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
Founded in May 1870 by five passionate young gentlemen, Wallaroo Football Club stands as the foundational cornerstone of Rugby in Australia. As the first true open club in Sydney dedicated strictly to the Rugby code, Wallaroo played an instrumental role in cultivating the pioneer era of the game.
By organising the city’s historic first formal matches at the SCG and spearheading the creation of the Southern Rugby Football Union (now the NSWRU) in 1874, the club single-handedly built the competitive framework for the sport in New South Wales. Both the very first captain of New South Wales (1882) and the historic first captain of Australia (1899) were proud Wallaroo men.
While rival teams and opposing clubs frequently came and went throughout the late 19th century, Wallaroo provided the essential stability and leadership that kept the code alive, effectively running the NSWRU for decades. This dominance extended to having a direct hand in bringing forth inter-colonial matches and visits, and taking measures in the interest of Rugby to stymie the advancement of Melbourne-rules.
Although the sweeping introduction of the rigid 1900 district club scheme ultimately forced the independent social entity out of top-flight competitions, Wallaroo’s vast legacy was never erased. The club and its 19th-century pioneers stand as the direct parent of the 20th-century Wallabies and Kangaroos, fundamentally shaping the DNA of rugby (both codes) today.
“…members of the Wallaroo Club, who, though scattered far and wide through the country, still take a lively interest in their old club.”
— Richard Arnold, Captain & Hon. Sec. of the Wallaroo FC,
The Sydney Mail, 21 July 1877
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 Melbourne-rules (now AFL) from Victoria 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.
On the field, Wallaroo FC stood alone with 13 premierships up to the end of 1899. Their nearest rival, Sydney University FC , trailed with nine. Meanwhile since 1882 dozens of Wallaroos won selection for NSW and in 1899 in the first Australian (Wallabies) team. The club could proudly boast that both the first NSW and the first Australian captains were Wallaroo men.
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 OF THE WALLAROO FC
1870: Wallaroo Club Kick-Off
In May 1870 five young gentlemen — led by brothers William ‘Monty’ Arnold and Richard Arnold — formed the Wallaroo Football Club, Australia’s first club dedicated to playing under Rugby rules only. On 18 June the club plays its debut match and the first Rugby game ever held in Sydney.
1870–1880: Wallaroos Reign Supreme
The 1870s were Wallaroo’s dynasty. The club won or held the premiership every year but one (1871), consistently emerging as Sydney’s rightful premier club on season merits.
1871: Wallaroo Football Rules Booklet
The 18-page Wallaroo FC rules booklet is distributed to each player of the Sydney University team, evidencing the club’s guiding role in anchoring Rugby as Sydney’s football code.
1871: First 15-a-side Rugby Game Played
Wallaroo defeat a team from ‘No. 10 Battery of Volunteer Artillery’ in the first 15 vs 15 Rugby match in Sydney and Australia.
1872: Wallaroos Club Membership Limited
To encourage the formation of new Rugby clubs and help grow the game across Sydney, Wallaroo FC limited its membership to 50 players and announced it would establish a second XV (to enable new clubs to have someone to play).
1873: Wallaroo Leads Country Game
In the first recorded Rugby match played by two teams outside of Sydney, Wallaroo player Henry Edmond Southey captained (as schoolmaster) Garroorigang School against Goulburn FC. He shortly afterwards established Oakland’s School at Mittagong.
1874: Last 20-a-side Rugby Game Played
Wallaroo and Sydney University play out a goalless draw in the last first-class level twenty-a-side rugby game in Sydney football.
1874: Wallaroos Lead Moves to Form the NSWRU
The rapid growth in clubs was so successful that the Wallaroos called meetings of all interested clubs to create an overarching impartial body. The new union was formed as ‘The Southern RFU’ (now the NSWRU) with seven founding clubs and three schools.
1875: Irish Wallaroos
Two future Wallaroo FC players — Maurice Barlow & Henry Deane Walsh — are members of the very first Ireland national rugby union team in their debut game against England at Kennington Oval in London.
1877: Wallaroo XI Play Cricket
A cricket team chosen from the Wallaroo FC footballers plays a match against the Oakland’s School.
1877: Wallaroos Thwart University’s Plan
Wallaroo FC delegates at an NSWRU meeting led a decisive counter-charge that buried a Sydney University proposal to abolish scrums and carrying the ball — a change that would have effectively switched NSW rugby clubs en masse to soccer or Melbourne-rules.
1877: Wallaroo at the RFU
Retired Wallaroo player Francis B. Lark attends meetings of the Rugby Football Union in London, serving as the colonial delegate from 1877 until his return to Sydney in early 1880.
1880: Wallaroos Hold Firm to Rugby
Wallaroo FC, The King’s School and a chastened University club refused to support growing pressure from factions and newspapers to switch the NSWRU to Melbourne-rules. NSWRU held on and a separate governing body for Melbourne-rules in NSW was formed.
