South Coast Group 7 Rugby League (or Group 7 Rugby League for simplicity) is the divisional boundary drawn from the Southern

Illawarra The Illawarra is a coastal region in the Australian state of New South Wales, nestled between the mountains and the sea. It is situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the South Coast region. It encompasses the two cities of Wollongo ...

and

South Coast South Coast is a name often given to coastal areas to the south of a geographical region or major metropolitan area. Geographical Australia *South Coast (New South Wales), the coast of New South Wales, Australia, south of Sydney * South Coast (Q ...

regions (from the town of

Warilla Warilla is a seaside suburb of the City of Shellharbour, Australia within the Wollongong urban area. It is one of the more established areas and is between the suburbs of Mount Warrigal in the west, Barrack Heights and Barrack Point in the s ...

south to

Ulladulla Ulladulla is a coastal town in New South Wales, Australia in the City of Shoalhaven local government area. It is on the Princes Highway about south of Sydney, halfway between Batemans Bay to the south and Nowra to the north. Ulladulla has cl ...

) 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 ...

, Australia and is governed by the

NSWCRL 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 ...

. The main semi-professional competition, (named South Coast Group 7 VB First Grade for sponsorship reasons), comprises ten (10) teams from across the region. Group 7 Rugby League also administers reserve grade, third grade, and under-18s competitions, Ladies League Tag, as well as looking over many junior competitions.

Clubs

The following twenty clubs compete in South Coast Group 7 competitions, with ten teams in the first-grade competition, seven clubs competing in lower grades and three clubs being junior standalone clubs. 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 ...

the commencement of 2020 season was postponed. Matches began on 25 July. Ten clubs, including Mt Warrigal and Milton-Ulladulla, also field Women's League Tag teams. This competition has been running since 2010, and has comprised two divisions since 2018. Sussex Inlet and Wreck Bay had fielded third-grade teams in 2019, but have not entered a team in 2020. Kiama, who fielded a Ladies League Tag team from 2010 to 2019, have not done so in 2020.

Foundation clubs

Of the original eight teams that competed in the inaugural competition in 1914, only four teams remain playing in first grade. They are the

Berry Magpies The Berry-Shoalhaven Heads Magpies are an Australian rugby league football team based in Berry, a country town of the South Coast region. The Magpies are a foundation club of the Group 7 Rugby League and are members of Country Rugby League. Histo ...

Gerringong Lions The Gerringong Lions are an Australian rugby league football team based in Gerringong, a coastal town of the Illawarra and South Coast regions. The club was formed in 1914 as one of the founding members of South Coast Rugby League, and continue ...

Jamberoo Superoos The Jamberoo Superoos are an Australian rugby league football team based in Jamberoo, a country town of the Illawarra region. The club is a part of Country Rugby League and have competed in the South Coast first grade competition since its ince ...

, and

Kiama Knights The Kiama Knights are an Australian rugby league football team based in Kiama, a coastal town of the Illawarra and South Coast regions. The club was formed in 1914 as one of the founding members of South Coast Rugby League, and continue to parti ...

. The

Nowra Warriors The Nowra Warriors are an Australian rugby league football team based in Nowra, a coastal town of the South Coast region. The club is a part of Country Rugby League and previously competed in the South Coast first grade competition since its inc ...

were also a foundation club, but due to financial reasons were forced to merge with the Bomaderry Swamp Rats in 2007. The merger created the team Shoalhaven Jets, which was renamed Nowra-Bomaderry Jets in 2012.

New teams

There have been a few teams to expand into the Group 7 Rugby League First Grade Premiership. Through the 20s–30s

Albion Park Albion Park is a suburb situated in the Macquarie Valley in the City of Shellharbour, which is in turn one of the three local government areas that comprise the Wollongong Metropolitan Area, New South Wales, Australia. Although it is surround ...

were founded, joined the

Illawarra Rugby League The Illawarra Rugby League is a rugby league competition in Wollongong, NSW. It is one of the oldest rugby league competitions in Australia, founded in 1911 with five clubs (Dapto, Helensburgh, Mount Keira, Unanderra and Wollongong). The area pr ...

and returned to Group 7 in 1933. The

Shellharbour Sharks The Shellharbour City Sharks are a Country Rugby League club founded in 1920 located on the South Coast of NSW that compete in the South Coast Group 7 competition. Club Info History Shellharbour City RLFC has a 113-year history, originally exist ...

are known to have joined the league at this time.

