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Sydney Roosters

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Sydney Roosters
Club information
Full nameEastern Suburbs District
Rugby League Football Club
Nickname(s)Easts, The Chooks, Tri Colours
Founded1908 as Eastern Suburbs
Current details
Ground(s)
CEOAustralia Brian Canavan
CoachAustralia Brad Fittler
CaptainAustralia Craig Fitzgibbon
CompetitionNational Rugby League
2007National Rugby League, 10th
Records
Premierships12 (1911, 1912, 1913, 1923, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1940, 1945, 1974, 1975, 2002)
Runners-up14 (1908, 1919, 1921, 1928, 1931, 1934, 1938, 1941, 1960, 1972, 1980, 2000, 2003, 2004)
Minor premierships16 (1912, 1913, 1923, 1931, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1940, 1941, 1945, 1974, 1975, 1980, 1981, 2004)

The Sydney Roosters are a professional rugby league club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, Australia. They play in the National Rugby League and are one of the most successful clubs in Australian rugby league, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League and National Rugby League titles. The side holds the longest winning streak (nineteen) and the second largest margin of victory (87–7) in league history.

The club was founded on 24 January 1908 in Paddington, Sydney, under the name "Eastern Suburbs"; in 1994, the name was changed to the "Sydney City Roosters", and in 2000 to just the "Sydney Roosters". The Bondi Junction-based Roosters have a long-standing and fierce rivalry with the South Sydney Rabbitohs from Redfern, a fellow foundation club in the National Rugby League,[2] although the Roosters are the only team to play in every season.

History

Further information: History of the Sydney Roosters
File:Dally Messenger in action.jpg
Dally Messenger, one of the club's first players.

Eastern Suburbs Rugby League Football Club was formed on 24 January 1908[3] after it was decided that the area would enter a team in the newly formed New South Wales Rugby League. Eastern Suburbs were unofficially nicknamed the "Tricolours" due to the club's red, white and blue playing strip. The club won their first match, downing Newtown 32–16 at Wentworth Oval on 20 April 1908. Between 1911 and 1913, the Eastern Suburbs became the first team to win three consecutive premierships;[4]Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). During this period, Dave Brown set several point-scoring records that remain unbroken. In 1935, the team lost just one game, and set the highest winning margin in the club's history, an 87–7 (106–8 in modern scoring) victory over Canterbury.[5] In 1936, the club became one of only five teams in premiership history to remain undefeated for an entire season,[6] a feat they repeated the following season, becoming the only team so far to remain unbeaten two seasons in a row.

Despite claiming the premiership in 1945, Eastern Suburbs failed to make the finals for the following seven seasons. A runners-up finish in 1960 was the closest the club came to claiming the premiership in this era. In 1966, the club was winless for the first time in club history; it was also the last instance in which the Roosters won the wooden spoon. The failures of the 1966 season prompted the club to introduce a logo to appear on all playing jerseys for the following year; the motto "Easts to Win" was featured on the crest depicting the club's new emblem, the rooster.

From 1972 to 1982, the Roosters made the finals eight times, won four minor premierships, and played in four Grand Finals. The coach of the team during this period was "Super Coach" Jack Gibson,[7] who took charge in 1974. The Roosters teams of 1974 and 1975 are considered two of the greatest club sides in history; the lineups included Mark Harris, John Brass, Bill Mullins, Russell Fairfax, Johnny Mayes, John Peard, Ron Coote, Ian Schubert and captain Arthur Beetson.[3] During this period, the team won 39 of 44 matches, both minor premierships, both Grand Finals and set a premiership record nineteen-game winning streak. The 1975 winning Grand Final scoreline of 38–0 against the St George Dragons remains the largest margin in a First Grade Grand Final.

During the mid 1980s to early 1990s, the Roosters reached the semi-finals only once in a period known to supporters as the "Transit Lounge" era.[4] Despite the performance slump, home crowd attendance multiplied from 3,389 in 1984 to 17,060 in 1996, when the side first made the finals in over a decade. This included a club record attendance of 37,981 on 22 July, 1996.[8]

With the Super League war building up in the mid 1990s, the Roosters recruited high profile coach Phil Gould and star five-eighth Brad Fittler, both from the Penrith Panthers,[3] instantly sending the Roosters back up to the top end of the premiership ladder. Fittler's presence proved invaluable; during his reign the Roosters competed in four Grand Finals in five years. In 2002, the club finally captured their 12th premiership (and their first in 27 years) after defeating minor premiers the New Zealand Warriors 30–8 in the Grand Final. Led under coach Ricky Stuart, the team recovered from a devastating injury toll early in the season totaling seventeen players to come back and place fourth on the regular season ladder.

