National Rugby League Clubs

The National Rugby League is the premier rugby league competition in Australia and includes teams from Eastern Australia and New Zealand. Over the years team numbers have steadily grown as teams have been included from outside of Sydney and New South Wales, which is arguably Australia's rugby league hub. In the 2010 season, 16 teams contested the title, but this is likely to rise as more teams become economically viable. It can take some time for the rugby league neophyte to build a solid knowledge base on each team in the competition. With the help of the basic information provided herein on each club, the uninitiated should soon learn to understand the clubs of the National Rugby League competition.

The Brisbane Broncos played their first season in 1988 and are run out of Brisbane, Queensland. Their home jersey is maroon and gold and their away jersey is white and dark blue. They are coached by Ivan Henjak, with key players being Darren Lockyer at five-eighth, Peter Wallace at half back, Corey Parker at second-row and Sam Thaiday at prop. They have won six premierships in total in years 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2006.

The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs played their first season in 1935 and are a joint venture club based out of both Canterbury and Bankstown in New South Wales. Their home jersey is blue and white and their away jersey is the same colour with slight design variations. They are coached by Kevin Moore, with key players being Dene Halatau at lock, Andrew Ryan at second-row and Josh Morris at centre. They have won eight premierships in years 1938, 1942, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1995 and 2004.

The Canberra raiders played their first season in 1982 and are based in Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory. Their home jersey is lime green and their away jersey is grey/black with lime green stripes. They are coached by David Furner with key players being Terry Campese at five-eighth, Josh Dugan at fullback, Tom Learoyd-Lahrs at second-row and Alan Tongue at lock. They have won three premierships in 1989, 1990 and 1994.

The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks played their first season in 1967 and are based in Cronulla, New South Wales.Their home jersey is white, blue and black and their away jersey is black and blue. They are coached by Shane Flanagan with their key player being Paul Gallen who plays at lock. They have never won a premiership.

The Melbourne Storm played their first season in 1998 and are based in Melbourne, Victoria. Their home jersey is purple with white and yellow trimming and their away jersey is white with purple trimming. They are coached by Craig Bellamy with their key players being Cooper Cronk at half back, Billy Slater at fullback and Cameron Smith at hooker. They have won one official premiership in 1999 but were stripped of premierships in 2007 and 2009 for salary cap breaches.

The Newcastle Knights played their first season in 1982 and are based in Newcastle, New South Wales. Their home jersey is blue and red and their away jersey is white, red and blue. They are coached by Rick Stone with their key players being Kurt Gidley at fullback, Adam MacDougall at centre and Jarrod Mullen at five-eighth. They have won two premierships in 1997 and 2001.

The Gold Coast Titans played their first season in 2007 and are based in Gold Coast, Queensland. Their home jersey is dark blue, light blue and gold and their away jersey is white and gold with a blue pattern. They are coached by John Cartwright with their key players being Scott Prince at half back, Luke Bailey at prop, Greg Bird at five-eighth, Preston Campbell at fullback and Anthony Laffranchi at second-row. They are yet to win a premiership.

The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles played their first season in 1947 and are run from Manly, New South Wales. Their home jersey is predominantly maroon with white patterning and their away jersey is predominately white with maroon patterning. They are coached by Des Hasler with their key players being Brett Stewart at fullback, Anthony Watmough at second-row and Steve Matai at centre. They have won seven premierships in 1972, 1973, 1976, 1978, 1987, 1996 and 2008.

The New Zealand Warriors played their first season in 1995 and are based in Auckland, New Zealand. Their home jersey is black with white trimming and their away jersey is white with black trimming. They are coached by Ivan Cleary and rely on Simon Mannering at second-row, Manu Vatuvai on the wing and Steve Price at prop for inspiration. They are yet to win their first premiership.

The North Queensland Cowboys were founded in 1995 and their home is the city of Townsville, Queensland. Their home jersey is predominately dark blue with grey and yellow trim and their away jersey is predominately white with blue and grey trim. They are coached by Neil Henry with key players of Matt Bowen at fullback, Dallas Johnson at lock, and Brent Tate and Willie Tonga at centre. They are yet to win their first premiership.

The Parramatta Eels were founded in 1947 and their home is Parramatta in New South Wales. Their home jersey is mostly yellow with royal blue trim ad their away jersey is royal blue with yellow trim. They are coached by Stephen Kearney with key players being Luke Burt on the wing, Jared Hayne at fullback, Nathan Cayless at prop, and Nathan Hindmarsh at second-row. They have won four premierships in 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1986.

The Penrith Panthers were founded in 1967 with their home being Penrith, New South Wales. Their home jersey is black with teal trim and their away jersey is blue with white trim. Theya re coached by Matthew Elliot with their star players being Petero Civoniceva at prop, Luke Lewis at lock and Trent Waterhouse at second-row. The Panthers have won two premierships, one in 1991 and the other in 2003.

The Dragons were founded in 1999 in a merger between the St George Dragons and the Illawarra Steelers. Their hometown is Kogarah, New South Wales. Their home jersey is white with a red 'V' and their away jersey is red with white trim. They are coached by Wayne Bennett and their most important players are Darius Boyd at fullback, Matt Cooper at centre, Mark Gasnier at centre, Ben Hornby at half back, Brett Morris on the wing and Michael Weyman at prop. They have won one premiership in 2010.

The South Sydney Rabbitohs are one of the founding clubs of the National Rugby League competition, with their first season being in 1908. They are based in Redfern, New South Wales. Their strip consists of green and red horizontal stripes. They are coached by John Lang with key players being Rhys Wesser at fullback, John Sutton at five-eighth and Greg Inglis at centre. They have won 20 premierships in total, with their last premiership win occuring in 1971.

The Sydney Roosters, along with the Rabbitohs are one the founding clubs of the National Rugby League competition, with their first season in 1908. They represent the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney in New South Wales. Their home jersey is blue with a red and white 'V' and their away jersey is white with a red and blue 'V'. They are coached by Brian Smith and their key players are Brain Anasta at five-eighth, Todd Carney at half back and Anthony Miniciello at fullback. They have won 12 premierships, with their last win occuring in 2002.

The Wests Tigers had their first season in the year 2000 as result of the Balmain Tigers and Western Suburbs Magpies joining forces. They represent Sydney's Western suburbs in New South Wales. Their home strip is predominately black with an orange and white trim while their away strip is predominately orange, trimmed with black and white. Their coach is Tim Sheens and their key players are Benji Marshall at five-eighth and Robbie Farah at Hooker. They have won one premiership in 2005.

Hopefully, with the facts presented about each team in this hub, the National Rugby League should be far easier to understand. It should now be clear what the name of each club is, what their colours are and who their coach and key players are. This should help you in enjoying the game of rugby league into the future.