Milton-Ulladulla Bulldogs The Milton-Ulladulla Bulldogs are an Australian rugby league football team based in Ulladulla, a coastal town in the South Coast region. The club is a part of Country Rugby League and has competed in the South Coast first grade competition since t ...

also joined from

Group 16 Rugby League Group 16 is a rugby league competition on the south coast of New South Wales, run under the auspices of the Country Rugby League. Group 16 covers the area from Batemans Bay down to Eden. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia the commenceme ...

. The

Warilla-Lake South Gorillas The Warilla-Lake South Gorillas (or sometimes simplified to Warilla Gorillas) are an Australian rugby league football team based in Lake Illawarra, a coastal town of the Illawarra region. The club is a part of Country Rugby League and have compet ...

were first introduced into first grade during the 1970s and in 1978 the

Batemans Bay Tigers The Batemans Bay Tigers (or sometimes simplified to Bay Tigers) are an Australian rugby league football team based in Batemans Bay, a coastal town of the South Coast region. The club is a part of Country Rugby League and have competed in the Grou ...

were another team to move from Group 16.

Former teams

Also the following lower-grade teams * Crookhaven Magpies *

Port Kembla Blacks The Port Kembla Blacks (or Port Kembla Rugby League Football Club) were a Rugby League team from Port Kembla, New South Wales, Australia that competed in the Illawarra Rugby League competition from 1914 to 2008 before moving to the Group 7 Rugby Le ...

2013 to 2017 (Formally

competition 1914 to 2008) * Pyree (22 seasons between 1920 and 1954) * Mt. Warrigal United Kooris (Contested in third grade in 1980–81, 1995–2001, 2005–09, 2017–21) * Wreck Bay United Bears (Contested in third grade in 1977–88, 1993–97, 1999–2005, 2014–18, 2021)

Clubs timeline

The graph below shows the participation of all current and most former clubs. The club's highest grade in a particular year is displayed. The source is a compilation of competition tables, point scores and lists of participating teams. These have been taken from the ''Kiama Independent'', ''Illawarra Mercury'' and other past newspapers on

Trove Trove is an Australian online library database owned by the National Library of Australia in which it holds partnerships with source providers National and State Libraries Australia, an aggregator and service which includes full text document ...

