West Coast Rugby League

West Coast Rugby League
Club information
Founded1915
Current details
Ground(s)

West Coast Rugby League (WCRL) is the local sporting body responsible for the administration of rugby league in the West Coast region of New Zealand, centred around Greymouth. The WCRL own Wingham Park and are represented by the West Coast rugby league team.

Clubs

Seven clubs currently compete in the West Coast senior competition;

  • Brunner Bulls
  • Cobden-Kohinoor Keas
  • Hokitika
  • Marist
  • Runanga
  • Suburbs
  • Waro-Rakau Hornets

Grand Final Winners

These are the Grand Final winners from 1979 to 2012.

Season Winner
2012 Runanga
2011 Runanga
2010 Runanga
2009 Suburbs
2008 Suburbs
2007 Suburbs
2006 Runanga
2005 Runanga
2004 Cobden-Kohinoor
2003 Suburbs
2002 Suburbs
2001 Suburbs
2000 Waro-Rakau
1999 Cobden-Kohinoor
1998 Marist
1997 Cobden-Kohinoor
1996 Waro-Rakau
1995 Cobden-Kohinoor
1994 Waro-Rakau
1993 Waro-Rakau
1992 Suburbs
1991 Suburbs
1990 Marist
1989 Cobden-Kohinoor
1988 Marist
1987 Cobden-Kohinoor
1986 Runanga
1985 Runanga
1984 Runanga
1983 Runanga
1982 Runanga
1981 Runanga
1980 Runanga
1979 Runanga

History

The West Coast Rugby League was formed on 3 June, after Canterbury and West Coast played each other earlier in the day.[1]

On the 14 June Kohinoor left the West Coast Rugby Union and two days later, on the 16th, they started the senior club competition with Blackball and Hokitika. The Grey club was added on 6 July.

The West Coast Rugby League went into recess at the end of the year, until being revived in 1919 by J.D. Wingham.[1] Blackball, Kohinoor and Runanga competed in the 1919 competition.

Since then rugby league has traditionally been the most successful team sport in the West Coast.[2] However, since the 1990s the West Coast has usually participated in Second Division or South Island competitions and in particular the West Coast missed out on having a team in either the Lion Red Cup or Bartercard Cup, the two main New Zealand Rugby League competitions of the 1990s and 2000s.

Notable juniors competed in the NRL

Cobden-Kohinoor

Marist

Waro-Rakau

Suburbs

References

  1. ^ a b Coffey, John. Canterbury XIII, Christchurch, 1987
  2. ^ Smith, Tony (27 November 2010). "Sport can help West Coasters heal the pain". The Press. Retrieved 2 December 2011.