The Nowra Warriors are an

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

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 ...

football team based in

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 ...

, a coastal town of the

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 ...

region. The club is a part of

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 ...

and previously competed in the

first grade competition since its inception in 1914 until they merged with

Bomaderry Bomaderry (locally known as "Bommo") is a town in the Shoalhaven council district area of New South Wales, Australia. At the , it had a population of 8,718 people. It is on the north shore of the Shoalhaven River, across the river from Nowra, the ...

in 2008 to form the

Shoalhaven Jets The Nowra-Bomaderry Jets are an Australian rugby league football team based in Nowra, New South Wales, Nowra, a coastal town of the South Coast (New South Wales), South Coast region. The club is a part of Country Rugby League and previously comp ...

. The Nowra Warriors still field teams in junior rugby league competitions.

History

Pre-South Coast Rugby League (-1913)

Prior to joining the South Coast Rugby League competition when it began in 1914, the Warriors began as a successful rugby union team and in 1913 they unofficially won their first rugby league competition. This competition consisted of friendly matches in a Shoalhaven League not affiliated with the

New South Wales Rugby League 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 ...

South Coast Competition (1914-2007)

Nowra Warriors were one of the eight founding members of South Coast Rugby League, and in the first season were runners-up to the

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 ...

after losing 11-10 in the final at Kiama Showground,

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 ...

. The Warriors only had to wait until 1919 to enjoy their first taste of success when they defeated

13-9 in the final replay (the score in the first final was 7-all). Nowra enjoyed some good periods of success throughout the 30s (2 titles, 3 runners-up), and the late 50s-early 60s (3 titles, 2 runners-up), and a further two titles in 1993 and 1996 before an on-field decline in performances.

Merger (2008-)

In November 2007, it was decided that the Warriors would merge with long-term rivals the

Bomaderry Swamp Rats South Coast Group 7 Rugby League (or Group 7 Rugby League for simplicity) is the divisional boundary drawn from the Southern Illawarra and South Coast regions (from the town of Warilla south to Ulladulla) of New South Wales, Australia and is gov ...

for the 2008 season. Both teams had been struggling with performance and sponsorship (Bomaderry had been out of first grade for six years). In the past talks of merging had been quickly dismissed, but this time it was critical for both teams survival. It was announced that the newly merged team would be called the

and their colours would be blue, gold, and black (blue and gold from Bomaderry, gold and black from Nowra).Warriors, Swamp Rats join forces
/ref>

Colours

The team's colours are black and gold.

Notable Juniors

Bruce McGuire Bruce McGuire (born 31 January 1962) is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. Playing career A New South Wales State of Origin and Australian international representative forward, he played in the New S ...

(1986-92

Balmain Tigers The Balmain Tigers (also known as the Sydney Tigers from 1995–96) are a rugby league club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in t ...

Canterbury Bulldogs The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the NRL Telstra Premiership, as well as competitions facilita ...

) *

Sean Skelton Sean Skelton (born 28 September 1971) is a former South Africa international rugby league footballer who represented South Africa in the 2000 Rugby League World Cup. Playing career In 1987, Skelton played for the Nowra Warriors in the Group 7 ...

(1991-95

Illawarra Steelers The Illawarra Steelers are an Australian rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales. The club competed in Australia's top-level rugby league competition from 1982 until 1998. On the 13th of December 1980, the ...

) * Andrew Walker (1992-04

St George Dragons The St. George Dragons is an Australian rugby league football club from St George District in Sydney, New South Wales that played in the top level New South Wales competition and Australian Rugby League competitions from the 1921 until th ...

Sydney Roosters The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional Rugby league, Rugby League Football Club based in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney) and parts of inner Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition. The Roosters have won ...

Manly Sea Eagles The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Sydney's Northern Beaches. The team colours are maroon and white, while their namesake and logo is the sea eagle. They compete in Australia's premier rugb ...

)

Honours

Team

Group 7 Rugby League South Coast Group 7 Rugby League (or Group 7 Rugby League for simplicity) is the divisional boundary drawn from the Southern Illawarra and South Coast regions (from the town of Warilla south to Ulladulla) of New South Wales, Australia and is gov ...

Premierships: 10 :: 1919, 1934, 1938, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1977, 1981, 1993, 1996 * Group 7 Rugby League Runners-Up: 11 :: 1914, 1930, 1933, 1937, 1944, 1945, 1960, 1961, 1967, 1985, 1995 * CRL

Clayton Cup The Clayton Cup is a trophy that was awarded by the Country Rugby League to the NSW country rugby league team with the best overall record for that season. To be eligible, the team must win the highest level of competition in its region. Usually t ...

: None ::

Individual

Player of the Year: 2 :: Peter Jirgens (1977), David Beckett (1981) * Group 7 Rugby League Rookie of the Year: 5 :: Shayne Ashton (1977), Glen Jarrett (1981), Damian Brunton (1996), James Longbottom (1999), David Price (2000) * Group 7 Rugby League Leading Point-scorer: 4 :: John Lonesborough (1981), Jeff Wellington (1994 & 1995), Leigh Ardler (2006) * Group 7 Rugby League Leading Try-scorer: 2 :: Jeff Wellington (1994 & 1995) * Group 7 Rugby League Most Promising Player Under 21: 1 :: Dean Moon (1994) * Group 7 Rugby League U-18s Player of the Year: 3 :: Dean Lonesborough (1985), Matt Robards (1993), Darren McPherson (1995) * Kevin Walsh Scholarship: 13 :: Mark Fisher (1979), Cliff Harris (1980),

(1987), Dean Moon (1992), James Longbottom (1997), Ben Wellington (1998), David Price (1999), Glenn McCallum (2001), Brent Hurley (2002), Jarred McNamara (2003), Graham Davidson & Lewis McCall (2004), Thomas Berry (2009) ''Source
Group 7 History
'

References

External links

Country Rugby League Homepage
*

South Coast Rugby League Homepage
*

{{Rugby League in Australia links Rugby league teams in New South Wales Rugby league teams in Wollongong Rugby clubs established in 1913 1913 establishments in Australia Nowra, New South Wales