HISTORY OF THE WALLAROO FC

“THE CONNECTION OF THE WALLAROO team with Rugby football is, in at least one sense, somewhat, like that of the old Tank Stream with the city of Sydney. It was there at the dawn, yet, unlike the old waterway, the Wallaroo club has lost none of its pristine glitter.

Far from being obliterated by the appearance of great antagonists, it has kept going step by step with its compeers, sometimes rising supremely above all, sometimes dropping just one step, but never losing its influential position in the councils off the field, or the battles on the field.”
— The Referee, 8 May 1895

A POTTED HISTORY OF THE WALLAROOS

The Wallaroo FC (established in 1870) was Australia’s first club formed specifically to play football under rugby rules.

The club was founded by a group of young gentlemen who were ‘Old boys’ of Rugby School or other institutions devoted to rugby. Their desire to form an “open” club (a club independent of and not restricted to a school, university or military unit) based on suitable social standing and sporting merit was directly inspired by London’s clubs Blackheath and Richmond, which were then the premier models of amateur rugby.

In its early years, Wallaroo FC dominated a limited schedule against military and school teams and Sydney University. The club capped its membership numbers to encourage and nurture the forming and rise of new rugby clubs.

Wallaroo was the chief organiser of the founding of the NSWRU, played a leading hand in arranging the first cross-border tours involving NSW (now Waratahs), Queensland (Reds) and New Zealand (All Blacks), and actively thwarted attempts by advocates for the rival Victorian (now AFL) code to usurp rugby. Ironically, the rugby foundation dug and laid by the Wallaroos gave rise in 1908 to the birth of rugby league (now NRL & State of Origin) in Australia.

Even though it had won the 1899 Sydney club rugby premiership, Wallaroo FC was abruptly left out in the cold when, just weeks ahead of the start of the 1900 season, rivals successfully introduced a new clubs scheme under a strict district-residency basis.

Despite Wallaroo FC‘s protests, and an exception made to keep the Sydney University club (of course!), it was final.

KEY MILESTONES

under construction

All website text & content © Sean Fagan

[ site homepage ]