The Riverina Football Netball League (RFNL) is an Australian rules football and netball competition containing nine clubs based in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The league features three grades in the Australian rules football competition, with these being First-Grade, Reserve-Grade and Under 17s. In the netball competition, there are five grades, with these being A-Grade, A Reserve-Grade, B-Grade, C-Grade and Under 17s. Governed by AFL Riverina, the league is the only major country league in New South Wales, and was formerly a VFL recruiting zone for South Melbourne from 1968 to 1986.
Currently a home and away season consisting of eighteen rounds is played. The best five teams then play off according to the McIntyre system, culminating in the RFNL Grand Final, which is traditionally hosted by Narrandera.
History The Riverina Football League was formed in 1982 when the South West Football League (New South Wales), the Central Riverina Football League and the Farrer Football League amalgamated in order to create the Riverina Football League and the Riverina District Football League, with the latter changing its name to the Farrer Football League in 1985.
Clubs Locations
Current Club Colours Nickname Home GroundFormer LeagueEst. Years in RFNL RFNL Senior Premierships TotalYears Collingullie-Wagga Demons Crossroads Oval, CollingullieFFL1998 2011- 5 2014, 2015, 2018, 2024, 2025 Coolamon Rovers Grasshoppers Kindra Park, CoolamonSWDFL1894 1982- 4 1983, 2000, 2013, 2026 Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong Lions Ganmain Sports Ground, Ganmain–1982 1982- 12 1984, 1991, 1992, 1996, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2022 Griffith Swans Griffith Exies Oval, GriffithSWDFL1914 1982- 1 2003 Leeton-Whitton Crows Leeton Showgrounds, Leeton–1995 1995- 1 2017 Mangoplah-Cookardinia United-Eastlakes Goannas Mangoplah Sports Ground, MangoplahFFL1955 1995- 0 - Narrandera Imperial Eagles Narrandera Sportsground, NarranderaSWDFL1910 1982- 2 1986, 2012 Turvey Park Bulldogs Maher Oval, Glenfield ParkSWDFL1954 1982- 6 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2002, 2023 Wagga Tigers Robertson Oval, Wagga WaggaFFL, AFLC1928 1982-2001; 2007- 12 1985, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2007, 2016, 2019, 2020
Former Club Colours NicknameHome GroundFormer League Est. Years in RFNL RFNL Senior Premierships Fate Total Years Ardlethan StarsArdlethan Sports Ground, ArdlethanSWDFL 1907 1982-1986 0 - Moved to Farrer FL following 1986 season Ariah Park-Mirrool Brown BombersAriah Park Recreation Reserve, Ariah ParkSWDFL 1953 1982-1990 0 - Moved to Farrer FL following 1990 season Barellan United KangaroosBarellan Recreation Ground, BarellanCRFL 1970 1982 0 - Moved to Farrer FL following 1982 seasonCollingullie-AshmontDemonsCrossroads Oval, CollingullieFFL19801995-19970 -Merged with Uranquinty-Kapooka to form Collingullie-Ashmont-Kapooka in Farrer FL following 1997 season East Wagga-Kooringal HawksGumly Oval, Gumly GumlyFFL 1946 1982-2009 1 1982 Moved to Farrer FL following 2009 season Leeton RedlegsLeeton Showgrounds, LeetonSWDFL 1912 1982-1994 0 - Merged with Whitton-Yanco to form Leeton-Whitton following 1994 season North Wagga SaintsMcPherson Oval, North Wagga WaggaFFL 1957 1982, 1995-1996, 2009 0 - Returned to Farrer FL following 1982, 1996 and 2009 seasonsOsborneOstrichesOsborne Recreation Reserve, OsborneHFNL190120200 -Returned to Hume FNL following 2020 season Temora KangaroosNixon Park, TemoraFFL 1949 1995-2001 0 - Returned to Farrer FL following 2001 season
Timeline of clubs
Season structure
Pre-season The Riverina Football League like most country leagues does not have a formal Pre-season competition. As part of their Pre-season preparation clubs will often schedule between one and two practice matches with clubs from other leagues prior to the season beginning. These matches could take on different structures and were primarily conducted on a non-official basis with limited match officials and scores not being recorded.
Premiership season The Riverina home-and-away season at present lasts for 18 rounds for a total of 16 matches and 2 byes per team. The season starts in mid April and ends in late August. Each team plays each other team twice – once at home and once away. Teams receive four premiership points for a win or bye and two premiership points for a draw. Ladder finishing positions are based on the number of premiership points won, and "percentage" (calculated as the ratio of points scored to points conceded throughout the season) is used as a tie-breaker when teams finish with equal premiership points.
Finals series The Riverina football finals consisted of a 'Top-5' finals system.
The winning team receives a silver premiership cup, a premiership flag – a new one of each is manufactured each year. The flag has been presented since the league began and is traditionally unfurled at the team's first home game of the following season. Additionally, each player in the grand final-winning team receives a premiership medallion.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic during the 2020 season a number of clubs did not participate. The remaining clubs took part in a six-round season and a 'Top-4' finals structure.