In the 2003 Grand Final against the Penrith Panthers, the Roosters lost in a famous game where Roosters winger Todd Byrne was chased down and put into touch by Penrith lock forward Scott Sattler having made a clear break down the sideline midway through the second half. This chance to break the 6–6 deadlock was the decisive moment of the match; Penrith won 18–6[9] in the Roosters' largest losing margin of the year. Their latest grand final appearance was in 2004, when they were defeated by the Bulldogs 16–13 having led 13–6 at halftime. The match was captain Brad Fittler's last for the team.

The Roosters struggled without their former captain following his retirement in 2005 and for the first time since 1995, the Sydney Roosters missed the finals. In 2006 the Roosters recruited Braith Anasta to help fill the void of the loss of Brad Fittler, however the Roosters lacked composure and seemed to be without a solid game plan most rounds. This resulted in one of the worst seasons in the clubs history and ultimately lead to the sacking of Roosters coach Ricky Stuart.[10]

The Sydney Roosters played their 100th season of first grade in 2007, and became the first club to do so since the competition's inception in 1908. The club appointed Chris Anderson as coach for 2007 and 2008 following two relatively unsuccessful years with coach Ricky Stuart in charge. On 9 July, 2007, Chris Anderson stepped down from his position as the Roosters' head coach after a 56–0 loss to the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. Brad Fittler was promoted to caretaker coach until later on in the season where the club signed Fittler to a fulltime deal. Fittler showed promising signs in his role as head coach, leading the team to 5 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses.

Crest

File:Roosters 1967.png
The original Eastern Suburbs logo, featuring a rooster with the words "Easts to Win" underneath.

Like other clubs, Eastern Suburbs did not traditionally sport a crest on their jerseys in the first half of the 20th century. Other clubs occasionally sported simple designs on their strip; however, this was not seen consistently on all jerseys until the 1950s and 1960s. In 1967, the club introduced the first logo, displaying the motto "Easts to Win", following a winless season. The crest also incorporated a rooster in the design; one source suggested that this choice of mascot followed after the Roosters changed their jersey design to suit the French team's jersey.[11] Given that the French team's mascot was affectionately known to supporters as "le coq", the rooster, connections have been made as to the choosing of a rooster for Eastern Suburbs' mascot.

In 1978, the motto was replaced with the team's name, "Eastern Suburbs". This design was kept until 1994 when the club changed its playing name to the "Sydney City Roosters" for the start of the 1995 season to expand the club's widening fan base. This also prompted a change in logo design to an image of a rooster against the backdrop of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. In 2000, the club changed its name to the "Sydney Roosters" and introduced a new logo.

Although marketing names have changed, the Roosters are still registered with the National Rugby League competition as the Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club.[12]

Colours

Red, white and blue[13] have been the colours of every jersey design in franchise history; however, the jersey design has undergone several alterations. The jersey worn in the first premiership season consisted of several hoops, with red stripes dominating over consecutive smaller white and blue stripes. Although the width and the order of these stripes have changed, the basic design has always been maintained.

During World War II, the design of the jersey was modified because the dye used to colour jerseys was needed for the war effort.[14] This saw Eastern Suburbs playing in different colours and an altered design. Instead of using the traditional hoops, the side used a sky blue-based jersey and a red and white V-strip around the collar. This is the only noted time in the club's history where the traditional deep blue, red and white combination was absent from the jersey. After the war, the V-strip design was reverted back to the original blue that had been present in the original jerseys, and the single red and white stripes around the shirt's chest were incorporated with a single white stripe surrounded by a red stripe on either side. This jersey appeared in the 1950s, and remains the team's base design.

Facing design clashes with other teams in the 1990s, the club adopted a jersey with a similar design to what became known as the "home jersey", replacing the blue backing with white, and the outer red stripe with blue. As the club entered the new century, the team began to wear a "foundation jersey". Although the design differs slightly from the jersey worn in the inaugural 1908 season, it did feature the traditional horizontal striped-design. This jersey is normally worn when the Sydney Roosters face traditional rivals, such as the South Sydney Rabbitohs, or on special occasions like Anzac Day when the team faces the St George Illawarra Dragons, the product of a team partly formed by the St. George Dragons.

In October 2006, the club announced that a slightly modified version of the original playing jersey from the 1908 jersey would be worn on several occasions in 2007 to honour the club's 100th season in top-grade professional rugby league.[15]

Stadium

General view of the former Sydney Sports Ground, Moore Park.

