Junior AFL/RL in VIC and NSW

[Xman]

http://lacrossevictoria.com.au/about-la ... -of-clubs/

There are actually 17 Lacrosse clubs in Victoria.

Lacrosse >>>>>>>>>>>>>> RL in Victoria!

Perspective

[Xman]

http://www.baseballvictoria.com.au/mycl ... attree.asp

134 baseball clubs in Victoria!!

Baseball>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>RL in Victoria

Perspective

[Xman]

http://www.vicrugby.com.au/customdata/i ... emID=17239

29 RU clubs in Victoria! 3 times RL.

RU>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>RL in Victoria

[Raiderdave]

There are actually 8 gridiron clubs in Melbourne

There are actually 17 Lacrosse clubs in Victoria.

29 RU clubs in Victoria! 3 times RL

hmmmmm
can you point out which of these sports had 809,000 Melbournians watch a single game of it on TV this year
or
56,000 actually attend any of their games ?
perspective ............

RL>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the lot of these

[Xman]

There are actually 8 gridiron clubs in Melbourne

There are actually 17 Lacrosse clubs in Victoria.

29 RU clubs in Victoria! 3 times RL

hmmmmm
can you point out which of these sports had 809,000 Melbournians watch it on TV
or
56,000 actually attend any of their games ?

RL>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the lot of these

The thread is about participation Dave.

You always laugh at ARs participation in NSW. All I've done is show you what an incredibly minor sport RL actually is in Victoria...

[Xman]

http://mm.AFL.com.au/portals/0/2012/AFL ... t_2011.pdf

Total AFL participation number is NSW last year: 136,438

[Raiderdave]

There are actually 8 gridiron clubs in Melbourne

There are actually 17 Lacrosse clubs in Victoria.

29 RU clubs in Victoria! 3 times RL

hmmmmm
can you point out which of these sports had 809,000 Melbournians watch it on TV
or
56,000 actually attend any of their games ?

RL>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the lot of these

The thread is about participation Dave.

You always laugh at ARs participation in NSW. All I've done is show you what an incredibly minor sport RL actually is in Victoria...

participation
you mean the same thing that soccer has on all of us & has had for 40 years ... but.. still runs 4th amongst the codes for popularity ?

that kind of participation d head ?

[Raiderdave]

Avoiding the reality of the topic there Dave?

Of course I know each club has multiple teams. But its also true that at each junior level the maximum number of teams in the entire state of Victoria is 10, and according to wiki only 7.

avoiding another F up marcus ?

heres the reality
Vicky Kicky has been played in the Riverina / SW NSW since the turn of the last century
& probably accounts for 15,000 of the 30,000 registered VFL club players in NSW & half of the leagues .... they are not an add on .. they are not a KI in any disscusion on growth in NSW for VFL ...

of the 7694 club VFL players in Sydney
probably a third were already there before the swines came up in 1982 , as this silly little victorian oddity has been played in Sydney ( no doubt by ex pats who moved there from the sthn states ) since before RL was even invented in the late 1890's

meaning really .. only about 5000 players have been converted to singlets & tight shorts since 1982 in Sydney at a cost of half a billion dollars
wow
what an embarrasing result

RL in Melb really didn't exist until the 1980's
& only had a few hundred players in 1998 when the Storm were born

meaning ... at a cost of about .. NOTHING .... in 14 years in Melb
RL has got 50% of the result VFL has in Sydney

thats mightly impressive
& theres no doubt .... in 16 years ... when the Storm celebrate their 30th year in Melb .. there will be more Victorians playing RL
then there are Sydneysiders playing vicky kicky .. in Sydney today.

debate closed

Ahh Dave, ARs is 50 times bigger in NSW than RL in Victoria, and the difference is only growing further apart.

ahhhhh.......... 50 times bigger ??



explain to me how
30,000 VFL players in NSW
is 50 times bigger then
2600 RL players in Victoria






oh my lord ..... put down that calculator before you hurt yrself marcus

[Xman]

hmmmmm
can you point out which of these sports had 809,000 Melbournians watch it on TV
or
56,000 actually attend any of their games ?

