Queensland Rugby League
The Queensland Rugby League (QRL) is the governing body for the sport of Rugby League in Queensland. It is a member of the Australian Rugby League (ARL) and selects the members of Queensland State of Origin teams.
The origins of the QRL go back to May 16, 1908, when a hastily assembled Queensland team, comprised of disgruntled former rugby union players, played a touring New Zealand side, known at the time as the "All Golds", in Brisbane. Shortly afterwards the "Queensland Rugby Football Association" was founded, and in early July, informal club games were played in Brisbane. Later that month there were three representative games against New South Wales, and these acted as selection trials for a national team.
An official Brisbane club championship began in 1909. By the 1920s the Queensland Rugby League had established itself as a force to rival the NSWRL.
Brisbane Rugby League
The first season of Rugby League kicked off in Brisbane on May 8 1909. The foundation clubs were North Brisbane, Toombul, Valley, South Brisbane and Milton. Matches were played under the auspices of the Queensland Rugby Football League (QRFL, later QRL). In 1922 the Brisbane Rugby Football League (BRFL, later BRL) was formed out of dissatisfaction with the way the QRFL ran the game. The BRFL took control of the local competition. The foundation BRFL clubs were Brothers, Carltons, Coorparoo, University, Valley and Grammars.
In 1933 district football was introduced to provide community support and player equalisation. This meant that players had to live within a certain distance of their club. Accordingly Brisbane was divided into Eastern Suburbs (incorporating Cooparoo and Wynnum), Southern Suburbs (incorporating Carltons), Western Suburbs, Northern Suburbs (incorporating Grammers), Fortitude Valley and Past Brothers (whose players had to prove that they had attended a Christian Brothers school). In 1934 University returned to rugby union.
Teams to later join the BRL were South Coast (1952-1955), Wynnum-Manly (1952), Recliffe (1955), Ipswich (1985) and Logan (1988).
The BRL declined after the Brisbane Broncos joined the New South Wales Rugby League competition in 1988, and was supersceded by the Queensland Cup competition in 1998. Redcliffe won the last BRL Grand Final in 1997 defeating Easts 18-16.
Brisbane Premiers
- 1997 Redcliffe
- 1996 Redcliffe
- 1995 Wynnum
- 1994 Redcliffe
- 1993 Wests
- 1992 Wests
- 1991 Easts
- 1990 Valleys
- 1989 Valleys
- 1988 Seagulls-Diehards
- 1987 Past Brothers
- 1986 Wynnum-Manly
- 1985 Souths
- 1984 Wynnum-Manly
- 1983 Easts
- 1982 Wynnum-Manly
- 1981 Souths
- 1980 Norths
- 1979 Valleys
- 1978 Easts
- 1977 Easts
- 1976 Wests
- 1975 Wests
- 1974 Valleys
- 1973 Valleys
- 1972 Easts
- 1971 Valleys
- 1970 Valleys
- 1969 Norths
- 1968 Past Brothers
- 1967 Past Brothers
- 1966 Norths
- 1965 Redcliffe
- 1964 Norths
- 1963 Norths
- 1962 Norths
- 1961 Norths
- 1960 Norths
- 1959 Norths
- 1958 Past Brothers
- 1957 Valleys
- 1956 Past Brothers
- 1955 Valleys
- 1954 Wests
- 1953 Souths
- 1952 Wests
- 1951 Souths
- 1950 Easts
- 1949 Souths
- 1948 Wests
- 1947 Easts
- 1946 Valleys
- 1945 Souths
- 1944 Valleys
- 1943 Past Brothers
- 1942 Past Brothers
- 1941 Valleys
- 1940 Norths
- 1939 Past Brothers
- 1938 Norths
- 1937 Valleys
- 1936 Wests
- 1935 Past Brothers
- 1934 Norths
- 1933 Valleys
- 1932 Wests
- 1931 Valleys
- 1930 Carltons
- 1929 University
- 1928 University
- 1927 Grammars
- 1926 Past Brothers
- 1925 Carltons
- 1924 Valleys
- 1923 Coorparoo
- 1922 Wests
- 1921 Carltons
- 1920 Wests
- 1919 Valleys
- 1918 Valleys
- 1917 Valleys
- 1916 Wests
- 1915 Valleys
- 1914 Valleys
- 1913 West End
- 1912 Natives
- 1911 Valley-Toombul
- 1910 Ipswich
- 1909 Valley
Queensland Cup
The Queensland Cup has been contested since 1996, and since 1998 the team winning the Queensland Cup is considered to have won the Premiership. (In 1996 and 1997 it was contested parallel to the BRL competition.) The Queensland Cup grew out of the Winfield State League that was held from 1982-1995. The teams currently contesting the Queensland Cup are:
Current Teams
- Burleigh Bears (home ground: Pizzey Park, Miami)
- Central Comets (home ground: Browne Park, Rockhampton
- Easts Tigers (home ground: Langlands Park, Stones Corner)
- Ipswich Jets (home ground: Q.L.D. Group Oval, North Ipswich)
- Norths Devils (home ground: Albert Bishop Park, Nundah)
- North Queensland Young Guns (home ground: Dairy Farmers Stadium, Townsville)
- Redcliffe Dolphins (home ground: Dolphin Oval, Redcliffe)
- Souths-Logan Magpies (home ground: Davies Park, West End)
- Toowoomba Clydesdales (home ground: Clive Berghofer Stadium, Toowoomba)
- Tweed Heads Seagulls (home ground: Piggabeen Sports Complex, West Tweed Heads)
- Wynnum Seagulls (home ground: Kougari Oval, Wynnum)
Previous Teams
The following teams have competed in the Queensland Cup in previous years.
- Brothers (1996-1998)
- Brothers-Valleys (2004)
- Cairns Cyclones (1996-2000)
- Gold Coast Vikings (1998)
- Logan Scorpians (1998-2002)
- Souths Magpies (1996-2003)
- Port Moresby Vipers (1996-1997)
Queensland Cup Winners
- 2004 Burleigh
- 2003 Redcliffe
- 2002 Redcliffe
- 2001 Toowoomba
- 2000 Redcliffe
- 1999 Burleigh
- 1998 Norths
- 1997 Redcliffe
- 1996 Toowoomba
See also
- Australian Rugby League
- New South Wales Rugby League
- Australia national team
- State of Origin (History of the concept)
- History of Rugby League