intercepted a pass, kicked the ball, Cumberland won its only game in the premiership season and ever. In what turned out to be their final game, Cumberland were only able to field eleven out of the required thirteen players. The club ended up borrowing two players from the opposing team North Sydney to play for them, who were Paddy Boland and they lost this game 45–0 and were awarded the wooden spoon for finishing on the bottom of the competition ladder
17.
North Sydney Bears
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The North Sydney Bears are an Australian rugby league football club based in North Sydney, New South Wales. They compete in the New South Wales Cup, having exited the National Rugby League following the 1999 NRL season after 92 years of top-grade competition, the Bears are based on Sydneys Lower North Shore, and have played at North Sydney Oval since 1910. There is a bid supporting a resurrection of the club in the NRL as the Central Coast Bears, based in Gosford, New South Wales. The club was established in 1908, making it one of the founding members of the New South Wales Rugby Football League. North Sydney are presently in partnership with the Rabbitohs serving as Souths reserve grade side, until the end of season 2009, Souths were coached by the Bears record-breaking top points scorer, Jason Taylor. North Sydney was formed as a club of the newly arrived rugby league game in 1908 and were known as the Shoremen. Like the other Sydney district clubs, Norths were largely born from players and officials from the local Rugby Union club, the club initially struggled to obtain access to North Sydney Oval, but council obstruction was removed and the Shoremen played their first real home game in 1910. Many good players such as Andy Morton, Jimmy Devereaux and Sid Deane were lost to English clubs in the years making the semi-finals in the season of 1908. They were nearly dropped from the competition during World War I because of dwindling spectator numbers, towards the end of the war, Norths fortunes improved, playing quality and spectators numbers increased and they won 2 premierships in 1921–22 coached by Chris McKivat. Unfortunately, these would be their last first grade premierships and their last grand final appearance was in 1943, when an injury riddled North Sydney were beaten by Newtown 34–7. North Sydneys Captain-coach in the Grand Final of 1943 was the doyen of rugby league broadcasters. As Lane Cove was in North Sydneys district, the club protested to the NSWRFL, the team became known as the North Sydney Bears during the 1950s after accepting a sponsorship from the nearby Big Bear supermarket at Neutral Bay. The 1952 season saw North Sydney reach the finals for the first time since 1943, the Bears continued to make appearances in the finals during the next few decades, and produced arguably the greatest winger the game has ever seen in Ken Irvine. Irvine still hold the record for most first grade tries for one club, New South Wales representative Queenslander, Bruce Walker, captained the Bears in the final of the 1976 Amco Cup. The nineties saw finals appearances and near misses in 1991, on 14 July 1994 the club was fined $87,000 for breaching the salary cap. That year they came within one match of the grand final, North Sydney remained loyal to the Australian Rugby League during the Super League war of the mid-1990s. In the 1996 ARL season the Bears came within one match of the Grand Final, the following year saw two separate national rugby league championships, and confirmation of the clubs intention to move north to New South Wales Central Coast. Due to having a debt of around $4 million, the North Sydney club were not even considered for the NRLs inclusion criteria
18.
Newtown Jets
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The Newtown Jets are an Australian rugby league football club based in Newtown, a suburb of Sydneys inner west. They currently compete in the New South Wales Cup competition, having left the top grade after the 1983 NSWRFL season, the Jets home ground is Henson Park, and their team colours are blue and white. Established in 1908, Newtown were one of the members of the New South Wales Rugby Football League. They competed continuously in the NSWRFL premiership until their departure in 1983, over this period they won the competition three times. This made Newtown the second rugby league club in Australia. The second club, Glebe, was formed on 9 January 1908, when the Dirty Reds were controversially excluded from the NSWRL Premiership in 1929, Newtown became the oldest Australian club. There is some argument however over whether or not Newtown was actually the first Rugby league club in Australia, the clubs website stands by this claim, however other sources, most notably Terry Williams book Out of the Blue, The History of Newtown RLFC, dispute this claim. Rugby league historian Sean Fagan similarly holds that the date of 14 January 1908 is the foundation day. The minutes of the meeting held by Newtowns Board shows the date as 8 January. Newtown played in the NSWRFL Premiership from 1908–83 and they won the 1910 NSWRFL Premiership after drawing the final was enough to see them win due to being minor premiers. A Newtown winger, Jack Scott, was the first to score a try in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership. Known as the Newtown Bluebags for most of its lifetime, the club adopted the Jets nickname in 1973, or perhaps due to the close proximity of the clubs home ground, Henson Park, to the major east/west flight path for the airport. The club won premierships in 1910,1933 and 1943, and finished second in 1913,1914,1929,1944, Jack Gibson took over as Newtown coach in 1973. Gibson picked his team solely on form, irrespective of seniority, the Wills Cup Final was played under floodlights at the old Sydney Sports Ground on St Patricks day before a crowd of 13,180. At half time St George were up 15-2 and looked certain to win, the 1981 Newtown team, which played in the clubs last NSWRL premiership grand final, included the legends of game Tommy Raudonikis and Phil Gould. It was coached by Warren Ryan, financial pressures forced the team out of the NSWRL Premiership at the end of 1983. The club continued to seek readmission, pursuing various different alternatives and this plan involved a name change for the club, to the Newtown-Campbelltown Jets. The proposal, including a new logo with the new name on the royal blue jersey, was approved by the football club directors
19.
