Rugby league competition
Group 17 is a rugby league competition based in the Riverina and Central West regions of New South Wales , Australia . The competition collapsed in 2006 and reformed in 2018 as the Western Riverina Community Cup with six teams. It is currently sponsored by a chicken farm company called Proten which has been sponsoring the whole competition since 2018.
The season runs from mid-May to late July, and features a knockout, six regular season rounds, and a three week finals series culminating in the Grand Final which is hosted by a different team each year.
History
Early History
Group 17 was formed in 1935 and originally centred around Griffith and Leeton , but was suspended during World War II.[ 1] Yenda , Yanco and others, joined the Wagga Wagga competition, Group 20 . Group 20 later became the Griffith and District competition after the Wagga clubs joined Group 9.
Rugby league in the Western Riverina district began as an inter-town competition between Hillston , Merriwagga , Goolgowi and Hay . The competition was suspended during World War 2.
It reformed in 1947 as the 'Western Zone' with teams from Hay , Darlington Point , Goolgowi , Carrathool and two teams from Hillston , 'Town' and 'Country'. Tullibigeal joined during the 1950s, and won the 1965 Clayton Cup , the Country Rugby League 's highest honour, but later departed to form the TLU Sharks with Lake Cargelligo in Group 20. In 1959, the league became known as Group 17 , and featured two zones, with Zone 1 being centred around Hillston and Zone 2 around Hay.
After both Euabalong and Darlington Point finished the 1968 season undefeated in Zones 1 and 2 respectively, and were left as the only two undefeated teams in the state, administrators were unsure of which side were more deserving of the coveted Clayton Cup as the best team in the Country Rugby League . The idea of settling who was the best overall Group 17 side had been resolved with a playoff match in the past, such as when Zone 1 side Tullibigeal defeated Hay (Zone 2) in 1967. Thus, a playoff final to determine the overall Group 17 Premier, and also the Clayton Cup winner, was set down for the 29th of September 1968 at Goolgowi.
In a one-way encounter, the Darlington Point Red & Blacks completed a 20-0 shutout of the Euabalong Tigers side, were awarded the Clayton Cup, and settled the annual dispute over which of the two zones was stronger. The match remains the only one of its kind to this day, which is significant given that the Clayton Cup has been awarded annually since 1937, and various other tiebreakers have been used on every other occasion two teams finish with identical records as the best team in the state.
Darlington Point were considered too strong for the competition after the result and joined Group 20 the following year in 1969. In around 1969-70 the two Group 17 "Zones" merged to form a single competition.
1970s-2006
The Deniliquin Blue Heelers were the dominant force in the early 1970s winning three consecutive premierships from 1969-1971, before folding in 1975. Coleambally also left in 1972 and merged with Darlington Point to form a combined club in Group 20 known as the DPC Roosters. Tullibigeal and Lake Cargelligo also merged to form a combined side known as Tullibigeal-Lakes United, with the new club joining Group 20 in 1972.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the competition sustained a decent standard, with eight clubs participating. More Clayton Cups were won by Group 17 clubs, with Rankins Springs (1993), Barellan (1999 and 2002) and Hillston (2006) all claiming the trophy. But by the 2000s, the Millennial Drought had caused many of the teams to be weakened, due to farming, the primary industry in the region, becoming not only unprofitable, but almost impossible. The competition collapsed after the 2006 season.
The competition was revived in 2018 as the Group 17 Western Riverina Community Cup, with six teams participating. The format involved a knockout and five rounds followed by semi-finals and a grand final. In each round, all three games were played at the same venue, similar to the NRL's Magic Round concept.[ 2] [ 3] [ 4]
Clubs
Design
Club
Nickname
Years
Home Ground
No of Premierships
Premiership Years
Barellan
Rams
1950s–2004, 2018–present
Barellan Sports Ground
9
1973–74, 1976, 1978, 1981, 1984, 1999, 2002–03
Deniliquin
Blueheelers
1960s–1977, 2025–present
Rotary Park, Deniliquin
3
1969–71
Goolgowi -Merriwagga
Rabbitohs
1955–2006, 2018–present
Goolgowi Recreation Ground
8
1965–66, 1977, 1985, 1992, 2004–05, 2019
Hillston
Bluebirds
1955–2006, 2018–present
Stan Peters Oval, Hillston
8
1979–80, 1983, 1986–88, 1996, 2006
Ivanhoe
Roosters
1950s–2004, 2018–present
Sahara Oval, Ivanhoe
0
None
Narrandera
Lizards
2001, 2018–present
Narrandera Sports Ground
2
2022–23
Rankins Springs
Dragons
1955–2006, 2018–present
Rankins Springs Recreation Ground
7
1962, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2018, 2021, 2024
Previous Clubs
Past participants in the Group 17 competition included:
Carrathool Grasshoppers (defunct)Coleambally Greens (Merged with Darlington Point and joined Group 20 in 1973)Darlington Point Red & Black (Joined Group 20 as the Roosters in 1969, merged with Coleambally in 1973) – Premierships: 3 (1963–64, 1968 )Finley Tigers (Reserve Grade, Moved to Goulburn Murray Rugby League )Griffith Black and Whites (moved to Group 20 in 1954)Griffith Three Ways United (Now only play in NSW Koori Knockout )Hanwood Crushers (defunct)Hay Magpies Group 20 ) – Premierships: 12 (1959–61, 1967, 1972, 1975, 1982, 1989–91, 1994–95)Lake Cargelligo Sharks (Merged with Tullibigeal and joined Group 20 )Merriwagga Eagles (Merged into Goolgowi RLFC)Murrin Bridge-Euabalong Tigers (No longer compete in regular competition) Tullibigeal (Merged with Lake Cargelligo and joined Group 20 )Weethalle Kangaroos (defunct)Whitton Bulls (defunct)Yanco (merged with Wamoon, entered Group 20 )Bold indicates that the club fielded a team in the 2006 First-Grade competition.