1880: Lieutenant Bower
James St Clair Bower, Wallaroo player 1879, killed while commanding the Royal Navy schooner HMS Sandfly during a survey cruise of the Solomon Islands. A monument is placed in St Thomas Rest Park in Crows Nest.
1882: Queenslanders Challenge Wallaroo FC
The Wallaroo’s Arnold brothers turned a Brisbane letter asking for a visit to Sydney into the first NSW vs Queensland inter-colonial series under Rugby rules. Wallaroo’s James Brodie captained the first ever NSW team.
1883: First Rugby Whistle
On 15 August 1883, the whistle was used for the first time by a referee in a Rugby game anywhere in the world, with Wallaroo’s ‘Monty’ Arnold officiating a NSW vs Queensland match at Eagle Farm racecourse in Brisbane.
1886: All England’s Wallaroo Man
Charles Wade, a Wallaroo in 1879–80, returns home after studying law at Oxford University. During his stay he was capped eight times for England (1882–1886). Wade turned out for the Wallaroos again in 1887–88.
1887: Clash of the Codes
The founding clubs of Rugby (Wallaroo) and soccer (Wanderers) in Australia met in a cross-code match at Sydney’s Moore Park, bringing the original football pioneers together on the same field for a unique pre-season friendly.
1890: Action at Victoria Barracks
Wallaroo FC played a game on the parade ground at the Barracks against the Permanent Artillery FC. The NSW Permanent Artillery was the colony’s first full-time military unit.
1892: Return to Glory
After a 12-year drought, Wallaroo FC won the premiership by defeating Sydney University in the final of The Royal Agricultural Society’s Challenge Shield. The victory secured for the Wallaroos both the premiership competition (best overall record) and the Shield.
1893–1899: The Spectre of District Football
Wallaroo and the other open-membership clubs faced growing pressure from factions pushing for an electorate-based system where players could only represent the club in their residential district.
1894: Premiership Controversy
Wallaroo FC were awarded the premiership and Union medals under NSWRU rules for the season’s best record. After sustained pressure, the Union rescinded the title and awarded it to Randwick. Wallaroo never accepted the decision and continued to recognise 1894 as their premiership alone.
1896: Sydney Harbour Ferry
A new passenger steamer named ‘S.S. Wallaroo‘ is launched by the North Shore Steam Ferry Co. whose director is Wallaroo FC founder Monty Arnold. Holding 460 passengers, its initial route was the back-and-forth Milsons Point to Circular Quay run (the Sydney Harbour Bridge opened 1932).
1899: Final Wallaroo Premiership and First Wallabies Test Team
After the Wallaroos win 12 of 13 games they are declared premiers before the season has ended. During the British Lions tour that winter Wallaroo’s Frank ‘Banger’ Row captained the first ever Australian team (now called Wallabies). Many other Wallaroos were awarded Test caps in the series.
1900: The End of the Club Era
Just weeks before the 1900 season, the switch to an electorate/district club system was implemented. Despite protests, Wallaroo FC and all existing senior clubs except Sydney University were excluded and effectively left defunct.
1905: The Last Wallaroo Internationals
Stanley Wickham (Wallaroo 1895–96) and Blair Swannell (Wallaroo 1899) became the final players with Wallaroo heritage to represent Australia, taking the field against New Zealand in Dunedin. Kiwi forward Billy Glenn (Wallaroo 1899) toured Great Britain and France with the famous Original All Blacks.
1913: The Federal Wallaroo
Wallaroo’s pioneer 1870 captain Frederick Campbell sold his country estate ‘Yarralumla’ to the Commonwealth to serve as Government House in Canberra. The central brick block was built by Campbell. The family’s historic ‘Duntroon Estate’ is now the suburb of Campbell and the Duntroon Military College.
1915: Trooper ‘Nulla’ Roberts
Ernest Ambrose ‘Nulla’ Roberts, Wallaroo player 1889–98, killed-in-action at Gallipoli while serving with the 7th Light Horse Regiment, AIF.
1918: First Wallaroo Knight
Wallaroo footballer Charles Gregory Wade (see 1886 above) is knighted by King George V for dedicated public service.
Legacy
Although the original Wallaroo Football Club played its last competition game in 1899, its influence on Rugby in Australia was profound. Their rich heritage continues to be celebrated today.
All website text & content © Sean Fagan
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“If the spirit of the Arnolds live in Rugger of the future the League will never kill it. And if so, some day its sponsors will gradually come to feel with more delicate precision the democratic Colonial pulse. They will then administer the great game with the spirit, enthusiasm, progressiveness and breadth of all that is best in Australian sport.”
— The Referee, 19 March 1919
