History of the Sydney Roosters facts for kids
The Sydney Roosters are a famous rugby league team in Australia. They have a long history, starting way back in 1908 when the sport first began in Australia. They are the only club that has played in every single top-level season of Australian rugby league!
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How the Roosters Started
The Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club, or "Easts" for short, was formed on January 24, 1908. A group of people met at Paddington Town Hall and decided to create a new team to play rugby league. They kept their old team colors from their rugby union days: red, blue, and white. This is why they were often called the "Tricolours." Their main goal was to help rugby league grow in the eastern parts of Sydney.
Easts got a big boost when they signed a very popular player named Dally Messenger. He was a huge star! The team played their first game led by Captain Henry "Jersey" Flegg. They won 32–16 against Newtown in front of 3,000 fans. Even without Dally Messenger for some games (because he played for bigger representative teams), the Tricolours played well in their first season.
Their team included famous players like Dan Frawley, Sandy Pearce, and Dally Messenger. They only lost one regular season game that year! Easts made it to the final, but they lost a very close game 14–12 to the Souths. It was a tough start, but they showed great promise.
In 1911, Easts finally won their first championship! Dally Messenger decided not to tour with the Australian team that year, which helped Easts a lot. They beat Glebe in a two-game series to win their first ever premiership. Messenger was amazing in the final, scoring a try, kicking goals, and even a field goal.
The team kept winning! In 1912, they won again in a very close, muddy game against Glebe, with Dally Messenger kicking a field goal right before the end. In 1913, Easts finished first on the ladder and were given the premiership. This meant they won three championships in a row, which was a first for any team!
The Golden 1930s
The 1930s were a super successful time for the Eastern Suburbs club. In 1930, Arthur Halloway, a former Australian player who had won premierships with Easts in 1912 and 1913, returned as coach. His arrival helped the team finish second in 1930.
By 1935, Easts had an amazing group of players. Some of the best included Dave Brown, Viv Thicknesse, Ray Stehr, and Joe Pearce. These players were so good, they were later named in the Roosters' team of the 20th century!
Dave Brown was a scoring machine! In one game, he scored a record 45 points (5 tries, 15 goals) against Canterbury. He also scored 38 tries in that season, which are records that still stand today. Easts were so dominant that they finished eight points ahead of the next team. They went on to beat Souths 19–3 in the Grand Final, winning another premiership.
The Tricolours then did something incredible: they went two seasons in a row (1936 and 1937) without losing a single game! No other first-grade rugby league club in Australia has ever done that. They won their 6th premiership in 1936 and then completed their second "premiership treble" (three in a row) in 1937. This amazing streak lasted 35 games without a loss!
War Years and More Wins
In 1940, Easts got their revenge on Canterbury by beating them 24–14 in the Grand Final. This was their fourth premiership in six years! They made it to the Grand Final again in 1941 but lost to St. George. In 1945, with three tries and five goals from Dick Dunn, Easts won the premiership 22–18 against Balmain.
The Birth of the Rooster Mascot
For many years, the Eastern Suburbs club was simply known as the "Tricolours" because of their red, white, and blue jerseys. Sometimes, they were also called the "Beachsiders" or "Seasiders."
In the 1960s, the club changed their jersey design to have a V-shape, similar to popular French teams. These French teams often had a rooster badge on their jerseys. Because of this, the Eastern Suburbs club started to be called the "Roosters."
However, some older fans say the rooster was linked to the club even earlier, in the 1930s. They point to old newspaper photos showing a rooster weather vane pointing east when talking about the team. The idea was that since Eastern Suburbs is in the east, it's where the sun rises, and where the rooster would crow first! The club hasn't officially confirmed either story, but the rooster stuck!
In 1960, the Roosters made it to the Grand Final, but they faced the mighty St. George team, who were in the middle of winning eleven premierships in a row! Easts lost 31–6. After that, the Roosters had some tough years, even failing to win a single game in 1966. But in 1967, with new coach Jack Gibson, they improved a lot and finished fourth.
The Glory Years of the 1970s
The 1970s were a fantastic decade for the Roosters. They played in three Grand Finals and won two of them! In 1972, they reached the Grand Final against Manly but lost after making some mistakes.
With more money coming in, the Roosters brought back coach Jack Gibson. They also signed amazing players like Mark Harris, Bill Mullins, Russell Fairfax, and their captain, Arthur Beetson.
In 1974 and 1975, the Roosters were unstoppable! They lost only five regular-season games over both years and won back-to-back premierships. In 1974, they won the minor premiership easily. They beat Canterbury 19–4 in the Grand Final, with tries from Arthur Beetson, Mark Harris, and Bill Mullins.
