Rugby league in Western Australia is played at

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...

level, but attracts an audience particularly for the

State of Origin series The State of Origin series is an annual best-of-three rugby league series between two Australian state representative sides, the New South Wales Blues and the Queensland Maroons. Referred to as “Australian sport's greatest rivalry”, the ...

. The state was represented at national level by the Western Reds/Perth Reds, but they were not included in the new

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 ...

in 1998 following the

Super League war The Super League war was a commercial competition between the Australian Rugby League (ARL) and the Australian Super League to establish pre-eminence in professional rugby league competition in Australia and New Zealand in the mid-1990s. Super ...

. The

West Coast Pirates The West Coast Pirates Rugby League Football Club, officially referred to as The Cash Converters West Coast Pirates for sponsorship reasons, are a rugby league football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded by the Western A ...

are aiming for eventual inclusion in the

History

The

Western Australia Rugby League NRL Western Australia (abbreviated as NRLWA, and formerly the Western Australian Rugby League) is responsible for administering the game of rugby league football in the state of Western Australia. The NRLWA administers all forms of the game in ...

was formed in 1948 with Fremantle, Perth, South Perth and Cottesloe as the foundation clubs. In 1950 the

Australian Rugby League Board of Control The Australian Rugby League Commission (ARL), formerly the Australian Rugby Football League known as the Australian Rugby League is an Australian rugby league football competition operator. It was founded in 1986 as the Australian Rugby Footbal ...

sent ex Kangaroos hooker

Arthur Folwell Arthur Fitzgerald Folwell (23 September 1904 – 14 October 1966) was a British-born Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, coached in the 1940s, and was an administrator in the mid-20th centur ...

to Western Australia to try to promote the game. Although touring

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

and French rugby league teams had played tour matches in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, it was not until the late 1980s that 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 ...

played games there.

New South Wales Rugby League matches

In August 1989, the NSWRL played the first game outside

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, with a crowd of 21,992 watching Canberra play Canterbury at the WACA. Subsequent fixtures between 1990 and 1993 were equally well supported, and the League realised that a Perth team could be successful. Perth's application for the Winfield Cup was accepted on 30 November 1992, along with the

South Queensland Crushers The South Queensland Crushers were an Australian rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. In 1992 it was decided that the team would be admitted into the New South Wales Rugby League competition, along with three other teams, a ...

, the

North Queensland Cowboys The North Queensland Cowboys is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, the largest town in North Queensland. They compete in Australia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL). Sinc ...

and the

Auckland 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 ...

. The early tip for the nickname of the Perth side was Pumas, but the

red kangaroo The red kangaroo (''Osphranter rufus'') is the largest of all kangaroos, the largest terrestrial mammal native to Australia, and the largest extant marsupial. It is found across mainland Australia, except for the more fertile areas, such as sou ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

's best-known native animal, was chosen and the team became known as the Western Reds, with the colours of Red, Black, Yellow and White.

Western Reds and Super League War

Western Australia's first rugby league team to play in a national competition were the

Western Reds The Western Reds were a rugby league football club based in Perth, Western Australia. Founded in 1992 as the Western Reds, they entered into the Australian Rugby League competition in 1995 before defecting to the rival Super League competition i ...

, who played in the

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

and

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

seasons of the

Australian Rugby League The Australian Rugby League Commission (ARL), formerly the Australian Rugby Football League known as the Australian Rugby League is an Australian rugby league football competition operator. It was founded in 1986 as the Australian Rugby Footbal ...

. In

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

they changed their name to the

Perth Reds The Western Reds were a rugby league football club based in Perth, Western Australia. Founded in 1992 as the Western Reds, they entered into the Australian Rugby League competition in 1995 before defecting to the rival Super League competition i ...

and joined the

Super League The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...

as inaugural members. Despite showing some promise (particularly in the underage competitions) the Reds were not invited to join the

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

as part of the agreement to end the

. In 2007 the

re-formed the team as the

WA Reds The Western Reds were a rugby league football club based in Perth, Western Australia. Founded in 1992 as the Western Reds, they entered into the Australian Rugby League competition in 1995 before defecting to the rival Super League competition i ...

to compete in the

Jim Beam Cup Jim or JIM may refer to: * Jim (given name), a given name * Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James * Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy * OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism * ''Jim'' (comics), a series by Jim Woodring * ''Jim' ...

from 2008, with a view to entering the

competition in 2012. Their home ground is

Perth Oval Perth Oval, currently branded HBF Park (under a sponsorship agreement with HBF Health Fund) and called Perth Rectangular Stadium for international football matches, is a sports stadium in Perth, the capital of the Australian state of Western A ...

NRL and State of Origin series in Perth

On 14 February 2009

played host to the first NRL pre-season match for the year between

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 ...

and

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 ...

