Te Atatu Roosters

The Te Atatu Roosters is a rugby league club based in Te Atatū, New Zealand. They participate in the Auckland Rugby League competition. They currently have 25 teams across schoolboy, junior and senior grades. The Roosters premier team began the 2019 season in the "Fox Championship Qualifying Competition", but after qualifying first they gained entry to the Fox Championship competition where a top 4 finish will see them begin the 2020 season in the top division.

Te Atatu scoring v New Lynn

Te Atatu Roosters
Club information
Nickname(s)Roosters/Tat
Short nameTe Atatu Roosters
ColoursRed, white and blue
Founded1955
Websitehttp://www.foxsportspulse.com/club_info.cgi?c=0-4975-69502-0-0
Current details
Ground(s)
  • Jack Colvin Park
  • Te Atatu Park
  • Gloria Park
CoachKeith Hanley and Phil Gordon
ManagerEv Morgan
CaptainJarrod Tua
CompetitionAuckland Rugby League
2019Fox Championship Qualifying
Records
Premierships1988
Runners-up1986, 1990, 1993
National Club Champions1986, 1988
Roope Rooster2007
Kiwi Shield1986, 1988
Sharman Cup1970, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1978, 2016
Phelan Shield2015, 2016

Home Ground

The Roosters play at the council owned Jack Colvin Park located on the Te Atatū Peninsula, next to the North Western Motorway. Junior teams play at Te Atatū Peninsula Park, and at Gloria Park both also on the peninsula.

History

The Te Atatu club was founded in 1955 after the opening of the North-Western motorway led to suburban growth in the Te Atatū area. The first team was a 7-aside team formed to represent Te Atatu North and South. They initially had to wear Glenora jerseys and their first ever game was against Wesley at Fowlds Park. The first training area was in a cow paddock on Edmonton Rd, before they were later able to move to Ramlea Park.

In 1961 Te Atatu won their first schoolboy championship in their Te Atatu colours. In 1960–61 Te Atatū Peninsula Park was developed on Neil Avenue and in 1965 they fielded their first senior side in the Senior B grade. The ground is still commonly referred to as 'Neil Ave'.

In the late 1960s work began on the current club rooms on Toru Avenue. They were built on Crown (council) land arranged with Waitemata Mayor Jack Colvin after 3 club members were elected to the WCC Parks Committee. However, before the club rooms could be built the land needed to be prepared. The land was in such poor condition that no other clubs had bothered applying for it, and life member Ken Pitman described the task of preparing it thus: "What a mess, over six acres of swamp, gorse and pine trees, five feet thick. Well we were all enthusiastic and silly enough to attempt the impossible. We chopped, scrounged, swore, drank and burned our way through the lot". The council also helped by putting a culvert under the motorway and realigned the creek which ran through the park. Eventually the playing fields were established and work could begin on the club rooms.[1]

The club rooms took over 6 years to complete with the foundation stone being laid on 17 December 1962, with the official opening on 19 April 1969 by MP Martin Finlay. Just as the land was prepared solely by club members, so to was the clubroom built completely by members including Ken Pitman, Tom Hetherington, Ted Quedely, Eric Draper, Ernie Rainbow, Morrie Ramsey, Peter and Bis Pitman, Buddy Jones, Harry McWilliams, Jim Denyer, Gordon McCarten, Pat Fairweather, Don McMeekin, Murray Hill and Ian Pattulo.[2]

By the 1970s Te Atatu were becoming more competitive on the field at senior level and completed wins over all of the top clubs over a period of time, including Ellerslie Eagles, Mt Albert Lions, Glenora Bears, Richmond Bulldogs and Ponsonby Ponies. At this time the club also began producing NZ international quality players such as Dennis Williams who aged only 18 famously scored a brilliant individual try with his first touch of the ball in his debut test versus Great Britain, along with John Smith and John Wilson. In 1973 they won the Senior Competition and the Phelan Shield. In the same year they played the first ever Australian Aboriginal rugby league team in a pre season game, losing 13–17.[3] [4]

