Ron Massey Cup
Current season, competition or edition: 2015 Ron Massey Cup |
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Ron Massey Cup Logo (Since 2013)
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Formerly | Inter-District/Second Division, The Metropolitan League, Metropolitan Cup, Jim Beam Cup, Bundaberg Red Cup |
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Sport | Rugby League |
Founded | 1963 |
Inaugural season | 1963 |
Owner(s) | NRL, NSWRL |
CEO | David Trodden |
Director | Nick Politis, Deborah Healey |
President | Dr George Peponis OAM |
No. of teams | 12 |
Countries | Australia, New Zealand |
Most recent champion(s) | The Entrance Tigers |
Most titles | Wentworthville Magpies (14) |
TV partner(s) | Fox Sports |
Sponsor(s) | VB |
Related competitions | New South Wales Cup |
Official website | nswrl.com.au |
The Ron Massey Cup (formerly known as the Bundaberg Red Cup and Jim Beam Cup) is a semi-professional development level rugby league competition in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, run jointly by the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) and the Country Rugby League of New South Wales (CRL). The competition is run concurrently with the National Rugby League (NRL). It currently comprises 12 teams drawn from both the Sydney metropolitan area and The Entrance district. The competition is named after Ron Massey, a former rugby league coach.
The competition is an expanded version of the former Metropolitan Cup and Second Division competitions. The competition was renamed the Bundaberg Red Cup after the 2008 season (the last Jim Beam Cup season), after Bundaberg replaced former sponsor Jim Beam.[1] For the 2013 season, the competition was rebranded as the Ron Massey Cup, when Bundaberg Rum withdrew their sponsorship.
Current 2013 Ladder
# | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Mount Pritchard Mounties | 11 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 398 | 192 | +206 | 20 |
2. | Wentworthville Magpies | 11 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 377 | 182 | +195 | 16 |
3. | Cabramatta Two Blues | 11 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 378 | 206 | +172 | 16 |
4. | The Entrance Tigers | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 326 | 208 | +118 | 14 |
5. | Auburn Warriors | 11 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 328 | 250 | +40 | 14 |
6. | Windsor Wolves | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 294 | 230 | +64 | 10 |
7. | Asquith Magpies | 11 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 328 | 322 | +6 | 10 |
8. | Blacktown Workers | 11 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 312 | 348 | -36 | 10 |
9. | Burwood North-Ryde United | 11 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 274 | 302 | -28 | 8 |
10. | Western Suburbs Magpies | 11 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 232 | 395 | -163 | 6 |
11. | File:Giantscolours.svg Guildford Owls | 11 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 270 | 440 | -170 | 6 |
12. | File:Widnes colours.svg Kingsgrove Colts | 11 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 138 | 580 | -442 | 0 |
Standings accurate as of 16 June 2013.[2]
History
The Ron Massey Cup is the latest in a succession Sydney-based second tier, semi-professional Rugby League competitions.
Inter-District/Second Division (1963 - 1973)
The a second tier senior Rugby League competition in Sydney was the Inter-District Competition established in 1963 by the NSWRL. It was renamed the Second Division in 1964. Like succeeding competitions the Second Division had a high turnover of participating clubs. The 'promotion' of two of the two biggest clubs Penrith Panthers (1966 champions) and Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, at the conclusion of the 1966 season did not help the long-term stability of the competition.
During this period Wentworthville ("The Magpies") was the most successful club, competing in every grand final of the Second Division, winning a total of 8 premierships (including 5 in a row between 1967–1971). Due to their domination of the competition 'Wenty' was widely considered the best candidate for promotion to the NSWRL Premiership when two positions were made available for the 1967 competition. Due to their proximity to Parramatta, where a Premiership club was established in 1947, the Magpies were overlooked.
Year | Premiers |
---|---|
1963 | Kingsford |
1964 | Wentworthville |
1965 | Wentworthville |
1966 | Penrith |
1967 | Wentworthville |
1968 | Wentworthville |
1969 | Wentworthville |
1970 | Wentworthville |
1971 | Wentworthville |
1972 | Ryde-Eastwood |
1973 | Wentworthville |
The Metropolitan League (1974 - 1976)
The Second Division was reorganised in 1974 and renamed the Metropolitan League. It was dominated by the Ryde-Eastwood club. In the absence of Wentworthville, who competed in the Illawarra Rugby League competition, Ryde-Eastwood won all three Metropolitan League titles. The Metropolitan League was dismantled in 1976 and with it the idea of a second tier competition.