RL>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the lot of these

The thread is about participation Dave.

You always laugh at ARs participation in NSW. All I've done is show you what an incredibly minor sport RL actually is in Victoria...

participation
you mean the same thing that soccer has on all of us & has had for 40 years ... but.. still runs 4th amongst the codes for popularity ?

that kind of participation d head ?

Yep, thats the one

Just showing that for participation RL runs last to almost every sport including lacrosse and gridiron in Victoria.

=D>

[Xman]

avoiding another F up marcus ?

heres the reality
Vicky Kicky has been played in the Riverina / SW NSW since the turn of the last century
& probably accounts for 15,000 of the 30,000 registered VFL club players in NSW & half of the leagues .... they are not an add on .. they are not a KI in any disscusion on growth in NSW for VFL ...

of the 7694 club VFL players in Sydney
probably a third were already there before the swines came up in 1982 , as this silly little victorian oddity has been played in Sydney ( no doubt by ex pats who moved there from the sthn states ) since before RL was even invented in the late 1890's

meaning really .. only about 5000 players have been converted to singlets & tight shorts since 1982 in Sydney at a cost of half a billion dollars
wow
what an embarrasing result

RL in Melb really didn't exist until the 1980's
& only had a few hundred players in 1998 when the Storm were born

meaning ... at a cost of about .. NOTHING .... in 14 years in Melb
RL has got 50% of the result VFL has in Sydney

thats mightly impressive
& theres no doubt .... in 16 years ... when the Storm celebrate their 30th year in Melb .. there will be more Victorians playing RL
then there are Sydneysiders playing vicky kicky .. in Sydney today.

debate closed

Ahh Dave, ARs is 50 times bigger in NSW than RL in Victoria, and the difference is only growing further apart.

ahhhhh.......... 50 times bigger ??



explain to me how
30,000 VFL players in NSW
is 50 times bigger then
2600 RL players in Victoria






oh my lord ..... put down that calculator before you hurt yrself marcus

50 times 2600 is 130,000

Nsw participation is 136,238 in 2011.

Thanks Dave, my mistake. Its 52 times

[Raiderdave]

Ahh Dave, ARs is 50 times bigger in NSW than RL in Victoria, and the difference is only growing further apart.

ahhhhh.......... 50 times bigger ??



explain to me how
30,000 VFL players in NSW
is 50 times bigger then
2600 RL players in Victoria






oh my lord ..... put down that calculator before you hurt yrself marcus

50 times 2600 is 130,000

Nsw participation is 136,238 in 2011.

Thanks Dave, my mistake. Its 52 times

the 2600 RL players in VIC ... are CLUB registered players you blithering ****
106,000 of the 136,000 " singletball paticipants " ..... in NSW ..are not , & most fumbled & bumbled for 30 minutes at school ... ONCE in 2012

I'll get the " participation " numbers for RL in Victoria in 2011
tell me ... do you think they'll STILL be 50 times those for vicky kicky in NSW c.ock head ?

[Xman]

Wrong.

Auskick is a minimum of 6 week program to be counted. The NRL have nothing comparable in Victoria, hence the dismal effort at expansion, and why after 15 years of amazing success the storm actually average less fans!

But 1 league v 23 says it all, and this excludes Auskick and school ARs in NSW

[Raiderdave]

here ya go Marcus

this is from 2009..... so 3 years old
stating 34,119 " paticipants " took part in some from of RL that year
I'd say that figure has grown ...

now.. is say 35,000 .... 50 times smaller then 136,000 marcus ?



Growth in Victorian Rugby League
Bellow is an article detailing the list of successes that have accompanied the 2009 season.

I would just like to say one thing before you read it. Even i find this amazing. In as early as 2004, the VRL did not look to be in good health and what seems to have happened in just 5 years is staggering! This should give us all great hope for the future of our game.