Early in Eastern Suburbs' history, "home games" were often played at neutral venues in lieu of team stadiums. However, most sources suggest that the Royal Agricultural Ground was often used as a home venue between 1908 and 1910, before the club hosted matches at the Sydney Sports Ground from 1911 onwards.[16][17] It was here that the team played all of their homes games up until 1986, when the ground was demolished with the Sydney Cricket Ground No. 2 to make way for Sydney's main rectangular field, the Sydney Football Stadium.[18] In 1987, games were moved away to the Newtown Jets' home ground, Henson Park temporarily to await the completion of the Sydney Football Stadium. The team capitalised on this move, finishing second in the regular season. It was the also the only time between 1983 and 1995 that the side reached the finals.[19]

The Sydney Football Stadium as it appears whilst hosting a National Rugby League finals match.

In 1988, the side moved to the newly created Sydney Football Stadium, opening the season with a 24–14 defeat at the hands of the Dragons in front of 19,295 on 4 March 1988. The club shared the ground with the South Sydney Rabbitohs between 1988 and 1999, and again between 2002 and 2005 after the Rabbitohs were reinstated into the competition. The St. George Illawarra Dragons also play several home matches at the stadium, with games allocated to the St. George Dragons half of the merger played at the Sydney Football Stadium between 2000 and 2002 as well. From 2006 onwards, the Roosters are the sole National Rugby League club to play games at the Sydney Football Stadium and its previous incarnations.

The ground is used by the National Rugby League to host several finals matches at the end of the year, including one of the Preliminary Finals. One benefit to the Roosters is that, although not officially allocated the ground as hosts, the team has attracted a stronger support than interstate teams such as the Brisbane Broncos. Of the four Grand Finals that the Sydney Roosters made between 2000 and 2004, three of them were made after winning their respective Preliminary Finals out of the Sydney Football Stadium.

Supporters

File:Brian the Rooster on the SMH.png
Well-known fan, "Brian the Rooster", on the cover of The Sydney Morning Herald

The Sydney Roosters have a large support base across Australia in South East Queensland, Canberra and Newcastle, and its traditional location in Sydney.[20] Moreover, the Sydney Roosters have two popular internet forums for supporters: "The Wall", the official message board in operation since 1999; and the unofficial "The People's Wall".

In 2004, the club tallied the second highest home crowd attendance (behind the Brisbane Broncos) with an average attendance of 18,514 at the Sydney Football Stadium,[8] compared with an average attendance of 3,389 in 1984. However, a drop of 25.2% in crowd figures from 2005 to 2006 led the news agency Australian Associated Press to state "crowd figures suggest many Sydney Roosters fans have been fair-weather friends."[21] Nevertheless, despite finishing second to last in 2006, the Roosters attracted the ninth highest home crowd average.

At the Sydney Football Stadium, the official supporter base is divided into three prominent sections. The "Chook Pen", a designated area in Bay 36, is considered to be the location where the most passionate fans sit during matches. [citation needed] Located in the membership stands are stadium members who watch the game from the top tier of the stadium's western side from Bays 12–14. The Kevin Hastings Stand is an alcohol-free designated area for families.

Amid declining crowd numbers in 2007, the Sydney Roosters implemented a marketing campaign designed to recruit members to the football club. Labelled 'Freddy's 5000' after head coach Brad 'Freddy' Fittler, the campaign is targetting to sign 5000 members to the Roosters before the season commences. Membership comes in 2 main forms, as a season ticket holder to all home games which include benefits such as discounts to the teams merchandise store, or as a non-season ticket holder that also includes benefits. As of the 17th of December 2007, the Roosters currently have 3000 members.

Juniors

Further information: Sydney Roosters Juniors

Rivalries

The Roosters and their fans have built up rivalries with other clubs, particularly the South Sydney Rabbitohs, the other remaining foundation club. The Roosters and the Rabbitohs share inner-Sydney territory, causing a strong rivalry since 1908. The rivalry increased after 1950 due to conflict between junior territories, and escalated once more in the 1990s with the increased financial success of the Roosters eclipsing the decreasing funds of the Rabbitohs. In 2005, the Rabbitohs broke a ten-year, thirteen-game losing streak to the Roosters in a close 17–16 match.[22]

Although the Rabbitohs drew key Roosters players to the Redfern-based club in previous years, the Roosters signed Rabbitohs captain Ashley Harrison and former South Sydney junior Braith Anasta from the Bulldogs; whom the Rabbitohs also heavily pursued — in 2005.[23]

The Sydney Roosters have a long-standing rivalry with fellow Sydney team, the Canterbury Bulldogs (also known as just the Bulldogs). Whilst both teams had crossed premiership paths in Grand Finals four previous times before, the most significant chapter came when the Sydney Roosters won the 2002 NRL Premiership on the back of a 10 game winning streak. This was the same year the premiership favourite Bulldogs were stripped of 37 points due to systematic breaches of the salary cap in the 2001 and the 2002 seasons.[24] The following year, the Bulldogs prevailed in both regular season matchups with the Roosters; however, the Sydney Roosters retaliated by defeating the Bulldogs 28–18 in the Grand Final qualifier. In 2004, both teams met up in the Grand Final itself; the Bulldogs prevailed as premiers 16–13.