and microfilm. The current South Coast Group 7 Official Historian has assisted with the provision of more recent tables as printed in association guidebooks and the ''South Coast Register''. Further research may add seasons the juniors only clubs participated which are currently not shown. ImageSize = width:1000 height:4auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:150 bottom:80 top:0 right:15 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1910 till:31/12/2022 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = position:bottom columns:1 ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:1910 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:5 start:2020 Colors= id:First value:black legend:First_grade id:Second value:tan2 legend:Reserve_grade id:Third value:yelloworange legend:Third_grade id:Youth value:yellow legend:Under_18_only id:Junior value:dullyellow legend:Juniors_only id:Ladies value:magenta legend:Ladies_League_Tag id:Women value:purple legend:Womens_Rugby_League id:Illaw value:skyblue legend:Illawarra id:G16 value:teal legend:Group_16 id:G6 value:orange legend:Group_6 BarData = bar:AP text:"Albion Park-Oak Flats" bar:Ber text:"Berry-Shoalhaven Heads" bar:Ger text:"Gerringong" bar:Jam text:"Jamberoo" bar:Kia text:"Kiama" bar:MU text:"Milton-Ulladulla" bar:NBJ text:"Nowra-Bomaderry" bar:She text:"Shellharbour" bar:SOS text:"Stingrays of Shellharbour" bar:War text:"Warilla-Lake South" bar:Out text:"Albion Park Outlaws" bar:Cul text:"Culburra" bar:Rob text:"Robertson-Burrawang" bar:SoH text:"Southern Highlands" bar:Sus text:"Sussex Inlet" bar:Bdy text:"Bomaderry" bar:Now text:"Nowra" bar:SGB text:"St. Georges Basin" bar:MtW text:"Mt. Warrigal" bar:WB text:"Wreck Bay" bar:Crk text:"Crookhaven" bar:BAB text:"Bay and Basin" bar:Alb text:"Albatross / White Ensign" bar:BB text:"Batemans Bay" bar:SMS text:"St Michaels / Nowra Saints" bar:GP text:"Greenwell Point" bar:JB text:"Jervis Bay" bar:KV text:"Kangaroo Valley" bar:NC text:"Naval College / Creswell" bar:Pyr text:"Pyree" bar:RP text:"Roseby Park" bar:PK text:"Port Kembla" PlotData = bar:Alb from: 01/01/1949 till:31/12/1949 color: black width: 12 bar:Alb from: 01/01/1951 till:31/12/1951 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:Alb from: 01/01/1955 till:31/12/1959 color: black width: 12 bar:Alb from: 01/01/1960 till:31/12/1962 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:Alb from: 01/01/1963 till:31/12/1965 color: black width: 12 bar:Alb from: 01/01/1968 till:31/12/1972 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:Alb from: 01/01/1973 till:31/12/1974 color: black width: 12 bar:Alb from: 01/01/1975 till:31/12/1977 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:Alb from: 01/01/1978 till:31/12/1978 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:Alb from: 01/01/1979 till:31/12/1984 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:Alb from: 01/01/1985 till:31/12/1993 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:AP from: 01/01/1919 till:31/12/1919 color: black width: 12 bar:AP from: 01/01/1923 till:31/12/1925 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:AP from: 01/01/1926 till:31/12/1931 color: skyblue width: 12 bar:AP from: 01/01/1933 till:31/12/1933 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:AP from: 01/01/1934 till:31/12/1937 color: skyblue width: 12 bar:AP from: 01/01/1940 till:31/12/1941 color: black width: 12 bar:AP from: 01/01/1944 till:31/12/1949 color: black width: 12 bar:AP from: 01/01/1950 till:31/12/1950 color: yellow width: 12 bar:AP from: 01/01/1951 till:31/12/1953 color: black width: 12 bar:AP from: 01/01/1954 till:31/12/1954 color: yellow width: 12 bar:AP from: 01/01/1955 till:31/12/2022 color: black width: 12 bar:AP from: 01/01/2012 till:31/12/2022 color: magenta width: 6 bar:BB from: 01/01/1933 till:31/12/1933 color: teal width: 12 bar:BB from: 01/01/1946 till:31/12/1953 color: teal width: 12 bar:BB from: 01/01/1955 till:31/12/1956 color: teal width: 12 bar:BB from: 01/01/1960 till:31/12/1970 color: teal width: 12 bar:BB from: 01/01/1978 till:31/12/2013 color: black width: 12 bar:BB from: 01/01/2014 till:31/12/2019 color: teal width: 12 bar:Ber from: 01/01/1911 till:31/12/1915 color: black width: 12 bar:Ber from: 01/01/1918 till:31/12/1941 color: black width: 12 bar:Ber from: 01/01/1944 till:31/12/1944 color: black width: 12 bar:Ber from: 01/01/1945 till:31/12/1945 color: yellow width: 12 bar:Ber from: 01/01/1946 till:31/12/1981 color: black width: 12 bar:Ber from: 01/01/1982 till:31/12/1982 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:Ber from: 01/01/1983 till:31/12/2001 color: black width: 12 bar:Ber from: 01/01/2003 till:31/12/2020 color: black width: 12 bar:Ber from: 01/01/2011 till:31/12/2022 color: magenta