NRL South Australia (abbreviated as NRLSA, formerly the South Australian Rugby League) is a not-for-profit organisation responsible for administering the game of

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 ...

in the state of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. It was formed on 28 July 1976 and is an affiliated state of the

Australian Rugby League Commission 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 ...

History

In the 1940s the Port Adelaide rugby union club split itself into four rugby league clubs, which formed the basis of the first organised rugby league competition in the state, run under the banner of the Amateur South Australian Rugby League. The first South Australian representative team was formed in the early 1950s and traveled to play 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 ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

NSW ) , 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 ...

where they lost 45–10. The first iteration of the South Australian Rugby League was created in the 1950s when

Australian soldiers Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

formed a small four team competition based out of the

Woomera Test Range The RAAF Woomera Range Complex (WRC) is a major Australian military and civil aerospace facility and operation located in South Australia, approximately north-west of Adelaide. The WRC is operated by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), a d ...

. This body ceased to exist when the soldiers were transferred to the Northern Territory. The current SARL was incorporated on 28 July 1976 and originally featured teams from Northern Districts, South Adelaide, Port Adelaide, Glenelg, Norwood and West Lakes. Today the competition features eight senior clubs and seven junior clubs, competitions are run from Under 7's through to First Grade. File:sarl logo.jpg, Former logo File:South-australia-rugby-league-logo-stateshape.png, Former logo File:South aust rugby league in2009.jpg, Former logo File:South_Australia_Rugby_League_Logo.jpg, Current logo

Representative football

Representative teams are selected each year to compete in the Australian Secondary Schools Rugby League (ASSRL) National Championships at both 15 and 18 years of age respectively, competing against Western Australia, Victoria, Northern Territory and New South Wales Combined Independent Schools (NSW CIS) at both age levels. Players who compete representing South Australia each year are eligible to be selected into both the Australian Merit Squad and the Australian Affiliated States Merit Squad at the 15 Years championships, and the Australian Schoolboys as well as the Australian Affiliated States team at the 18 Years championships. A South Australian representative side has played a number of games against international touring sides, including the Australian team.

NRL SA Metro

The NRL SA Metro is the top-level men's competition in South Australia.

Clubs

Former Clubs

Premiership history

NRL SAW

The NRL SAW is the top-level women's competition in South Australia.

Limestone Coast Rugby League

The Limestone Coast Rugby League is a competition co-administered by NRL SA and

NRL Victoria NRL Victoria (abbreviated as NRLVic, and formerly the Victorian Rugby League) is responsible for administering the game of rugby league in the Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. Victoria is an Affiliated State of the overall Austr ...

Clubs

Former Clubs

Former Competitions

Spencer Gulf Rugby League

NRL SA has previously run competitions in the

Spencer Gulf The Spencer Gulf is the westernmost and larger of two large inlets (the other being Gulf St Vincent) on the southern coast of Australia, in the state of South Australia, facing the Great Australian Bight. It spans from the Cape Catastrophe and ...

region, but the future of these competitions remains unclear as of 2022. The Olympic Dam Barbarians based in

Roxby Downs Roxby Downs may refer to. * Roxby Downs, South Australia, a town and a locality * Roxby Council, formerly Municipal Council of Roxby Downs, a local government area See also *Roxby Downs Station Roxby Downs Station was a pastoral lease in centra ...

have played in various formats including intra club and in the Spencer Gulf competition. There have also been efforts to establish the presence of the game in areas including

Coober Pedy Coober Pedy () is a town in northern South Australia, north of Adelaide on the Stuart Highway. The town is sometimes referred to as the "opal capital of the world" because of the quantity of precious opals that are mined there. Coober Pedy is ...

, however there remains little competitive Rugby League in Northern SA.

Former Spencer Gulf Rugby League Clubs

Notable SARL juniors competed in the NRL

The following South Australian junior players have played in 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 ...

. Northern Districts Dragons *

Nathan Vagg Nathan Vagg (born 14 February 1983) is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s. He played for the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. His position of choice was . Playing career Vagg was born in Adelaide, South Australia. ...

(2 games) –

Cronulla Sharks The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Cronulla, in the Sutherland Shire, Southern Sydney, New South Wales. They compete in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australasia's premier rugby league ...

(2003) South Adelaide Bulldogs *

Joel Reddy Joel Reddy (born 8 October 1985) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who most recently played for the South Sydney Rabbitohs. He was a part of the Rabbitohs squad that won the 2014 NRL Premiership. Background Reddy wa ...

(137 games) –

Parramatta Eels The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta that competes in the National Rugby League. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, and their ...

(2005-2011),

Wests Tigers The Wests Tigers are an Australian professional Rugby league, rugby league football team, based in the Inner West and South West Sydney. They have competed in the National Rugby League since being formed at the end of the 1999 NRL season as a j ...

(2012-2013),

(2014-2016) Central Districts Roosters *

Brenton Lawrence Brenton Lawrence (born 29 December 1984) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a in the 2010s. Background Lawrence was born in Mackay, Queensland, Australia. Early career Lawrence moved to Adelaide in Sou ...

(104 games) –

Gold Coast Titans The Gold Coast Titans are a professional rugby league football club, based on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australia and New Zealand's national rugby league club competition. The ...

(2011-2012),

Manly-Warringah 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 ...

(2013-2017)

References

External links

* * {{Rugby league in Australia Rugby league governing bodies in Australia Rugby league competitions in Australia Rugby league in South Australia

Rug Rug or RUG may refer to: * Rug, or carpet, a textile floor covering * Rug, slang for a toupée * Ghent University (''Rijksunversiteit Gent'', or RUG) * Really Useful Group, or RUG, a company set up by Andrew Lloyd Webber * Rugby railway station, N ...

Sports organizations established in 1976