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HISTORY Establishment of the Queensland Rugby League The Queensland Rugby League was formed in 1908 by seven Rugby Union players who were dissatisfied with the administration of the Queensland Rugby Union (QRU). The new organisation was attacked by both the local press and the QRU for introducing professionalism, which they claimed would destroy the sport. The "founding fathers" of the QRL included John Fihelly , an Australian Labor Party Member of Parliament who became Minister for Railways and Deputy Premier. The first official club competition kicked off in Brisbane on May 8 1909 . Matches were played under the auspices of the Queensland Rugby Football League (QRFL, later QRL). The foundation clubs were:
Schism: establishment of the Brisbane Rugby League In 1922 the Brisbane Rugby Football League (BRFL, later BRL) was formed out of dissatisfaction with the way the QRFL ran the game. Those involved took particular exception to the salary being earned by Harry Sunderland as secretary of the QRL. The BRFL took control of the local competition. Competing in the BRFL competition that year were Brothers, Carltons, Coorparoo, University, Valley and Grammars. Although the QRL attempted to regain control of the BRL competition in 1923 and 1924 , the BRL remained steadfast and the dispute simmered into the next decade. During this time the QRL continued to hold its own Brisbane competition. Until 1932 the Brisbane Exhibition Ground was the home of rugby league in the city. The complicated arrangement between the BRL, QRL and Royal National Association (who administered the Exhibition Ground) led to the The Gabba being used for rugby league matches. In 1933 district football was introduced to provide community support and player equalisation. This meant that players had to live within a certain distance of their club. Accordingly Brisbane was divided into Eastern Suburbs (incorporating Cooparoo and Wynnum), Southern Suburbs (incorporating Carltons), Western Suburbs , Northern Suburbs (incorporating Grammers), Fortitude Valley and Past Brothers (whose players had to prove that they had attended a Christian Brothers school). In 1934 University returned to Rugby Union . The dispute was finally ended in 1953 when the BRL and QRL administrations were finally united. Former BRL chairman and QRL secretary Ron McAullife secured the use of Lang Park as a permanent home for rugby league in Queensland . Teams that joined the BRL competition around this time were South Coast ( 1952 - 1955 ), Wynnum-Manly ( 1952 ) and Recliffe ( 1955 ). Decline In 1967 the QRL removed the residential qualifications for player in BRL clubs, meaning that players did not have to reside in their certain suburbs to play for their teams. This reduced community support for teams, and club decisions began to be made on a more commerical basis. This coincided with the commencement of television telecasts of BRL games in the same year. The money made from jersey sponsorships and advertising hoardings at ground was not able to compete with poker machine money available to clubs in the New South Wales Rugby League and an increasing number of players left the BRL. This also effected the popularity of the Bulimba Cup (rugby League Competition) that had been held between Brisbane, Ipswich and Toowoomba since the 1930s. The effect of television coverage on attendences begame pronounced by the mid-1970s and crowds began to desert the BRL competition. Clubs found themselves in financial hardship, and the public began to support the Sydney competition that was now broadcast in Queensland. The QRL commissioned Eric White Associates to investigate the administrative structure of the game in Queensland in 1977 . One of the recommendations was the creation of a state-wide competition. The Winfield State League was created in 1982 . The State League competition ran in parallel to the BRL competition from 1982 to 1995 . The Queensland Cup (rugby League Competition) would eventually replace both it and the BRL competition in the 1990s. In the 1980s, two further teams were added to the BRL competition: Ipswich ( 1985 ) and Logan ( 1988 ). In 1985 the New South Wales Rugby League decided to allow a team from Brisbane to enter the Sydney competition. The Brisbane Broncos debuted in the NSWRL in 1988 . As the Broncos began to represent Brisbane at rugby league in the public eye the BRL competition entered the terminal phase of its decline. The BRL premiership was supersceded by the Queensland Cup competition in 1998 . Redcliffe won the last BRL Grand Final in 1997 defeating Easts 18-16. TEAMS GRAND FINAL RESULTS Queensland Rugby League premiership (1909-1921) Brisbane Rugby League premiership (1922-1997) QUOTES
SOURCES # Queensland Rugby League History by World of Rugby League, retrieved December 7, 2005 # "The Decline of Brisbane Community Culture - An Oral History Perspective" by Greg Mallory, retrieved December 7, 2005 # "Key 'Milestones' Affecting Community and Administration in the Brisbane Rugby League: 1922 -1987" by Greg Mallory, retrieved December 7, 2005 SEE ALSO |
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