Sydney Roosters Juniors
Encyclopedia
The Sydney Roosters Juniors is officially known as the Eastern Suburbs District Junior Rugby League (ESDJRL). It is an affiliation of junior clubs in the Eastern Suburbs area, covering the Woollahra and Waverley
local government areas (LGAs), the northern parts of the Randwick
LGA and also the eastern areas of the City of Sydney
LGA. The district currently boasts the following clubs;
These clubs play in a combined junior competition with the clubs in the South Sydney District Junior Rugby League.
Some former Eastern Suburbs junior clubs include;
Some notable players who have played in the Eastern Suburbs district as a junior include;
Bondi United juniors
Paddington Colts juniors
from other junior clubs
first entered the NSWRL competition as Eastern Suburbs in 1908, the tricolours would become neighbours to fellow city counterpart, the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Anzac Parade separated the territories for both inner-Sydney clubs when the boundaries were first established the previous year. Souths' boundaries were based on the municipalities of Redfern, Botany, Alexandria, Mascot and Waterloo, while the Roosters' boundaries were those of the eastern municipalities of Paddington, Woollahra, Vaucluse, and Waverley. Many of these councils had then amalgamated, as demographic changes affected the inner and eastern suburbs of Sydney. Randwick Council has a western and southern boundary of Anzac Parade and incorporates all those eastern suburbs east of Anzac Parade, and these suburbs like Waverly, Bondi, and Woollahra were all part of the Roosters' territory since 1908.
The new junior league boundaries set out in the early 1950s would take territory away from the Roosters, and hand it over to rival neighbouring club South Sydney.
In the mid-20th century, the southern half of Roosters territory within the Randwick local government area was handed to South Sydney. The NSWRL made this change to 'even the competition' as South Sydney's original heartland, around Redfern and Waterloo, had rapidly industrialised and de-populated. Rabbitohs stalwart S.G. Ball was a dual administrator within South Sydney Rabbitohs and the New South Wales Rugby League
at the time. The Rabbitohs were in a highly successful period and had established South Sydney Juniors Leagues club in Kingsford, Roosters territory in recent times.
Debate still continues amongst rival fans as to how and why Eastern Suburbs territory, comprising suburbs with junior league clubs rich in talent and numbers in the Randwick and Coogee areas, was given to South Sydney. The Roosters expressed disappointment at losing some of its junior clubs, but the NSWRL would not waver.
This was not to be the end of struggle for junior territory between the two inner-city clubs. In the 1980s some junior clubs such as Paddington Colts that were within Roosters territory became dissatisfied with Roosters management and affiliated with South Sydney.
After the Newtown Jets
were expelled from the NSWRL in 1983, their junior district was eventually absorbed into the South Sydney junior district in 1987. With the tide having turned compared to the situation decades earlier, and the Roosters having a much smaller junior League than South Sydney, Eastern Suburbs at this time then made unsuccessful attempts to regain the suburbs on the same grounds used to hand the southern parts of Coogee and Randwick from Easts to Souths, that of providing an 'even competition'. The NSWRL, controlled at the time by a Board with a ruling faction of representatives from South Sydney (Terry Parker), Balmain (Keith Barnes), Canterbury (Peter Moore) and Manly (Ken Arthurson), refused to redraw the boundaries.
To this day, the Roosters are colloquially among Rugby League fans, known as a club with a small junior league, while South Sydney are considered "rich in junior talent". This is ironic considering the significant number of junior league players located notionally within Sydney's "eastern suburbs", who now reside outside of the Sydney Roosters' re-drawn junior boundaries.
Waverley, New South Wales
Waverley is an eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Waverley is located 7 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Waverley Council....
local government areas (LGAs), the northern parts of the Randwick
Randwick, New South Wales
Randwick is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Randwick is located 6 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Randwick...
LGA and also the eastern areas of the City of Sydney
City of Sydney
The City of Sydney is the Local Government Area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the greater metropolitan area of Sydney, Australia...
LGA. The district currently boasts the following clubs;
- Bondi United
- Clovelly Crocodiles
- Paddington-Woollahra Tigers changed from
- Maroubra Lions
- St Charles Waverley
These clubs play in a combined junior competition with the clubs in the South Sydney District Junior Rugby League.
