Group 4 is 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 ...

competition in the

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

and north west area of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, run under the auspices of the

Country Rugby League The Country Rugby League of New South Wales (CRL), 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 Rug ...

Structure

The Group runs a first grade, reserve grade, league tag and under 18s competitions. All nine first grade clubs run at least one lower grade team and most will have three or four. In addition to the nine first grade clubs, there was also one junior club involved in under 16s: Farrer MAHS. The Under 16s competition has since become a part of the junior league organisation in the region, Group 4 JRL. It also formerly ran a second division competition called the Wests Shield. The second division competition contained stand-alone senior teams from smaller towns within the region, who eventually moved up to first grade in 2018 after a merger between the divisions. Kootingal-Moonbi, Dungowan and Boggabri moved up to being full first grade teams, whilst Manilla and Barraba moved into the reserves competition. Manilla then re-joined the first grade competition in 2022. There are also Group 4 senior Under 18s and Under 16s representative teams that competes against other Group sides. They compete against Groups 19 and 21 in trials for the Greater Northern Tigers regional team.

Teams

Current teams

Nine teams currently compete in Group 4 Rugby League first grade, from towns across the

and north west area of

. The 2020 season was postponed and subsequently cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in Australia The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The first confirmed case in Australia was identified on 25 Januar ...

.
First Grade Clubs There are eight Reserve Grade and Ladies League Tag teams competing in the 2023 season: Werris Creek Magpies, Kootingal-Moonbi Roosters, Gunnedah Bulldogs, Narrabri Blues, Boggabri Kangaroos, Moree Boars, North Tamworth Bears, Dungowan Cowboys, and five Under 18 teams: Dungowan, Narrabri, Gunnedah, Werris Creek and Kootingal-Moonbi.

In Recess

= Past teams

= The following teams have competed in Group 4 First Grade since 1983: *Armidale (2016) (moved back to Group 19) *Barraba (1980s-2021) *Collegians Tamworth (2017) (Returned to junior football only) *Coonabarabran (1998-2009) (moved to Castlereagh) *Inverell (1980s-1989) (moved to Group 19) *Moree Boomerangs (1980s-1990) (moved to Group 19) *Oxley Diggers Tamworth (2014–16) (Folded) *Tamworth City (1956-1995, merged with West Tamworth) *Tamworth United (1990–91) *Warialda (1980s-1988) (moved to Group 19) *Wee Waa (1900s-1994, 1996-2010, 2012–14, 2017) (In recess) *West Tamworth (1913-1995 as the Robins, merged with Tamworth City 1995-2016), rebranded as South West (2017). Many of these clubs have moved to Group 19. These clubs fielded teams in at least one Division 2 competition during the seasons 2011 to 2017. *Bendemeer (Folded) *Bingara (Folded) *Bundarra (In recess) *Quirindi (moved to Group 21, In recess) *Uralla (amalgamated with Walcha) *Walcha (amalgamated with Uralla) In 2018, the clubs Boggabri, Dungowan, Kootingal-Moonbi and Werris Creek were elevated from Division 2 into a reorganised First Grade competition. Manilla moved into the lower grades.

Map

Grand finals

Junior League

Current Teams

Notable juniors

Boggabri Kangaroos

Dungowan Cowboys

Gunnedah Bulldogs

John Donnelly (rugby league) John "Dallas" Donnelly (3 September 1954 – 22 February 1986) was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. An Australian Kangaroos and New South Wales Blues representative, he played for Western S ...

* James Wynne *

John O’Neill (rugby league) John O'Neill (9 May 1943 – 9 August 1999) was an Australian representative rugby league whose club career was spent with South Sydney Rabbitohs, South Sydney and Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, Manly-Warringah during the 1960s and early 1970s. H ...

* Lindsay Johnston *

Ron Turner (rugby league) Ronald 'Ron' Turner (born 1945) is an Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s. A New South Wales state and Australia national representative , he played in Sydney's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership for the ...

Kootingal-Moonbi Roosters

Narrabri Blues

North Tamworth Bears

Sources

References

External links and sources

Country Rugby League
official site
Group 4
on ''SportsTG'' * ''

Rugby League Week ''Rugby League Week'' (frequently abbreviated to RLW) was the highest selling Australian rugby league magazine, ahead of major competitor ''Big League''. It was published weekly (on Wednesdays) during the Australian rugby league season, which ru ...

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State Library of NSW Research and Collections
{{Rugby League in New South Wales Rugby league competitions in New South Wales New England (New South Wales)