History UsefulNotes / RugbyLeague

* The '''Brisbane Broncos'''

** One of the more successful teams in the competition; in fact, in the aspect of winning games the Broncos are statistically the most successful club in the history of Rugby League, having won 63% of their games since their induction in 1988.
** One of the more significant role-players in the Super League War in the late '90s: at the time, Brisbane's CEO John Ribot would go on to become the CEO of the upstart Super League.

** Known for being the birthplace of "The Entertainers", their 1978 squad famous for playing an exciting and tricky brand of football, which elements had much part in creating some of the more skilful aspects of the game seen today. Unsurprisingly, this coincided with their most successful era as they were a dominant team in the 80s, winning 4 Premierships in 5 Grand Finals appearances during the decade.
** Generally seen to be a "rollercoaster" team -- one year they can be extremely successful, next year they might be fighting at bottom of the ladder.

* The '''St. George-Illawara Dragons''' -- formed via merger between St. George Dragons and the Illawara Steelers.
** First season: 1921 (St. George), 1980 (Illawara Steelers), 1999 (clubs merged)
** Premierships: 1941, 1949, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1977, 1979 (as St. George), 2010 (as St. George Illawara)
** Noted for being the first merger club of the NRL -- merged entity being a new concept in Australian rugby league, many of the public watched closely in their first season whether to see if it'd work or fail(in the cases of Souths and Chooks supporters, they were hoping for the latter).

** If you've heard of any NRL team, it's probably this one. Most famous for being the favorite team of Creator/RussellCrowe -- he currently owns 50% of shares and helped to save the team during its financial troubles after the 1990s Super League war.

** St. George-Illawara is another hated rival, stemming from when St. George was a standalone side. The Dragons and the Rabbitohs have played in many fierce finals and classic games throughout the league's history.

* The '''Wests Tigers''' -- another team to have been formed via a joint venture, between the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs Magpies.

** Former team of superstar Benji Marshall, who was known for his fancy style of passing (no-look passes, flick passes), and agility, and was regarded by many to be the most exciting player in the league.

* '''Adelaide Rams''' (1997-98): Formed both as an inaugural side for the upstart Super League and an attempt to inch in on Aussie Rules' stronghold in South Australia. Due to poor on-field play, financial debt and lack of local support (the city's attention was all on the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide Power in the AFL), they played only one season in the NRL before disbanding.
* '''Annandale''' (1910-1920): Also known as The Dales. Disbanded at the end of 1920 due to poor play and many of their players becoming ineligible.
* '''Balmain Tigers''' (1908-1999): Merged with Western Suburbs to become the West Tigers. Still fields standalone teams at lower levels of premiership play.

* '''Glebe''' (1908-1928): Also known as The Dirty Reds. Removed from the NSWRL in 1929 when they were voted out by committee due to poor play. They shortly disbanded but shockingly, they were revived in 2015 and started playing matches in 2017 after an 87-year absence. Currently, they operate as a feeder team for the Sydney Roosters at lower levels.

* '''South Queensland Chargers''' (1995-97): The ARL's attempt to counter the Brisbane Broncos' local stranglehold.

* '''Western Suburbs Magpies''' (1908-1999): Also known as the Fibros, Maggies and the Cherry Pickers. The team merged with Balmain to form the Wests Tigers. Had the most wooden spoons in the league (17). Still fields teams at lower levels.

* '''Adelaide Rams''' (1997-98).

* '''Western/Perth Reds''' (1995-97): The League's first and so far, only experiment in having footy in Western Australia. Joining the ARL in 1995, the Reds fielded promising sides but couldn't overcome their biggest opponent: Travel distance. They were the only team on the West Coast, so they had to pay for the flights and accommodation of other teams, as well as their own expenses for away games. Unsurprisingly, they quickly defected to the Super League once the War started due to the financial difficulties they had, but once the merger between the ARL and Super League happened the Reds were left out in the cold.

* '''Glebe''' (1908-1928): Also known as The Dirty Reds. Removed from the NSWRL in 1929 for "unsporting behavior", which eventually led to them disbanding.

* '''North Sydney Bears''' (1908-1999): Merged with Manly-Warringah to form the now-defunct Northern Eagles. Still fields teams at lower levels, and they have proposed to the NRL to return to the league in 2013 as the Central Coast Bears.

* '''Western/Perth Reds''' (1995-97).