Originally Posted by VRL - Year in review
The Victorian Rugby League (VRL) continued the upward trend of recent seasons recording growth and expansion in all areas in 2009. There were outstanding results achieved in club and schools participation, and unprecedented outcomes throughout the various representative programs including a Victorian presence for the first time in the SG Ball competition.


The VRL Junior and Senior competitions have both continued the recent trends of significant growth during the 2009 season. The junior competitions recorded a 30% increase in player registrations in 2009 and this growth can be attributed to the continued terrific work undertaken by Development Officers who have established excellent links within the primary and secondary school systems.

The Senior competition also recorded an increase in registered participants in the 2009 season. This growth can be largely attributed to the introduction of a Division Two competition in 2009. The Senior clubs are to be congratulated for embracing the concept of growth in the Senior competition and have been the major driver behind the success of the Division Two concept.


The Melbourne Storm Development Schools program continued to deliver Rugby League programs to primary and secondary school students in Victoria. There were 34,119 participants involved in School based Rugby League which is an increase on the 2008 results.

The Victorian Primary School Sports Association (VPSSA) Under 12 team participated in the National Exchange in Canberra from August 8th – 15th. The Under 12 team was coached by Dean Andrew from the VPSSA and assisted by Shane Griffin from Melbourne Storm Development. The VPSSA Exchange was the first representative opportunity for the 17 players involved in the program, and the team learnt a great deal from their 8th placing at the 2009 National Exchange.


The Victorian Rugby League Secondary Schools Representative Program enjoyed an extremely successful year. There were 51 Victorian players given the opportunity to participate in the 2009 15 and 18 Years Australian Secondary School Rugby League (ASSRL) National Championships in the Victorian and Combined Affiliated States (CAS) teams.


The Victorian 15 Years team participated in the ASSRL Championships in Adelaide from June 27 to July 3. The 15 Years team was coached by Gary Whicker and he was assisted by Alex Pynor. The team opened the Championships on a positive note with a dominant 40-10 victory over Western Australia. The Victorian team met their Pool B rivals the Northern Territory and went down 26 -16 in a closely contested game. The 15 Years team rebounded strongly from this loss defeating South Australia 76 – 0 and booking their place in the Pool B Final.


The Victorian team competed strongly in the first half in the Pool B Final against the undefeated Northern Territory team with the scores locked at 6 all at half time. The Northern Territory clicked into gear in the second half and showed their class to defeat a gallant Victorian team 24 – 6.


The Victorian 15 Years team had six players selected in the 2009 15 Years Pool B Merit team with Hayden Butler (Mount Waverely Secondary College), Richard Faleo-Kennar (Roxburgh Secondary College), Reagan Umi (Dandenong Secondary College), Jackson Brenchley (Norwood Secondary College), Phillip Salue (Hallam Secondary College) and Michael Williams (Cranbourne Secondary College) receiving an Affiliated States Australian jersey.


The 18 Years program provides Victorian players with the opportunity to be selected for the Combined Affiliated States (CAS) that participates in Pool A of the ASSRL Championships. The Affiliated States conducted a selection trial from May 14-16 in Adelaide to choose the 18 Years Pool A CAS team. The Victorian team and players were outstanding over the three day selection period and 11 Victorian players chosen for the Pool A CAS team.


The success of having 11 players selected in the 18 Years Pool A CAS team provided additional opportunities and challenges for the 18 Years Pool B program. The opportunities resulted in 11 ‘new’ players being given the chance to represent Victoria in Pool B of the 2009 18 Years ASSRL National Championships. The challenge to compete against the other States in Pool B with half a new team was manfully embraced by the coaching staff and the players.


The VRL had an interest in both Pool A and Pool B of the 18 Years ASSRL National Championships that were held in Newcastle from July 12 – 17. The CAS team, containing 11 Victorian players, participated in Pool A of the Championships and similar to 2008 had a frustrating week losing close games against NSWCIS and ACT. The 2008 ‘CAS 2point Curse’ returned in Game One of the 2009 Championships with the CAS team going down to NSWCIS 18-16. The ‘curse’ almost reappeared in Game Two of the Championships with a last minute conversion by the ACT going wide resulting in a 28- all draw. The loss and draw in first two games of the Championships relegated the CAS teams to return match ups against the NSWCIS and ACT teams that resulted in 22-14 and 34-16 losses.