. The match was a one sided affair but a great stepping stone for WA Rugby League with just under 10,000 supporters in attendance. On Saturday 13 June 2009 at Members Equity Stadium, Perth the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Melbourne Storm played in front of a crowd of 15,197. The Melbourne Storm ran out winners 28–22 in a very successful night for organisers of the Rabbitohs who took their home game to Perth, the NRL and the WARL (Western Australia Rugby League), who now have even more reasons to seriously consider a bid to have the WA Reds back into the Elite Rugby League Competition (NRL). The Rabbitohs again hosted one of their home games in Perth 2010, on the back of the success of the 2009 encounter, again against the Storm. In 2011, the Rabbitohs' played the

Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football Club Ltd., commonly referred to as the Broncos, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos play in Australia's elite com ...

on a Friday night, a rarity in such a foreign territory for the NRL. The

played a double-header at Perth Stadium in round 1 of the

2018 NRL season The 2018 NRL season was the 111th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 21st season run by the National Rugby League. The main competition, known as the 2018 Telstra Premiership due to sponsorship from Telstra, featured 16 team ...

in front of 38,842 fans. In recent years

matches between Queensland and New South Wales have been showcased in Perth in an effort to grow the code's audience, attracting fans from across the country. The second match of the

2019 State of Origin series The 2019 State of Origin series was the 38th annual best-of-three series between the Queensland and New South Wales rugby league teams. Before this series, Queensland had won 21 times, NSW 14 times, with two series drawn. For just the second t ...

between

and

was played at Perth Stadium on 23 June 2019 and marked the first Origin game to be played in Western Australia.

defeated

38–6 in front of a record crowd for the code in the state of 59,721 spectators. The second match of the

2022 State of Origin series The 2022 State of Origin series was the 41st annual best-of-three series between the Queensland and New South Wales rugby league teams. Before this series, Queensland had won 22 times, NSW 16 times, with two series drawn. Game I Game One was a ...

was also played in Perth, attracting an attendance of 59,358.

Governing body

The

(WARL) is responsible for administering the game of rugby league in Western Australia. Western Australia is an Affiliated State of the overall Australian governing body the

WARL competitions

WARL Premiership

The NRLWA, sponsored as the Fuel to Go and Play Premiership, is the premier rugby league football competition in the state. The majority of the Eleven clubs originate in the Perth metro area and both Fremantle and South Perth are foundation WARL clubs. Junior grades run from under 6's up to under 16's and senior competition is divided into four divisions, Men's First Grade, Men's Reserve Grade (Val Murphy Trophy), Women's Tackle and Women's League Tag (Flag Belt). * Denotes currently fielding a First Grade Team in the Fuel to Go and Play Premiership

Regional Competitions

East Pilbara Rugby League

* Tom Price Steelers Rugby League Club * Paraburdoo Pirates Touch & Rugby League Football Club * Pannawonica Panthers

Goldfields Rugby League

* Goldfields Titans (

Kalgoorlie Kalgoorlie is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, located east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway. It is sometimes referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder, as the surrounding urban area includ ...

)

Kimberley Rugby League

* Kununurra Thunder * Ord River Bulls

Pilbara Rugby League

The Pilbara Rugby League is a seven club competition in the north-west of Western Australia. The clubs are: * Broome Jets * Karratha Broncos * Eastern_Suburbs_colours

Karratha Roosters * Melbourne_colours

Karratha Storm *

Port Hedland Hawks A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

* South Hedland Cougars

State Representative Team

The WARL also forms a state team to compete in the

Affiliated States Championship The Affiliated States Championship is an annual rugby league competition run by the Australian Rugby League involving the four affiliated states (Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory and Western Australia) plus the Australian Federal Po ...

each year. Western Australia is considered to have the strongest state team of the three non-rugby league states in mainland Australia and have won most of the Affiliated States Championships.

Players

Cory Paterson Cory Paterson (born 14 July 1987) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a forward. He previously played for the Newcastle Knights, North Queensland Cowboys and the Wests Tigers in the NRL and Hull Kingston Rover ...

(

South Perth Lions South Perth Lions Rugby League Club are an Australian rugby league football club based in South Perth, Western Australia formed in 1948. They conduct teams for both Juniors & Seniors. The club also participates in the WARL (Western Australian Rug ...

) *

Kurt De Luis Kurt De Luis (born 18 February 1996) is a professional rugby league footballer who plays as a for the North Sydney Bears in the NSW Cup. He previously played for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in the NRL. Background De Luis played his junior ...

(

) * Shanice Parker ( Willagee Bears) *

Kennedy Cherrington Kennedy Cherrington (born 5 January 1999) is an Australian rugby league and rugby union footballer who plays as a for Parramatta Eels in the NRL Women's Premiership and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the NSWRL Women's Premiership. She prev ...

(Rockingham Sharks) * Chance Peni ( Willagee Bears) *

Royce Hunt Royce Hunt (born 13 August 1995) is a Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays as a for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the NRL. Hunt previously played for the Canberra Raiders in the National Rugby League. Early life Hunt ...

( Willagee Bears and

Goldfields Titans The Goldfields Titans was a semi professional rugby league club based in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Western Australia, Australia. They compete in the Western Australia Rugby League's Harvey Norman Cup first grade competitio ...

) * Jordan Pereira ( Willagee Bears) * Jon Green (

) *

Bryson Goodwin Bryson Goodwin (born 30 December 1985) is a former New Zealand international rugby league footballer who last played as a goal-kicking or er for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the National Rugby League. He previously played for the Canterbu ...

(Canning Bulldogs,

) * Adrian Barich (North Beach Sea Eagles) * Daniel Holdsworth (North Beach Sea Eagles) * Lee Te Maari (Joondalup Giants) *

Curtis Rona Curtis Rona (born 26 May 1992) is a former Australian international rugby union footballer who recently played for London Irish in the English Premiership. He now plays for Mitsubishi Heavy Industry Sagamihara Dynaboars. He has previously pla ...

(Joondalup Giants, Western Force Academy) * Waqa Blake (Joondalup Giants, Western Pirates)

References

External links

Official website of Western Australia Rugby League

Rugby League clubs in Western Australia
{{Rugby league in Australia

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...