** If you watch the NRL, you're either a fan or you '''hate''' them. The Rabbitohs are known as "The Pride of The League" -- there's even the saying "When Souths are going well, rugby league is going well." This reputation usually elicits more than a few eye rolls and cries of favoritism from other supporters as until their victory in 2014 they hadn't even ''made'' a Grand Final in '''''43 years'''''.
** Bitter rivals to the Sydney Roosters -- their derby is the longest surviving rivalry in the current National Rugby League. Other hated rivals of the Rabbitohs are Manly-Warringah and St. George-Illawara.

** Minor premierships: 1912, 1913, 1923, 1931, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1940, 1941, 1945, 1974, 1975, 1980, 1981, 2004, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018
** As one can guess from above, they '''''don't''''' like South Sydney. The two clubs have hated each other since the day of inception, but it only grew after 1950 due to conflict between junior territories, and escalated once more in the 1990s with the increased financial success of the Roosters while the Rabbitohs fell into financial struggle.
** They're not very fond of Manly either, as the only two Grand Finals that they've played against one another have been rife with controversial calls.

** Also known as the team that produced Jason and Jarrod Croker, who played their entire NRL careers at Canberra (Jason from 1991 to 2006, Jarrod from 2009 to 2023) and hold most of the Raiders team records. Believe it or not, there's no relation between the two -- though they have joked about it.

** Known for being the birthplace of "The Entertainers", their 1978 squad that was famous for playing an exciting and tricky brand of football, which elements had much part in creating some of the more skilful aspects of the game seen today.

* The '''Canberra Raiders'''

** Known more nowadays for being sort of a "gatekeeper" team -- they either end up finishing just outside the top 8 or end up being knocked out early in the Grand Finals.

** The Storm's greatest assets, it seems, comes from the so-called 'Big Three'. These three players, consisting of Cameron Smith, Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk are the respective Hooker, Fullback and Halfback (often regarded to be the three most important positions on the field) of the Storm, having played their entire career so far there, and also regarded to be three of the best players in league, having also hold those incumbent positions for both the Queensland and Australian representative teams. By keeping these three on, even before the reality of the salary cap scandal was found out, this lead to some problems in retaining other high-level players in the Storm.

** Notable for having some of the most fiercely loyal fans in the NRL, who tend to get ''extremely'' violent and unreasonable when the team is not doing well.

** TheChewToy of the League. They are historically one of the least successful clubs in league history, they have the most wooden spoons (10) of any club still in the league and apart from a few magical runs (which ended in heartbreak) have spent most of the 2010s at the bottom of the ladder. To add insult to injury, Manly joined the league the same year as Paramatta and have been ''much'' more successful.

** Premierships: 1991, 2003, 2021, 2022
** Viewed as somewhat of an "underdog team" after upset win over the Sydney Roosters in the 2003 final. Also known for their...odd...choices of colors for their kits.

The league is locked in an eternal stalemate with the [[UsefulNotes/AustralianRulesFootball Australian Football League]] for the hearts and mind of the football-loving public in the dominion; as established, the NRL is dominant on the eastern seaboard while the AFL is tops from most of the inland of the country all the way out to the west coast. There have been considerable efforts from organizers of both codes to gain interest on the other side of their traditional territories to little avail.

** Apart from their terrible records, they've also [[BankruptcyBarrel suffered from financial problems]] throughout their club history. Their nearly 50 year drought was so bad that legendary coach Jack Gibson said that waiting for Cronulla to win a premiership was like "leaving your porchlight on for [[UsefulNotes/AustralianPolitics Harold Holt]]".

* The '''Dolphins'''[[note]]They are owned by the semi-professional rugby league club Redcliffe Dolphins, but they are separately licensed and is their fully professional spin-off club.[[/note]] -- The newest addition to the NRL.

** The fourth NRL team in the state of Queensland, and the second in the city of Brisbane.

** Remarkably, they've had no wooden spoons in their 62 season history, the longest period of any current club.

** Noted for being currently coached by Wayne Bennett, who helped Brisbane win 6 premierships
** Also noted for having some of the most fiercely loyal fans in the NRL, who tend to get ''extremely'' violent and unreasonable when the team is not doing well.

* The '''Dolphins''' -- The newest addition to the NRL.

''NRL Teams:'' There are 16 teams in the current league, 15 from Australia, 1 from New Zealand.

* The '''Gold Coast Titans''' -- the newest addition to the NRL.

