Number of teams 10 | Instituted 1914 Country Australia | |
Inaugural season 1914 (as South Coast Rugby League), 1955 (as Group 7 Rugby League) | ||
South Coast Group 7 Rugby League (or Group 7 Rugby League for simplicity) is the divisional boundary drawn from the Southern Illawarra and South Coast regions (from the town of Warilla south to Batemans Bay) of New South Wales, Australia and is governed by the NSWCRL. The main competition, (named South Coast Group 7 VB First Grade for sponsorship reasons), comprises eight (10) teams from across the region. In 2011 the competition won't feature a team from central Shoalhaven for the first time in a long time. Group 7 Rugby League also administers Reserve Grade, Third Grade and Under-18's competitions, as well as looking over many junior competitions.
Contents
Teams
There are nine (10) teams competing in the 2013 South Coast Group 7 VB First Grade Competition:
In Reserve Grade, an extra two (2) teams participate in an eleven (11) team competition:
Former Teams
Foundation Clubs
Of the original eight teams that competed in the inaugural competition in 1914, only four teams remain playing in first grade. They are the Berry Magpies, Gerringong Lions, Jamberoo Superoos, and Kiama Knights. The Nowra Warriors were also a foundation club, but due to financial reasons were forced to merge with the Bomaderry Swamp Rats in 2007, creating the team Shoalhaven Jets which compete in Reserve Grade.
New teams
There have been a few teams to expand into the Group 7 Rugby League First Grade Premiership. Through the 20's-30's Albion Park were founded, joined the Illawarra Rugby League and returned to Group 7 in 1933. The Shellharbour Sharks are known to have joined the league at this time. Milton-Ulladulla Bulldogs also joined from Group 16 Rugby League. The Warilla-Lake South Gorillas were first introduced into First Grade during the 1970s and in 1978 the Batemans Bay Tigers were another team to move from Group 16.
Formative years
Rugby league has been played in the South Coast region of New South Wales since 1913, with the first competition taking place between teams from the Shoalhaven district. In May 1914, with other rugby clubs from across the region also splitting from rugby union to join the new code, the South Coast Rugby League was formed. The first season of what is now known as the Group 7 competition began with eight teams competing. These teams included: Berry, Bombo, Gerringong, Jamberoo, Kiama, Kangaroo Valley, Naval College, and Nowra. The First round began on 30 May 1914, with Kiama defeating Gerringong 6–3, Naval College defeating Bombo 7–5, Jamberoo Superoos defeating Kangaroo Valley 3–0, and Nowra Warriors defeating Berry Magpies 3–0. The inaugural premiers were Gerringong, winning the final 11–10 at the Kiama Showground. As soon as the league began, they entered a two-year hiatus due to World War I. No competitions were held between 1916 and 1917. When the competition reformed in 1918, Gerringong again won the title. The Nowra Warriors were the next team to win the title in 1919.
1920s
Gerringong went on to win the title a third time in 1920, with a 3–0 win over Jamberoo. During 1925–26, some of the northern teams moved into Illawarra Rugby League competition, including Gerringong, who took out the Illawarra Premiership in 1925. Jamberoo won the premiership in 1927. As a result, they were the first team to represent the South Coast in the first championship between South Coast and Illawarra Premiers. Jamberoo (South Coast) defeated Port Kembla (Illawarra) 15–11. In 1929, Bombo won their first (and only) premiership.
1930s
After winning their first premiership in 1929, Bombo merged with Kiama in 1930. The new entity, Bombo-Kiama, took out the title in their first season. They followed this up with another in 1933. Albion Park became re-affiliated with South Coast Rugby League in 1933. Milton-Ulladulla joined the league in the 1930s from Group 16 Rugby League. Between 1935 and 1937, the Berry Magpies won the premiership three years consecutively. Junior aged competitions (U-17's, 18's, 19's) were first introduced in 1938. The Shellharbour Sharks won their first premiership in 1939.
1940s
Again, the competition faced a hiatus, this time between 1942–43, due to World War II. Albion Park won their maiden Premiership in 1944. Kiama (as a single entity) won the title in 1945. They went on to win a further three titles, becoming the first and only club to win four consecutive titles (1945–1948).
1950s – 1960s
For a second time, between 1952 and 1954, Berry record premiership wins three years consecutively. In 1955, the league was renamed Group 7 Rugby League. Shellharbour won the Premiership in 1962 after a 23-year drought. In 1967, Bomaderry record their first premiership win.
1970s – 1980s
In the 1970s, an expansion occurred when Warilla entered the first grade competition in 1970. They go on to win their first premiership in 1978. The Batemans Bay Tigers win their first premiership in 1979, after joining one year earlier in 1978 from Group 16. In 1980, the league was re-branded as South Coast Group Seven. Milton-Ulladulla record their first premiership win in 1987.
Modern Times
A hat-trick of premierships is again recorded, this time by the Albion Park-Oak Flats Eagles between 1998–2000.
Source: Group 7 Rugby League History