Robert Graves (rugby)
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Robert Henderson Graves was a pioneer Australian rugby league and rugby union player and one of his countrys first dual-code internationals. He was a forward for the Australia national team. He played in 6 Tests between 1908 and 1909, as captain on 1 occasion, Graves grew up in inner city Balmain in Sydney. He played rugby union at Fort Street School and later represented for his senior school Hawkesbury Agricultural College, from there he was graded to play rugby union with the West Sydney Juniors - an inner city club. He played with the Grosvenor Club until 1902 and he then joined the Gipps Club in the Balmain area with whom he won the Sydney rugby union premiership in 1904. He joined the Balmain club in the rugby competition in 1905. He continued in a role for the Grosvenor club even while himself playing rugby for those other sides from 1903 to 1907. Graves was one of the New South Wales rugby union players who matched up against the first professional New Zealand team, Albert Baskivilles All Golds in three matches in Sydney in August 1907. He played in all three matches and along with the other Australian rebel players was promptly blacklisted by the New South Wales Rugby Union for breaching its fundamental principle of amateurism. Graves was at the meetings of the break-away code in 1908 and was named as foundation captain of the Balmain Tigers. He led the Tigers in their first ever game on 20 April 1908 against Easts, Graves was selected in all three games against New Zealand for Australias inaugural Test series of 1908. He was a member of the first Kangaroo side which toured Britain in 1908-09 and he appeared in 23 games on tour including the deciding 3rd Test at Birmingham in February 1909. In 1909 he played in the 1st and 3rd Tests against New Zealand in Sydney and he captained his country in the 3rd Test victory becoming at that point Australias sixth Test captain. He is listed on the Australian Players Register as Kangaroo No.6, the second wave of Wallaby defectors to rugby league in 1909 spelled the end of Graves representative career. Though only 26 years old he did not play another Test and he played a further 5 seasons with Balmain retiring in 1913. He was awarded Life Membership of the New South Wales Rugby League in 1914 and this makes Graves a dual code rugby international and he is listed as such in the 1991 edition of the Andrews reference. He is however not listed amongst the Australian dual-code internationals in sources such as the 2005 Rugby League Annual or in editions of Australian Sporting Records, presumably this may be due to his status in making his single Wallaby appearance as a reserve rather than from the run-on side
20.
Sydney Showground (Moore Park)
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In 1811, Governor Macquarie proclaimed Sydney’s second common, an area of 1,000 acres. The period from 1902 to 1919 saw the expansion of the showgrounds to the south, from 1920–1937, the grounds were further expanded to the north, with the addition of new squares and judging rings. The dominant visual elements of the complex by this time were the walls, the Members’ Grandstand clock tower. The country’s sesqui-centenary celebrations of 1938 led to a building program at the showground, including the Government Pavilion. Aside from the Royal Easter Show and rugby matches, the venue was used for World Series Cricket games in the late 1970s when the Sydney Cricket Ground was unavailable. At its peak, the old showground could hold over 90,000 people. The Main Arena at the Sydney Showground was also used as one of two Sydney Harness racing venues, the other being the Harold Park Paceway, located only 4 km from Moore Park in the suburb of Glebe. Claimed to be the fastest speedway in the world in 1937, although solo motorcycles were first to race at the Showgrounds they were soon joined by sidecars, speedcars and later Super Modifieds. In the 1950s stock cars began to appear joined much later by demolition derbies, since the departure of the Royal Easter Show to the new showground, the old showground has been redeveloped as Fox Studios, a commercial venture designed at supporting Australias film industry. It is in proximity with some of Sydneys largest public venues, namely the Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney Football Stadium, and the Hordern Pavilion. Played by a New South Wales team against New Zealands rebel 1907 tourists, after that the Agricultural Ground hosted the first ever interstate matches between New South Wales and Queensland. Sydneys Royal Agricultural Showground was then venue for the first Ashes test on Australian soil, the showground also became the venue for the NSWRFLs grand finals until the late 1920s, and eventually hosted 183 first grade rugby league games. The venue hosted concerts by famous artists, including Led Zeppelin, ABBA, David Bowie, AC/DC, The Police and KISS. English rock band Led Zeppelin played to over 25,000 fans at the Sydney Showground in February 1972 as part of their 1972 Australasian Tour, footage from the show is featured on disc two of the Led Zeppelin DVD released some thirty years after the event. The Sydney Showgrounds was also the venue for the annual Sydney Big Day Out music festival held in January between 1992 and 1997. The 1997 event was titled Six and Out - Big Day out then indicating the final Big Day Out Festival before its new beginning at the new Sydney Showground Homebush in 1999. The former Sydney Showground is featured in the Rage Against the Machine video clip for Bulls on Parade, from when they performed live at the Big Day Out Festival on 25 January 1996
21.
