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The game of Rugby League was first played in Sydney in 1907, when player dissatisfaction with Rugby Union
over rejection of compensation payments for injuries and lost wages led to a breakaway movement. This led to the founding
of the NSW Rugby League in August of that year. The Australian Rugby League was established soon after to govern national
initiatives and international competition.
Sydney in 1907 was a sporting city, with horseracing, swimming, rowing,
cycling, cricket, tennis and golf. Three football codes were already established. Rugby Union had its origins at Sydney University
in the 1860s; British Association Football -"soccer" - and the "hybrid" game of Australian Rules were first played in the
1880s; however rugby was clearly the most popular winter sport in NSW.
Rugby League, once known as "Northern Union
Football", was introduced to Sydney by a New Zealander named Albert Baskerville who wanted to bring his professional rugby
team the "All Golds" to play a Test series against the Australians.
In Britain, where the breakaway code was first
played in the 1890s, Northern Union Football had already made the changes that distinguish the game from Rugby Union. For
example, line-outs were gone, the play the ball had been introduced, kicking out on the full was penalised, the value of goals
had been dropped back to two points, the knock-on rule had been made less rigid and breakaways were eliminated, reducing teams
from 15 to 13 men.
In Australia it was the mean-spirited approach from the Rugby Union hierarchy toward its players
that led to the breakaway movement here. Sydney's Metropolitan Rugby Union was a highly profitable organization and most of
the players were poor men. They had to pay for their own outfits, boots and traveling expenses and were not compensated for
time away from work. If injured they received no compensation for lost wages.
When J.J. Giltinan, Henry Hoyle, Victor
Trumper and others met on August 8 of 1907 to form the NSWRL, their aim was to create a professional league of players to
take on the New Zealand All Golds. In order to attract the players away from Rugby Union, they proposed to compensate players
for lost wages and to allow them to share in the profits from ground attendances. In addition, they would provide outfits
and, if a player received an injury, the League would provide the best of medical attention. By August 12 of 1907, a group
of 30 players and 10 officials were ready to sign on to Rugby League. They did so under great duress however, as this may
have meant an end to their football careers and almost certain disqualification from Rugby Union. Some also faced the prospect
of being sacked from their day jobs for turning to professional football. The biggest coup for the League came when Giltinan
and Trumper managed to persuade the great Dally Messenger to make the switch from Union to League. He was the Union's star
player and went on to become Rugby League's first champion. He gave the new game credibility as well as the crowd pulling
power it needed to survive.
The Test series against the New Zealand All Golds was played in Sydney in August 1907.
The New Zealanders were said to be overwhelmed by the size and enthusiasm of the welcome. The Sydney games were a financial
success and secured valuable publicity for the new movement. Although Australia was defeated, it seemed that public support
was firmly behind the new game.
The NSW Rugby League's first season began in 1908. Glebe was the first club to be
formed, followed by Souths, Newtown, Easts, Norths, Balmain, Wests, Newcastle and Cumberland. The first season was not without
controversy however. The Metropolitan Rugby Union had expelled the players who took part in the Test series against New Zealand
and the new Rugby League men had to contend with a largely hostile press. Friendships of years standing were ripped apart
by the bitter dispute between the two codes.
But Giltinan and the members of the NSWRL were sustained by their belief
that what they were doing was right for the players who had been unfairly treated by the Rugby Union hierarchy. Moreover,
they were convinced that the new game under Northern Union rules was a better one than establishment rugby. This belief intensified
during the 1908 season and into the years beyond.
The National Rugby League was formed in 1998 at the end of the Super
League war out of ARL and News Limited representatives to administer the national premiership competition. Rupert Murdoch's
attempt to create a Super League for pay TV in 1995 saw the League split into two parts by the 1997 season. At the end of
1997 a peace deal was reached between the two parties. The terms of this deal were to reduce the competition from 20 teams
down to 14 teams and this was achieved by the year 2000. However, a Federal Court decision in July 2001 paved the way for
South Sydney to return to the League. There are currently 15 teams in the national competition.
Source:
True Blue: The Story of the NSWRL by Ian Heads, Sydney: Ironbark Press, 1992
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