City New South Wales rugby league team

City
Team information
Governing bodyNew South Wales Rugby League
Head coachBrad Fittler
CaptainPaul Gallen
Most caps12Joe Pearce
Top try-scorer11Brian Carlson
Top point-scorer91Michael Cronin
Team results
First game
City 29–8 Country
(10 June 1911)
First City vs Country Origin
City Origin 30–22 Country Origin
(16 May 1987)
Biggest win
City 55–2 Country (17 May 1980)
Biggest defeat
Country Origin 42–10 City Origin (8 June 2001)

The Sydney Rugby League team, known as the City Rugby League team, or Sydney Firsts, or Sydney Capitals, is a representative rugby league team. From 2021, the men's team is to consist of players selected from the New South Wales Rugby League Ron Massey Cup competition to play against a combined team selected from Country, New South Wales competitions. The women's team is selected on a region of origin basis from the NSWRL Women's Premiership.

The reorganisation in 2021 means the Sydney / City team is selected from a third-tier competition, as the Ron Massey Cup sits below the first-tier National Rugby League and the second-tier New South Wales Cup. Previously, the Sydney / City team was selected from the first-tier competition. The first match by a Sydney Metropolitan team was held in 1909 against New Zealand. The first match against a Country representative team was held in 1911. Matches by Sydney against international touring teams continued until the 1970s. Annual matches by City against Country were played in most years until 1993. A City vs Country Origin match was introduced in 1987 and this ran until 2017, with a three season hiatus in the years 1998 to 2000.

History

The New South Wales City team first competed against New South Wales Country on 10 June 1911 which City won 2–8. The first time the match was made an annual event began in 1928 with NSW Country defeating City 35–34.

A Sydney team was assembled for the 1953 American All Stars tour of Australia and New Zealand. The first City V Country origin match occurred on 16 May 1987 with City running out winners 30–22.

In 2016, it was announced by the NRL that the City V Country fixture was to be scrapped beyond the 2017 season. The reasons behind the decision were to clubs pulling their players out of the match and others cited player drain as a reason for the fixture to be culled. There was also a sentiment that the fixture had gone from being a genuine audition match for a potential New South Wales origin jersey to being a regular game as most of the New South Wales side had already been picked prior to the match starting.[1]

On 14 May 2017, the final City v Country fixture was played with NSW City defeating Country 20–8.[2][3]

Overall, New South Wales City were much more successful than New South Wales Country winning a total of 68 games in the annual fixture as opposed to Country's 22 wins with City winning each year from 1976 to 1991.

Location

Any players whose junior football was played for a club within the greater area of Sydney city is deemed eligible to play for the City RL. Meanwhile, anyone from outside the Sydney area can be considered for selection for Country RL Team.

Men's City v Country Match

2022 Squad

The City squad for the 2022 Open Age Men's match against Country. The team is coached by Brett Cook.[4]

J# Position Player Ron Massey Cup Club
1 Five-eighth Clayton Faulalo Wentworthville Magpies
2 Wing Eparama Navale Mounties
3 Centre, Five-eighth Eli Roberts Hills District Bulls
4 Centre Raymond Lesoa St Marys Saints
5 Wing Edward Aiono St Marys Saints
6 Five-eighth, Halfback Keiran Hayman Hills District Bulls
7 Halfback Jesse Marschke Hills District Bulls
8 Prop Antonio Pelesasa St Marys Saints
9 Hooker Brad Keighran Hills District Bulls
10 Prop Niko Apelu Wentworthville Magpies
11 Second-row Steven Tavita Hills District Bulls
12 Second-row Patrick Hollis St Marys Saints
13 Lock Denzal Tonise Hills District Bulls
14 interchange, Hooker Jarrod Brackenhofer St Marys Saints
15 interchange, Second-row Joe Vaegaau St Marys Saints
16 interchange, Second-row Cleveland McGhie Ryde-Eastwood Hawks
17 interchange, Prop D'rhys Miller Western Suburbs Magpies
18 interchange, Lock Lopeti Mafi Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles

Note: Eli Levido, Manaia Rudolph, Caleb Uele (all Glebe) and Semisi Kioa (Mounties) were named in the selected squad but are not named in the programme.

Women's City vs Country Match

City v Country Women's matches were occasionally played prior to the re-introduction of a stand-alone match in 2017. In 2018 and 2019 the games were played within the National Championships. The 2020 National Championships were cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Australia. In 2021 the National Championships were reorganised, and an open age City v Country Women's Origin was scheduled separately from the National Championships.

2022 Squad

The following players were selected in the City Origin Women's team to play on 14 May 2022 at 4 Pines Park.[4] The team was coached by Darrin Borthwick.

