The New England Group 19 Rugby League competition 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 which is run under the auspices of the
NSWRL
The New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory and is a member of the Australian Rugby League Commission. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was ...
, which absorbed 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 ...
in 2019. It is based 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 ...
region. It was originally called the Group 5 Rugby League Premiership but that competition merged with another local competition to form New England Group 19. The competition is generally played on Sundays throughout the winter months, with strong local rivalries as well as inter – town rivalries.
History
Group 5 Rugby League
Historically, rugby league in the Northern Tablelands and North West was administered under the Group 5 Rugby League banner.
Group 19 emerged from Group 5 in the early 1980s, and initially featured roughly half of all the clubs from the Northern Tablelands and North West NSW. Group 5 eventually merged into the Group 19 competition after the 1981 season and the league has been known as New England Group 19 ever since.
Group 19 Rugby League
In the 1980s,
Noel Cleal
Noel Harvey "Crusher" Cleal (born 16 October 1958) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and coach. A destructive for the Manly Sea Eagles, he also represented New South Wales in the State of Origin Series and the Austra ...
and his brother Les emerged from
Warialda
Warialda is a town in the North West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia, in Gwydir Shire. Situated on the banks of Warialda Creek, the town's name means "Place of Wild Honey" in local aboriginal language. At the , Warialda had a populati ...
to rise to prominence in the
NSWRL Premiership
The New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first rugby league football club competition established in Australia and contributor to today's National Rugby League. Run by the New South Wales Rugby League (initially named the New Sout ...
.
The early 1990s were dominated by the two Moree sides, the Boomerangs and Boars, before the Inverell, Warialda and Armidale Rams sides rose to the top of the league in the late 1990s. Guyra, known as the Super Spuds, won a hat trick of Premierships from 2002-2004.
Glen Innes, Tingha and Inverell dominated the late 2000s and early 2010s with the Moree Boomerangs emerging as the dominant side with back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014.
In just their second season in Group 19 the MacIntyre Warriors claimed the A Grade honours, winning a tight contest over the returning Narwan Eels in 2017. The Eels returned to the competition after several years hiatus due to unruly supporters and unsportsmanlike behaviour.
Unfortunately the MacIntyre Warriors folded in 2018, as a result of many players rejoining the nearby Goondiwindi league side. Their absence paved the way for a return to the premiers circuit for the highly rated Moree Boomerangs, a team that wear their indigenous flag themed jerseys with much pride.
Guyra and Ashford folded after the COVID-19 plagued 2021 season, and Moree Boars left the year prior to join
Group 4 Group 4 may refer to:
*Group 4 element, chemical element classification
*Group 4 (racing), classification for cars in auto racing and rallying
* G4S, formerly Group 4 Securicor, a prominent British security company
*IB Group 4 subjects
The Group 4 ...
. Warialda, Tingha and a Uralla-Walcha joint venture rejoined the 2022 A Grade competition bringing the total to seven teams as Glen Innes entered a year's hiatus.
Clubs
Current clubs in Group 19
The Tooheys New England Group 19 Premiership currently contains eleven clubs, two of which are in
Armidale
Armidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale had a population of 24,504 as of June 2018. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands region. It ...
(the Armidale Rams and Narwan Eels), and nine from the surrounding area.
Former clubs
Part of Final 2nd Division Season in 2019
*
Ashford Roosters (promoted to A Grade 2020-21, then folded)
*
Tenterfield Tigers (moved to QRL-administered
Border Rugby League)
*
Uralla Tigers (recess; currently fielding merged sides with Walcha)
*
Walcha Roos (recess; currently fielding merged sides with Uralla)
(Plus Bingara, Bundarra, Guyra, Tingha and Warialda who have moved up to the A Grade competition)
Other Former Clubs
*
Gilgai Wolves (folded)
* Gwydir Gumbies (folded)
*
Goondiwindi Boars (Toowoomba RL)
* MacIntyre Warriors (
Border Rugby League)
*
Moree Boars (
Group 4 Group 4 may refer to:
*Group 4 element, chemical element classification
*Group 4 (racing), classification for cars in auto racing and rallying
* G4S, formerly Group 4 Securicor, a prominent British security company
*IB Group 4 subjects
The Group 4 ...
)
* Wright College Redmen
Armidale
Armidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale had a population of 24,504 as of June 2018. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands region. It ...
(folded)
* YCW
Armidale
Armidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale had a population of 24,504 as of June 2018. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands region. It ...
(folded)
Champions
Group 19 Rugby League Champions
Group 5 Rugby League
The competition in the area was previously known as Group 5. Once the Group 19 name became available after the demise of the previous competitions of that name, a breakaway competition
from Group 5 became known as New England Group 19. Group 5 merged into this league two years later. The 'Moree' listed is the predecessor of the Moree Boars.
Group 5 Rugby League Champions
Group 19 Junior League
Current Teams
* Armidale Rams
*
Bingara Bullets (No seniors)
* Glen Innes Magpies
*
Guyra Superspuds (No seniors)
* Inverell Hawks
*
Moree Boars (Seniors:
Group 4 Group 4 may refer to:
*Group 4 element, chemical element classification
*Group 4 (racing), classification for cars in auto racing and rallying
* G4S, formerly Group 4 Securicor, a prominent British security company
*IB Group 4 subjects
The Group 4 ...
)
* Warialda Wombats
See also
*
Rugby League Competitions in Australia
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
References
www.whereistheleague.com.au
External links
{{Rugby League in New South Wales
Rugby league competitions in New South Wales