The Victoria 18’s team participated in Pool B of the 2009 18 Years ASSRL National Championships. The team was coached by Dylan Hides and he was assisted by Jamie Fardell. The 18 Years team started the Championships impressively with a 56-24 win over South Australia on Day One and a 26-14 victory over Western Australia on Day Two of the Championships. These two wins ensured that the Victorian teams qualified for the Pool B Final, however a round robin match up against the other undefeated Pool B team Northern Territory had to be navigated prior to the Final.


The Victorian team were blown away by the Northern Territory team in this round robin game going down 44 – 16 and earning the underdog status for the Pool B Final. The Victorian 18 Years team lifted for the Pool B Final at Energy Australia Stadium and turned the tables on the Territorians claiming the Pool B 18 Years Sam Davey Plate for the first time since 1998 with an impressive 36-24 victory.


The Victorian Open’s Representative team participated in the ARL Affiliated States Championships in Melbourne from June 4-6. The team was coached by Melbourne Storm Premiership 1999 player Matt Rua and he was assisted by Melbourne Storm SG Ball assistant coach John Winder. The Victorian team dominated the Championships in the ‘home comforts’ of Melbourne and defeated Western Australia in the Affiliated States National Championships Final 36-16.



The Victorian Open’s team had nine players selected in the 2009 Affiliated States Australian team with Keni Blair (Sunbury Tigers), Corey Timothy (Altona Roosters),

Aiden Hema (Altona Roosters), Caine Sinclair (Altona Roosters), Chad Jones (Altona Roosters), James Uttafe (Doveton Steelers), Gerrard Tibbets (Sunbury Tigers), Malo Feterika (Waverley/Oakleigh), Teariki Bennion (Altona Roosters) and Darcy Etrich (Waverley/Oakleigh) representing the Affiliated States in their tour of Cook Islands.


The 2009 Junior Competition Grand Finals were played on Saturday September 5 at Loft Reserve, Doveton. Congratulations to the Altona Roosters JRLFC for hosting a very successful Grand Final Day. The seven junior divisions were won by six different clubs which highlights the increased depth that exists throughout the junior competition. All games were played in terrific spirit with excellent sportsmanship shown by the players.


Victorian representative Darcy Etrich



Below are the results from the 2009 Victorian Rugby League Junior Grand Finals:
Girls Tag: Grand Final: Waverley/Oak. Panthers 20 def Northern Thunder 12
Under 11's - Grand Final: Northern Thunder 34 def South Eastern Titans 10
Under 12's - Grand Final: South Eastern Titans 22 def Northern Thunder 18
Under 13's - Grand Final: Casey Chiefs 44 def Altona Roosters 10
Under 14's - Grand Final: Northern Thunder 16 def Craigieburn Phoenix 4
Under 16's - Grand Final: Altona Roosters 14 def South Eastern Titans 12
Under 18's - Grand Final: Moorabbin Rams 38 def Northern Thunder 26


The Goulburn Murray Rugby League continued to grow their Junior Competition and the introduction of the Corowa Cougars in 2009 added to the further vibrancy of the competition. The competition comprised of Under 7’s, 9’s, 11’s, 13’s and 15’s age groups. The competition is projected for further growth in the 2010 season and the Goulburn Murray Rugby League Executive is to be congratulated for their commitment in growing the game in North East Victoria.


The Sunraysia Rugby League was formally launched with a four team senior competition being conducted involving the Dareton Dragons, Irymple Titans, Robinvale Sea Eagles and Mildura West Tigers in 2009. The competition is set to expand with the introduction of a junior competition in 2010 which will further solidify the game of Rugby League in North West Victoria.


The 2009 Senior Competition Grand Finals were played on Sunday September 6 at Casey Fields, Cranbourne. The Casey Sharks hosted an excellent day and the Committee are to be congratulated for their efforts.


