Illawarra Steelers

Sean Fagan of RL1908.com

The first rugby league competition in the Illawarra region (on the NSW coast south of Sydney) began just two seasons after the birth of the game in Australia.

In 1910 supporters of the new game formed clubs in the Wollongong, Mt Keira and Bulli areas who played 'friendly' games against each other.

A link with Sydney was immediately established with matches organised against clubs from the lower grade Sydney competitions.

In 1911 the first local competition was played, involving teams from Dapto, Unanderra, Mt Keira, Helensburgh and Wollongong. The Illawarra competition was suspended during WW1 but the game quickly rebuilt and began to thrive over the next few decades.

The first NSW player selected from the Illawarra was Archie O'Neill in 1927 from the Wollongong club. He was soon followed by team mate Fed Buchanan. The first Australian player was Charlie Hazelton - a pacy 19 year old winger from the Port Kembla club - who was part of the 1937 Kangaroos.

From 1946 the region began to play against touring international teams - initially under the name of 'Southern Division' before changing to 'Illawarra' in 1974. That first match in 1946 was against Great Britain at Wollongong Showground. A crowd of 12,000 provided vocal support as their side held on to win by 15-12. It set a trend for following Lions tours and it wasn't until 1958 that Great Britain were able to defeat Southern Division.

Illawarra has produced many Australian representatives including Charlie Hazelton, Frank Johnson, Kevin Schubert, Noel Mulligan, Bobby Dimond and Steve Morris. It also saw some great players join Sydney clubs where they went on to major fame including Graeme Langlands, Bob Fulton, Craig Young and Keith Barnes.

The drain on player talent and the increasing penetration of the Sydney media into the region saw the local competition lose status in the mind of the public. Illawarra sought inclusion in the Sydney competition as the answer. By the the late 1970s with the F6 Freeway and electric rail-line bringing Wollongong within easy access of Sydney the entry of an Illawarra club became imperative.

Thoughts of entry into the NSWRL competition had first arisen in 1939 after South Coast (Group 7) defeated eventual Sydney premiers Balmain in the State Cup - the arrival of WW2 soon put an end to that. The entry of Manly and Parramatta in 1947 further delayed any push for Illawarra's inclusion until a serious attempt was made in late 1954. The bid though was thwarted by the Country Rugby League which feared losing such an integral part of its playing stocks.

Rugby league in the Illawarra continued to be strong and in the early 1960s had wins over Parramatta, Canterbury, Wests and Toowoomba under its belt. The CRL repeatedly vetoed all approaches by Illawarra to the NSWRL for inclusion in the Sydney competition.

In 1978 Illawarra won the Country Championship and reached the quarter-finals of the Amco Cup with wins over Balmain, Valleys and Norths (Brisbane) along the way. Meanwhile, the Illawarra Mercury moved to a 'Sydney League' coverage at the expense of the local game and the Illawarra Hawks (basketball) and Wollongong City (soccer) gained entry into national competitions.

When Illawarra again went to the NSWRL in late 1980 they had a compelling argument for inclusion - the game's future in the Illawarra. Headed by Kevin Humphries, Ken Arthurson and Peter Moore, the NSWRL ensured that nothing stood in the way of Illawarra's inclusion in the 1982 Sydney competition.

The Steelers name was adopted in recognition of the steel industry that dominated the region and who provided financial support to the club. The colours of scarlet jersey and white shorts were reflective of the Illawarra area's representative sports teams.

The scarlet colour is thought to have been adopted from the Illawarra flame tree. Another theory is that soccer was popular with many of the miners in the late 19th century - they often arrived at games still wearing their scarlet coloured work clothing.

The Steelers first match was on 28th February, 1982 when 9,652 attended Wollongong Showground to see the Steelers lose 17-7 to Penrith. Brian Hethrington became the club's first NSW representative when selected in the 1984 series, despite the club performing poorly in its early seasons. Alan McIndoe became the first Australian representative after playing for Australia v the "Rest of the World" at the SFS in 1988.

The Steelers failed to ignite the premiership at all during their first decade. Their only highlight coming in the mid-week Panasonic Cup of 1989. Illawarra reached the Final against Brisbane. Held at Parramatta, the Broncos raced to a 16-0 lead before the Steelers hit back.

Illawarra's best were Brett Rodwell, Rod Wishart, and English imports Andy Gregory and Steve Hampson. The Steelers fought back to be behind 16-14 into the final quarter before Brisbane held on to win by 22-20. Despite the loss, the Cup campaign had given the club a new spirit.

In 1990 the Steelers rose up to achieve a mid-table finish, which it maintained through 1991. The season also saw Rod Wishart become the club's first Test representative when selected for the 2nd Test v New Zealand.

Illawarra won their only ever trophy after defeating Brisbane by 4-2 in a tryless Tooheys Challenge final at Dubbo in the 1992 pre-season. With coach Graham Murray at the helm, the Illawarra side included David Riolo, John Simon, Ryan Girdler, Paul McGregor, Dale Fritz, Ian Russell, John Cross, Dean Schifilliti, Alan McIndoe and Chris Walsh.

The Steelers were inspired by the win and set about being one of the top sides of 1992. The club established new records in home crowds and Origin representation. It also played against Great Britain and made the semi-finals for the first time.

Illawarra became the first club since Cronulla in 1973 to win a semi-final at their first attempt after held off St George by 18-16. Late season injuries though were taking their toll and a disappointing loss to Brisbane in the next semi-final saw Illawarra again front St George in the Final.

Illawarra cut St George open on numerous occasions during the match but were frustrated by forward pass calls, dropped ball and close decisions going against them. At fulltime St George had won by 4-0 to leave the Steelers bitterly disappointed that they had missed their chance at a Grand Final.

A spate of injuries ruined any hopes in 1993 of the Steelers building on their 1992 success and the club finished outside of the final five places. Under coach Andrew Farrar the Illawarra side returned to the play-offs in 1997 after strong wins in the final two games of the season over Wests (34-10) and the Gold Coast (28-6).

Facing the Chargers in the first semi-final at Parramatta, the Steelers produced a bumbling performance to lose by 25-14 despite the sparkling work of rising playmaker Trent Barrett.

In 1998 the Steelers were well placed for a semi-finals berth until they lost seven of their last eight games to finish 12th in the twenty team NRL competition.

The club was struggling financially when the NRL's incentive to reduce clubs by mergers became too appealing for the Steelers to continue to stand alone.

An offer to join the neighbouring St George club in rugby league's first ever joint venture was accepted at the end of the 1998 season, forming the St George - Illawarra Dragons. Through the Dragons, who play half their home games in Wollongong, first-class standard rugby league continues to be played in the Illawarra.

In the longer term, the possibility of the region again providing a home for a stand-alone club seem remote.

The Illawarra boasts an economic and population base comparable to (if not better) than other areas already in the NRL or mooted as possible entrants for the future. However, unless a private consortium is developed from committed supporters within the Illawarra business community, a return of the Steelers is unlikely.