The Hibiscus Coast Raiders are 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 based on the

Hibiscus Coast The Hibiscus Coast is a populated area on a stretch of the Hauraki Gulf coast in New Zealand's Auckland Region. It has a population of making it the 11th most populous urban area in New Zealand, and the second most populous in the Auckland Re ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. They compete in

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 ...

's Fox Memorial competition and between 2000 and 2005 were also involved in the

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 ...

competition.

History

The club was formed in 1982 by a group of players that included former

Kiwi Kiwi most commonly refers to: * Kiwi (bird), a flightless bird native to New Zealand * Kiwi (nickname), a nickname for New Zealanders * Kiwifruit, an edible berry * Kiwi dollar or New Zealand dollar, a unit of currency Kiwi or KIWI may also ref ...

Ken Stirling Kenneth Lorrie Stirling is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer, coach and administrator who represented New Zealand in the 1975 World Championship. Playing career Stirling played for the Ellerslie club in the Auckland Rugby League a ...

. In 1997 the club moved from its original location at Edith Hopper Park to Stanmore Bay Reserve. Before

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' ...

took over as coach in the late 1990s they were a third division side, but the club enjoyed success and growth to the point where in 1998, the Premiers won the Northern Regional Cup and we were invited to move up into the Fox Memorial Tournament. They were then invited to be part of the

New Zealand Rugby League The New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league football in New Zealand. SPARC, 2009: 13 The NZRL was founded on 25 April 1910 in preparation for a tour of Great Britain that same year.Coffey and Wood ''T ...

's new

in 2000 and the club won the 2001 Bartercard Cup.

Bartercard Cup

The Raiders were invited to be part of the inaugural

in 2000 and competed in the competition until they were replaced by

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 ...

in 2006. Harbour League represented all of the North Shore clubs. The Raiders missed out on a top five spot in their debut year but turned things around so much in 2001 that they dominated the competition, winning the Grand Final. They made the Grand Final again in 2002, losing to 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. ...

. They were never a major threat in the competition after this however, either bowing out in the first round or not making the play-offs at all. In a way they were a victim of their own success, many players were bought up into 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 ...

squad and their coach was headhunted by Mt Albert.

Hibiscus Coast Senior Team Records (2000-03 +2022)

The season record for the most senior men’s team in the club.

Notable players

Notable former players include;

Shannon Stowers Shannon Stowers is a former Samoa international rugby league footballer who played as a for the Auckland Lions in the NSWRL Premier League competition. Playing career Stowers played for the Hibiscus Coast Raiders in the 2002 Bartercard Cup. ...

, Daniel Floyd,

Karl Temata Karl Temata (born 12 July 1978) is a former Cook Islands international rugby league footballer who played as a or er in the 2000s and 2010s. He played at club level for the Hibiscus Coast Raiders, New Zealand Warriors, London Broncos/ Harlequ ...

Aaron Heremaia Aaron Aspin Heremaia (born ) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who last played as a goal-kicking or for the Widnes Vikings in the Super League. Background Heremaia was born in Auckland, New Zealand. Playing caree ...

Ben Te'o Ben Te'o (born 27 January 1987) is a former profesional rugby union and rugby league footballer who last played as a er for the Brisbane Broncos in the NRL. He previously played for both the Wests Tigers and the South Sydney Rabbitohs with wh ...

Iafeta Paleaaesina Iafeta Iakopo "Feka" Paleaaesina (born 10 February 1983) is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer. He played as a for the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL, and for the Wigan Warriors, Salford City Reds and Hull F.C. in the Super League. ...

Odell Manuel Odell Manuel is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer and the Australian Powerlifting champion. Early years Growing up in Auckland, Manuel was an Otahuhu Leopards junior and in 1997 was selected for the Junior Kiwis. Rugby ...

and

Shaun Johnson Shaun Johnson (born 9 September 1990) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League (NRL) and the New Zealand Kiwis at international level. He has played pr ...

Life members

In 2011 the Raiders appointed the club's first two life members; administrators Ces Moyle and Owen Kirby.In Touch
''New Zealand Rugby League'', January 2012

References

External links

ARL Raiders Page
{{BartercardCup Rugby clubs established in 1982 1982 establishments in New Zealand Viking Age in popular culture