The 2009 Women’s Tag Grand Final provided the opportunity for the Altona Roosters to break through for their first Grand Final win and also avenge their 2008 loss to the Moorabbin Rams. The Roosters prevailed in a tense and exciting encounter 18-6 to finally claim the Women’s Tag silverware.


In Division Two the Werribee Bears created history in their inaugural season taking out the 2009 Victorian Rugby League Division Two Grand Final. The Bears defeated perennial powerhouse the Altona Roosters 22-18 in a see sawing contest. The Roosters settled well early scoring in the 2nd minute to race to a 6-0 lead. The Bears with the advantage of a strong win in the first half settled into their rhythm and posted the next 22 points of the game to go into half time with a commanding 22-6 lead. The significance of the breeze became more apparent in the second half and when Altona score their second try of the half with 10 minutes remaining the Grand Final was in the balance. The Bears defended their line manfully to hold out the fast finishing Roosters to claim the 2009 crown.


In First Grade the Sunbury Tigers won its first Victorian Rugby League First Grade Premiership when they outclassed the Casey Sharks 48-10 in the 2009 Grand Final. The Tigers had easily accounted for the Sharks in their previous two meetings through the home and away season and went into the game full of confidence. This confidence would have been slightly jilted when Matt Currie drop the ball from the kick off gifting Casey possession ten metres from the Sunbury line. The Sunbury defence stood up to the initial Casey onslaught and were able to go the length of the field to scored on their first set through Brendan Train. The Tigers continued to put pressure on the shaky Sharks defence and subsequent tries to Michael Faamausili, Josh Jerome, Terry Constantinou and Matt Croker effectively ended the game at half time with the Tigers holding a commanding 30-10 lead. The second half was merely the clubs playing out time, however the highlight was the try scored by Sunbury 148 game veteran to put the icing on the Sunbury cake.


The Victorian Rugby League Commission and staff would like to thank the Victorian Primary School Sports Association (VPSSA) and Australian Secondary Schools Rugby League (ASSRL) for their continued commitment and support of primary and secondary schools Rugby League. We would also like to recognise the support provided to the Victorian Rugby League by the Australian Rugby League (ARL) and Australian Rugby League Development (ARLD), Melbourne Storm RLFC, Sport and Recreation Victoria and Vic Health.


The Victorian Rugby League would also like to thank all clubs, players, coaches, volunteers, parents and helpers who were involved in the various Victorian Rugby League programs and competitions during the 2009 season.


Joe Messina
General Manager – Victorian Rugby League

[Xman]

16 October 2012
The AFL today released its national participation numbers for 2012 with the game’s participation base continuing to reach record numbers throughout the country.


In 2012 national participation has increased to 844,799, representing a 6.81% increase from a 2011 total of 790,905 participants.

Across the four key participation areas of NAB AFL Auskick, clubs, schools and Cadbury AFL 9s, this year’s 6.81% increase is the largest rate of growth since 2008 and ensures the AFL remains on track to reach its forecasted target of one million participants by 2016.

In 2012 the number of NAB AFL Auskick participants reached 182,846, representing a 9.44% increase from the previous year, which is the biggest increase in NAB AFL Auskick participation since 2007.

The most substantial area of growth over the past 12 months has come from the number of females playing Australian football – the participation base of females jumped a massive 43.17% in 2012.

Significant participation growth was recorded on a regional basis throughout the country, with Queensland (up 10.04% to 137,989) and NSW/ACT (up 8.64% to 148,230) leading the way. South Australia was the only region not to record an increase with -2.06% growth in 2012 after registering a 13% increase in 2011.

The Northern Territory recorded the greatest overall regional growth, reaching 27,254 participants, up 29.18% on 2011.

Participation numbers of the newest form of the game, Cadbury AFL 9s, continued to grow significantly in 2012 to reach 12,536 participants, representing a 167% increase on the previous year.

