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Sydney First Grade teams

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RugbyFuture

RugbyFuture

Lord Logo
this should probably be in grassroots, but more people browse this area than there so here goes

Im looking to delve into the collective mind of G&GR to find EVERY team that has EVER competed in:
Priority 1: the shute shield
Priority 2: 1st grade sydney rugby

and their colours, im looking to this so i can update the wikipedia page and find some history for myself, its incredibly hard to find information like this, which is dissapointing considering history is something rugby can hold above the other codes in australia. I think this thread could go even deeper into shute shield history if you want (beyond what the NSWRU put up) their must be some amateur historians out there.
 
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saulih

Guest
What is your username on WP? I have just returned to editing (on some rugby pages right now) after a two and a half year sabbatical from it. Ok if you don't want to blurt it out to the world... I have the same username.
 
wamberal

wamberal

Phil Kearns (64)
Teams that I have seen play in my lifetime, apart of course from the current bunch, Drummoyne, St George, Port Hacking, University of NSW, Newcastle, Canberra, Hornsby - some of those in Second Division, when there was a Second Division. I do recall Eastwood winning the Second Division title one year. I think Macquarie University also had a team in Second Division for a couple of years.
 
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rugbywhisperer

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wamberal said:
Teams that I have seen play in my lifetime, apart of course from the current bunch, Drummoyne, St George, Port Hacking, University of NSW, Newcastle, Canberra, Hornsby - some of those in Second Division, when there was a Second Division. I do recall Eastwood winning the Second Division title one year. I think Macquarie University also had a team in Second Division for a couple of years.
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Most of those teams (Drummoyne, St George, Port Hacking, University of NSW,) were in 1st Division in the late 60's / early 70's. Port came in with the rats in the 60's. Newcastle & Canberra, were participating in the 90's and early 00's. Not sure on Hornsby in 1st Div though. Think they were in 2nd div with Macquarie Uni.
Eastwood didn't win the 2nd div premiership - Geoff Richardson and Easts won it in a great final at TG Milner. Eastwood's first ever premiership was in 2000 Shute Shield.
 
wamberal

wamberal

Phil Kearns (64)
rugbywhisperer said:
Most of those teams (Drummoyne, St George, Port Hacking, University of NSW,) were in 1st Division in the late 60's / early 70's. Port came in with the rats in the 60's. Newcastle & Canberra, were participating in the 90's and early 00's. Not sure on Hornsby in 1st Div though. Think they were in 2nd div with Macquarie Uni.
Eastwood didn't win the 2nd div premiership - Geoff Richardson and Easts won it in a great final at TG Milner. Eastwood's first ever premiership was in 2000 Shute Shield.
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I actually played in Eastwood's first ever premiership team, third grade in 1961 (or was it '62?). I was overseas when we played Easts in the second division final, so obviously my memory is even faultier than usual. Eastwood's first first grade premiership was in 1999. A great year. We also won the RWC, and the Cricket World Cup, but I know which one means more to me.

Western Suburbs was the club that Eastwood replaced when they were admitted to the competition in 1948. My mum was a Wests fan, and never really took to Eastwood!
 
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rugbywhisperer

Guest
My apologies - I omitted the 3rd grade premiership which was for years the coat we hung onto for many years.
Again, whenever I remember the 1999 shute shield I try to remember where I was and i was in the same Qld country town 1999 and 2000 watching the GF on TV.
I had religiously gone to all the GF's and that year was unable to and I figured if i miss it I might just break the link and they might win.
There you go.
 
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rugbywhisperer

Guest
That is correct, I just can't remember Hornsby in 1st Div.but I spent some time living interstate in the late 70's so it may have escaped me.
 
wamberal

wamberal

Phil Kearns (64)
rugbywhisperer said:
That is correct, I just can't remember Hornsby in 1st Div.but I spent some time living interstate in the late 70's so it may have escaped me.
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From memory, which in my case is fairly suspect sometimes, Hornsby was in the main comp, because I remember them playing at Millner, and I am pretty sure that I have never seen the Woodies playing Second Division.