Year | Premiers |
---|---|
1974 | Ryde-Eastwood |
1975 | Ryde-Eastwood |
1976 | Ryde-Eastwood |
The Metropolitan Cup (1990 - 2002)
The concept of the second tier competition was resurrected in 1990 with the establishment of the Metropolitan Cup. Many teams that were involved in the former Second Division and Metropolitan League were included in the new competition, including Ryde-Eastwood and Wentworthville. Other teams in the new competition included Guildford Owls, Mount Pritchard, Bankstown Greyhounds, Western Suburbs Magpies and the Hills District Bulls. The Newtown Jets, who had been exiled from the New South Wales Rugby League premiership at the close of the 1983 season, were also granted admission into the competition in 1991 and became a successful club in their second life, winning 4 premierships (including 3 in a row between 1995–1997).Other teams who competed in the cup over the years included St. Marys Saints, West Wollongong Red Devils, Moorebank Rams (Bulldogs), UTS Roosters, Windsor Wolves,Cabramatta Blues, Sydney Bulls and the Kellyville Bushrangers
The final Metropolitan Cup was contested in 2002 and was won by a newly formed club, the Sydney Bulls, defeating Ryde-Eastwood in the last grand final of the Metropolitan Cup.
Year | Premiers | Runners up |
---|---|---|
1990 | Ryde-Eastwood Hawks | Hills District Bulls |
1991 | Guildford Owls | |
1992 | Newtown Jets | |
1993 | St Mary's Saints | |
1994 | St Mary's Saints | |
1995 | Newtown Jets | |
1996 | Newtown Jets | |
1997 | Newtown Jets | |
1998 | Wentworthville Magpies | |
1999 | Wentworthville Magpies | |
2000 | Ryde-Eastwood Hawks | |
2001 | St Mary's Saints | |
2002 | Sydney Bulls |
Jim Beam Cup (2003-2008)
The Jim Beam Cup was established in 2003 as part of another overall restructure of the NSWRL competitions operating in the levels below the NRL. The Jim Beam Cup was intended to lay the foundations of a semi-professional 'State League' competition (similar to the Queensland Cup) and included four non-Sydney teams from the Central Coast (Erina Eagles, The Entrance Tigers, Ourimbah Magpies, and Woy Woy Roosters.) With the inclusion of these clubs (who field teams in the Central Coast Division of the CRL) the Jim Beam Cup became a cooperative effort between the NSWRL and the CRL.
Radio Coverage was heard on Hawkesbury Radio 89.9FM with Peter Jolly and Shane Skeen.
Year | Premiers | Runners-up |
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2003 | The Entrance Tigers | Wentworthville Magpies |
2004 | Sydney Bulls | The Entrance Tigers |
2005 | Windsor Wolves | Sydney Bulls |
2006 | Sydney Bulls | Newtown Jets |
2007 | The Entrance Tigers | Sydney Bulls |
2008 | Windsor Wolves | Sydney Bulls |
Bundaberg Red Cup (2009 - 2012)
The 2009 Grand Final was a closely fought battle between Minor Premiers Wentworthville Magpies and Cabramatta Two Blues, with Wentworthville coming out victorious by 24-20 in the game at Leichhardt Oval.
Year | Premiers | Runners-up |
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2009 | Wentworthville Magpies | Cabramatta Two Blues |
2010 | Wentworthville Magpies | Sydney Bulls |
2011 | Cabramatta Two Blues | Mount Pritchard Mounties |
2012 | Wentworthville Magpies | The Entrance Tigers |
Ron Massey Cup (2013 - ?)
During the 2012/13 offseason it was announced that Bundaberg Rum had withdrawn their sponsorship, and the competition would be renamed as the Ron Massey Cup, after the great Parramatta assistant coach.
Year | Premiers | Runners-up |
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2013 | Wentworthville Magpies | Mount Pritchard Mounties |
2014 | The Entrance Tigers | Mount Pritchard Mounties |
Teams
Since its establishment in 2003 the competition has both expanded and contracted in terms of numbers of side competing. Aside from the original expansion of the Sydney-based competition into the Central Coast, the Bundaberg Red Cup has continued to expand throughout Sydney, moving away from its Western Sydney base in 2005 with the inclusion of two Northern Sydney sides: the Asquith Magpies and Belrose Eagles.
2003
2003 saw the inauguration of the new Jim Beam Cup. It featured eight teams from Sydney and four from the Central Coast.
- Erina Eagles
- Guildford Owls
- Newtown Jets
- Ourimbah Magpies
- Ryde-Eastwood Hawks
- St Mary's-Penrith Cougars
- South Sydney Juniors
- Sydney Bulls
- The Entrance Tigers
- Wentworthville Magpies
- Windsor Wolves
- Woy Woy Roosters
2004
The St Mary's-Penrith Cougars left to focus on their NSW Premier League side, and were replaced by the Cabramatta Two-Blues.
