Group 17 Rugby League

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Group 17 Rugby League
SportRugby league
Inaugural season1955
Ceased2006 (reformed 2018)
Number of teams6
Country Australia
PremiersWigancolours.svg Rankins Springs Dragons (2018)
Most titlesManly Sea Eagles colours.svg Barellan Rams (9 titles)
WebsiteWestern Riverina Community Cup
Proten Community Cup Rugby League on facebook

Group 17 is a rugby league competition based in the Riverina and Central West regions of New South Wales, Australia which collapsed in 2006 and reformed in 2018.

History[]

Rugby league in the district began as an inter-town competition between Hillston, Merriwagga, Goolgowi and Hay. The competition was suspended during World War 2.

It reformed in 1947 as the 'Western Zone' with teams from Hay, Darlington Point, Goolgowi, Carrathool and two teams from Hillston, 'Town' and 'Country'. Tullibigeal joined during the 1950s, and won the 1965 Clayton Cup, the Country Rugby League's highest honour, but later departed to form the TLU Sharks with Lake Cargelligo. Sometime between then and 1965, when Coleambally entered, the league became known as group 17. In 1973, two of the competition's biggest teams, Darlington Point and Coleambally merged and joined the neighbouring Group 20 Rugby League (Griffith and District) competition. Darlington Point had far outgrown the competition, going undefeated in 1968 to win the Clayton Cup.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the competition sustained a high level of competition, with eight clubs participating. More Clayton Cups were won by Group 17 clubs, with Rankins Springs (1993), Barellan (1999 and 2002) and Hillston (2006) all claiming the trophy. But by the 2000s, the Millennial Drought had caused many of the teams to be weakened, due to farming, the primary industry in the region, becoming not only unprofitable, but almost impossible. The competition collapsed after the 2006 season.

The competition was revived in 2018 as the Group 17 ProTen Community Cup, with six teams participating. The format involved at five rounds followed by semi-finals and a grand final. In each round, all three games were played at the same venue.[1]

The competition retained the same format in 2019 (with six rounds instead of five), with the Grand Final being held in Ivanhoe. The 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 season will proceed as normal with Griffith Ex-Servicemen's Club (the home of Group 20's Griffith Waratahs) hosting the first round for Ivanhoe.

Clubs[]

Club Nickname Home Ground No. of Premierships Premiership Years
Faxcolours.svg Hillston Bluebirds Stan Peters Oval, Hillston 8 1979–80, 1983, 1986–88, 1996, 2006
Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Barellan Rams Barellan Football Ground 9 1973–4, 1976, 1978, 1981, 1984, 1999, 2002–03
South Sydney colours.svg Goolgowi Rabbitohs Goolgowi Recreation Ground 6 1977, 1985, 1992, 2004–05, 2019
Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Ivanhoe Roosters Sahara Oval, Ivanhoe 0 None
Wigancolours.svg Rankins Springs Dragons Rankins Springs Recreation Ground 4 1993, 1997, 2000, 2018
Australian colours.svg Narrandera Lizards Narrandera Sports Ground 0 None

Past participants in the Group 17 competition included:

All statistics are post 1966
Bold indicates that the club fielded a team in the 2006 First-Grade competition.

Grand Finals[]

