NRL Tasmania

Not to be confused with Tasmanian Rugby Union.

NRL Tasmania
Founded	1953
Responsibility	Tasmania, Australia
Headquarters	Cornelian Bay, Tasmania
Key people	TBA (President)
Competitions	Tasmanian Rugby League Premiership
Website	NRL Tasmania Facebook

NRL Tasmania (abbreviated as NRLTas, and formerly the Tasmanian Rugby League) is the organisation responsible for administering the game of rugby league in the Australian state of Tasmania. Tasmania is an affiliated State of the overall Australian governing body, the Australian Rugby League.

History

20th Century

The Tasmanian Rugby League was founded at a meeting at Heathorn's Hotel, Hobart on 2 December 1953 and the first competition was held in 1954 with teams including Bellerive (Eastern Suburbs), Taroona, Newtown and Canterbury. Players were initially recruited from Hobart Rugby Union teams and the first matches were played on 3 April 1954 at the South St Grounds, Bellerive. The first premiership was won by Taroona The first interstate match was played against Victoria on 12 June 1954 with Tasmania winning 18-8.

1990s Golden Era

Logo prior to 2013

By the mid 1990s the Tasmanian Rugby League was running a statewide competition which included Seven Hobart teams:

• Glenorchy Stingrays (Saints using st george kit)
• Sandy Bay Panthers
• Eastern Suburbs Eagles
• Newtown Tigers (not connected to the current Hobart Tigers)
• Taroona Bulls
• Hobart City Falcons
• Derwent Valley Sharks

and two regional teams:

• Launceston Clippers
• North-West Warriors (not connected to the current Launceston Warriors)

The Tasmanian Rugby League also ran a Northern Tasmanian vs Southern Tasmanian competition during this period. Ben McKinnon from the Launceston Clippers is the only player to have won the statewide best + fairest on two occasions both in his debut season in 1995 and then again in 1997.

Due to dwindling player numbers the competition contracted to four Hobart teams during the early 2000s and midway through the 2003-04 season the senior amateur competition folded as a result of rising public liability insurance costs.

2009 Rebirth

In late 2009 a new senior competition was established through the efforts of local 7HO FM Radio Personality Jason 'Wolfie' Wolfgram (President 2009/10), in conjunction with ARL Rugby League Development Officer, Graham McNaney. The decision to re-establish the competition followed a public forum at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Hobart on Thursday 25 June 2009.

The revised summer competition initially included eight teams:

• Clarence Eels
• Hobart Tigers
• Northern Suburbs Broncos
• New Norfolk Cowboys
• Newtown Roosters
• South Hobart Storm
• Southern Rabbitohs
• Taroona Dragons

Gala Days and Under 17s junior exhibition matches have also been a feature of the revised competition. In February 2012 a National Rugby League trial match between Brisbane Broncos and Melbourne Storm was held in Hobart. Another Storm trial was held in Tasmania in 2017 against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.

In 2013 The Penrith Panthers Were Talk To The Tasmanian Government about NRL games in Hobart. The Panthers Were Negotiating With Tasmania's State Government About Playing Games For Premiership Points In Hobart, Most Likely Blundstone Arena Or North Hobart Oval. The Tourism Minister At Time Scott Bacon Had a meeting With The Panthers On Thursday 12 Of December 2013 Where The Penrith Representatives Presented A Proposal That Would Of Seen The Club Play One Fixture Game In Tasmania From 2014 Through To 2017.

The Launceston Warriors were admitted to the competition during the 2012–13 season. A North West Coast Titans team joined the competition in 2013–2014 representing North West Tasmania.

The competition folded in 2014 from a lack of players and support.

Continued Hiatus and Lack of Action

NRL Tasmania is currently controlled by NRL Victoria as a cost-saving mechanism due to the low popularity of the sport in Tasmania. This has caused widespread controversy however, with many rugby league fans believing the code does not place any value in Tasmania.

No competitive activity has taken place since 2014.

Tasmanian Rugby League Premiership

NRL Tasmania

Sport	Rugby league
Inaugural season	2009
Ceased	2014–15
Number of teams	10
Holders	South Hobart Storm (2013-14)
Most titles	Hobart Tigers (3 titles)

The Tasmanian Rugby League Premiership was reborn in 2009.

Over its course, the competition consisted of 10 teams at various times:

• Clarence Eels
• Hobart Tigers
• Launceston Warriors
• North West Coast Titans
• Northern Suburbs Broncos
• New Norfolk Cowboys
• Newtown Roosters
• South Hobart Storm
• Southern Rabbitohs
• Taroona Dragons

Premierships

Season	Grand Final			Minor Premiership
	Premiers	Score	Runners-Up
2009–10	Hobart Tigers	54 – 14	South Hobart Storm	Northern Suburbs Broncos
2010–11	Hobart Tigers	42 – 24	Southern Rabbitohs	Hobart Tigers
2011–12	Clarence Eels	36 – 20	Southern Rabbitohs	Hobart Tigers
2012–13	Hobart Tigers	40 – 30	Southern Rabbitohs	Launceston Warriors
2013–14	South Hobart Storm	38 – 18	Hobart Tigers	Hobart Tigers

Representative Team

Tasmania

Team information
Nickname	Thunder
Governing body	NRL Tasmania
Home stadium	North Hobart Oval
First game
Tasmania 18 – 8 Victoria 12 June 1954, New Town Oval

Tasmanian Rugby League team is the representative team of the Tasmanian Rugby League. They have competed in many competitions since their first game in 1954, most notably in the Affiliated States Championship (sometimes combined with South Australia.

NRL Trial Matches

NRL club Melbourne Storm have played three NRL trial matches in Hobart as Tasmania falls within their franchise area.

Date	Game	Ground	Attendance
7/2/98	Melbourne Storm vs Adelaide Rams	North Hobart Oval	3,000
18/2/12	Melbourne Storm vs Brisbane Broncos	North Hobart Oval	11,752
18/2/17	Melbourne Storm vs Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	North Hobart Oval	6,823

See also

• Tasmanian Rugby Union

External links

• NRL Tasmania on Twitter
• NRL Tasmania on Facebook