Around this time other branches of the club were formed at Ranui (which later led to the formation of the Waitemata Seagulls), and Massey. Teams playing at Moire Park in Massey were known as Te Atatu Massey. The nickname 'Roosters' was adopted along with the Eastern Suburbs (now Sydney Roosters) style jersey. In 1976 they turned 21 yrs old and celebrated with a ball at the Mandalay in the city. In 1979 club members looking for a summer activity to continue bonding and to develop player skills formed the Te Atatu Roosters Softball Club. The softball club has since relocated to the Massey Rugby Club and plays at Rosedale Park on Auckland's North Shore, but has retained the name Roosters Softball Club.[5][6]

In the 1980s the club finally began experiencing the success on the field they had sought after for many years. In 1986 they were runners up in the Fox Memorial to Mt Albert but weeks later were crowned National Club Champions after defeating the same opposition. Then in 1988 they won the Fox Memorial Shield beating local rivals Glenora 23–16 in the final at Carlaw Park and a month later won the National Club title for the second time by again defeating Glenora at Eden Park as curtain-raiser to the Kiwis – Kangaroo World Cup final.[7]

In 2016 Te Atatu formed their first women's premier team. They have now played four seasons and won the 2nd division title twice (2016 and 2019).[8]

Titles
See also: Auckland Rugby League club trophies

Te Atatu's first ever senior trophy was the Gillette Cup in 1968. They won it again in 1974.

Their other trophies early in their existence were in the Sharman Cup where they won it in 1970, 1973, 1974, 1976 and 1978.

Te Atatu had a historic year in 1986 when they won the Rukutai Shield for winning the minor premiership and making the Fox Memorial grand final (both for the first time) where they lost to the Mt Albert Lions 31–4. A month later they had revenge when they beat the Lions by 36–10 to claim their first National Club title at Carlaw Park, defeating Randwick and Upper Hutt along the way.

Te Atatu finally won the coveted Fox Memorial Shield, awarded to the Auckland club champions in 1988 with a win over local rivals the Glenora Bears. They also went on to win the Lion Red National Club Final against Glenora at Eden Park 18–8 in the same year. The match was televised live as it was the curtain-raiser to the New Zealand – Australia Rugby League World Cup final which Australia went on to win 25–12 in front of 45,363 spectators.

In 1990 they again made the Fox Memorial final but lost to a Tawera Nikau inspired Otahuhu Leopards. In 1993 they made the Fox Memorial final for the 4th time but were again defeated by the Northcote Tigers 29–10.

In 2005 the Roosters celebrated their 50th Jubilee. In 2007 Te Atatu won the Roope Rooster (which by this time had become a trophy the winning team defended on their home ground). They defeated Mt Albert to win it and defended it for 3 matches before losing it to the Richmond Bulldogs.

In 2010 they finished 4th at the end of the regular season in the Fox Memorial and defeated 3rd placed Howick in the minor final, before losing to Otahuhu in preliminary final.

The 2011 to 2014 seasons were largely uneventful, spent in the lower divisions. The 2014 season was arguably one of the worst in the club's history with just 2 wins from 18 games, both over the last placed Manukau Magpies.

The club then rebuilt in 2015 by appointing Revell Neil and bringing in many new players to the premier team. This saw a massive reversal in results and over the 2015 and 2016 seasons they won a remarkable 35 games, with 2 draws and just 3 losses. In 2015 they had their 60th Jubilee which featured a celebratory match with local rivals Glenora and was won by Te Atatu 38–28. They also won the Phelan Shield in this time. In 2016 they won the Phelan Shield again along with promotion back to the Fox Memorial when they beat the Bay Roskill Vikings 31–22 in the Sharman Cup final. In 2017 they were competitive in many matches but failed to convert this into wins. They were relegated back to the Sharman Cup and in 2018 were forced to rebuild after losing many of their players to other teams. Former Te Atatu player Lawrence Tagaloa was appointed head coach. They finished the season with a 7–7 record and lost to New Lynn in the Sharman Cup championship final. 2019 saw another change with new coaches (Keith Hanley and Phil Gordon) appointed and many new additions to the team.