Group 17 Grand Finals 1967–2006, 2018–19
Season Premiers Score Runners-Up Coach Report Minor Premiers
1967 Balmain colours.svg Euabalong Tigers 20-13 Hullcolours.svg Hay Magpies
1968 Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Darlington Point 14-4 Balmain colours.svg Euabalong Tigers
1969 Cronulla colours.svg Tullibigeal 27-9 New South Wales colours.svg Deniliquin Blue Heelers
1970
1971 New South Wales colours.svg Deniliquin Blue Heelers 26-14 South Sydney colours.svg Goolgowi Rabbitohs B Cotton
1972 Hullcolours.svg Hay Magpies 26-9 New South Wales colours.svg Deniliquin Blue Heelers B. Curtis
1973 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Barellan Rams 41-2 South Sydney colours.svg Goolgowi Rabbitohs R. Murdoch
1974 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Barellan Rams 27-8 Hullcolours.svg Hay Magpies R. Murdoch
1975 Hullcolours.svg Hay Magpies 25-11 South Sydney colours.svg Goolgowi Rabbitohs M. Johnston
1976 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Barellan Rams 9-3 South Sydney colours.svg Goolgowi-Merriwagga Rabbitohs Greg Smith
1977 South Sydney colours.svg Goolgowi-Merriwagga Rabbitohs 23-19 Hullcolours.svg Hay Magpies Greg Byrnes
1978 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Barellan Rams 9-5 Faxcolours.svg Hillston Bluebirds J. Campbell
1979 Faxcolours.svg Hillston Bluebirds 16-10 Wigancolours.svg Rankins Springs Dragons G. Saddler
1980 Faxcolours.svg Hillston Bluebirds 27-19 Wigancolours.svg Rankins Springs Dragons John Sheridan
1981 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Barellan Rams 27-3 Faxcolours.svg Hillston Bluebirds P. O'Brien
1982 Hullcolours.svg Hay Magpies 23-15 Faxcolours.svg Hillston Bluebirds Kevin Goldspink
1983 Faxcolours.svg Hillston Bluebirds 38-36 Weethalle Laurie Townsend TAN[2] Hullcolours.svg Hay Magpies
1984 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Barellan Rams 14-2 South Sydney colours.svg Goolgowi Rabbitohs Mick Trembath TAN[3] South Sydney colours.svg Goolgowi Rabbitohs
1985 South Sydney colours.svg Goolgowi Rabbitohs 8-6 Hullcolours.svg Hay Magpies Mick Turner South Sydney colours.svg Goolgowi Rabbitohs
1986 Faxcolours.svg Hillston Bluebirds 16-5 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Barellan Rams Ray Schaefer Faxcolours.svg Hillston Bluebirds
1987 Faxcolours.svg Hillston Bluebirds 34-29 Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Ivanhoe Roosters Ray Schaefer Faxcolours.svg Hillston Bluebirds
1988 Faxcolours.svg Hillston Bluebirds 18-6 South Sydney colours.svg Goolgowi-Merriwagga Rabbitohs Ray Schaefer Hullcolours.svg Hay Magpies
1989 Hullcolours.svg Hay Magpies 20-18 South Sydney colours.svg Goolgowi-Merriwagga Rabbitohs Neil Nesbit Hullcolours.svg Hay Magpies
1990 Hullcolours.svg Hay Magpies 26-14 South Sydney colours.svg Goolgowi-Merriwagga Rabbitohs Neil Nisbet South Sydney colours.svg Goolgowi Rabbitohs
1991 Hullcolours.svg Hay Magpies 14-6 Faxcolours.svg Hillston Bluebirds Neil Nisbet Hullcolours.svg Hay Magpies
1992 South Sydney colours.svg Goolgowi Rabbitohs 14-0 Wigancolours.svg Rankins Springs Dragons John Barzan TAN[4] South Sydney colours.svg Goolgowi Rabbitohs
1993 Wigancolours.svg Rankins Springs Dragons 34-16 Hullcolours.svg Hay Magpies Stuart Vearing TAN[5] Wigancolours.svg Rankins Springs Dragons
1994 Hullcolours.svg Hay Magpies 27-18 Faxcolours.svg Hillston Bluebirds Chris Aylett TAN[6] YT[7] Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Ivanhoe Roosters
1995 Hullcolours.svg Hay Magpies 38-10 Wigancolours.svg Rankins Springs Dragons Jack Byrnes TAN[8] YT[9] Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Barellan Rams
1996 Faxcolours.svg Hillston Bluebirds 22-8 Whitton Bulls John Townsend TAN[10] Whitton Bulls
1997 Wigancolours.svg Rankins Springs Dragons 50-10 Whitton Bulls Steve Schmetzer TAN[11] Wigancolours.svg Rankins Springs Dragons
1998 Whitton Bulls 20-12 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Barellan Rams James Mason and Shane Bamblett TAN[12] Whitton Bulls
1999 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Barellan Rams 38-22 Wigancolours.svg Rankins Springs Dragons Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Barellan Rams
2000 Wigancolours.svg Rankins Springs Dragons 34-20 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Barellan Rams Stuart Vearing TAN[13] Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Barellan Rams
2001 Whitton Bulls 32-28 Wigancolours.svg Rankins Springs Dragons John Pannowitz (Co-coach) TAN[14] Whitton Bulls
2002 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Barellan Rams 10-7 Whitton Bulls Clint Halden TAN[15] Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Barellan Rams
2003 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Barellan Rams 22-2 Wigancolours.svg Rankins Springs Dragons Hullcolours.svg Hay Magpies
2004 South Sydney colours.svg Goolgowi Rabbitohs 26-12 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Barellan Rams Greg Borger TAN[16] South Sydney colours.svg Goolgowi Rabbitohs
2005 South Sydney colours.svg Goolgowi Rabbitohs 31-28 Faxcolours.svg Hillston Bluebirds Greg Borger TAN[17] South Sydney colours.svg Goolgowi Rabbitohs
2006 Faxcolours.svg Hillston Bluebirds 32-0 Wigancolours.svg Rankins Springs Dragons Faxcolours.svg Hillston Bluebirds
2007-17 hiatus due to drought
2018 Wigancolours.svg Rankins Springs Dragons 16-10 South Sydney colours.svg Goolgowi Rabbitohs Jamie Parsons & Joshua Curphey YT[18] TAN[19] Wigancolours.svg Rankins Springs Dragons
2019 South Sydney colours.svg Goolgowi Rabbitohs 22-6 Australian colours.svg Narrandera Lizards Alex Brown & John Michael Cahill TAN[20] South Sydney colours.svg Goolgowi Rabbitohs