width: 6 bar:Ber from: 01/01/2021 till:31/12/2021 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:Ber from: 01/01/2022 till:31/12/2022 color: black width: 12 bar:Bdy from: 01/01/1919 till:31/12/1922 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:Bdy from: 01/01/1925 till:31/12/1925 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:Bdy from: 01/01/1926 till:31/12/1927 color: black width: 12 bar:Bdy from: 01/01/1929 till:31/12/1931 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:Bdy from: 01/01/1934 till:31/12/1935 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:Bdy from: 01/01/1945 till:31/12/1945 color: black width: 12 bar:Bdy from: 01/01/1946 till:31/12/1946 color: yellow width: 12 bar:Bdy from: 01/01/1947 till:31/12/1950 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:Bdy from: 01/01/1952 till:31/12/1952 color: yellow width: 12 bar:Bdy from: 01/01/1953 till:31/12/1954 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:Bdy from: 01/01/1955 till:31/12/1956 color: black width: 12 bar:Bdy from: 01/01/1957 till:31/12/1957 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:Bdy from: 01/01/1958 till:31/12/1988 color: black width: 12 bar:Bdy from: 01/01/1989 till:31/12/1989 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:Bdy from: 01/01/1990 till:31/12/2001 color: black width: 12 bar:Bdy from: 01/01/2002 till:31/12/2004 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:Bdy from: 01/01/2005 till:31/12/2005 color: black width: 12 bar:Bdy from: 01/01/2006 till:31/12/2006 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:Bdy from: 01/01/2007 till:31/12/2007 color: yellow width: 12 bar:Bdy from: 01/01/2008 till:31/12/2022 color: dullyellow width: 12 bar:Bdy from: 01/01/2017 till:31/12/2018 color: purple width: 9 bar:Crk from: 01/01/1964 till:31/12/1973 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:Crk from: 01/01/1974 till:31/12/1985 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:Crk from: 01/01/1988 till:31/12/1994 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:Crk from: 01/01/1996 till:31/12/1996 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:Crk from: 01/01/1998 till:31/12/1999 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:Crk from: 01/01/2002 till:31/12/2003 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:Crk from: 01/01/2018 till:31/12/2018 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:Cul from: 01/01/2007 till:31/12/2010 color: yellow width: 12 bar:Cul from: 01/01/2011 till:31/12/2011 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:Cul from: 01/01/2015 till:31/12/2016 color: magenta width: 6 bar:Cul from: 01/01/2014 till:31/12/2014 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:Cul from: 01/01/2016 till:31/12/2022 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:Ger from: 01/01/1914 till:31/12/1915 color: black width: 12 bar:Ger from: 01/01/1918 till:31/12/1924 color: black width: 12 bar:Ger from: 01/01/1925 till:31/12/1927 color: skyblue width: 12 bar:Ger from: 01/01/1928 till:31/12/1937 color: black width: 12 bar:Ger from: 01/01/1938 till:31/12/1938 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:Ger from: 01/01/1939 till:31/12/1939 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:Ger from: 01/01/1940 till:31/12/1941 color: black width: 12 bar:Ger from: 01/01/1944 till:31/12/1978 color: black width: 12 bar:Ger from: 01/01/1979 till:31/12/1979 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:Ger from: 01/01/1980 till:31/12/2022 color: black width: 12 bar:Ger from: 01/01/2019 till:31/12/2022 color: magenta width: 6 bar:GP from: 01/01/1933 till:31/12/1934 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:GP from: 01/01/2002 till:31/12/2009 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:Jam from: 01/01/1914 till:31/12/1915 color: black width: 12 bar:Jam from: 01/01/1918 till:31/12/1922 color: black width: 12 bar:Jam from: 01/01/1923 till:31/12/1923 color: skyblue width: 12 bar:Jam from: 01/01/1924 till:31/12/1925 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:Jam from: 01/01/1926 till:31/12/1927 color: black width: 12 bar:Jam from: 01/01/1931 till:31/12/1941 color: black width: 12 bar:Jam from: 01/01/1944 till:31/12/1967 color: black width: 12 bar:Jam from: 01/01/1968 till:31/12/1970 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:Jam from: 01/01/1971 till:31/12/1979 color: black width: 12 bar:Jam from: 01/01/1980 till:31/12/1982 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:Jam from: 01/01/1983 till:31/12/1984 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:Jam from: 01/01/1985 till:31/12/1986 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:Jam from: 01/01/1987 till:31/12/1988 color: black width: 12 bar:Jam from: 