Gordon Rugby Football Club is a
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
club based on the
North Shore of Sydney. The club, known as the Gordon Highlanders, plays out of
Chatswood Oval
Chatswood Oval is located south of the Chatswood railway station in northern Sydney. It has four small pavilions and seating surrounding the oval. It is one of the Lower North Shore's largest sportsgrounds, and the home ground of the Gordon Rug ...
and competes in the
New South Wales Rugby Union grade competition.
Club information
* Premiership Titles –
Shute Shield
The Shute Shield is a semi-professional rugby union competition in Sydney, Australia. It is the premier club competition in New South Wales. The Shute Shield is awarded to the winning team from the Sydney premiership grand final held at the end ...
: 9 (1952, 1954, 1956, 1958, 1976, 1993, 1995, 1998 & 2020)
* Club Championships: 13
* President: Matthew Glascott
* 1st Grade Head Coach: Brian Melrose
* 1st Colts Head Coach: Andy Connors
* General Manager Grant Pisani
The original Gordon Rugby Football Club was founded in 1927 on Sydney's North Shore, playing in the Metropolitan Junior Competitions and its home games on Roseville Chase Oval. The club was disbanded in 1930 and the following year, many of its players transferred to the newly formed Roseville Junior Rugby Union Football Club, whose home ground was Chatswood Oval. In the 1935 season, the club won the Metropolitan Junior Club Championship, the Kentwell Cup and its second grade, the Bourke Cup.
Following its success the club was admitted to the Grade Competition in 1936 and changed its name to the Gordon District Rugby Union Football Club, fielding four grade and two junior sides, which participated in the Metropolitan Junior Competition.
By 1939, the 1st XV had won the minor premiership but were defeated in the final by the ultimate premiers. Apart from the 4th grade team winning a premiership in 1946, it was 1949 before Gordon won the Club Championship with its 1st and 4th grade teams, with all four teams playing in the semi-finals.
In 1949, the club adopted a new jersey incorporating the colours of the Gordon tartan and its club song “A Gordon For Me”, emphasising the strong Scottish influence within the club.
First grade premierships were achieved in 1952, 1954, 1956, 1958, 1976, 1993, 1995, 1998 and 2020. Over the years, the lower grade sides have played prominently at or near the top of the competition tables with Gordon winning the Club Championship 13 times.
Many Gordon players have earned representative honours playing for the state and Australia – far too many to list here. Trevor Allan, who has won lasting international acclaim, together with Bob Davidson and Peter Sullivan have all captained Australian touring teams.
Stirling Mortlock
Stirling Austin Mortlock AM (born 20 May, 1977) is a former Australian professional rugby union player. He has scored more than 1,000 points in Super Rugby, and nearly 500 test points for the Wallabies. Mortlock is a former Wallaby, Melbourne Re ...
played 80 Tests for the Wallabies and captained for 29 of them. He was a Gordon Junior and Colt.
In addition to the club's attractive style of play it is renowned for its dedication to the promotion of the game at all levels, its tremendous club spirit, its enthusiastic supporters and an excellent and supportive administration.
Under the banner of Gordon Rugby, the Gordon Rugby Football Club Ltd currently fields four grade and three colts sides, plus reserves and representative junior sides from village clubs Chatswood, Hornsby, Killara-West Pymble, Lane Cove, Lindfield, Roseville, St Ives and Wahroonga
For the 2022 season Gordon has appointed Brian Melrose as 1st Grade Head Coach with Andy Connors as 1st Colts Head Coach.
Current squad
The squad for the 2022 season
International representatives
Rugby Championships
* Club Championships: 13 – 1949 1952 1957 1962 1971 1974 1975 1976 1978 1990 1993 1998 2020
* 1st Grade Premierships: 9 – 1949, 1952, 1956, 1958, 1976, 1993, 1995, 1998 & 2020.
* 1st Grade Runners Up: 1950, 1955, 1957, 1967, 1969, 1972, 1980 & 1992.
* 2nd Grade Premierships: – 1961, 1972, 1974, 1976 & 1981.
* 2nd Grade Runners Up: 1950, 1952, 1955, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1975, 1980, 2008 & 2009.
* 3rd Grade Premierships: – 12 – 1959, 1960, 1967, 1970, 1972, 1977, 1983, 1993, 2008, 2009, 2019 & 2020.
* 3rd Grade Runners Up: – 1948, 1951, 1962, 1966, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1981, 1992, 1994, 1999 & 2000.
* 4th Grade Premierships: 18 – 1949, 1952, 1953,1955, 1958, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1999, 2000 & 2007.
* 4th Grade Runners Up: – 1950, 1954, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1977, 1983, 1987 & 2020
Gordon D.R.U.F.C Veterans (World War II) KIA
Club song
(To the tune of the Scottish folk song of the same name)
References
External links
Gordon RFC home pageJack Dempsey & Tom Matthews participate in projectGordon Stags Rugby Site
{{Shute shield
Rugby union teams in Sydney
Rugby clubs established in 1936
1936 establishments in Australia
Gordon, New South Wales