South Sydney District Junior Rugby Football League

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

History

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

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

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

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

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

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

Current District Clubs ClubHome GroundPremierships Alexandria RoversErskineville Oval8 (1951, 1954, 1962, 1965, 1969, 1975, 1990, 2024) Botany RamsBooralee Park1 (1947) Coogee DolphinsKensington Oval3 (2004, 2007, 2008) Coogee Randwick WombatsCoogee Oval14 (1956, 1970*, 1973, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2019) La Perouse UnitedYarra Reserve9 (1963, 1964*, 1970*, 1991, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2025) Maroubra LionsSnape Park1 (1979) Marrickville RSL KingsMarrickville Oval1 (1995) Mascot JuniorsMascot Oval7 (1952, 1953, 1955, 1984, 1985, 1989, 1998) Matraville TigersHeffron Park1 (2022) Moore Park Broncos 12 (1961, 1964*, 1971, 1977, 1980, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2014) Newtown Jnr JetsTempe Reserve2003 Redfern All BlacksWaterloo Oval7 (1974, 1987*, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2023) Saints JRLFCKensington Oval, Kensington0 South Eastern SeagullsPioneers Park, Malabar1 (2026) South Sydney MustangsRowland Park, Daceyville0 Waterloo Waratahs1 (1988)

Asterisks indicates years where premierships were shared between two teams.

2023 A Grade Clubs ClubMonikerSuburbA GradeA Reserve Alexandria RoversRoversAlexandria, New South WalesNoYes CoogeeDolphinsCoogee, New South WalesYesYes Coogee RandwickWombatsCoogee, New South WalesNoYes La Perouse UnitedPanthersLa Perouse, New South WalesYesYes Mascot JuniorsJetsMascot, New South WalesYesYes Marrickville RSLKingsMarrickville, New South WalesNoYes MatravilleTigersMatraville, New South WalesYesYes Moore ParkBroncosMoore Park, New South WalesNoYes Redfern All BlacksAll BlacksRedfern, New South WalesYesYes South EasternSeagullsMalabar, New South WalesYesYes

A Grade Premierships SeasonGrand Final InformationMinor PremiersPremiersScoreRunners-Up1947 Botany United1948 South Sydney Fernleigh1949 South Sydney Fernleigh1950 South Sydney Fernleigh1951 Alexandria Rovers1952 Mascot Juniors1953 Mascot Juniors1954 Alexandria Rovers1955 Mascot Juniors1956 Coogee Randwick Wombats1957 South Sydney Fernleigh1958 Chelsea Eagles1959 Chelsea Eagles1960 Kensington United1961 Moore Park Broncos1962 Alexandria Rovers1963 La Perouse United1964 Moore Park Broncos / La Perouse United1965 Alexandria Rovers1966 Kensington United1967 South Sydney Fernleigh1968 Kensington United1969 Alexandria Rovers1970 La Perouse United / Coogee Randwick Wombats1971 Moore Park Broncos1972 Zetland Magpies1973 Coogee Randwick Wombats1974 Redfern All Blacks1975 Alexandria Rovers1976 Chelsea Eagles1977 Moore Park Broncos1978 Coogee Randwick Wombats1979 Maroubra Lions1980 Moore Park Broncos1981 Zetland Magpies1982 Coogee Randwick Wombats1983 Coogee Randwick Wombats1984 Mascot Juniors1985 Mascot Juniors1986 Chelsea Eagles1987 Redfern All Blacks / Kensington United1988 Waterloo Waratahs1989 Mascot Juniors1990 Alexandria Rovers1991 La Perouse United1992 Coogee Randwick Wombats1993 Coogee Randwick Wombats1994 Coogee Randwick Wombats1995 Marrickville Kings1996 Coogee Randwick Wombats1997 Moore Park Broncos1998 Mascot Juniors1999 Moore Park Broncos2000 La Perouse United2001 La Perouse United2002 La Perouse United2003 Moore Park Broncos2004 Coogee Dolphins2005 La Perouse United2006 Moore Park Broncos2007 Coogee Dolphins2008 Coogee Dolphins2009 Coogee Randwick Wombats2010 Coogee Randwick Wombats2011 Coogee Randwick Wombats2012 Moore Park Broncos 20 – 8 Coogee Randwick Wombats La Perouse United2013 Moore Park Broncos2014 Moore Park Broncos 16 – 12 Mascot Juniors2015 Redfern All Blacks 42 – 24 Coogee Randwick Wombats Coogee Randwick Wombats2016 Redfern All Blacks 28 – 16 Coogee Randwick Wombats Coogee Randwick Wombats2017 Redfern All Blacks 16 – 12 Coogee Randwick Wombats Moore Park Broncos2018 Redfern All Blacks 28 – 12 Mascot Juniors Coogee Randwick Wombats2019 Coogee Randwick Wombats 32 – 0 South Eastern Seagulls South Eastern Seagulls2020Season cancelled due to COVID-19.2021Season was suspended after COVID-19 breakout.2022 Matraville20 – 18 South Eastern Seagulls South Eastern Seagulls2023 Redfern All Blacks20 – 18 Matraville Matraville2024 Alexandria Rovers34 – 26 Coogee Randwick Wombats Alexandria Rovers2025 La Perouse United14 – 8 Coogee Randwick Wombats La Perouse United2026 South Eastern Seagulls28 – 0 Coogee Dolphins Coogee Dolphins Reference:

A Reserve Premierships SeasonGrand Final InformationMinor PremiersPremiersScoreRunners-Up2015 Bondi United 20 – 18 South Eastern Seagulls Bondi United2016 Bondi United 22 – 20 Coogee Dolphins Bondi United2017 Coogee Dolphins 28 – 18 La Perouse United La Perouse United2018 Mascot Juniors 20 – 18 La Perouse United Mascot Juniors2019 South Sydney Mustangs 10 – 8 South Eastern Seagulls South Sydney Mustangs2020Season cancelled due to COVID-19.2021Season was suspended after COVID-19 breakout.2022 Marrickville RSL16 – 12 South Eastern Seagulls South Eastern Seagulls2023 Alexandria Rovers26 – 22 Redfern All Blacks La Perouse United2024 Mascot Juniors16 – 12 Redfern All Blacks Alexandria Rovers2025 Mascot Juniors22 – 16 Alexandria Rovers Mascot Juniors2026 Alexandria Rovers24 – 10 Coogee Dolphins Coogee Dolphins Team of the Century On 16 May 2008, the South Sydney Juniors Team of the Century was named at the Centenary Ball.

Eric Simms (La Perouse United) Harold Holder (Kinkora Juniors) Paul Sait (Matraville Tigers) Ray Branighan (Moore Park) Benny Wearing (Redfern Ioanas) Greg Hawick (Alexandria Rovers) Clem Kennedy (Cleveland Street) Brian Hambly (Mascot Jets) George Piggins (Mascot Jets) Ian Roberts (Mascot Jets) Bob McCarthy (Moore Park) George Treweek (Mascot Jets) Ron Coote (c) (Kensington United)

Terry Hill (Zetland Magpies) Craig Wing (Maroubra Lions) Craig Coleman (Waterloo Waratahs) Gary Stevens (Chelsea United)

Coach: Alf Blair (Waterloo Albions)

South Sydney District Junior Rugby Football League

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