Rugby league in Tasmania

In the 1950s a rugby league competition was created which continued operating until the early 1960s. In the 1990s, two unsuccessful attempts were made to establish a rugby league competition.

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.[2][3]

The first interstate match was played against Victoria on 12 June 1954 with Tasmania winning 18-8.[4]

By the mid 1990s the Tasmanian Rugby League was running a statewide competition[5] which included Six Hobart teams:

• Glenorchy Stingrays
• Panthers (possibly Sandy Bay Panthers)
• Eastern Suburbs Eagles
• Northern Suburbs Tigers (not connected to the current Hobart Tigers)
• Hobart City Falcons
• Derwent Valley Sharks

and three regional teams:

• Launceston Clippers (the Australian Maritime College)
• North-West Warriors (Based in Ulverstone)
• Smithton Bulls

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.

In late 2009 a new senior competition was established through the efforts of local 7HO FM Radio Personality Jason 'Wolfie' Wolfgram (President 09/10), and 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.

NRL Tasmania (formerly and colloquially known as the Tasmanian Rugby League) is the governing body for rugby league in Tasmania.

The organisation 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.

Rugby league in Tasmania

Sport	Rugby league
Inaugural season	2009
Ceased	2014–15
Number of teams	4
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 7 teams at various times:

• Claremont Cowboys
• Hobart Tigers
• Launceston Warriors
• North West Coast Titans
• Northern Suburbs Broncos/Cowboys
• South Hobart Storm (Formally Eastern Shore Thunder)
• Southern Rabbitohs

Premierships

Season	Grand Final			Minor Premiership
	Premiers	Score	Runners-Up
2009–10	Hobart Tigers	54–14	Eastern Shore Thunder	Northern Suburbs Broncos
2010–11	Hobart Tigers	42–24	Southern Rabbitohs	Hobart Tigers
2011–12	Northern Cowboys	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

The competition folded midway through the 2014–15 season, and there have been no attempts to re-form it since.

Tasmania

Team information
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).

Australian Rules is traditionally the most popular football code in Tasmania, due to the state's close proximity to Victoria.

According to WIN Television, the 2014 NRL season generated an average television audience of 10,000 Tasmanians on Fridays and Sundays.

The two premier events in Australian rugby league, the NRL Grand Final and State of Origin, attract television audiences in excess of 40,000 Tasmanians.[6]

Trial matches played in the state have attracted crowds of 11,752 and 6,823 respectively.

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

Date	Game	Ground	Attendance
18/2/12	Melbourne vs Brisbane	North Hobart Oval	11,752
18/2/17	Melbourne vs Canterbury	North Hobart Oval	6,823

• Rugby league in Australia
• Sport in Tasmania

• Rugby league in Tasmania on Twitter
• Rugby league in Tasmania on Facebook