Sydney Roosters

Inaugural season: 1908

Home field: Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia

Owner: Nick Politis

Team colors: Red, white, and navy blue

Overview

The Sydney Roosters is a professional rugby team that plays in Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL). The team plays in the Eastern Suburbs, a metropolitan region located within the city of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. The Roosters are one of the oldest and most successful NRP franchises in the league’s history, having existed since the league was founded in 1908. Originally known as the Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club, the team changed its named to the Sydney City Rooster in 1995 and the Sydney Roosters in 2000. Over the course of their long and highly decorated history, the Roosters have won fifteen premierships and many other honors. The Roosters have played home games at a number of different stadiums over the years, starting out at facilities like the Royal Agricultural Ground, the Sydney Sports Ground, and the Sydney Football Stadium before temporarily moving into the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2019 while a new Sydney Football Stadium was constructed.

History

Rugby’s historic roots lie with British football, a popular sport around the world that is typically familiar to North Americans as soccer. Although similar to football/soccer in many respects, rugby was played according to rules that allowed players to carry the ball, run with it, and tackle opposing ball carriers. The game was named after the Rugby School in Warwickshire, England, the place where it was created. Once it debuted, rugby quickly became popular among British athletes and sports fans alike. In short order, rugby was being played not only in the British Isles themselves, but also throughout the British Empire’s colonies in places like Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The sport also eventually reached North America, where it went on to form the basis of what is now known as American football.

Upon its arrival in Australia, rugby was initially played by a series of amateur teams that were established along the country’s eastern coast. A group of Australia’s top rugby teams came together in 1908 to create the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL), the country’s first professional rugby league. The NSWRL was composed of several teams playing out of Sydney, Australia’s largest and most populous urban center.

The Sydney Roosters were founded as the Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club (ESDRLFC) in January 1908. The team’s creation was a result of the Eastern Suburbs district’s decision to field a team in the newly formed New South Wales Rugby Football League (NSWRL). The team made its official debut in a 32–16 victory over Newtown on April 20, 1908. During this period, the team was commonly known as the Easts or the Tricolors, the latter nickname being a reference to their red, white, and blue playing strip.

After their first few season, the Eastern Suburbs emerged as one of the league’s best teams, winning three consecutive premierships between 1911 and 1913. Following a subsequent period of decline that was broken only by an additional premiership victory in 1923, the team entered one of its most dominant era. Between 1926 and 1942, the Eastern Suburbs made the finals in all but one season and won four more premierships. They also won the minor premiership seven times during this historic stretch. Furthermore, the Eastern Suburbs also became one of the first NSWRL teams to go undefeated through a whole season in 1936. Upon repeating the feat the following year, the Eastern Suburbs earned the distinction of becoming the only team in league history to go undefeated in consecutive seasons.

After one more premiership win in 1945, the Eastern Suburbs endured an abrupt fall from grace that kept them out of the finals for seven years. Outside of a single finals appearance in 1960, the team’s struggles continued for more than two decades before it culminated in a disastrous 1966 season in which they failed to win a single game and earned the dubious wooden spoon for the first time. In rugby, the wooden spoon is a prize awarded to the team that finishes in last place.

The Eastern Suburbs added a red, white, and blue rooster emblem to their playing jerseys in 1967. While it remains unclear exactly why a rooster was chosen, the new emblem soon became the team’s mascot. With the rooster in tow, the team eventually embarked on a return to form in the 1970s, finishing as runners-up in 1972 and winning a back-to-back pair of premierships in 1974 and 1975.

Through much of the 1980s and into the 1990s, the Eastern Suburbs dipped back into mediocrity. In 1995, the team officially changed its name to the Sydney City Roosters, a moniker that was ultimately shortened to the Sydney Roosters in 2000. The mid-1990s also saw the arrival of coach Phil Gould, who led the newly rechristened Roosters to finals four times in five years during his tenure with the team. In 2002, the Roosters defeated the New Zealand Warriors 30–8 in the grand final to claim their first premiership in nearly three decades. The Roosters returned to the final the following year, but fell in a crushing 18–6 defeat to the Penrith Panthers. Returning to the finals for the third straight year in 2004, the Roosters finished as runners-up yet again thanks to a 16–13 loss to the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. After that, the team remained out of the finals for the rest of the 2000s.