International participation has also increased by 10% in 2012, rising to 110,292 participants outside Australia.

AFL General Manager - National and International Development and General Counsel, Andrew Dillon, said: "The growth of our participation base, across all levels of the game, is vitally important to the health of Australian football so it’s encouraging to see significant growth in 2012.

"Through a wide range of programs right around the country we are committed to ensuring as many people as possible are able to be actively involved in Australian football.

"The NAB AFL Auskick program continues to provide a pathway for thousands of young kids and the growth rate over the past 12 months has been the largest we’ve seen in five years.

http://www.seeyouatthefooty.com.au/deta ... hp?fid=204

Please tell me Dave how NSW has 100,000 Auskick players but the entire country only has 183,000

[Xman]

here ya go Marcus

this is from 2009..... so 3 years old
stating 34,119 " paticipants " took part in some from of RL that year
I'd say that figure has grown ...

now.. is say 35,000 .... 50 times smaller then 136,000 marcus ?



Growth in Victorian Rugby League
Bellow is an article detailing the list of successes that have accompanied the 2009 season.

I would just like to say one thing before you read it. Even i find this amazing. In as early as 2004, the VRL did not look to be in good health and what seems to have happened in just 5 years is staggering! This should give us all great hope for the future of our game.


Originally Posted by VRL - Year in review
The Victorian Rugby League (VRL) continued the upward trend of recent seasons recording growth and expansion in all areas in 2009. There were outstanding results achieved in club and schools participation, and unprecedented outcomes throughout the various representative programs including a Victorian presence for the first time in the SG Ball competition.


The VRL Junior and Senior competitions have both continued the recent trends of significant growth during the 2009 season. The junior competitions recorded a 30% increase in player registrations in 2009 and this growth can be attributed to the continued terrific work undertaken by Development Officers who have established excellent links within the primary and secondary school systems.

The Senior competition also recorded an increase in registered participants in the 2009 season. This growth can be largely attributed to the introduction of a Division Two competition in 2009. The Senior clubs are to be congratulated for embracing the concept of growth in the Senior competition and have been the major driver behind the success of the Division Two concept.


The Melbourne Storm Development Schools program continued to deliver Rugby League programs to primary and secondary school students in Victoria. There were 34,119 participants involved in School based Rugby League which is an increase on the 2008 results.

The Victorian Primary School Sports Association (VPSSA) Under 12 team participated in the National Exchange in Canberra from August 8th – 15th. The Under 12 team was coached by Dean Andrew from the VPSSA and assisted by Shane Griffin from Melbourne Storm Development. The VPSSA Exchange was the first representative opportunity for the 17 players involved in the program, and the team learnt a great deal from their 8th placing at the 2009 National Exchange.


The Victorian Rugby League Secondary Schools Representative Program enjoyed an extremely successful year. There were 51 Victorian players given the opportunity to participate in the 2009 15 and 18 Years Australian Secondary School Rugby League (ASSRL) National Championships in the Victorian and Combined Affiliated States (CAS) teams.


The Victorian 15 Years team participated in the ASSRL Championships in Adelaide from June 27 to July 3. The 15 Years team was coached by Gary Whicker and he was assisted by Alex Pynor. The team opened the Championships on a positive note with a dominant 40-10 victory over Western Australia. The Victorian team met their Pool B rivals the Northern Territory and went down 26 -16 in a closely contested game. The 15 Years team rebounded strongly from this loss defeating South Australia 76 – 0 and booking their place in the Pool B Final.


The Victorian team competed strongly in the first half in the Pool B Final against the undefeated Northern Territory team with the scores locked at 6 all at half time. The Northern Territory clicked into gear in the second half and showed their class to defeat a gallant Victorian team 24 – 6.


The Victorian 15 Years team had six players selected in the 2009 15 Years Pool B Merit team with Hayden Butler (Mount Waverely Secondary College), Richard Faleo-Kennar (Roxburgh Secondary College), Reagan Umi (Dandenong Secondary College), Jackson Brenchley (Norwood Secondary College), Phillip Salue (Hallam Secondary College) and Michael Williams (Cranbourne Secondary College) receiving an Affiliated States Australian jersey.