Grand Finals
Group 17 Zone 2 Grand Finals 1959-1972
Season
Premiers
Score
Runners-up
Coach
Report
Minor Premiers
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
5–3
1967
17–9
1968
*
32–12
William "Bill" Watson
*
1969
1970
26–14
Barry Cottam
1971
26–14
Barry Cottam
1972
26–9
B. Curtis
Group 17 Grand Finals 1973–present
Season
Premiers
Score
Runners-up
Coach
Report
Minor Premiers
1973
41–2
R. Murdoch
1974
27–8
R. Murdoch
1975
25–11
M. Johnston
1976
9–3
Greg Smith
1977
23–19
Greg Byrnes
1978
9–5
J. Campbell
1979
16–10
G. Saddler
1980
27–19
John Sheridan
1981
27–3
P. O'Brien
1982
23–15
Kevin Goldspink
1983
38–36
Laurie Townsend
TAN[ 5]
1984
14–2
Mick Trembath
TAN[ 6]
1985
8–6
Mick Turner
1986
16–5
Ray Schaefer
1987
34–29
Ray Schaefer
1988
18–6
Ray Schaefer
1989
20–18
Neil-John Nisbet
1990
26–14
Neil-John Nisbet
1991
14–6
Neil-John Nisbet
1992
14–0
John Barzan
TAN[ 7]
1993
*
34–16
Stuart Vearing
TAN[ 8]
1994
27–18
Chris Aylett
TAN[ 9] [ 10]
1995
38–10
Jack Byrnes
TAN[ 11] [ 12]
1996
22–8
John Townsend
TAN[ 13]
1997
50–10
Steve Schmetzer
TAN[ 14]
1998
20–12
James Mason and Shane Bamblett
TAN[ 15]
1999
*
38–22
John Waide
2000
34–20
Stuart Vearing
TAN[ 16]
2001
32–28
John Pannowitz (Co-coach)
TAN[ 17]
2002
*
10–7
Clint Halden
TAN[ 18]
2003
22–2
2004
26–12
Greg Borger
TAN[ 19]
2005
31–28
Greg Borger
TAN[ 20]
2006
*
32–0
Steve Parr
2007–17 hiatus due to drought & not enough clubs
2018
16–10
Jamie Parsons & Joshua Curphey
YT[ 21] [ 22]
2019
22–6
Alex Brown & John Michael Cahill
TAN[ 23]
2020 season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021
10–8
Jamie Parsons & John Power
2022
20–14
Kye Longford
BFBF[ 24] [ 25]
2023
20–14
Kye Longford
BFBF[ 26]
2024
20–18
Damian Walker & Josh Johnston
BFBF[ 27]
The use of (*) indicates that the premiers for that season won the Clayton Cup as the premier team in NSWCRL competitions statewide (regionally, excludes Sydney ) for that year.