Their winning streak continued in 1975. After a slow start, they went on an incredible 19-game winning streak, which is still a record for most consecutive wins in Australian rugby league! They won the minor premiership by a huge margin. In the Grand Final, the Roosters crushed the Dragons 38–0 to win their 11th premiership. This was a record Grand Final score at the time!
In 1976, the Roosters were pioneers in the game by getting a jersey sponsor, City Ford. This was a big deal and soon other clubs followed, making jersey sponsorship common today. The Roosters remained strong, winning more pre-season cups. In 1977, Queen Elizabeth II herself presented the trophy to captain Arthur Beetson and Bob Fulton after a pre-season win!
The Roosters made it to the Grand Final again in 1980 but lost to the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. They continued to be a competitive team in the early 1980s.
The "Robbo" Resurrection
After some less successful years, the Roosters got a new coach in 2013, Trent Robinson, often called "Robbo." They also had a new captain, Anthony Minichiello, who had played for the Roosters since 2000.
The team also signed exciting new players like Michael Jennings, James Maloney, and the famous Sonny Bill Williams. The 2013 season was fantastic! The Roosters won the minor premiership by beating their rivals South Sydney in the final round.
They then beat the Manly Sea Eagles 4–0 in a very low-scoring finals game. This was the sixth time that season the Roosters had stopped their opponents from scoring any points, which is an NRL record! They went on to win their 13th premiership in the Grand Final, beating the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 26–18. Sonny Bill Williams and James Maloney played brilliantly. Trent Robinson became the first coach since Ricky Stuart to win the premiership in his first year!
In 2014, the Roosters won the World Club Challenge, beating Wigan Warriors. They also won the minor premiership again but lost in the preliminary final. This was Anthony Minichiello's last game, and he became the club's leading try scorer. In 2015, they won their third minor premiership in a row, but injuries stopped them from reaching the Grand Final.
After a tough 2016 season, the Roosters signed Luke Keary and Michael Gordon for 2017. They won the Auckland Nines tournament and finished second in the regular season. However, they lost in the preliminary final, missing out on the Grand Final again.
"Something...that will be remembered for 100 years"
The Roosters were determined to win a premiership. They signed star fullback James Tedesco and legendary halfback Cooper Cronk for the 2018 season. Many people thought they had to win the Grand Final with these new players.
After a slow start, the Roosters won 12 of their last 16 games and won the minor premiership. They beat the Sharks in the first week of the finals. Then, in the last ever game at the Sydney Football Stadium, they beat their rivals South Sydney 12–4 in the preliminary final. Luke Keary was amazing in this game, especially after Cooper Cronk got injured early on.
The Roosters made it to the Grand Final against the Melbourne Storm. Many thought Cronk wouldn't be able to play, and that the Storm would be too strong. But they were wrong! Cooper Cronk played almost the whole game, and Sydney won 21–6 to claim their 14th premiership! Luke Keary won the Clive Churchill Medal for being the best player in the Grand Final. Coach Trent Robinson won his second premiership.
In 2019, the Roosters had a chance to do something very special: win back-to-back premierships! This is very hard to do in modern rugby league. They started the year by beating the Wigan Warriors in England to win the World Club Challenge.
The Roosters played their home games at the Sydney Cricket Ground while their usual stadium was being rebuilt. They only lost one game there all season! They finished second in the regular season and then beat the Rabbitohs in the first week of the finals. They then beat the minor premiers, the Melbourne Storm, 14–6 in the preliminary final.
Only the Canberra Raiders stood between the Roosters and history. With tries from Sam Verrills and James Tedesco, the Roosters won 14–8, even after Cooper Cronk was sent off the field for a short time. Coach Trent Robinson told his players that they had "put something in the jersey that will be remembered for 100 years." They had won back-to-back premierships!
Team Song
The Roosters have a team song called "Rooster Man," which is a new version of the song "Macho Man." But many traditional fans still love the old club song, "Here Come the Roosters":
Easts know how to play the game, they play it hard and fair, Easts know how to win the game, they win more than their share. They're great to see in action, these boys who show the way, Put the Roosters on the field, they'll show you how to play. Here come the Roosters, the best we've ever seen, The red, white and bluesters, the Eastern Suburbs team.
"Easts to win" shout the cry that everybody knows, If you play this football game beware the Roosters crow. They're great to see in action, these boys who show the way, Put the roosters on the field, they'll show you how to play. Here come the Roosters, the best we've ever seen, The red, white and bluesters, the Eastern Suburbs team.
Images for kids
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From 1995 to 1999, a new logo was adapted to represent name change to the Sydney City Roosters.
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Sydney City Roosters "90 Seasons" logo, celebrating the 90th year of the club's existence in 1997.
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The first of two 100 year logos, this logo was used exclusively in season 2007 to honour the Sydney Roosters 100th season.
