Balmain District Junior Rugby League
The Balmain Tigers District Junior Rugby League is one of the oldest Junior Rugby League Competitions in Australia. It administers an affiliation of junior rugby league clubs in the inner west and inner north west of Sydney.
The league caters for age groups from under 6's to A Grade (opens). The Senior competition (Under 13's - A Grade) is a combined inner Sydney competition with the St. George, South Sydney & Eastern Suburbs District Junior Rugby League. The Under 6's to Under 8's is a non-competitive competition. The Under 9's to Under 12's play in a modified competition.
As of 2009 there were ten clubs in the Balmain Tigers Junior Rugby League, with over 120 teams. These clubs are;
- Balmain PCYC (formerly known as Balmain Police Boys)
- Carlingford Cougars (formerly known as St Gerards Carlingford)
- Concord-Burwood United Wolves (merger of Burwood Utd & Concord Utd in the 1990s, former Western Suburbs junior clubs)
- Dundas Shamrocks Junior Rugby League Football Club (formerly known as St Patricks Dundas)
- Five Dock RSL Dockers (former Western Suburbs junior club)
- Holy Cross Rhinos (Ryde)
- Leichhardt Juniors
- Leichhardt Wanderers (known as Leichhardt Gladstone until the 1930s) who are the oldest continuously running junior league team in Australia - having fielded at least one team every year since 1913.
- North Ryde Hawks
- Strathfield Raiders
- West Ryde-Denistone Stones
- Enfield Federals (joined 2010, former Western Suburbs junior club)
Some extinct clubs that once played in the Balmain District junior competition include;
- Drummoyne Sports (until the 1990s)
- Balmain Waratahs (until the 1990s)
- Ermington-Rydalmere (until the 1990s)
- Glebe Police Boys (until the 1990s)
- Balmain United (until the 1990s)
- Cricketers Arms (until the 1990s - Darling St, Balmain - know known as Monkey Bar)
- Sackville Sharks
- Ryde District Devils (until the 1980s)
- Birchgrove Scorpions (until the 1980s)
- Gladesville Sports (until the 1980s)
- West Ryde-Dundas
- Rozelle Codocks (until the 1970s)
- Pyrmont Colts (until the 1970s)
- Glebe Shamrocks (aka St James Sports Club - until the 1970s)
- Ryde CYO (until the 1970s)
- Carlingford CYO (until the 1970s)
- Balmain Arlines (until the 1970s)
- Glebe Youth
- Bing & Swing (Glebe, former Glebe district junior team - folded in 1930)
- Balmain Iona (aka Rozelle Iona)
- Drummoyne Rovers (1920s)
- Rozelle Fernleigh (1920s)
- Marist College Eastwood
Some notable Balmain juniors include;
- Wayne Pearce (Balmain Police Boys)
- Paul Sironen (North Ryde)
- Benny Elias (Holy Cross)
- Dene Halatau (North Ryde, formerly of Wentworthville)
- Robbie Farah (Leichhardt Wanderers, formerly of Enfield Federals)
- Bronson Harrison (Leichhardt Wanderers & Balmain PCYC)
- Josh Lewis (Leichhardt Wanderers)
- Kurtley Beale (North Ryde)
- Mitchell Pearce (North Ryde)
- Alan Thompson (North Ryde)
- Wayne Wigham (North Ryde)
- Mark O'Neill (North Ryde & Dundas Shamrocks)
- Kevin Hardwick (Ryde District Devils & Ermington-Rydalmere)
- John Davidson (Birchgrove Scorpions & Ermington-Rydalmere)
See also
- Manly-Warringah/North Sydney District Rugby League
- Parramatta Junior Rugby League
- Penrith District Rugby League
- South Sydney District Junior Rugby Football League
- Sydney Roosters Juniors