Sources[]

Years Item Via
1967–69, 1971–96 Country Rugby League Annual Report State Library of NSW
1983 to 2005 The Area News Microfilm copies at State Library of NSW
2003 to 2006 Rugby League Week Bound copies at State Library of NSW
2003 to 2006 Rugby League Week eResources at State Library of NSW
2018 to 2019 Various Newspaper Websites As referenced

References[]

  1. ^ "ProTen Community Cup bringing Rugby League Back to Group 17 after 12 years". Country Rugby League. Daily Advertiser. 2 March 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  2. ^ "Riverina League Scoreboard". The Area News. 23 August 1983. p. 23.
  3. ^ "Rugby League Scoreboard". The Area News. 28 August 1984. p. 19.
  4. ^ "Goolgowi too strong in wet". The Area News. 3 September 1992. p. 26.
  5. ^ "Dragons slay Magpies to take Group 17 title". The Area News. 6 September 1993. p. 21.
  6. ^ "Hay beats all the odds to win the flag". The Area News. 5 September 1994. p. 22.
  7. ^ "1994 Group 17 Grand Final (Hay Magpies v Hillston Bluebirds)". YouTube. 8 January 2012 [1994]. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  8. ^ "Hay makes it a double". The Area News. 18 September 1995. p. 28.
  9. ^ "Hay Magpies vs Rankin Springs 1995 Group 17 Grand Final Part 8". YouTube. 25 June 2013 [1995]. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  10. ^ "Hillston picks up the double". The Area News. 9 September 1996. p. 20.
  11. ^ "Springs too good". The Area News. 8 September 1997. p. 24.
  12. ^ "Whitton finally make it - Glory for Bulls as they take out Group 17 premiership". The Area News. 7 September 1998. p. 27.
  13. ^ Stratton, Michael (4 September 2000). "Rankin Springs runs away with Group 17 title". The Area News. p. 20.
  14. ^ "Bulls charge over Dragons". The Area News. 10 September 2001. p. 24.
  15. ^ Stratton, Michael (11 September 2002). "Barellan holds on in thriller". The Area News. p. 28.
  16. ^ Malone, Matt (13 September 2004). "Rabbitohs premiers after 12-year drought". The Area News. p. 24.
  17. ^ Malone, Matt (29 August 2005). "Rabbitohs clinch a three-point victory - Goolgowi scores back-to-back victories". The Area News. p. 28.
  18. ^ "Match Highlights: Rankins Springs Vs Goolgowi - Grand Final, 2018". YouTube. Rankins Springs Dragons RLFC. 24 July 2018. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  19. ^ Stratton, Michael (22 July 2020). "Rankins Springs defeat Goolgowi in ProTen Community Cup grand final". The Area News. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  20. ^ Stratton, Michael (28 July 2019). "Goolgowi defeat Narrandera in the ProTen Community Cup". The Area News. Retrieved 15 April 2020.


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