The Auckland Lions were a

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

club that had teams in both the New Zealand

Bartercard Cup The Bartercard Cup (successor of the Lion Red Cup) was the top level rugby league club competition in New Zealand from 2000 until 2007. For the entire life of the tournament it was sponsored by Bartercard. The cup was administered by the New Zeala ...

and the

NSWRL Premier League The NSW Cup, currently known as the Knock-On Effect NSW Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a rugby league competition for clubs in New South Wales. The competition has a history dating back to the NSWRFL's origins in 1908, starting off as a reserv ...

. They were mostly drawn from the

Mt Albert Lions The Mount Albert Lions are a rugby league club based in Mount Albert, New Zealand. The Lions home ground is at Fowlds Park. Their patron is the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark. In 2008 and 2009 the Lions won the Fox Memorial. ...

Rugby League club. Mt Albert had a proud tradition in Auckland and had previously won two Bartercard Cup competitions as a stand-alone club. The Bartercard franchise wore a yellow jersey with a blue V, while the Premier League side wore royal blue jerseys with a white V. In 2008 the Bartercard Cup was discontinued and the Auckland franchise in the

New South Wales Cup The NSW Cup, currently known as the Knock-On Effect NSW Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a rugby league competition for clubs in New South Wales. The competition has a history dating back to the NSWRFL's origins in 1908, starting off as a reserve ...

was renamed the

Auckland Vulcans The Auckland Vulcans were an Auckland based rugby league club that participated in the New South Wales Cup. They were administered by the Rugby League Development Foundation. The team was selected from the Auckland Rugby League's Fox Memorial C ...

NSWRL Premier League

2007 Results

In 2007 the Lions competed in the Sydney-based

. Graeme Norton was appointed coach for the side in 2007. The Lions acted as the official reserve grade side for the

New Zealand Warriors The New Zealand Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as ...

. The team was composed of

Auckland Rugby League The Auckland Rugby League (ARL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It is responsible for rugby league in the region, including both club and school rugby league. It began in 1910 when the fi ...

talent and Warriors players not taking part in first grade action. The

New Zealand national rugby league team The New Zealand national rugby league team (Māori: Tīma rīki motu Aotearoa) has represented New Zealand in rugby league since 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of ...

coach at the time,

Brian McClennan Brian "Bluey" McClennan (born 16 February 1962) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer and coach. He was previously the head coach of the New Zealand national team (with whom he won the 2005 Tri-nations) and then England' ...

, served as Director of Football for the first few weeks of the season before stepping down to concentrate on the National side.'Aussie' Warriors no good to Kiwis, ''Sunday Star Times''
Retrieved on 1 April 2007 Auckland lions

Their first game was a stunning 27–8 victory over the reigning Premiers, the

Parramatta Eels The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta that competes in the National Rugby League. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, and their ...

. After several good early performances including upsetting a Dragons team with a lot of first grade talent, the Lions season started to slide with a six match losing streak that was broken in Round 13 with a 10–8 victory over the

Manly Sea Eagles The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Sydney's Northern Beaches. The team colours are maroon and white, while their namesake and logo is the sea eagle. They compete in Australia's premier rugb ...

Mt Smart Stadium Mount Smart Stadium (formerly known as Ericsson Stadium) is a multipurpose stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the main home ground of the New Zealand Warriors of the National Rugby League, and occasionally hosts rugby union and internatio ...

. Following another two game slump, the Lions embarked on a streak, winning four out of five games to re-enter unlikely finals contention. A loss to Canberra in their penultimate game of the season saw their finals hopes evaporate, and a depleted Lions squad lost heavily to Penrith to end their first season in Premier League. The Lions finished a creditable 10th spot, just two wins outside of the top eight. The Lions were renamed the

in 2008, as they no longer had any affiliation with Mt Albert.

Bartercard Cup

2006 Results

The Lions started 2006 where

left off in 2005, on a winning note. They dominated the competition, losing only two matches in 2006 and claiming the Minor Premiership. They then defeated the

Canterbury Bulls The Canterbury rugby league team (also known as the Canterbury Bulls) are a rugby league team who represent the Canterbury Rugby League. They currently compete in the Albert Baskerville Trophy. Their home ground is Orangetheory Stadium in Chri ...

27–14, earning another bye and qualifying for the Grand Final. They won the Grand Final 25–18, again defeating the Canterbury Bulls..

2007 Results

The 2007 Bartercard Cup kicked off on April 14 and despite now fielding a Premier League side the Lions were still able to dominate the Bartercard Cup. Unbeaten after eight rounds they racked up some big scores including thrashings of the

Counties Manukau Jetz The Counties Manukau rugby league team represents the Counties Manukau zone in the Albert Baskerville Trophy. Previously, teams representing Southern Auckland and the Franklin district of New Zealand have competed in the Lion Red Cup and Barterc ...

(62-0),

Waicoa Bay Stallions The Wai-Coa-Bay Stallions were a rugby league team that represent the Upper Central Zone of the New Zealand Rugby League. The Zone comprises four districts: Waikato, Coastline Rugby League, Bay of Plenty, and Gisborne Tairawhiti Rugby League. The ...

(64-4),

Central Falcons The Manawatu rugby league team are a rugby league team that represents the Manawatu Rugby League in New Zealand Rugby League competitions. They have the nickname the Mustangs and between 2002 and 2007 competed in the Bartercard Cup as the Centr ...

(84-0) and Northern Storm (70-8). They again won the minor premiership and after the major semi final against

Harbour League Harbour League were a franchise in the now defunct Bartercard Cup rugby league competition in New Zealand. They represented Aucklands North Shore City. They were formed in 2006 to take over from the Hibiscus Coast Raiders and the North Harbour ...

went 117 minutes they won 44-40 and advanced to the Grand Final when they again accounted for Harbour League to win the last

References

External links

{{Rugby League in Auckland Auckland rugby league clubs Rugby clubs established in 2006 Defunct rugby league teams in New Zealand 2006 establishments in New Zealand 2008 disestablishments in New Zealand Diaspora sports clubs in Australia

NSWRL Premier League

2007 Results

Bartercard Cup

2006 Results

2007 Results

See also

References

External links