** As of 2015 their future remains in doubt, as they've been placed in financial takeover by the League in wake of their debt of 35 million dollars and a parta

** First season: 1947,

** Premierships: 1991, 2003, 2021

* '''Newcastle Rebels''' (1908-1909): Left the NSWRL to join the Newcastle Rugby League ([[NamesTheSame NRL]]).

* '''Catalan Dragons''' – the sole French team, based in Perpignan.

* '''Toronto Wolfpack''' – the first non-European team ever to participate in the RFL system.

* '''Gold Coast Chargers'''(1988-1998): Were formed from literally nothing, with their first squad having nothing but young players, in order to challenge in the NSWRL. They fought admirably, but failed.

** Premierships: 1999, 2012, 2017

** Premierships: 1991, 2003

** Premierships: 1941, 1949, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1977, 1979 (as St. George), 2010 (as St. George-Illawara)

Unlike the NRL, Super League operates with promotion and relegation. Super League is at the top of an elaborate system of leagues organised by England's governing body, the Rugby Football League. The two lower national levels are respectively known as the Championship and League 1; most of the competing clubs hail from England (and more specifically, the North, with Southern teams like the London Broncos being exceptions and certainly seen as such), though another French side, Toulouse Olympique, now competes in the Championship and League 1 has two Welsh teams. The aforementioned Toronto Wolfpack began play in the RFL system in League 1 in 2017, were promoted to the Championship the next season, and made it to Super League two seasons later. The most recent change to the promotion/relegation system took effect with the 2019 season, with the bottom Super League side being relegated and replaced by the winner of a playoff involving the top five Championship sides.

** They had won two premierships in 2007 and 2009 until the trophies were annulled after the club was found out to have breached the salary cap.

** Premierships: 1911, 1912, 1913, 1923, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1940, 1945, 1974, 1975, 2002, 2013, 2018

Unlike the NRL, Super League operates with promotion and relegation. Super League is at the top of an elaborate system of leagues organised by England's governing body, the Rugby Football League. The two lower national levels are respectively known as the Championship and League 1; most of the competing clubs hail from England (and more specifically, the North, with Southern teams like the London Broncos being exceptions and certainly seen as such), another French side, Toulouse Olympique, now competes in the Championship and League 1 has two Welsh teams. The aforementioned Toronto Wolfpack began play in the RFL system in League 1 in 2017, were promoted to the Championship the next season, and made it to Super League two seasons later. The most recent change to the promotion/relegation system took effect with the 2019 season, with the bottom Super League side being relegated and replaced by the winner of a playoff involving the top five Championship sides.

The premier competition in Europe, with the next season in 2020 featuring 10 English teams and one each from France and Canada. Formed as a way by the Australian Super League to gain an upper hand in the War. (All the teams, however, were pre-existing.) The season begins in spring and ends in autumn, meaning it is played at the same time of year as the NRL. This also means the league isn't overshadowed by football. The Super League has a play-off structure leading up to a Grand Final much the same as the NRL, but the long-standing Challenge Cup knock-out competition is still played, separate from the League schedule.

Unlike the NRL, Super League operates with promotion and relegation. Super League is at the top of an elaborate system of leagues organised by England's governing body, the Rugby Football League. The two lower national levels are respectively known as the Championship and League 1; most of the competing clubs hail from England (and more specifically, the North, with Southern teams like the London Broncos being exceptions and certainly seen as such), although a club from UsefulNotes/{{Toronto}} earned promotion to Super League at the end of the 2019 season, a club from France now competes in the Championship and League 1 has two Welsh teams. The most recent change to the promotion/relegation system took effect with the 2019 season, with the bottom Super League side being relegated and replaced by the winner of a playoff involving the top five Championship sides.

* '''Catalan Dragons''' - the sole French team, based in Perpignan.

* '''Toronto Wolfpack''' - the first non-European team ever to participate in the RFL system.

The premier competition in Europe, with 11 English teams and 1 French team. Formed as a way by the Australian Super League to gain an upper hand in the War. (All the teams, however, were pre-existing.) The season begins in spring and ends in autumn, meaning it is played at the same time of year as the NRL. This also means the league isn't overshadowed by football. The Super League has a play-off structure leading up to a Grand Final much the same as the NRL, but the long-standing Challenge Cup knock-out competition is still played, separate from the League schedule.