01/01/1989 till:31/12/2005 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:Jam from: 01/01/2006 till:31/12/2008 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:Jam from: 01/01/2009 till:31/12/2022 color: black width: 12 bar:Jam from: 01/01/2010 till:31/12/2022 color: magenta width: 6 bar:JB from: 01/01/1949 till:31/12/1951 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:JB from: 01/01/1953 till:31/12/1954 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:JB from: 01/01/1955 till:31/12/1955 color: black width: 12 bar:JB from: 01/01/1959 till:31/12/1969 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:JB from: 01/01/1971 till:31/12/1971 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:JB from: 01/01/1972 till:31/12/1972 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:KV from: 01/01/1914 till:31/12/1915 color: black width: 12 bar:KV from: 01/01/1918 till:31/12/1921 color: black width: 12 bar:KV from: 01/01/1922 till:31/12/1922 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:KV from: 01/01/1924 till:31/12/1924 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:KV from: 01/01/1925 till:31/12/1928 color: black width: 12 bar:KV from: 01/01/1931 till:31/12/1936 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:KV from: 01/01/1937 till:31/12/1937 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:KV from: 01/01/1946 till:31/12/1949 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:KV from: 01/01/1951 till:31/12/1954 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:KV from: 01/01/1955 till:31/12/1957 color: black width: 12 bar:KV from: 01/01/1960 till:31/12/1964 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:KV from: 01/01/1966 till:31/12/1968 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:KV from: 01/01/1971 till:31/12/1972 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:KV from: 01/01/2007 till:31/12/2008 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:Kia from: 01/01/1914 till:31/12/1915 color: black width: 12 bar:Kia from: 01/01/1918 till:31/12/1923 color: black width: 12 bar:Kia from: 01/01/1924 till:31/12/1924 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:Kia from: 01/01/1925 till:31/12/1925 color: black width: 12 bar:Kia from: 01/01/1929 till:31/12/1929 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:Kia from: 01/01/1930 till:31/12/1941 color: black width: 12 bar:Kia from: 01/01/1944 till:31/12/2022 color: black width: 12 bar:Kia from: 01/01/2010 till:31/12/2022 color: magenta width: 6 bar:MU from: 01/01/1938 till:31/12/1940 color: black width: 12 bar:MU from: 01/01/1945 till:31/12/1947 color: black width: 12 bar:MU from: 01/01/1948 till:31/12/1948 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:MU from: 01/01/1949 till:31/12/1950 color: black width: 12 bar:MU from: 01/01/1951 till:31/12/1951 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:MU from: 01/01/1952 till:31/12/1953 color: black width: 12 bar:MU from: 01/01/1954 till:31/12/1954 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:MU from: 01/01/1955 till:31/12/1956 color: black width: 12 bar:MU from: 01/01/1957 till:31/12/1957 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:MU from: 01/01/1958 till:31/12/1959 color: yellow width: 12 bar:MU from: 01/01/1961 till:31/12/1961 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:MU from: 01/01/1962 till:31/12/1991 color: black width: 12 bar:MU from: 01/01/1992 till:31/12/1993 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:MU from: 01/01/1994 till:31/12/2019 color: black width: 12 bar:MU from: 01/01/2013 till:31/12/2022 color: magenta width: 6 bar:MU from: 01/01/2020 till:31/12/2020 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:MU from: 01/01/2021 till:31/12/2022 color: black width: 12 bar:MtW from: 01/01/1980 till:31/12/1981 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:MtW from: 01/01/1995 till:31/12/2001 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:MtW from: 01/01/2005 till:31/12/2009 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:MtW from: 01/01/2017 till:31/12/2021 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:MtW from: 01/01/2021 till:31/12/2021 color: purple width: 9 bar:MtW from: 01/01/2019 till:31/12/2020 color: magenta width: 6 bar:NC from: 01/01/1914 till:31/12/1914 color: black width: 12 bar:NC from: 01/01/1920 till:31/12/1920 color: black width: 12 bar:NC from: 01/01/1922 till:31/12/1925 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:NC from: 01/01/1926 till:31/12/1930 color: black width: 12 bar:NC from: 01/01/1982 till:31/12/1983 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:NC from: 01/01/1985 till:31/12/1985 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:NC from: 01/01/1987 till:31/12/1987 