The Papakura Sea Eagles are an

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

club based in

Papakura Papakura is a suburb of South Auckland, in northern New Zealand. It is located on the shores of the Pahurehure Inlet, approximately south of the Auckland CBD, Auckland City Centre. It is under the authority of the Auckland Council. The ar ...

. The Sea Eagles currently compete in the Fox Memorial competition run by the

Auckland Rugby League The Auckland Rugby League (ARL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. Founded in 1909, the ARL has played a pivotal role in the development and promotion of rugby league in Auckland and beyond. ...

History

The Papakura Rugby League Club formed in 1931. On March 26 they had 60 players enroll to play. They applied to the Papakura Town Board for the use of the reserve at

. This was granted as the entire club had switched over from Rugby Union meaning they had no competition for the field. The council said that if a representative rugby game was being played on the field then the league team could use Prince Edward Park (which later became their home ground and remains so to this day). On Saturday, 18 April they played a practice match with Mount Wellington at

. The match was won by Mt Wellington by 8 points to 5. Papakura's points came from an unconverted try to Johnstone, and Ivan Wilson kicked a penalty goal. Their first ever grade wins were in the

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

and

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

second grade which was essentially the modern day equivalent of the second division. Some of their early notable players from the early 1930s were Cyril Blacklaws and Mortimer Stephens who both played their junior rugby league for Papakura. They later moved to Newton Rangers to play senior league and were signed by St Helens in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. Blacklaws played 35 games for St Helens from 1935–36 and then signed with

Rochdale Hornets The Rochdale Hornets are a professional rugby league club from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England, competing in the League 1, the third tier of European rugby league. The Rochdale Hornets are one of the original twenty-two rugby clubs tha ...

, while Stephens played 56 games for St Helens from 1935–37 and also moved to Rochdale Hornets before returning to New Zealand. They won the Sharman Cup in

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...

by winning the Senior B grade having finished runner-up in

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * January 12 – Amelia Earhart ...

. They won the Walmsley Shield in 1936 also. In

1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Feb ...

they once again won the Sharman Cup.

Kiwi representatives

To date, seven players from the club have represented the

New Zealand national rugby league team The New Zealand national rugby league team () has represented New Zealand in rugby league since 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the Kiwi (bird), native bird of that name. The team' ...

. The first New Zealand player to represent Papakura was Harold Milliken who joined the club in 1940 after playing for New Zealand in 1939 however he did not represent the national side whilst at Papakura.Papakura Sea Eagles Club Historical Information
''Auckland Rugby League'', 2009 * Bevin Hough: 1950,53; * Brian Lee: 1961,62,63; * Reg Cooke: 1961,64; * Roger Tait: 1965,66,67, * Lyndsay Proctor: 1974,75, * Gary Kemble: 1980,81,82,83,84,85,86; *

Kelly Shelford Kelly Shelford (born 4 May 1966) is a New Zealand rugby league player who represented New Zealand, including in Test matches that counted towards the 1992 World Cup. Playing career Shelford was a Manukau Magpies junior and played for the clu ...

: 1989,90,91. * Jason Taumalolo: 1997

Notable juniors

Billy Ngawini Billy Ngawini (born 24 August 1981) is an Italian international rugby union footballer who plays for Rugby Rovigo Delta in the Top12 and Amlin Challenge Cup in Europe. He has previously played in the National Provincial Championship and r ...

Papakura senior team records (1931-1943 + 2022)

The season record for the most senior men's team in the club.

References

External links

Official WebsiteOfficial ARL Site
Papakura Local Board Area {{Rugbyleague-team-stub