The Redfern All Blacks, also known as RABs or Redfern, are an Indigenous Australian semi-professional rugby league club based in

Redfern, New South Wales Redfern is an inner-city suburb of Sydney located 3 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney. Strawberry Hills is a locality on the border with Surry Hills. The area ...

, They are a part of the South Sydney District Junior Rugby Football League.

History

Redfern All Blacks is the oldest Indigenous Australian rugby league club in Australia. It was co-founded in 1938 by Bill Onus and Wesley Simms, during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. Some reports suggest that the club was officially established by a group of non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal people in 1944. The club, often referred to as RABs or Redfern, was named after their black guernseys, part of the uniform provided by the South Sydney District Junior Rugby Football League in their first playing season. At the time the club was formed, Aboriginal Australians were denied rights afforded to other Australians. Socially, culturally and politically, the club was important to many Indigenous Australians in Redfern at the time, and the club today is central to the history of Aboriginal Redfern. In 1969, Redfern's rugby team had already made a name for itself, and the team were invited to play in New Zealand against the local Maori team in 1971. The All Blacks left a significant impression on the Kiwis, defeating the Maori team in a number of games. In 1973, the Redfern All Blacks became one of the founding member clubs that formed the inaugural NSW Koori Knockout in which seven teams participated.

Notable team members

* Bobby McLeod * Michael Mundine * Tony Mundine * Shane Phillips, CEO of Tribal Warrior

Notable players to play for Redfern All Blacks

* Mervyn "Boomanulla" Williams *

Matthew Allwood Matthew Allwood (born 16 November 1992) is an Indigenous Australian former professional rugby league footballer who previously played as a and for the New Zealand Warriors and Canberra Raiders in the National Rugby League. Background Born ...

* Josh Addo-Carr * Andrew Dunemann *

Solomon Haumono Solomon Haumono ( to, Solomone Haumono; born 13 October 1975) is a former professional boxer and former rugby league footballer of Tongan descent. Early life He attended Newtown Boys High School, Newtown, New South Wales. He then went on to C ...

* Greg Inglis * Nathan Merritt * Ron Merritt * Tony Merritt * Anthony Mundine *

Wes Patten Wes Patten (born 17 February 1974) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. He played for the Balmain Tigers, Gold Coast Chargers, South Sydney Rabbitohs and the St. George Illawarra Drago ...

Reece Robinson Reece Robinson (born 13 June 1987) is a Lebanon international rugby league footballer who most recently played for the Sydney Roosters in the NRL. He previously played for the Brisbane Broncos, Canberra Raiders and Parramatta Eels in the Nat ...

* Travis Robinson * Gorden Tallis * Darrell Trindall *

Dean Widders Dean Richard Widders (born 25 October 1979) is an Anaiwan Indigenous Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. He works with the National Rugby League as an Indigenous Pathways manager. He is coa ...

* Jonathan Wright

Honours and records

* South Sydney District Junior Rugby Football League (A Grade) **Six: 1974, 1987, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 * NSW Koori Knockout Men Titles **Eight: 1972, 1973, 1978, 1979, 1992, 1993, 2015, 2016 * Koori vs. Murri Interstate Challenge **One: 2017 * NSWRL Women's Premiership Titles **Two: 2005, 2017 * NSW Koori Knockout Women Titles **Five: 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017

2018 A Grade Squad

References

External links

* * {{Facebook, redfernallblacksrlfc Rugby league teams in Sydney Indigenous Australian sport Rugby clubs established in 1944 1944 establishments in Australia Redfern, New South Wales