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:Now from: 01/01/1914 till:31/12/1915 color: black width: 12 bar:Now from: 01/01/1918 till:31/12/1941 color: black width: 12 bar:Now from: 01/01/1944 till:31/12/2008 color: black width: 12 bar:Now from: 01/01/2009 till:31/12/2022 color: dullyellow width: 12 bar:NBJ from: 01/01/2009 till:31/12/2010 color: black width: 12 bar:NBJ from: 01/01/2011 till:31/12/2011 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:NBJ from: 01/01/2012 till:31/12/2022 color: black width: 12 bar:NBJ from: 01/01/2011 till:31/12/2022 color: magenta width: 6 bar:Out from: 01/01/1991 till:31/12/1997 color: skyblue width: 12 bar:Out from: 01/01/1998 till:31/12/2007 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:Out from: 01/01/2009 till:31/12/2009 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:Out from: 01/01/2014 till:31/12/2017 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:Out from: 01/01/2016 till:31/12/2017 color: magenta width: 6 bar:Out from: 01/01/2021 till:31/12/2022 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:PK from: 01/01/2013 till:31/12/2017 color: black width: 12 bar:PK from: 01/01/2018 till:31/12/2018 color: dullyellow width: 12 bar:PK from: 01/01/1919 till:31/12/1940 color: skyblue width: 12 bar:PK from: 01/01/1942 till:31/12/1944 color: skyblue width: 12 bar:PK from: 01/01/1946 till:31/12/1999 color: skyblue width: 12 bar:PK from: 01/01/2003 till:31/12/2007 color: skyblue width: 12 bar:PK from: 01/01/2019 till:31/12/2019 color: skyblue width: 12 bar:Pyr from: 01/01/1920 till:31/12/1930 color: black width: 12 bar:Pyr from: 01/01/1931 till:31/12/1931 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:Pyr from: 01/01/1932 till:31/12/1936 color: black width: 12 bar:Pyr from: 01/01/1937 till:31/12/1937 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:Pyr from: 01/01/1938 till:31/12/1938 color: black width: 12 bar:Pyr from: 01/01/1939 till:31/12/1939 color: yellow width: 12 bar:Pyr from: 01/01/1940 till:31/12/1940 color: black width: 12 bar:Pyr from: 01/01/1945 till:31/12/1945 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:Pyr from: 01/01/1946 till:31/12/1947 color: black width: 12 bar:Pyr from: 01/01/1953 till:31/12/1954 color: black width: 12 bar:Rob from: 01/01/2004 till:31/12/2007 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:Rob from: 01/01/2009 till:31/12/2009 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:Rob from: 01/01/2018 till:31/12/2022 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:Sus from: 01/01/1992 till:31/12/2005 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:Sus from: 01/01/2007 till:31/12/2007 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:Sus from: 01/01/2016 till:31/12/2019 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:Sus from: 01/01/2019 till:31/12/2019 color: magenta width: 6 bar:Sus from: 01/01/2021 till:31/12/2022 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:Sus from: 01/01/2022 till:31/12/2022 color: magenta width: 6 bar:RP from: 01/01/1946 till:31/12/1951 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:She from: 01/01/1920 till:31/12/1922 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:She from: 01/01/1924 till:31/12/1924 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:She from: 01/01/1931 till:31/12/1936 color: black width: 12 bar:She from: 01/01/1938 till:31/12/1938 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:She from: 01/01/1939 till:31/12/1941 color: black width: 12 bar:She from: 01/01/1944 till:31/12/2008 color: black width: 12 bar:She from: 01/01/2009 till:31/12/2013 color: skyblue width: 12 bar:She from: 01/01/2014 till:31/12/2022 color: black width: 12 bar:She from: 01/01/2014 till:31/12/2022 color: magenta width: 6 bar:SGB from: 01/01/1978 till:31/12/1981 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:SGB from: 01/01/1982 till:31/12/1982 color: yellow width: 12 bar:SGB from: 01/01/1985 till:31/12/1985 color: yellow width: 12 bar:SGB from: 01/01/1986 till:31/12/1986 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:SGB from: 01/01/1987 till:31/12/1987 color: yellow width: 12 bar:SGB from: 01/01/1988 till:31/12/1989 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:SGB from: 01/01/1990 till:31/12/1990 color: yellow width: 12 bar:SGB from: 01/01/1992 till:31/12/1992 color: yellow width: 12 bar:SGB from: 01/01/2001 till:31/12/2005 color: yelloworange width: 12 bar:SGB from: 01/01/2006 till:31/12/2008 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:SGB from: 01/01/2009 till:31/12/2022 color: dullyellow width: 12 bar:SMS from: 01/01/1965 till:31/12/1967 color: tan2 width: 12 bar:SMS from: 01/01/1968 till:31/12/1984 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History