Group 17 Women's Nines Grand Finals 2022–present
Season
Premiers
Score
Runners-up
Coach
Report
Minor Premiers
2022
16–0
Owen Jones
BFBF[ 24] [ 25]
2023
16–14
Sam Everett
BFBF[ 28]
2024
26–6
Brittany Everett
BFBF[ 27]
Reserve Grade Premiers
Group 17 Reserve Grade Premiers 1970-1994
Season
Premiers
Score
Runners-up
Minor Premiers
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
10-6
1994
32-8
Group 17 Knockout - Ron Hunt Memorial Shield
Group 17 Knockout Winners 1974-1995
Season
Winner
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
Best and Fairest Winners
First Grade
First Grade - Riverine Grazier Medal
Season
Player
Club
1971
Ian Springali
1972
Geoff Langford
1973
Greg Byrnes
Neil Scobie
1974
Mick O'Connor
1975
Ray Hardie
1976
Gary Gray
1977
Neil Scobie
1978
Mick Ireson
1979
Paul McCanna
Jim Hanlon
1980
1981
Greg Reko
David Robertson
1982
Robert Matthews
1983
Michael Lewis
Neil-John Nisbet
1984
Warren Butler
1985
Jim Vitucci
Robert Matthews
1986
Ray Schaefer
1987
Danny Byrnes
1988
Robert Matthews
1989
Wayne Dunbar
Col Pickersgill
1990
Jim Vitucci
1991
John Woods
1992
Stuart Vearing
Wayne Basham
1993
Paul Glyde
1994
Stuart Vearing
1995
Stuart Vearing
Charlie Prince
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Recess 2007-17
2018
2019
2020
Not Awarded - COVID-19
2021
2022
2023
William Charles
2024
Oswald Herrmann
Season
Player
Club
2022
2023
2024
Bobbi-Lee Goolagong
Reserve Grade
Reserve Grade - Referees' Association Medal
Season
Player
Club
1971
Ross Hulm
1972
Jock McRae
1973
David Coates
1974
Brian Peters
1975
Brian Peters
1976
Warren Clark
1977
Leigh Heaslip
1978
Robert Clark
1979
Neil Baillie
1980
David Robertson
1981
Max Hutchison
1982
Lionel Garner
1983
Lester Apps
1984
Rob Christian
1985
1986
David Beazley
1987
Geordie Groat
1988
Ian Sherer
Wayne Kennedy
1989
Wayne Parsons
1990
Wayne Parsons
1991
Glenn Judd
1992
Jamie Ziebath
1993
Paul Lamont
Wayne Dunbar
1994
Troy Kennedy
1995
Colin Thorpe
Sources
See also
References
^ "Group 9 History. 1939" . Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022 .^ "ProTen Community Cup bringing Rugby League Back to Group 17 after 12 years" . Country Rugby League . Daily Advertiser. 2 March 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2019 .^ Smith, Tallon (4 November 2022). "SPOTLIGHT: EVERY ROUND IS MAGIC ROUND" . Battlers For Bush Footy . Retrieved 9 September 2023 . ^ "Log into Facebook" . Facebook . Retrieved 28 March 2023 .^ "Riverina League Scoreboard". The Area News . 23 August 1983. p. 23. ^ "Rugby League Scoreboard". The Area News . 28 August 1984. p. 19. ^ "Goolgowi too strong in wet". The Area News . 3 September 1992. p. 26. ^ "Dragons slay Magpies to take Group 17 title". The Area News . 6 September 1993. p. 21. ^ "Hay beats all the odds to win the flag". The Area News . 5 September 1994. p. 22. ^ "1994 Group 17 Grand Final (Hay Magpies v Hillston Bluebirds)" . YouTube . 8 January 2012 [1994]. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2019 .^ "Hay makes it a double". The Area News . 18 September 1995. p. 28. ^ "Hay Magpies vs Rankin Springs 1995 Group 17 Grand Final Part 8" . YouTube . 25 June 2013 [1995]. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2019 .^ "Hillston picks up the double". The Area News . 9 September 1996. p. 20. ^ "Springs too good". The Area News . 8 September 1997. p. 24. ^ "Whitton finally make it - Glory for Bulls as they take out Group 17 premiership". The Area News . 7 September 1998. p. 27. ^ Stratton, Michael (4 September 2000). "Rankin Springs runs away with Group 17 title". The Area News . p. 20. ^ "Bulls charge over Dragons". The Area News . 10 September 2001. p. 24. ^ Stratton, Michael (11 September 2002). "Barellan holds on in thriller". The Area News . p. 28. ^ Malone, Matt (13 September 2004). "Rabbitohs premiers after 12-year drought". The Area News . p. 24. ^ Malone, Matt (29 August 2005). "Rabbitohs clinch a three-point victory - Goolgowi scores back-to-back victories". The Area News . p. 28. ^ "Match Highlights: Rankins Springs Vs Goolgowi - Grand Final, 2018" . YouTube . Rankins Springs Dragons RLFC. 24 July 2018. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2019 .^ Stratton, Michael (22 July 2020). "Rankins Springs defeat Goolgowi in ProTen Community Cup grand final" . The Area News. Retrieved 15 April 2020 . ^ Stratton, Michael (28 July 2019). "Goolgowi defeat Narrandera in the ProTen Community Cup" . The Area News. Retrieved 15 April 2020 . ^ a b Smith, Tallon (3 November 2022). "Narrandera seeing double after Lizards crawl to community cup championships" . Battlers For Bush Footy . Retrieved 13 April 2023 . ^ a b "Narrandera seeing double after Lizards crawl to community cup championships" . The Riverine Grazier . Retrieved 3 November 2022 .^ Smith, Tallon (2 August 2023). " . Battlers For Bush Footy . Retrieved 2 August 2023 . ^ a b Smith, Tallon (23 July 2024). "Proten Cup: Dragons defy halftime deficit to shock Lizards in epic finale, Rams win again" . Battlers For Bush Footy . Retrieved 27 July 2024 . ^ Smith, Tallon (2 August 2023). "Rams for the win: Barellan take out Women's Nines title undefeated in inaugural season" . Battlers For Bush Footy . Retrieved 2 August 2023 .