Some former Eastern Suburbs junior clubs include;
- Paddington (Paddo) Colts (became affiliated with South Sydney shortly before folding)
- Coogee Dolphins (formed under the auspices of the Eastern Suburbs Junior League but now affiliated with the South Sydney League)
- Dunbar United (Paddington)
- Nelson Sharks (Bondi Junction) - known as Denison Devils from 1958-1982
- East Randwick
- Rose Bay Rams
- Woolloomooloo Warriors
- Brothers (combined Eastern Subs Catholic Club & Marcellin College)
- Darlinghurst Devils Police
- Paddington CYO
- Brighton Hotel Jets (Darlinghurst)
- Coogee Bay Hotel
- Astra Hotel Knights (Bondi)
- Bondi Royals
- Bondi Sharks
- Waverley Waratah
Some notable players who have played in the Eastern Suburbs district as a junior include;
Bondi United juniors
- Tom SymondsTom SymondsThomas "Tom" Symonds is an Australian Rugby League Player for the Sydney Roosters in the NRL.He made his NRL debut in Round 11, 2009. He is currently studying Exercise Physiology at the University of New South Wales.- References :...
- Luke RicketsonLuke RicketsonLuke Ricketson is an Australian retired professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. An Australian and Ireland international, and New South Wales State of Origin representative back-rower, he played his entire club football career for the Sydney Roosters of the NRL...
- Ian RubinIan RubinIan Rubin is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1990s. He played the majority of his professional career for both the Sydney clubs in the National Rugby League the Sydney Roosters and the South Sydney Rabbitohs...
- John PeardJohn PeardJohn "Bomber" Peard is an Australian former rugby league footballer and later coach. An Australian international representative five-eighth, he played for the Eastern Suburbs, St. George and Parramatta NSWRFL clubs in the 1960s and 70s...
- Johnny Mayes
- Kevin JuneeKevin JuneeKevin Junee is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1960s and 70s. An Australian international and New South Wales interstate representative back, he played club football in the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership for the Eastern Suburbs and Manly-Warringah clubs...
- Paul DunnPaul Dunn (rugby league)Paul Dunn is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s. A New Souht Wales State of Origin and Australian international representative forward, he played club football in Sydney for Eastern Suburbs, Canterbury-Bankstown, Parramatta and Penrith.-Biography:Dunn was...
(moved from Bathurst as a teen)
Paddington Colts juniors
- Bryan FletcherBryan FletcherBryan Fletcher is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. A New South Wales State of Origin and Australian international representative second-row-forward, he played his club football in Australia with the Sydney Roosters then the South Sydney Rabbitohs...
- Jim DymockJim DymockJim Dymock is an Australian former professional rugby league international of Tongan heritage who played for the Western Suburbs Magpies, Canterbury Bulldogs, Parramatta Eels and London Broncos...
(played with Wooloomooloo Warriors & Paddington Colts - before moving to Zetland in Souths juniors in his late teens) - Craig FieldCraig FieldCraig Field is an Australian former professional rugby league player. Field played for South Sydney, Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, Balmain Tigers and Wests Tigers. His primary position was at halfback...
(before moving to Zetland in Souths juniors in his teens)
from other junior clubs
- Luke TowersLuke TowersLuke James Charles Towers is an Australia cricketer for the Western Warriors who plays as an opening batsman....
(Clovelly Crocodiles): - Ryan CrossRyan CrossRyan Cross is a Rugby Union football player for Racing Metro 92 after signing from USA Perpignan in the French Top 14. He previously played for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League competition, the Western Force and the NSW Waratahs in Super Rugby.-Early career:Son of former rugby...
(St Charles Waverley) - Craig SalvatoriCraig SalvatoriCraig Salvatori is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s. He spent most of his career at the Eastern Suburbs club. His position of choice was in the front row...
(Nelson Hotel) - Shaun Kenny Dowall (Clovelly Crocodiles)
- Anthony CherringtonAnthony CherringtonAnthony Cherrington is a professional rugby league footballer for the Sydney Roosters of the National Rugby League....