Formative years

Rugby league has been played in the South Coast region of New South Wales since 1913, with the first competition taking place between teams from the

Shoalhaven The City of Shoalhaven is a local government area in the south-eastern coastal region of New South Wales, Australia. The area is about south of Sydney. The Princes Highway passes through the area, and the South Coast railway line traverses t ...

district. In May 1914, with other rugby clubs from across the region also splitting from

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 its m ...

to join the new code, the South Coast Rugby League was formed. The first season of what is now known as the Group 7 competition began with eight teams competing. These teams included:

Berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...

, Bombo,

Gerringong Gerringong () is a town located about ten minutes drive south of Kiama, and about twenty minutes north of Nowra in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia in the Municipality of Kiama. At the , Gerringong had a population of 3,966. O ...

Jamberoo Jamberoo is a village on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia in the Municipality of Kiama. It is approximately 11.3 km inland from Kiama. At the , Jamberoo had a population of 1,667. The town's name is derived from an Aboriginal ...

Kiama Kiama () is a coastal town 120 kilometres south of Sydney in the Illawarra. One of the main tourist attractions is the Kiama Blowhole. Kiama features several popular surfing beaches and caravan parks, and numerous alfresco cafes and restaurants ...

, Kangaroo Valley, Naval College, and

Nowra Nowra is a city in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located south-southwest of the state capital of Sydney (about as the crow flies). As of the 2021 census, Nowra has an estimated population of 22,584. Situated in th ...

. The First round began on 30 May 1914, with

defeating

6–3, Naval College defeating Bombo 7–5,

defeating Kangaroo Valley 3–0, and

defeating

3–0. The inaugural premiers were Gerringong, winning the final 11–10 at the Kiama Showground. As soon as the league began, they entered a two-year hiatus due to

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. No competitions were held between 1916 and 1917. When the competition reformed in 1918, Gerringong again won the title. The Nowra Warriors were the next team to win the title in 1919.

1920s

Gerringong went on to win the title a third time in 1920, with a 3–0 win over Jamberoo. During 1925–26, some of the northern teams moved into

competition, including Gerringong, who took out the Illawarra Premiership in 1925. Jamberoo won the premiership in 1927. As a result, they were the first team to represent the South Coast in the first championship between South Coast and Illawarra Premiers. Jamberoo (South Coast) defeated

Port Kembla A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ha ...

(Illawarra) 15–11. In 1929, Bombo won their first (and only) premiership.

1930s

After winning their first premiership in 1929, Bombo merged with Kiama in 1930. The new entity, Bombo-Kiama, took out the title in their first season. They followed this up with another in 1933.

became re-affiliated with South Coast Rugby League in 1933. Milton-Ulladulla joined the league in the 1930s from

. Between 1935 and 1937, the Berry Magpies won the premiership three years consecutively. Junior aged competitions (U-17's, 18's, 19's) were first introduced in 1938. The

won their first premiership in 1939.

1940s

Again, the competition faced a hiatus, this time between 1942 and 1943, due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Albion Park won their maiden Premiership in 1944. Kiama (as a single entity) won the title in 1945. They went on to win a further three titles, becoming the first and only club to win four consecutive titles (1945–1948).

1950s–1960s

For a second time, between 1952 and 1954, Berry record premiership wins three years consecutively. In 1955, the league was renamed Group 7 Rugby League. Shellharbour won the Premiership in 1962 after a 23-year drought. In 1967, Bomaderry record their first premiership win.

1970s–1980s

In the 1970s, an expansion occurred when

entered the first grade competition in 1970. They go on to win their first premiership in 1978. The

win their first premiership in 1979, after joining one year earlier in 1978 from

Group 16 The chalcogens (ore forming) ( ) are the chemical elements in group 16 of the periodic table. This group is also known as the oxygen family. Group 16 consists of the elements oxygen (O), sulfur (S), selenium (Se), tellurium (Te), and the radioa ...

. In 1980, the league was re-branded as South Coast Group Seven. Milton-Ulladulla record their first premiership win in 1987.

Modern times

A hat-trick of premierships is again recorded, this time by the

Albion Park-Oak Flats Eagles The Albion Park-Oak Flats Eagles are an Australian rugby league football team based in Albion Park, a country town of the Illawarra region. The club are a part of Country Rugby League and have competed in both the Illawarra and South Coast comp ...

between 1998 and 2000. ''Source: Group 7 Rugby League History''

Premierships

First-grade premiers

Tip: To view original newspaper articles on matches up to 1954, hover over the blue number in the Reports column and then click on the article name. That will open the article in

Total premierships won

* Bold denotes clubs which are still active in the first-grade competition.

First grade

Reserve grade

Regan Cup (third grade)

Under 18s

Women's League Tag Division 1

Women's League Tag Division 2

References

External links

South Coast Group 7 Webpage

Country Rugby League Webpage
{{Rugby League in New South Wales South Coast (New South Wales) Sport in Wollongong Rugby league competitions in New South Wales Professional sports leagues in Australia