Unlike the NRL, Super League operates with promotion and relegation. Super League is at the top of an elaborate system of leagues organised by England's governing body, the Rugby Football League. The two lower national levels are respectively known as the Championship and League 1; most of the competing clubs hail from England (and more specifically, the North, with Southern teams like the London Broncos being exceptions and certainly seen as such), although clubs from France and UsefulNotes/{{Toronto}} now compete in the Championship and League 1 has two Welsh teams. However, the current promotion/relegation system between Super League and the Championship does not ensure that any team will actually be promoted or relegated in a given season.

* '''Widnes Vikings'''

The differences from Rugby Union are mostly subtle to outsiders but not really. Union has 15-player teams; League has 13-player teams. Union is traditionally the gentlemen's game (though it can be played by women); League is the working-class game, and is played in professional leagues. And is also played by women. (Note--by women; not girls, and certainly not ladies. There is no such game as "ladies' rugby.")

** Premierships: 1999, 2012

** Minor premierships: 1976, 1977, 1984, 2001, 2009

* The '''St.George-Illawara Dragons''' -- formed via merger between St. George Dragons and the Illawara Steelers.

** Premierships: 1911, 1912, 1913, 1923, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1940, 1945, 1974, 1975, 2002, 2013
** Minor premierships: 1912, 1913, 1923, 1931, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1940, 1941, 1945, 1974, 1975, 1980, 1981, 2004

** TheWoobie of the League. Apart from their terrible records, they've also [[BankruptcyBarrel suffered from financial problems]] throughout their club history. Their nearly 50 year drought was so bad that legendary coach Jack Gibson said that waiting for Cronulla to win a premiership was like "leaving your porchlight on for [[UsefulNotes/AustralianPolitics Harold Holt]]".

Rugby League is the working-class version of UsefulNotes/RugbyUnion. It's mainly played in UsefulNotes/{{Australia}}, [[OopNorth northern England]], Catalonia, UsefulNotes/NewZealand, and UsefulNotes/PapuaNewGuinea.

This is a "working man's game" for the eastern seaboard of Australia, with a long heritage that coexists, sometimes a bit uncomfortably, with the pressures of modern commercial sport. Australians are very good at it, but not (at time of writing) the world champions. This, like basketball and American Football in the USA, means that you have a lot of young men with a lot of money doing silly things in their spare time - only instead of bringing guns into the team's locker room, [[{{Squick}} they have sex with a girl while their mates stand around pleasuring themselves, and defecate in hotel corridors, though not necessarily at the same time]]. (At least if you believe the somewhat hysterical media depiction of the sport - the extent to which this description is actually true of most rugby league players is, at best, highly debatable.)

The regular season begins in autumn and ends in spring. At the end of the season, the team at the top of the table is given a '''minor premiership'''. After the regular season is the Finals, in which the top eight teams compete in a number of knockout and sudden-death games between the top eight teams over four weeks in August and September, until only two teams remain. The remaining teams then compete in what is the premiership-deciding game, the NRL Grand Final, one of Australia's most popular sporting events and, despite what people might say, one of the largest attended club championship events in the world.

Unlike the NRL, Super League operates with promotion and relegation. Super League is at the top of an elaborate system of leagues organised by England's governing body, the Rugby Football League. The two lower national levels are respectively known as the Championship and League 1; most of the competing clubs hail from England, although clubs from France and UsefulNotes/{{Toronto}} now compete in the Championship and League 1 has two Welsh teams. However, the current promotion/relegation system between Super League and the Championship does not ensure that any team will actually be promoted or relegated in a given season.

Unlike the NRL, Super League operates with promotion and relegation. Super League is at the top of an elaborate system of leagues organised by England's governing body, the Rugby Football League. The two lower national levels are respectively known as the Championship and League 1; most of the competing clubs hail from England, although clubs from France and UsefulNotes/{{Toronto}} now competes in the Championship and League 1 has two Welsh teams. However, the current promotion/relegation system between Super League and the Championship does not ensure that any team will actually be promoted or relegated in a given season.

Unlike the NRL, Super League operates with promotion and relegation. Super League is at the top of an elaborate system of leagues organised by England's governing body, the Rugby Football League. The two lower national levels are respectively known as the Championship and League 1; most of the competing clubs hail from England, although a French club now competes in the Championship and League 1 has two Welsh teams plus one from UsefulNotes/{{Toronto}}. However, the current promotion/relegation system between Super League and the Championship does not ensure that any team will actually be promoted or relegated in a given season.