Te Atatu players in a match against Point Chevalier
Year Trophy
1968 Gillette Cup
1970 Sharman Cup
1973 Sharman Cup
1974 Sharman Cup & Gillette Cup
1976 Sharman Cup
1978 Sharman Cup
1986 Rukutai Shield, National Club Championship & Kiwi Shield
1988 Fox Memorial, National Club Championship & Kiwi Shield
2007 Roope Rooster
2015 Phelan Shield
2016 Phelan Shield & Sharman Cup

Current Season and Season Finishing Positions
2019 Fox Qualifying Championship Results
Home Score Away Score
1 Te Atatu34Manukau18
2 Hibiscus Coast34Te Atatu32
3 Bye
4 Te Atatu22Ellerslie12
5 Waitemata18Te Atatu52
6 Pukekohe14Te Atatu24
7 Te Atatu44Ponsonby12
8 Te Atatu78Papatoetoe0
9 Te Atatu30Pakuranga14
10 Otara20Te Atatu38
11 Te Atatu72New Lynn0
12 Northern Brothers6Te Atatu44
13 Te Atatu48Mt Wellington22
2019 Fox Memorial Championship Results
Home Score Away Score
1 Te Atatu36Manurewa16
2 Te Atatu26Ellerslie24
3 Richmond26Te Atatu18
4 Pukekohe22Te Atatu34
5 Te Atatu22Papakura28
6 Te Atatu36Bay Roskill8
7 Hibiscus Coast14Te Atatu42
Major Semi-Final Te Atatu23Papakura22 *AET
Grand Final Te Atatu8Papakura38
Premier Men's Season-by-Season Results
Year & CompetitionPlayedWinByeDrawLossPFPA%PointsPlacePlayoff Results & Season NotesAwards
2003 Sharman Cup147007---144th of 10L v Northcote in Elim SF 18-20
2009 Fox Qualification74003---84th of 8Qualified for Fox Memorial
2009 Fox Memorial1430011---67th of 8-Zensei Inu (ARL Standoff of the Year), Zac Tippins(ARL Hooker of the Year), Stephen Shennan (ARL Rookie of the Year)
2010 Fox Qualification7400322815814464th of 8Qualified for Fox Memorial
2010 Fox Memorial148006412332124164th of 8W v Howick 26–8 in minor final, L v Otahuhu 14–28 in prelim final
2011 Sharman Cup147-16412294140154th of 8L v Mangere East 16–19 in minor final
2012 Sharman Cup18702937952472167th of 10
2013 Sharman Cup18401134125337799th of 10
2014 Sharman Cup18200162907234049th of 10-Sala Falelua (Sharman Cup Player of the Year) Bill Norrie (ARL Volunteer of the Year) [9]
2015 Sharman Cup1715011826277298311st of 15W v Ellerslie 26–22 in minor final, W v Bay Roskill 32–26 in major final, L v Richmond 16–45 in GF
2016 Sharman Cup171511070618638031* *-2pts for rule breach1st of 15L v Waitemata 14–21 in qual final, W v Hibiscus Coast 54–18 in SF, W v Ellerslie 42–12 in major final, W v Bay Roskill 31–22 in GF
2017 Fox Memorial183011428951057710th of 10Relegated to Sharman Cup for 2018Johnny Falelua (ARL Rookie of the Year)
2018 Sharman Cup1561083082851081410th of 14W v Pakuranga 30–6 in SF, L v New Lynn 24–29 in GF
2019 Fox Qualifying Championship1211101548179322241st of 13Qualified 1st including 10 game winning streak (rounds 3 to 12)
2019 Fox Memorial Championship75002214140153101st of 8Qualified 1st, W v Papakura in major SF 23-22 after extra time, L v Papakura in Grand Final 8-38.
Premier Women's Season-by-Season Results
YearPlayedWinByeDrawLossPFPA%PointsPlacePlayoff Results & Season NotesAwards
2016 Women's Pennant521111504037572nd of 5[10]W v Pt Chevalier 18–14 in SF, L v Mangere East 22–26 in the Championship Final
2017 Women's Pennant8520127282331.71141st of 5W v Pt Chevalier 24–14 in the Pennant Final
2018 Women's Championship501045423822.6925th of 5 [11]
2019 Women's Championship76001260130200121st of 8W v Glenora 32–24 in the Championship SF, W v Manukau 10–8 in GF