The 18 Years program provides Victorian players with the opportunity to be selected for the Combined Affiliated States (CAS) that participates in Pool A of the ASSRL Championships. The Affiliated States conducted a selection trial from May 14-16 in Adelaide to choose the 18 Years Pool A CAS team. The Victorian team and players were outstanding over the three day selection period and 11 Victorian players chosen for the Pool A CAS team.


The success of having 11 players selected in the 18 Years Pool A CAS team provided additional opportunities and challenges for the 18 Years Pool B program. The opportunities resulted in 11 ‘new’ players being given the chance to represent Victoria in Pool B of the 2009 18 Years ASSRL National Championships. The challenge to compete against the other States in Pool B with half a new team was manfully embraced by the coaching staff and the players.


The VRL had an interest in both Pool A and Pool B of the 18 Years ASSRL National Championships that were held in Newcastle from July 12 – 17. The CAS team, containing 11 Victorian players, participated in Pool A of the Championships and similar to 2008 had a frustrating week losing close games against NSWCIS and ACT. The 2008 ‘CAS 2point Curse’ returned in Game One of the 2009 Championships with the CAS team going down to NSWCIS 18-16. The ‘curse’ almost reappeared in Game Two of the Championships with a last minute conversion by the ACT going wide resulting in a 28- all draw. The loss and draw in first two games of the Championships relegated the CAS teams to return match ups against the NSWCIS and ACT teams that resulted in 22-14 and 34-16 losses.


The Victoria 18’s team participated in Pool B of the 2009 18 Years ASSRL National Championships. The team was coached by Dylan Hides and he was assisted by Jamie Fardell. The 18 Years team started the Championships impressively with a 56-24 win over South Australia on Day One and a 26-14 victory over Western Australia on Day Two of the Championships. These two wins ensured that the Victorian teams qualified for the Pool B Final, however a round robin match up against the other undefeated Pool B team Northern Territory had to be navigated prior to the Final.


The Victorian team were blown away by the Northern Territory team in this round robin game going down 44 – 16 and earning the underdog status for the Pool B Final. The Victorian 18 Years team lifted for the Pool B Final at Energy Australia Stadium and turned the tables on the Territorians claiming the Pool B 18 Years Sam Davey Plate for the first time since 1998 with an impressive 36-24 victory.


The Victorian Open’s Representative team participated in the ARL Affiliated States Championships in Melbourne from June 4-6. The team was coached by Melbourne Storm Premiership 1999 player Matt Rua and he was assisted by Melbourne Storm SG Ball assistant coach John Winder. The Victorian team dominated the Championships in the ‘home comforts’ of Melbourne and defeated Western Australia in the Affiliated States National Championships Final 36-16.



The Victorian Open’s team had nine players selected in the 2009 Affiliated States Australian team with Keni Blair (Sunbury Tigers), Corey Timothy (Altona Roosters),

Aiden Hema (Altona Roosters), Caine Sinclair (Altona Roosters), Chad Jones (Altona Roosters), James Uttafe (Doveton Steelers), Gerrard Tibbets (Sunbury Tigers), Malo Feterika (Waverley/Oakleigh), Teariki Bennion (Altona Roosters) and Darcy Etrich (Waverley/Oakleigh) representing the Affiliated States in their tour of Cook Islands.


The 2009 Junior Competition Grand Finals were played on Saturday September 5 at Loft Reserve, Doveton. Congratulations to the Altona Roosters JRLFC for hosting a very successful Grand Final Day. The seven junior divisions were won by six different clubs which highlights the increased depth that exists throughout the junior competition. All games were played in terrific spirit with excellent sportsmanship shown by the players.