The Roosters started the next decade with a strong performance that led to a finals appearance and a 32–8 loss to the St. George Illawarra Dragons. Following disappointing 2011 and 2012 seasons, the Roosters won a minor premiership into 2013 en route to a 26–18 finals win over the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in 2013. This win marked the first of three straight premierships for the team. Although they fell short of continuing their championship run in 2016 and 2017, the Roosters ultimately went on to claim additional premierships in 2018 and 2019. In early 2020, the Roosters defeated St. Helens R.F.C. 12–20 to win that year’s Betfred World Club Challenge.

Notable players

Dally Messenger was one of the Eastern Suburbs’ earliest and most legendary players. A winger, Messenger played with the team from its founding in 1908 until 1913. During that time, he led the Eastern Suburbs to a trio of premierships and helped popularize rugby in Australia. Over the course of 48 matches with the Eastern Suburbs, Dally recorded 21 tries and 159 goals. In addition to being inducted into the NRL Hall of Fame in 2008, Dally also serves as the namesake of the Dally M Medal, which is awarded annually to the league’s best player.

Sid “Sandy” Pearce was another early Eastern Suburbs star. He played in a total of 156 matches with the team between 1908 and 1921 and notched nine tries during that period. The team’s original hooker, Pearce was instrumental in the Eastern Suburbs’ first three premierships. He also distinguished himself as the first Australian rugby player to earn 150 top grade games. Pearce was inducted into the NRL Hall of Fame alongside teammate Messenger in 2008.

Prop forward Ray Stehr was a key Eastern Suburbs player during the team’s most dominant era in the 1930s. He led the team to a total of five premierships and served as captain during its grand final wins in 1940 and 1945. Over the course of his career, he played in 182 matches with the Eastern Suburbs and recorded 19 tries.

Stehr’s teammate Joe Pearce, the son of Sandy Pearce, was also an important part of the Eastern Suburbs’ dominant 1930s squads. A second row forward, Pearce helped lead the Eastern Suburbs to four premierships and distinguished himself as one of the all-time greatest players at his position. He went into the NRL Hall of Fame beside his father in 2008.

Centre Dave Brown played two stints with the Eastern Suburbs, first from 1930 to 1936 and later from 1939 to 1941. He recorded 93 tries and 194 goals over 94 matches in that time and was a key member of one of the greatest backlines in the history of Australian rugby. He also led the team to a pair of premierships. Brown was also inducted into the NRL Hall of Fame in 2008.

Prop forward Arthur Beetson played with the Eastern Suburbs from 1971 to 1978 and led the team to its 1974 and 1975 premierships. He also distinguished himself as one of Australian rugby’s greatest Indigenous players. Beetson was inducted into the NRL Hall of Fame in 2003 and was named a rugby league Immortal in 2004.

Five-eighth, lock, and centre Brad Fittler played with the Sydney Roosters from 1996 to 2004 and notched 91 tries in that time. He served as the team’s captain during its run to the 2002 premiership and earned recognition as one of the greatest five-eighths in the history of Australian league rugby. He was inducted into the NRL Hall of Fame in 2008.

Other notable Eastern Suburbs and Sydney Roosters players include Bill Mullins, Mark Harris, Kevin Hastings, Craig Fitzgibbon, and Anthony Minichiello.

Bibliography

“About.” Sydney Roosters, 2020, www.roosters.com.au/about. Accessed 9 Oct. 2020.

Coomer, John. “Sydney Roosters: All-Time Greatest XIII.” Rugby League Opinions, 21 Jan. 2017, rugbyleagueopinions.com/greatest-sydney-eastern-suburbs-roosters-team-13. Accessed 9 Oct. 2020.

Griffiths, Ellie. “A Brief History of Australia’s National Rugby League.” Culture Trip, 14 Dec. 2016, theculturetrip.com/pacific/australia/articles/a-brief-history-of-the-national-rugby-league-australia. Accessed 9 Oct. 2020.

“Hall of Fame Inductees.” National Rugby League, 2020, www.nrl.com/hall-of-fame/players. Accessed 9 Oct. 2020.

“Premiership Winners.” National Rugby League, 2020, www.nrl.com/operations/the-game/premiership-winners/. Accessed 9 Oct. 2020.

“Sydney Roosters.” National Rugby League, 2020, www.nrl.com/clubs/sydney-roosters. Accessed 9 Oct. 2020.

“Sydney Roosters Logo.” 1000 Logos, 2019, 1000logos.net/sydney-roosters-logo. Accessed 9 Oct. 2020.

“Sydney Roosters Rugby League Football Club.” Vavel, 2020, www.vavel.com/en/data/sydney-roosters/bio. Accessed 9 Oct. 2020.