Albert Rosenfeld
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Albert Aaron Rosenfeld was a pioneer Australian rugby league footballer, a national representative whose club career was played in Sydney and in England. During his 16-year English career he set a number of try-scoring records including the standing world record of 80 tries in a season in 1913–14. Born in Sydney, the son of a Jewish tailor, Rosenfeld was a player for the Eastern Suburbs club in the Australian inaugural season 1908. He played on Easter Monday 1908 in the Easts team that beat Newtown 32–16 on the first day of rugby league football in Australia. A Stand-off/Five-eighth, Rosenfeld represented his country in four Test matches and he made his Test début in Australias first ever international series against New Zealand in 1908 where he appeared in all three matches. Later that season he was selected for Australias inaugural Kangaroo Tour of 1908–09, making one Test appearance, whilst on tour Rosenfeld signed with English club Huddersfield after falling in love with Ethel Barrand a local mill managers daughter whom he later married. He was moved to the position by his new club. In the English season of 1911–12 he set a new try scoring record for one season with 78 tries only to better it the following, to date neither mark has been beaten in England or Australia. The nearest anyone has come was 72 by, coincidentally another Australian and former Eastern Suburbs player, right-Wing, in Wakefield Trinitys 3-29 defeat by Australia in the tour match at Belle Vue, Wakefield on 22 October 1921. Rosenfelds phenomenal try-scoring record is all the more extraordinary considering his career was interrupted by three years of active service and he enlisted in the British Army in 1916 and saw service in the Mesopotamian campaign. Aged 85 years, Rosenfeld was the last of the inaugural Kangaroo Tourists to die, during his career, Rosenfeld scored 391 tries. His try scoring feats earned him in 1988 a place in the British Rugby League Hall of Fame, in 2005, Rosenfeld was accepted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame with his official induction to take place at the 2009 Maccabiah games. He is one of two rugby league players to be so honoured. Albert Rosenfeld was awarded Life Membership of the New South Wales Rugby League in 1914, in February 2008, Rosenfeld was named in the list of Australias 100 Greatest Players which was commissioned by the NRL and ARL to celebrate the codes centenary year in Australia
22.