Victorian representative Darcy Etrich



Below are the results from the 2009 Victorian Rugby League Junior Grand Finals:
Girls Tag: Grand Final: Waverley/Oak. Panthers 20 def Northern Thunder 12
Under 11's - Grand Final: Northern Thunder 34 def South Eastern Titans 10
Under 12's - Grand Final: South Eastern Titans 22 def Northern Thunder 18
Under 13's - Grand Final: Casey Chiefs 44 def Altona Roosters 10
Under 14's - Grand Final: Northern Thunder 16 def Craigieburn Phoenix 4
Under 16's - Grand Final: Altona Roosters 14 def South Eastern Titans 12
Under 18's - Grand Final: Moorabbin Rams 38 def Northern Thunder 26


The Goulburn Murray Rugby League continued to grow their Junior Competition and the introduction of the Corowa Cougars in 2009 added to the further vibrancy of the competition. The competition comprised of Under 7’s, 9’s, 11’s, 13’s and 15’s age groups. The competition is projected for further growth in the 2010 season and the Goulburn Murray Rugby League Executive is to be congratulated for their commitment in growing the game in North East Victoria.


The Sunraysia Rugby League was formally launched with a four team senior competition being conducted involving the Dareton Dragons, Irymple Titans, Robinvale Sea Eagles and Mildura West Tigers in 2009. The competition is set to expand with the introduction of a junior competition in 2010 which will further solidify the game of Rugby League in North West Victoria.


The 2009 Senior Competition Grand Finals were played on Sunday September 6 at Casey Fields, Cranbourne. The Casey Sharks hosted an excellent day and the Committee are to be congratulated for their efforts.


The 2009 Women’s Tag Grand Final provided the opportunity for the Altona Roosters to break through for their first Grand Final win and also avenge their 2008 loss to the Moorabbin Rams. The Roosters prevailed in a tense and exciting encounter 18-6 to finally claim the Women’s Tag silverware.


In Division Two the Werribee Bears created history in their inaugural season taking out the 2009 Victorian Rugby League Division Two Grand Final. The Bears defeated perennial powerhouse the Altona Roosters 22-18 in a see sawing contest. The Roosters settled well early scoring in the 2nd minute to race to a 6-0 lead. The Bears with the advantage of a strong win in the first half settled into their rhythm and posted the next 22 points of the game to go into half time with a commanding 22-6 lead. The significance of the breeze became more apparent in the second half and when Altona score their second try of the half with 10 minutes remaining the Grand Final was in the balance. The Bears defended their line manfully to hold out the fast finishing Roosters to claim the 2009 crown.


In First Grade the Sunbury Tigers won its first Victorian Rugby League First Grade Premiership when they outclassed the Casey Sharks 48-10 in the 2009 Grand Final. The Tigers had easily accounted for the Sharks in their previous two meetings through the home and away season and went into the game full of confidence. This confidence would have been slightly jilted when Matt Currie drop the ball from the kick off gifting Casey possession ten metres from the Sunbury line. The Sunbury defence stood up to the initial Casey onslaught and were able to go the length of the field to scored on their first set through Brendan Train. The Tigers continued to put pressure on the shaky Sharks defence and subsequent tries to Michael Faamausili, Josh Jerome, Terry Constantinou and Matt Croker effectively ended the game at half time with the Tigers holding a commanding 30-10 lead. The second half was merely the clubs playing out time, however the highlight was the try scored by Sunbury 148 game veteran to put the icing on the Sunbury cake.


The Victorian Rugby League Commission and staff would like to thank the Victorian Primary School Sports Association (VPSSA) and Australian Secondary Schools Rugby League (ASSRL) for their continued commitment and support of primary and secondary schools Rugby League. We would also like to recognise the support provided to the Victorian Rugby League by the Australian Rugby League (ARL) and Australian Rugby League Development (ARLD), Melbourne Storm RLFC, Sport and Recreation Victoria and Vic Health.


The Victorian Rugby League would also like to thank all clubs, players, coaches, volunteers, parents and helpers who were involved in the various Victorian Rugby League programs and competitions during the 2009 season.


Joe Messina
General Manager – Victorian Rugby League

So 30,000 kids played RL at school in Victoria, but there are only 7-10 clubs in the entire state......