Finals structure 2024 Finals Series
Notable players The following footballers went onto play senior VFL football from the following clubs / leagues with the year indicating their VFL debut. South West Football League (New South Wales) (1910–1981)
1925: Joseph Plant – Narrandera to Richmond 1925: Les Stainsby – Coolamon to Collingwood 1928: Jack Haw – Leeton to Melbourne 1931: Geoff Neil – Leeton to St. Kilda 1933: George Schlitz – Leeton to St. Kilda 1934: George Pattison – Narrandera to Essendon 1936: Percy Bushby – Narrandrea to Essendon 1948: Laurie Carroll – Ganmain to St. Kilda 1948: Dudley Mattingly – Ganmain to St. Kilda 1955: Peter Curtis – Coolamon, Griffith to North Melbourne 1957: Tom Quade – Ariah Park Mirrool to North Melbourne 1958: Bill Box – Whitton to Essendon 1960: Des Lyons – Leeton to Carlton 1961: Jim Carroll – Ganmain to Carlton 1961: Tom Carroll – Ganmain to Carlton 1966: Mike Quade – Ariah Park Mirrool to North Melbourne 1968: Ross Elwin – Leeton to South Melbourne 1968: Bruce Reid – Leeton to South Melbourne
1970: Frank Gumbleton – Ganmain to North Melbourne 1970: Ricky Quade – Ariah Park Mirrool to South Melbourne 1971: Jim Prentice – Ariah Park Mirrool to South Melbourne 1975: Rod Coelli – Ardlethan to South Melbourne 1975: Terry O'Neil – Narrandera to South Melbourne 1976: Terry Daniher – Ariah Park Mirrool to South Melbourne 1977: Wayne Evans – Grong Grong Matong to South Melbourne 1978: Russell Campbell – Gainmain to South Melbourne 1979: Wayne Carroll – Ganmain to South Melbourne 1979: John Durnan – Narrandera to Geelong 1979: Mark Fraser – Turvey Park to South Melbourne 1979: Max Kruse – Leeton to South Melbourne 1980: Stephen Eather – Turvey Park to South Melbourne 1980: Victor Hugo – Narrandera to South Melbourne 1980: Greg Smith – Ardlethan to South Melbourne 1981: Dennis Carroll – Ganmain to South Melbourne 1981: Anthony Daniher – Turvey Park to South Melbourne 1981: Jack Lucas – Ariah Park Mirrool to South Melbourne
Riverina Football League (1982–2023)
1984 – David Murphy (Turvey Park) 1984 – Paul Hawke (Wagga Tigers) 1987 – Chris Daniher (Ariah Park-Mirrool & Coolamon) 1987 – Matt Lloyd (Mangoplah-Cookardinia United-Eastlakes) 1987 – Peter Quirk (Narrandera) 1989 – Wayne Carey (North Wagga) 1990 – Paul Kelly (Wagga Tigers) 1992 – Jason Mooney (Turvey Park) 1993 – Mark Pitura (Turvey Park) 1994 – Daniel McPherson (Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong) 1994 – Brad Seymour (Wagga Tigers) 1999 – Cameron Mooney (Turvey Park) 2000 – Ben Fixter (Wagga Tigers & Coolamon) 2007 – Matt Suckling (East Wagga-Kooringal and Wagga Tigers)
2011 – Isaac Smith (Temora, East Wagga-Kooringal and Wagga Tigers) 2012 – Kurt Aylett (Leeton-Whitton) 2012 – Harry Cunningham (Turvey Park) 2012 – Orren Stephenson (Mangoplah-Cookardinia United-Eastlakes) 2012 – Jacob Townsend (Leeton-Whitton) 2013 – Zac Williams (Narrandera) 2015 – Dougal Howard (East Wagga-Kooringal and Wagga Tigers) 2016 – Harrison Himmelberg (Mangoplah-Cookardinia United-Eastlakes) 2016 – Jacob Hopper (Leeton-Whitton) 2016 – Matthew Kennedy (Collingullie-Glenfield Park) 2017 – Harry Perryman (Collingullie-Glenfield Park) 2021 – Matthew Flynn (Narrandera) 2021 – Cooper Sharman (Leeton-Whitton) 2026 – Rasgur Mann (Narrandera)
Wagga United Football Association 1899 – Harry Lampe (Wagga Wagga) 1924 – Alby Anderson – Royal Stars
Riverina Main Line Football Association 1923 – Tim Archer – Mangoplah
Wagga Australian Rules Football Association 1929 – Bill Mohr (Wagga Tigers)
Footballers from the Riverina Football League who were drafted AFL, but did not play senior AFL football include: Jock Cornell – Geelong: (Mangoplah-Cookardinia United-Eastlakes) Max King – Melbourne: (Wagga Tigers)
Premiers
First-Grade