(Paddington-Woolahra Tigers) - Blake AyshfordBlake AyshfordBlake Ayshford is an Australian professional rugby league player for the Wests Tigers in the Australian NRL competition. He can play at lock or centre.-Career:...
(Paddington-Woollahra): with Wests TigersWests TigersThe Wests Tigers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's mid-western suburbs. They have competed in the National Rugby League since they were formed at the end of the 1999 season as a joint-venture club between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs... - Kevin HastingsKevin HastingsKevin 'Horrie' Hastings is an Australian retired multi-award winning rugby league footballer of the 1970s and 80s. He played in Australia's New South Wales Rugby League Football Competition...
(St Marys Cathedral & Brothers) - Sandor EarlSandor EarlSandor "Princess" Earl is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Penrith Panthers in the NRL. He primarily plays on the wing.-Early years:...
(Paddo Tigers): with Penrith PanthersPenrith PanthersThe Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan...
Turf wars
When the Sydney RoostersSydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
first entered the NSWRL competition as Eastern Suburbs in 1908, the tricolours would become neighbours to fellow city counterpart, the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Anzac Parade separated the territories for both inner-Sydney clubs when the boundaries were first established the previous year. Souths' boundaries were based on the municipalities of Redfern, Botany, Alexandria, Mascot and Waterloo, while the Roosters' boundaries were those of the eastern municipalities of Paddington, Woollahra, Vaucluse, and Waverley. Many of these councils had then amalgamated, as demographic changes affected the inner and eastern suburbs of Sydney. Randwick Council has a western and southern boundary of Anzac Parade and incorporates all those eastern suburbs east of Anzac Parade, and these suburbs like Waverly, Bondi, and Woollahra were all part of the Roosters' territory since 1908.
The new junior league boundaries set out in the early 1950s would take territory away from the Roosters, and hand it over to rival neighbouring club South Sydney.
In the mid-20th century, the southern half of Roosters territory within the Randwick local government area was handed to South Sydney. The NSWRL made this change to 'even the competition' as South Sydney's original heartland, around Redfern and Waterloo, had rapidly industrialised and de-populated. Rabbitohs stalwart S.G. Ball was a dual administrator within South Sydney Rabbitohs and the New South Wales Rugby League
New South Wales Rugby League
The New South Wales Rugby League is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and is a member of the Australian Rugby League. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was known as the New South Wales Rugby Football League until 1984 when forward thinking marketing managers decided...
at the time. The Rabbitohs were in a highly successful period and had established South Sydney Juniors Leagues club in Kingsford, Roosters territory in recent times.
Debate still continues amongst rival fans as to how and why Eastern Suburbs territory, comprising suburbs with junior league clubs rich in talent and numbers in the Randwick and Coogee areas, was given to South Sydney. The Roosters expressed disappointment at losing some of its junior clubs, but the NSWRL would not waver.
This was not to be the end of struggle for junior territory between the two inner-city clubs. In the 1980s some junior clubs such as Paddington Colts that were within Roosters territory became dissatisfied with Roosters management and affiliated with South Sydney.
After the Newtown Jets
Newtown Jets
The Newtown Jets are an Australian rugby league football club based in Newtown, a suburb of Sydney's inner west. They currently compete in the NSWRL Premier League competition, having left the top grade after the 1983 NSWRFL season...
were expelled from the NSWRL in 1983, their junior district was eventually absorbed into the South Sydney junior district in 1987. With the tide having turned compared to the situation decades earlier, and the Roosters having a much smaller junior League than South Sydney, Eastern Suburbs at this time then made unsuccessful attempts to regain the suburbs on the same grounds used to hand the southern parts of Coogee and Randwick from Easts to Souths, that of providing an 'even competition'. The NSWRL, controlled at the time by a Board with a ruling faction of representatives from South Sydney (Terry Parker), Balmain (Keith Barnes), Canterbury (Peter Moore) and Manly (Ken Arthurson), refused to redraw the boundaries.
To this day, the Roosters are colloquially among Rugby League fans, known as a club with a small junior league, while South Sydney are considered "rich in junior talent". This is ironic considering the significant number of junior league players located notionally within Sydney's "eastern suburbs", who now reside outside of the Sydney Roosters' re-drawn junior boundaries.