Notable Past Players

Te Atatu's first Kiwi International was Dennis Williams in 1971. He went on to play 31 tests for New Zealand. The majority of the NZ representatives were to come from the late 1980s and early 1990s when the club experienced considerable success on the field With the likes of Peter Brown, Mark Elia, Mark Horo, Ron O'Regan, Dean Orr, and Sam Panapa in the side. In the early 1990s brothers Henry and Robbie Paul represented the Kiwi's though Robbie moved to play professionally in England at a young age and due to the difficulty for players from England being able to return to New Zealand or Australia for tests he did not represent New Zealand as many times as he would undoubtedly have. His brother Henry Paul also moved to play professionally in England and he later switched codes representing England in rugby union, and in Rugby Sevens. He was not the only Te Atatu Rooster to represent another country in Rugby Union. Shontayne Hape switched codes and was selected for the full English international side who he represented 13 times, and more recently James O'Connor who was a Te Atatu Schoolboy was selected for the Wallabies, the Australia national rugby union team.

NZ Representatives

Kiwis

NZ Maori

Junior Kiwis

NZ Under 19s

NZ Secondary Schools

NZ Under 16s

NZ Universities

  • Graeme Murdoch (5 tests)

Auckland Representative Teams

Auckland

New Zealand Warriors

NZ Warriors U20s

NRL

Canterbury Bulldogs

Sydney Roosters

Parramatta Eels

Penrith Panthers

Western Suburbs

Super League/England

Bradford Bulls

Castleford Tigers

Featherstone Rovers

Halifax R.L.F.C.

Huddersfield Giants

Hunslet

Kent Invicta

Leeds

Leigh Centurions

Oldham RLFC

Rochdale Hornets

Salford Giants

Sheffield Eagles

St Helens R.F.C.

Wigan

Wakefield Trinity

Widnes Vikings

Harlequins

  • Robbie Paul (10 games)

International Rugby League and Rugby Union

Australia

  • James O'Connor[12] (44 tests)

England

Romania

Samoa

Fiji

Tokelau

Video of Games and Interviews

Men's Premiers Matches

Men's Premiers Nines Tournament Matches

  • 2018 ARL Nines v Mt Albert Lions Pool Match (0-34) Full Match
  • 2018 ARL Nines v Waitemata Seagulls Pool Match (10-8) Full Match
  • 2019 ARL Nines v Marist Saints Pool Match (0-10) Full Match
  • 2019 ARL Nines v Mangere East Hawks Pool Match (8-24) Full Match
  • 2019 ARL Nines v Manurewa Marlins Plate Semi Final (12-20) Full Match

Men's Premiers Interviews and Preseason

Women's Premiers

  • 2017 Women's Premiers v Pt Chevalier Pirates Pennant Grand Final (24-14) Full Match
  • 2019 Women's Premiers v Manukau Magpies Championship Grand Final (10-8) 1st Half 2nd Half

Men's Premier 1st (Reserve Grade)

  • 2016 Premier 1st v Northern Brothers Full Match
  • 2019 Premier 1st v Hibiscus Coast (50-22) Full Match
  • 2019 Premier 1st Grand Final v Bay Roskill (22-23) Full Match

References
  1. https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/western-leader/67998177/
  2. Fox Sport Pulse (18 February 2012). "The History of Te Atatu Rugby League Club". New Zealand: Fox Sport Pulse. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  3. AAP (18 February 1973). "Aboriginal team wins". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australia. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  4. The Armidale Express (8 February 2013). "Aboriginal Rugby League Stars Recognised After 4 Decades". The Armidale Express. Australia. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  5. http://www.onlysport.co.nz/browse/profile-607-Roosters_Softball_Club_Inc.html
  6. http://www.roosterssoftball.co.nz/
  7. Te Atatu Roosters Facebook page, Graeme Murdoch (20 June 2015). "60th Jubilee Speech Notes". New Zealand: Facebook. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  8. https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/sport/80016339/women-flock-to-the-te-atatu-roosters-rugby-league-team
  9. https://www.warriors.kiwi/news/2014/08/28/snell-wins-aucklands-top-award/
  10. http://websites.sportstg.com/team_info.cgi?c=1-4975-69502-419367-25136071&a=LADDER
  11. http://websites.sportstg.com/team_info.cgi?c=1-4975-69502-497266-26186621&a=LADDER
  12. "Wallaby star drops in on favourite Kiwi teacher". New Zealand: ODT. 15 September 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  13. https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/international/91689381/warriors-reject-plays-test-rugby-for-romania
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