National Rugby League reserves affiliations

The National Rugby League (NRL) is the top league of professional rugby league clubs in Australasia. Run by the Australian Rugby League Commission, however, since the late 1980s, when the former New South Wales Rugby League expanded interstate to start the framework on what would become the modern National Rugby League, there has not been a league-wide reserves competition; and, since 2002, there has been no dedicated reserves competition of any kind. As a result, NRL-listed players who are not selected in their senior teams are made eligible to play in one of the second-tier state leagues: the New South Wales Cup or the Queensland Cup. The system used to accommodate NRL-listed players within these leagues varies considerably from state to state.

Current affiliations

In the 2016 season, the sixteen National Rugby League clubs have the following reserves arrangements.

NRL club	Reserves arrangement	Affiliated club	Affiliated league
Brisbane Broncos	Club affiliation (split)	Central Queensland Capras Ipswich Jets Northern Suburbs Devils Redcliffe Dolphins Souths Logan Magpies Wynnum Manly Seagulls	Queensland Cup
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	Stand-alone reserves team	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	New South Wales Cup
Canberra Raiders	Club affiliation	Mount Pritchard Mounties	New South Wales Cup
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	Club affiliation	Newtown Jets	New South Wales Cup
Gold Coast Titans	Club affiliation (split)	Burleigh Bears Tweed Heads Seagulls	Queensland Cup
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	Stand-alone reserves team	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	New South Wales Cup
Melbourne Storm	Club affiliation (split)	Eastern Suburbs Tigers Sunshine Coast Falcons	Queensland Cup
New Zealand Warriors	Stand-alone reserves team	New Zealand Warriors	New South Wales Cup
Newcastle Knights	Stand-alone reserves team	Newcastle Knights	New South Wales Cup
North Queensland Cowboys	Club affiliation (split)	Mackay Cutters Northern Pride Townsville Blackhawks	Queensland Cup
Parramatta Eels	Club affiliation	Wentworthville Magpies	New South Wales Cup
Penrith Panthers	Stand-alone reserves team	Penrith Panthers	New South Wales Cup
South Sydney Rabbitohs	Club affiliation	North Sydney Bears	New South Wales Cup
St George Illawarra Dragons	Club affiliation	Illawarra Cutters	New South Wales Cup
Sydney Roosters	Club affiliation	Wyong Roos	New South Wales Cup
Wests Tigers	Stand-alone reserves team	Wests Tigers	New South Wales Cup

• Currently the only NSW Cup & QLD Cup team not affiliate with an NRL club is the Queensland Cup PNG Hunters, based in Kokopo, Papua New Guinea .

See also

• NSWRL Reserve Grade (1908 - 2002)