Hornsby's strip was a bit like Waikato colours.
 
R

rugbywhisperer

Guest
wamberal said:
From memory, which in my case is fairly suspect sometimes, Hornsby was in the main comp, because I remember them playing at Millner, and I am pretty sure that I have never seen the Woodies playing Second Division.
Hornsby's strip was a bit like Waikato colours.
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I remember playing them but I am sure it was 2nd div, I just can't fathom Hornsby being in 1st Div. I have been known to be wrong though.
 
Done that

Done that

Ron Walden (29)
"Premier Clubs" of early 1900's also included :
South Sydney
Glebe
Balmain
Newtown

Prior to that ( 1874 to 1900 )also included :
Waratahs
Wallaroos
Redfern
Burwood
Pirates
 
O

Old Timer

Guest
rugbywhisperer said:
I remember playing them but I am sure it was 2nd div, I just can't fathom Hornsby being in 1st Div. I have been known to be wrong though.
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Definitely did - I played against them, at Colts level - which followed grade. In the late 70's (77, 78?) the SRU when on a mad expansion bid - the comp was them split into an A and B comp - which was on geographical lines rather than ability. There was about 20 teams I think (happy to be corrected), including Smithfield (or maybe that was when we were in 2nd div?) - all a bit bleary now. This was before any teams were culled, so Uni NSW, St George, Port Hacking etc were in it as well.

Interesting sideline on that Woodies / Easts 2nd div GF - the Woodies fullback was a guy called Dave Creagh - good player - who split his head open during the game - blood all over the place and especially all over his white jersey - wrapped his head up and kept playing still in the jersey covered in blood - wouldn't happen today of course - 10 minutes in the blood bin - anyway Daves brother Nick played prop for Woodies as well (first grade ?) also a good player (Dave and Nick both Oakhill old boys) - Nicks son is Ben Creagh who plays League for St George / NSW / Australia - don't know why he isn't playing rugby, but there's a strong family lineage - the Woodies can claim him as one of their own!
 
A

ancient mariner

Guest
After WW2 there were 10 teams in the Shute Shield: Sydney Uni, Randwick, Eastern Suburbs, Drummoyne, St George, Parramatta,Western Suburbs, Gordon, Manly and Northern Suburbs. Eastwood was admitted in 1947. Western Suburbs was dumped from the competition in 1951 to eliminate the bye.

The 2nd division was established in 1962. In 1965 this competition comprised 8 clubs; Teachers College, UNSW, Western Suburbs, Port Hacking, Warringah,Mosman, Hornsby and Hawkesbury Ag College. Teachers College and UNSW were the dominant teams in the competition and when UNSW were promoted to 1st Division in 1966, Teachers declined due to lack of depth. Western Suburbs was then promoted. The Teachers backline that included players of the calibre of John Ballesty went to Eastwood who reached the grand final in 1966.

In 1971 Warringah and Port Hacking were promoted to 1st division and in 1976 Hornsby and Macquarie Uni were added to make a 16 team competition.
 
O

Old Timer

Guest
AM that sounds about right - all starting to come back - I have memories of playing Smithfield at Milner in the late 70's or early 80's but that is (1) the result of concussion (ie" it didn't happen at all), or (2) when we were in 2nd Div.
 
Nusadan

Nusadan

Chilla Wilson (44)
Played both 1st and 2nd div colts in early '80s, recollect playing Dundas Valley as well as Smithfield, Canterbury too for that matter...
 
CTPE

CTPE

Nev Cottrell (35)
wamberal said:
Teams that I have seen play in my lifetime, apart of course from the current bunch, Drummoyne, St George, Port Hacking, University of NSW, Newcastle, Canberra, Hornsby - some of those in Second Division, when there was a Second Division. I do recall Eastwood winning the Second Division title one year. I think Macquarie University also had a team in Second Division for a couple of years.
Click to expand...

Macquarie Uni played first division in the mid-late 1970s.
 
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