Statistics and records

Further information: List of Sydney Roosters records

Luke Ricketson holds the record for the most First Grade games for the club, having played 301 in total. Ricketson played rugby league locally for junior side Bondi United, and passed the previous record held by Kevin Hastings of 228 matches in late 2002.

Team captain Craig Fitzgibbon holds the club record for the most points, tallying 1090 points over his 162 matches played. Fitzgibbon also claimed the all-time point scoring record in the competition for a forward in the later rounds of 2006. Dave Brown's tally of 45 points in a single match set against Canterbury in 1935 still remains a competition record more than 70 years on. Had this tally been accounted for in modern points allocation (4 points for a try rather than 3), the points would have stood at a half century. Ivan Cleary scored 284 points on his own in 1998, setting an all-time points scoring record in a season at the time. This record has since been broken.

Bill Mullins, father of Brett Mullins who won a premiership with the side in 2002, scored 104 tries in his 11-year career with Eastern Suburbs between 1968 and 1978. Over his 190 matches, this tally accounts for a try scored more often than every second game. In 1935, Rod O’Loan scored 7 tries in a single match against Sydney University, and Dave Brown's 38 tries scored in 15 games are both a club and competition record,

In 1975, the Eastern Suburbs Roosters set an unparalleled 19-match winning streak on their way to their 11th premiership. The same match in which Dave Brown scored 45 points against Canterbury in 1935 remains the highest victory margin and score for the club, the 87–7 scoreline separated by 80 points. The record is just second behind St. George's record of 85 points set against the same side a week earlier in which they won 91–6.

The club's record attendance for a regular season home game stands at 37,981 for a match against the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in 1996. The Grand Final four years later between the Sydney Roosters and the Brisbane Broncos attracted 94,277 spectators and will remain the highest attendance for a game in which the club participates in until a larger stadium is built to hold the Grand Final.

Current squad

Further information: Sydney Roosters 2008 season

Although other players may play for the Sydney Roosters during the year, all NRL clubs are required to select a top 25 First Grade squad at the beginning of the season. Below is a list of those 25 players ranked by their cap number at the Sydney Roosters.[25] Each player sports this number on their playing shorts.

No. Position Player

989 Craig Fitzgibbon – SR (c) 994 Anthony Minichiello – FB 1033 Lopini Paea – PR 1035 Anthony Tupou – LK 1040 Sam Perrett – WG 1044 George Ndaira – HK 1045 Shane Shackleton – SR 1046 Amos Roberts – WG 1047 Iosia Soliola – CE 1052 Mickey Paea – SR 1053 David Shillington – PR 1055 Braith Anasta – FE

No. Position Player

1057 Steve Meredith – PR 1060 Vince Mellars – CE 1063 Setaimata Sa – WG 1067 Mitchell Aubusson – CE 1069 Shaun Kenny-Dowall – WG 1070 Nate Myles – SR 1071 Danny Nutley – PR 1072 Mitchell Pearce – HB James Aubusson – HK Willie Mason – SR Mark O'Meley – PR Brent Grose – WG

Notable players

Further information: List of Sydney Roosters players

In 2000, the Sydney Roosters released their "Team of the Century" which included players from 1908 to 2000. The official team is listed below along with their Sydney Roosters cap number.[25]

No. Position Player

639 Russell Fairfax – FB 587 Bill Mullins – WG 18 Dally Messenger – CE 202 Dave Brown – CE (c) 315 Lionel Cooper – WG 948 Brad Fittler – FE 210 Viv Thicknesse – HB 190 Ray Stehr – PR 10 Sandy Pearce – HK

No. Position Player

615 Arthur Beetson – PR 625 Ron Coote – SR 193 Joe Pearce – SR 234 Andy Norval – LK 674 Kevin Hastings – positions 232 Jack Beaton – positions 66 Jack Watkins – positions 570 Barry Reilly – positions Jack Gibson – positions (coach)

In 2007 the Sydney Roosters announced "The Centurions", a team consisting of the greatest players to have played 100 games or more for the club between 1908 and 2007. The team was selected by Ray Chesterton, Ian Heads, David Middleton and Alan Clarkson and was unveiled at the 100 years season launch at the Hordern Pavillion on 10 March, 2007.