- Cabramatta Two-Blues
- Erina Eagles
- Guildford Owls
- Newtown Jets
- Ourimbah Magpies
- Ryde-Eastwood Hawks
- South Sydney Juniors
- Sydney Bulls
- The Entrance Tigers
- Wentworthville Magpies
- Windsor Wolves
- Woy Woy Roosters
2005
- Asquith Magpies
- Belrose Eagles
- Cabramatta Two-Blues
- Erina Eagles
- Newtown Jets
- Ourimbah Magpies (failed to complete the season)
- Sydney Bulls
- The Entrance Tigers
- Wentworthville Magpies
- Windsor Wolves
- Woy Woy Roosters
2005
- Asquith Magpies
- Belrose Eagles
- Cabramatta Two-Blues
- Erina Eagles
- Newtown Jets
- Sydney Bulls
- The Entrance Tigers
- Wentworthville Magpies
- Windsor Wolves
2007
In 2007, 12 clubs competed for the Jim Beam Cup. New clubs Shellharbour, Chester Hill, Seven Hills and Mount Pritchard competed for the first time. Newtown Jets dropped out of the competition to concentrate on their clubs 2007 NSWRL Premier League campaign.
- Asquith Magpies
- Belrose Eagles
- Cabramatta Two-Blues
- Chester Hill Rhinos
- Erina Eagles
- Mount Pritchard Mounties
- Seven Hills Demons
- Shellharbour City Marlins
- Sydney Bulls
- The Entrance Tigers
- Wentworthville Magpies
- Windsor Wolves
In terms of geographical spread four clubs were based in the Parramatta District (Wentworthville, Seven Hills, Cabramatta and Mount Pritchard), two on the Central Coast of NSW (Erina and The Entrance) and Canterbury-Bankstown (Chester Hill and Sydney Bulls) and one each in Penrith (Windsor Wolves), Manly-Warringah (Belrose), Illawarra (Shellharbour) and North Sydney (Asquith).
2008
In 2008, for the first time, an interstate team entered the competition, a Western Australia Rugby League representative side known as the WA Reds, with a view to developing the game in the state in order to secure a future NRL franchise in 2011 - 2012.[3] Also joining the competition for 2008 will be the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks and the Campbelltown Eagles. Seven Hills Demons has also announced they will no longer field a team in the Jim Beam Cup in Season. 2008.[4] The Entrance Tigers, who have just claimed the 2007 Title have unfortunately pulled of the Jim Beam Cup due to the restrictions placed on gambling and smoking in clubs and pubs.[5] The Asquith Magpies have also withdrawn from the competition.
- Belrose Eagles
- Cabramatta Two-Blues
- Campbelltown Eagles
- Chester Hill Rhinos
- Erina Eagles
- Mount Pritchard Mounties
- Shellharbour City Marlins
- Southern Sharks
- Sydney Bulls
- WA Reds
- Wentworthville Magpies
- Windsor Wolves
2009
- Bankstown City Bulls
- Cabramatta Two-Blues
- Campbelltown Eagles
- Chester Hill Rhinos
- Mount Pritchard Mounties
- Penrith Brothers
- Southern Districts Rebels
- WA Reds
- Wentworthville Magpies
- Windsor Wolves
2010
- Bankstown City Bulls
- Cabramatta Two-Blues
- Campbelltown Eagles
- Mount Pritchard Mounties
- Penrith Brothers
- The Entrance Tigers
- Wentworthville Magpies
- Windsor Wolves
2011
In 2011, the Kingsgrove Colts joined the competition, based in the St George catchment area. As of Round 6, the Sydney Bulls left the competition to due financial difficulties.
- Bankstown Sports
- Cabramatta Two Blues
- Kingsgrove Colts
- Mount Prichard Mounties
- Sydney Bulls (failed to complete the season)
- The Entrance Tigers
- Wentworthville Magpies
- Windsor Wolves
2012
- Auburn Warriors
- Blacktown Workers
- Burwood North Ryde
- Cabramatta Two Blues
- Kingsgrove Colts
- Mount Prichard Mounties
- St Johns Eagles
- The Entrance Tigers
- Wentworthville Magpies
- Windsor Wolves
2013
- Asquith Magpies
- Auburn Warriors
- Blacktown Workers
- Burwood North Ryde
- Cabramatta Two Blues
- Kingsgrove Colts
- Mount Prichard Mounties
- The Entrance Tigers
- Wentworthville Magpies
- Western Suburbs Magpies
- Windsor Wolves
The Asquith Magpies returned, replacing the St Johns Eagles. The Guildford Owls made their return, and the Western Suburbs Magpies made their return following the merger of the NSW Cup entities.
Former Teams
- Ryde-Eastwood Hawks (Now Balmain - Ryde Eastwood Tigers in the New South Wales Cup)
- South Sydney Juniors (Withdrew From the Competition)
- St Mary’s Cougars (formed now defunct joint-venture with Penrith Panthers, playing in the NSWRL Premier League)
- Guildford Owls
- Ourimbah Magpies (withdrew from the competition in Round 12 of the 2005 season)
- Seven Hills Demons (withdraw after the end of the 2007 Season)
- Woy Woy Roosters (withdrew at end of 2005 season)
- Newtown Jets (withdrew after the 2006 season) Now field a team in New South Wales Cup
- The Entrance Tigers (2003 - 2007; withdrew after the 2007 Season)
- Asquith Magpies (2005 - 2007; withdrew after the 2007 Season)
See also
References
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- ↑ http://www.nswrl.com.au/default.aspx?s=brc-ladder
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