J# Player 2022 State Club Position(s) City NRLW 2021 State Interstate Tests All
Stars
Dbt S M T G Pts Dbt S M T G Pts 2018 2019 2020 2021
1 Jaime Chapman Tweed Heads Fullback 1 1 0 0 0 2020 2 9 3 0 12 3m 6m 3t 4m 1t 2m 2t
2 Taina Naividi Mounties Wing 2021 2 2 0 0 0 2021 1 5 0 0 0 5m 10m 9t
3 Mareva Swann Mounties Centre 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8m 6t
4 Andie Robinson Cronulla Centre 1 1 1 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 9m 4t
5 Leianne Fiaoo Cronulla Centre, Wing 1 1 0 0 0 2021 1 7 2 0 8 7m 2t 11m 11t 1m 1t
6 Emily Curtain Wests Tigers Five-eighth 1 1 0 0 0 2021 1 3 1 0 4 3m 1t 10m 6t 32g
7 Maddie Studdon Cronulla Halfback 2018 4 8 2 14 36 2018 4 13 1 15 35 2m 4m 8g 2m 5m 1t 7g 9m 3t 45g 7m 1t 7g 6m 1t 13g 3m 2g
8 Filomina Hanisi Mounties Prop 2020 2 2 0 0 0 2020 2 9 0 0 0 4m 5m 9m 2m 1t
9 Renee Targett North Sydney Hooker 2021 2 2 0 0 0 2021 1 6 0 0 0 6m 10m
10 Tommaya Kelly-Sines Mounties Prop 2021 2 2 0 0 0 2021 1 4 0 0 0 4m 7m 2t 2m 1t
11 Shaylee Bent Wynnum Manly Second-row 2019 1 3 1 0 4 2019 3 13 2 0 8 4m 1t 2m 7m 1t 6m 1m 4m
12 Talei Holmes Cronulla Second-row 2020 2 2 0 0 0 2020 2 7 0 0 0 3m 4m 11m 13t 1m
13 Kennedy Cherrington Cronulla Lock 2020 2 2 0 0 0 2020 2 9 0 0 0 4m 5m 10m 3t 1m 2m
14 Shirley Mailangi South Sydney interchange, Hooker 2021 2 2 0 0 0 2021 1 5 0 0 0 5m 11m 4t 1g
15 Fatafehi Hanisi Mounties interchange, Prop 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2m
16 Christian Pio Wests Tigers interchange, Prop 2021 2 2 0 0 0 2021 1 4 2 0 8 4m 2t 10m 2t
17 Brooke Anderson Cronulla interchange 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
18 Tayla Preston Wests Tigers Five-eighth 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6m 2t 6g
19 Rima Pirini Butler Wentworthville interchange, Prop 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9m 3t
Jocephy Daniels Mounties Centre 2021 1 1 2 0 8 2021 1 3 0 0 0 3m 10m 12t 1m
Aliti Namoce Sagano North Sydney Second-row, Prop 2019 2 3 0 0 0 2019 2 7 0 0 0 3m 4m 6m 3t

Match Details

14 May 2017
City Origin 20 – 8 Country Origin
15 May 2021
2:35 PM
City Origin 40 – 16 Country Origin
Tries: 9
Jessica Sergis 3
Shanice Parker 2
Jocephy Daniels 2
Tiana Penitani
Corban Baxter
Goals: 2
Maddie Studdon 2
Report[5]
Tries: 3
Jocelyn Kelleher
Tayla Predebon
Rachael Pearson
Goals: 2
Rachael Pearson 2
Bankwest Stadium,
Parramatta, New South Wales
Referee: Cameron Turner
Player of the Match: Jessica Sergis

2017 final City vs Country Origin Match

Squad

City NSW rugby league team
2017 squad Coaching staff

Head coach



Legend:
  • (c) Captain(s)
  • (vc) Vice-captain(s)



Match Details

7 May 2017
4:00pm (AEST)
Country Origin 10 – 20 City Origin
Tries:
Anthony Don (36') 1
Adam Elliott (58') 1
Goals:
Michael Gordon 1/2
(38')
[6]
Tries:
1 (10') David Gower
1 (49') James Tamou
1 (80') Bryce Cartwright
Goals:
3/3 Clint Gutherson
(12', 40' pen, 51')
1/1 Paul Gallen
(80')
Glen Willow Regional Sports Stadium,
Mudgee, New South Wales
Attendance: 8,322
Referee: Ashley Klein, Alan Shortall
Player of the Match: James Tamou

See also

References

  1. ^ "NRL 2015: How will the City v Country fixture be remembered?". Fox Sports.
  2. ^ "City v Country Origin: Full-strength line-ups if it were a genuine NSW Origin trial". Fox Sports. May 2017.
  3. ^ "NRL scraps City v Country fixture, last edition to be played in Mudgee in 2017". ABC News. 20 November 2016.
  4. ^ a b "Country and City squads announced for rep weekend". NSWRL. 4 May 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  5. ^ Newton, Alicia (15 May 2021). "Studdon puts hand up for Origin recall as City beat Country". NRL. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  6. ^ https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/matches/city-vs-country-2017/nsw-country-vs-nsw-city.html [dead link]

External links

  • Official website
  • City vs Country History
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