Wentworth Park
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Wentworth Park is a multi-purpose sporting facility in the suburb of Glebe in New South Wales, Australia. That is used for sports including rugby union, rugby league, soccer, greyhound racing. Wentworth Park is located 2 kilometres from the Sydney central business district, currently greyhound racing is conducted there on Friday and Saturday nights as well as some Public Holidays. Races are conducted over 520m and 720m, the track is a loam surface having been converted from grass in the 1990s. Hurdle racing was a feature of Wentworth Park until the early 1980s and it fell away and annual events were held in December for a number of years until the mid-1990s. The nearby University of Technology, Sydney regularly holds student examinations within two levels of the grandstand, where the bar, betting and lounge areas are located. Wentworth Park was originally a rugby league park in the Glebe area, Greyhound racing is held each Friday and Saturday night. Wentworth Park was not always a football oval and it commenced its life as a creek and swamp, known from the 1830s as Blackwattle Cove Swamp. Between the 1830s and 1860s various noxious industries were established along the shore, including, in particular, abattoirs, infilling of the creek and head of the swamp commenced in 1876 and continued until 1880. Silt dredged from the harbour was used to out the process and numerous sea walls. When the area was filled Trustees were appointed to manage the new park, during the 1910 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand an Australasian team defeated Great Britain at the ground before approximately 18,000. The commencement of hostilities for World War I led to a downturn in patronage of the Parks amenities although community functions, such as stretcher drills and polling were carried out here. The main effect of World War I was the introduction of a number of timber sheds used to store wool for the war effort. These sheds lingered on at the park for a number of years after the war, from 1928 until 1936, Wentworth Park was also used as a speedway and was known as Wentworth Speedway. The first racing took place on 21 April 1928 and continued until 28 November 1936, motorcycle speedway was the first category to use the venue, with competitors including future Speedway World Champions Lionel Van Praag and Bluey Wilkinson. Wentworth Park was the site of Sydneys first ever Speedcar race on 5 October 1935, the final speedway meeting was to have taken place on 5 December 1936, but track damage and noise complaints saw the meeting cancelled. The Greyhound Owners Breeders and Trainers Association is the tenant of Wentworth Park and has been since the 1980s. Greyhound racing is held at the venue every Friday and Saturday night from 7. 30pm, the biggest event of the year at Wentworth Park is the Group 1 Golden Easter Egg which provides prizemoney of one million dollars across the Easter carnival
23.
Alex Burdon
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Alexander Alex Burdon was a pioneer Australian rugby league and rugby union footballer - a dual-code rugby international. He was one of the fathers of rugby league in Australia. He was the captain of the Australian team enjoying that honour in the decider Test of the inaugural tour. Born in Glebe, New South Wales he played first grade for the district from 1902, similar sentiments in the North of England for working-class players who could not afford time off due to injury had indeed prompted the changes that formed the new Northern Union two years earlier. However the movement to start a league competition in Sydney was already well under way before Burdons injury. Burdon joined the newly formed Glebe Rugby League Club in 1908 and was named the clubs foundation captain and he was one of the five selectors for the Pioneer Kangaroo tour of England. He played in 25 tour matches including the first and second Anglo-Australian Test matches and he is listed on the Australian Players Register as Kangaroo No.29. In The First Kangaroos, a 1988 British–Australian made for TV sports film, Club, Glebe Rugby League Club1908-1020 games,3 tries Representative, Australia 2 Tests. Whiticker, Alan Captaining the Kangaroos, New Holland, Sydney
24.
Bill Noble
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Bill Noble was a pioneer Australian international representative rugby league footballer. He played club football in the New South Wales Rugby Football League premierships very first season with Newtown in 1908, in 1909 he was also selected to play for Australia, making his full international debut against New Zealand in 1910. He went on to play in the first ever test match against Great Britain on Australian soil during the 1910 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand, Noble was also selected for the 1911–12 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain, playing in two tests and 19 tour matches. He joined the Balmain Tigers as captain for his season in 1913. Noble was awarded Life Membership of the New South Wales Rugby League in 1914, Noble moved to Queensland after his playing days were over, and was the general manager of the Golden Casket lotteries, until his death in 1937. He was buried at South Brisbane Cemetery on 29 November 1937, Bill Noble at rugbyleagueproject. com Bill Noble at nrlstats. com Bill Noble at yesterdayshero. com. au
25.
Albert Broomham
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Albert Frederick Broomham was a pioneer Australian rugby league player from the 1900s who represented for New South Wales and Australia. Born at St. Broomham played seven seasons with the North Sydney club between 1908-1914 and he again toured with the 1911-12 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain where he made his final Test appearance in the first Test against England. Broomham is listed on the Australian Players Register as Kangaroo No.40, Albert Broomham retired after the 1914 NSWRFL season. S. W. 1909, Kangaroos vs Wallabies 1909, N. S. W, all up, Albert Broomham represented Australia in five Tests, Australasia in 2 Tests, New South Wales on 26 occasions and Metropolis on three occasions. One of Australias great rugby league pioneers, Broomham died on 23 December 1948, aged 63
26.
