The
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
's Charity Shield match is an annual pre-season game between the
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are a professional Australian 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 pla ...
and
St. George Illawarra Dragons
The St. George Illawarra Dragons is an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing both the Illawarra and St George regions of New South Wales. The club has competed in the National Rugby League since 1999 after a joint-ve ...
played before the start of the Premiership regular season. It has been regarded as the unofficial start to the
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
(NRL) season and has been in operation since 1982, with the exception of 2000 and 2001 when Souths were omitted from the NRL.
Originally contested between
South Sydney and
St. George
Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...
, and later by the
St. George Illawarra Dragons
The St. George Illawarra Dragons is an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing both the Illawarra and St George regions of New South Wales. The club has competed in the National Rugby League since 1999 after a joint-ve ...
when they formed a joint-venture with Illawarra in 1998 before the
1999 NRL season, the teams go head to head in an annual clash prior to the kickoff of the NRL season.
Since its inception in 1982, the Charity Shield has been played on thirty eight occasions. Of these, the Dragons (St George and St George Illawarra) have won 16 times, while the Rabbitohs, South Sydney have triumphed outright on 17 occasions and retained the shield as the current holder in each of the 5 drawn matches. Broken down, St George played 17 matches, winning 11; while St George Illawarra, since their joint-venture in 1999, have played 21 matches, winning 5.
The match has been broadcast on national television and in 2002 and 2021 was screened live in the UK. The Charity Shield is for
Souths Cares
The Souths Cares program is an initiative of the South Sydney Rabbitohs which was started with the aim of to give children and young people from Redfern and the surrounding areas the opportunity to take part in a series of health and education work ...
,
Wollongong Hospital
Wollongong Hospital is the major tertiary referral hospital located in the Wollongong Metropolitan area, New South Wales, Australia. It provides services to the entire Illawarra and Shoalhaven Region, encompassing population of approximately 35 ...
and
St George Hospital.
Head To Head
Match results
Biggest wins
Most points scored in a game by a winning side
Most points scored in a game by a losing side
Most points scored in a game
Least points scored in a game
See also
*
Rivalries in the National Rugby League
References
External links
Sydney competitions*
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20060826032627/http://www.rabbitohs.com.au/fanzone/viewnewsarticle.asp?ArticleID=1370 Rabbitohs South Sydney Rabbitohs
{{Special NRL fixtures
St. George Illawarra Dragons matches
South Sydney Rabbitohs matches
Rugby league competitions in New South Wales
Rugby league trophies and awards
Rugby league rivalries
National Rugby League
Rugby league in Sydney
Recurring sporting events established in 1982
1982 establishments in Australia
St. George Dragons
Sports rivalries in Australia