Country Rugby League

The Country Rugby League of New South Wales[2] (CRL[3]), formed in 1934 and disbanded in 2019, was the governing body for the sport of rugby league football in areas of New South Wales outside the Sydney metropolitan area until it merged with NSW Rugby League in 2019. Despite its name, CRL also governed rugby league in the Australian Capital Territory. Apart from selecting a Country Origin side to play in the annual City vs Country Origin game, the CRL administered many senior and junior competitions across the state.

Country Rugby League
Founded1934
Ceased2019
ResponsibilityNon-metropolitan New South Wales
Key peopleJock Colley[1] (Chair)
Terry Quinn[1] (Chief Executive)
Websitecrlnsw.com.au
As of 1 December 2009

History
Country Rugby League logo used before 2013

Newcastle was the first city outside Sydney to start a league competition, being involved in the Sydney Premiership in 1908-09 and then starting their own competition in 1910.

On 11 February 1911, the Hunter District Rugby Football League (HDRFL) was established at a large meeting in Maitland, thus becoming the first branch of the NSW Rugby League in "the bush" (i.e. outside the urban centres of Sydney and Newcastle). The HDRFL territory encompassed a lower part of the Hunter Valley from Singleton down to the Maitland district and towns on the nearby coalfields (the major ones being Cessnock, Kurri Kurri and Weston). Competition games were scheduled to kick off on 13 May but were pushed back to 20 May when clubs complained they had not had enough time to practice the new code. In the first senior-grade games played, West Maitland def. Kurri Kurri (12-0) and Cessnock def. Morpeth (23-0) in a double-header on the enclosed Albion Ground at Maitland. The first City v. Country match (advertised as such by the NSWRL in the Sydney Morning Herald of 10/6/1911) was played at the Sydney Agricultural Ground on that same Saturday, with City winning 29-8. The Country team was composed exclusively of players from the Newcastle ("Northern") and the Hunter competitions. The first ever country divisional match (described as such in the Maitland Daily Mercury of 31/7/1911) was played at Newcastle on 29/7/1911 between Newcastle and Hunter. Newcastle won 29-14. The first NSW Country team to tour was a squad of 17 players (12 from Newcastle and 5 from Hunter) that played three matches in Queensland between 5/8/1911 and 12/8/1911, defeating the Queensland State side twice and a Queensland Country representative side once. They then travelled to Sydney to play the Sydney Metropolitan team, again winning 31-24.[4]

On 13 May 1911, another branch of the NSWRL was established in the Wollongong area.

In 1911, a Goldfields' League was formed in West Wyalong, and games were played in Tamworth, Aberdeen, and along the South Coast. The game was introduced to Orange in 1912 and spread quickly through the western districts. In 1913 branch leagues were formed at Bathurst, Dubbo, Nowra, and Tamworth.

In 1920, the NSWRL set up a Country Committee. NSW Country was divided into six sections: South Coast, Northern Districts, Central Northern Districts, Western Districts, Southern, and North Coast. The group system was introduced in 1922, with neighbouring towns being organised into 12 groups.

The Country Rugby League (CRL) was officially formed in 1934, "subject to the NSW Rugby League still being the paramount institution."

In 1939 a dispute arose between the CRL and the NSWRL. The CRL wanted a new administration structure, an equal partnership in which the NSWRL looked after league in Sydney, and the CRL looked after it in the bush. When their proposal was rejected the CRL broke away from the NSWRL for a week, but returned to the fold with a promise that a committee would be set up to sort things out. Eventually the CRL gave in on the grounds that it was in no one's best interests to have the game divided during the war.

The NSWRL and CRL have since cooperated in the running of Rugby league in NSW, including various 'joint ventures' such as the Ron Massey Cup which features three teams from areas under the control of the CRL.

On 24 August 2018, the NSWRL and CRL announced that they had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which will involve formal discussions in relation to a possible merger that would see a merger of the two organisations. This would result with Rugby League in NSW governed by one body for the first time in more than 80 years.[5]

In October 2019 merged with the NSWRL after the NSWRL agreed a new constitution and the CRL voted to wind up its affairs immediately. The decisions made on 19 October and merger mean that the aim of a unified administration of the sport in NSW was achieved over a year ahead of time.[6]

Regions

The CRL administered the following senior competitions:

Disbanded Groups

Team of the Century

In 2008, rugby league football's centenary year in Australia, the Country Rugby League named its 'Team of the Century':[7]

  1. Clive Churchill (Central Newcastle)
  2. Brian Carlson (North Newcastle)
  3. Eddie Lumsden (Kurri Kurri)
  4. Michael Cronin (Gerringong)
  5. Graeme Langlands (Wollongong)
  6. Bob Fulton (Wests Wollongong)
  7. Andrew Johns (Cessnock/Knights)
  8. Steve Roach (West Wollongong)
  9. Ian Walsh (Condobolin)
  10. Glenn Lazarus (Queanbeyan Blues)
  11. Herb Narvo (North Newcastle)
  12. Bradley Clyde (Belconnen United)
  13. Chris Prigg (Erina/Turvey Park)
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See also

References
  1. "Committees". Country Rugby League of New South Wales. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
  2. "COUNTRY RUGBY LEAGUE OF NEW SOUTH WALES INC CONSTITUTION – ADOPTED 27/11/99" (PDF). Country Rugby League of New South Wales. 8 February 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 October 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
  3. "Reference Centre > NRL History & Structure". National Rugby League. Archived from the original on 16 January 2010. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
  4. Cessnock Rugby League Football - The Early Years; Mark Bennis; 2011
  5. "NSWRL and CRL Agree to MOU". New South Wales Rugby League. 24 August 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  6. "Country Rugby League merge with NSW Rugby League is official". Manning River Times. 23 October 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  7. abc.net.au (1 May 2008). "Three Immortals in best Country side". ABC News. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
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