Arthur Hennessy
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Arthur Stephen Ash Hennessy was an Australian pioneer rugby league identity. He was a figure in the creation of the South Sydney Rabbitohs for whom he played. He was a state and national representative hooker/forward and was the first captain of the Australian national rugby league team and he later coached at club, state and national representative levels. Born in Sydney, New South Wales, Hennessy played his junior football in the centres for the Boys Brigade in 1895. He then played for Bayview in 1896 and became a South Sydney junior, by 1901 Hennessy was a regular first grade rugby union player for Souths. He represented New South Wales in 1901,1902 and 1904 and his enthusiastic foraging and tackling soon changed Kiwi minds. In 1907 he was made Souths captain, when the New Zealand All Golds toured in 1907, Hennessy joined the breakaway New South Wales Rugby Football League and was selected as the new codes first New South Wales captain. In October of that year Hennessy chaired a meeting of rugby identities with a view to creating a South Sydney rugby league club, the club was formed on 17 January 1908 and Hennessy was the inaugural captain-coach. For rugby league, Hennessys place in the scheme of things is nothing less than extraordinary, the games were played under rugby union rules as no one had a copy of the new codes laws. Hennessy subsequently read the book which arrived in Australia and declared. Along with his fellow pioneers Hennessy was prepared to accept the ill-will that accompanied the splitting of the rugby code and you had to take it on the chin and give it on the chin, he said. Many good friendships tumbled to dust when we switched football codes, Hennessy stands as a monumental figure in the South Sydney story. It was at his home at 9 Chapman St, Surry Hills in October 1907 that the meeting was held which led to the formation of the Rabbitohs, Hennessy has sent a circular to all rugby union clubs in the district, convening the meeting. Because of that day and the events followed, he can be fairly rated as the clubs founder. In 1908, Hennessy was Souths first hooker and, with Billy Cann and he coached Souths in their 1908 NSWRFL seasons final. In that foundation season he also had the honour of captaining Australia in its first ever rugby league Test – against New Zealand, Hennessy played in both Tests in May against New Zealand as captain, both of which Australia lost. Hennessy was selected to play in the first ever trans-Tasman test and he is listed in the Australian Players Register as Kangaroo No.1. In July of that season he made another representative appearance captaining New South Wales in a 43-0 whitewash of Queensland in the first ever Australian interstate match
27.
New Zealand national rugby league team
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The New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league since 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are known as the Kiwis. The teams colours are majority black with white and the players perform a haka before every match they play as a challenge to their opponents. The New Zealand Kiwis won the most recent Four Nations competition in 2014 and, since the 2015 Anzac Test, since the 1980s, most New Zealand representatives have been based overseas, in the professional National Rugby League and Super League competitions. Before that players were selected entirely from clubs in domestic New Zealand leagues, since then the Kiwis have regularly competed in international competition, touring Europe and Australia throughout the 20th century. New Zealand have competed in every Rugby League World Cup since the first in 1954, in 2008 New Zealand won the World Cup for the first time. They also contest the Baskerville Shield against England, and play an annual Anzac Test against Australia, Rugby football was introduced into New Zealand by Charles John Monro, son of the then speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives, Sir David Monro. He had been sent to Christs College, East Finchley in north London and he brought the game back to his native Nelson, and arranged the first rugby match between Nelson College and Nelson Football Club, played on 14 May 1870. When New Zealands national rugby team toured Britain in 1905 they witnessed the growing popularity of the breakaway non-amateur Northern Unions games, on his return in 1906, All Black George William Smith met the Australian entrepreneur J J Giltinan to discuss the potential of professional rugby in Australasia. The first New Zealand team to play rugby was known as the All Blacks. To avoid confusion, the terms professional All Blacks or All Golds are used, in the meantime, a lesser known New Zealand rugby player, Albert Henry Baskerville was ready to recruit a group of players for a Great Britain pro tour. It is believed that Baskerville became aware of the profits to be made such a venture while he was working at the Wellington Post Office in 1906. A colleague had a fit and dropped a British newspaper. Baskerville picked it up and noticed a report about a Northern Union match that over 40,000 people had attended, Baskerville wrote to the NRFU asking if they would host a New Zealand touring party. The 1905 All Blacks tour was still fresh in English minds, thus the NU saw the upcoming competitive New Zealand tour as exceptional opportunity to raise the profile, the NU agreed to the tour provided that some of those original All Blacks were included in the New Zealand team. George Smith arrived back in New Zealand and after learning of Baskervilles plans, the New Zealand Rugby Union became aware of the tour and promptly applied pressure to any All Black or New Zealand representative player it suspected of involvement. They had the New Zealand Governments Agent General in London deliver a statement to the British press in an effort to undermine the tours credibility. This had little effect and by time the professional All Blacks were already sailing across the Tasman to give Australia its first taste of professional rugby
South Sydney (2nd title)
Balmain
Western Suburbs (1st spoon)
Newcastle
Eastern Suburbs
Glebe
Newtown
North Sydney