No. Position Player

994 Anthony Minichiello – FB 587 Bill Mullins – WG 608 Mark Harris – CE 595 John Brass 650 Ian Schubert – WG 948 Brad Fittler – FE 674 Kevin Hastings – HB 190 Ray Stehr – PR 10 Sandy Pearce – HK

No. Position Player

615 Arthur Beetson – PR – CE (c) 625 Ron Coote – SR 193 Joe Pearce – SR 234 Andy Norval – LK 989 Craig Fitzgibbon – positions 206 Ernie Norman – positions 884 Luke Ricketson – positions 570 Barry Reilly – positions Jack Gibson – positions (coach)

Honours

Further information: List of Sydney Roosters honours

Footnotes

  1. ^ "Aussie's facilities & atmosphere reach new heights". Sydney Cricket Ground. 2007-03-07. Retrieved 2007-04-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ In Australia, a foundation club is one that played in the first season of a competition. Eastern Suburbs played in the first season of the New South Wales Rugby League premiership, the predecessor to the National Rugby League competition.
  3. ^ a b c at a meeting at the Paddington Town Hall in Sydney, Sydney Roosters (Eastern Suburbs) RL1908.com. Retrieved on 15 August 2006. Cite error: The named reference "rl1908" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Club History Sydney Roosters Rugby League 2006. Retrieved on 8 October 2006.
  5. ^ Rugby League Tables / Regular Season / All Teams Rugby League Tables & Statistics Retrieved on 6 October 2006.
  6. ^ Rugby League Tables / Game Records / Easts Rugby League Tables & Statistics Retrieved on 6 October 2006.
  7. ^ This reference to Jack Gibson as a "Super Coach" is quite common terminology in Australian rugby league circles, given Gibson's outstanding coaching record. For further information, see Australian Associated Press. Super coach Gibson salutes his favourite players The Sydney Morning Herald. 14 August, 2003. Retrieved on 8 October 2006.
  8. ^ a b Rugby League Tables / Attendances Easts Rugby League Tables & Statistics. Retrieved on 5 October 2006.
  9. ^ Brown, Alex, Brown, Malcolm and Maley, Jacqueline. Fairytale of the year: Panthers pluck Roosters The Sydney Morning Herald 6 October, 2003. Retrieved on 4 November 2006.
  10. ^ Walter, Brad. A sticky end for Ricky The Sydney Morning Herald 29 August, 2006. Retrieved on 4 November 2006.
  11. ^ Fagan, Sean. Origin of the Rooster and club colours Sydney Roosters minisite. 31 July, 2006. Retrieved on 10 August 2006.
  12. ^ Bryce, Shannon. Sydney Roosters History The World of Rugby League Retrieved on 10 July 2006.
  13. ^ Fagan, Sean. Club Histories - New Speculations Rl1908.com. Retrieved on 4 November 2006.
  14. ^ 100 Year Celebration - Jersey Competition Sydney Roosters Rugby League 2006. Retrieved on 10 August 2006.
  15. ^ Roosters 100 Years Jersey Unveiled Sydney Roosters Rugby League 2006. 25 October, 2006. Retrieved on 4 November 2006.
  16. ^ The Australian Rugby League records Co-op Retrieved on 6 October 2006.
  17. ^ Timeline Sydney Roosters minisite Retrieved on 6 October 2006.
  18. ^ Sydney Cricket Ground No. 2 Cricinfo Retrieved on 6 October 2006.
  19. ^ Rugby League Tables / Season Summary / Easts Rugby League Tables & Statistics Retrieved on 6 October 2006.
  20. ^ Roosters Australia Wide Sydney Roosters Rugby League 2006. Retrieved on 9 August 2006.
  21. ^ Australian Associated Press. Tigers supporters stay loyal as Roosters fans lose faith The Sydney Morning Herald. 29 July, 2006. Retrieved on 5 October 2006.
  22. ^ Swanton, Will. Shove thy neighbour: Souths rule the roost The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 August, 2005. Retrieved on 13 August 2006.
  23. ^ Prichard, Greg. Anasta's off to the Roosters The Sydney Morning Herald. 12 July, 2005. Retrieved on 13 August 2006.
  24. ^ Secret Bulldog Business The Sydney Morning Herald. August 17 2002. Retrieved on 13 August 2006.
  25. ^ a b Player List Sydney Roosters Minisite Retrieved on 4 November 2006.

References

External links

Official websites
General fan sites
News sites

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