The North Queensland Cowboys and New Zealand Warriors are celebrating their 30th year in the NRL this year. Back then, it was a whole different world.
They weren’t the only teams to arrive in the 1995 season. The Western Reds and South Queensland Crushers were also brought into an expanded competition.
Western Reds
Before Rugby League invaded AFL heartland by giving us the Melbourne Storm, they branched out into Western Australia.
Western Australia’s Rugby League history dates back to 1948, when the Western Australian Amateur Rugby League was formed. The Western Reds were formed in 1994 and set up shop at the WACA. The Reds recruited well, with names like Mark Geyer, Brad McKay and Michael Potter
In their first home game, they would play the St George Dragons. While the other new teams had all lost, the Reds were able to overcome their more fancied opponents and ran out 28 to 16 winners. They would win 11 games and finish 11th on the ladder, one place behind the Warriors (then known as the Auckland Warriors).
Embed from Getty ImagesThe 1996 season wouldn’t be a good season for the Reds as they finished with six wins and one draw from 22 games. Due to their affiliation with the rebel Super League, the Reds would forfeit their round one game against the Dragons.
In 1997, the rugby league landscape had changed. The competition was split into the ARL and the Super League. The ARL had 12 teams, while the Super League had 10. In the 10-team competition, the Reds didn’t fare better than the 96 season. Winning five games, their best wins of the season came in round four of that season against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (Bulldogs finished fourth on the ladder), and the Penrith Panthers (Panthers finished fifth).
The 1997 season would be the Reds’ final season; they would fold after due to the formation of the NRL. The organisation also had a debt of $ 10 million, paying for the opposition side’s airfare to travel to the west.
There have been calls from certain sections of NRL fans to bring a side back to Western Australia. If Peter V’landys and Andrew Abdo were serious about growing the game in Australia, they would choose the West as the next expansion side.
South Queensland Crushers
The other team to enter the ARL in 1995 was the South Queensland Crushers. They would be the third Queensland side, with the Brisbane Broncos and the Cowboys.
The Crushers were the second Brisbane team when it was thought the city was big enough for two teams. No doubt it is; however, maybe the timing was not right.
Established names such as Trevor Gillmeister, Mark Hohn, and Mario Fenech were signed, while future stars Clinton Schifcofske, Scott Sattler and Chris McKenna got their start there.
The Crushers didn’t get off to a flying start, losing their first five games. The first win would be against the North Sydney Bears. Overall, the Crushers would win six games in their inaugural season and have one draw, finishing 16th on the ladder.
Embed from Getty ImagesThings wouldn’t improve in their second season, with the Crushers getting the wooden spoon. Winning only six games, technically, their most significant win was against the Canberra Raiders in round one, but that was due to forfeit. They would defeat the Parramatta Eels and the Panthers.
Like 1996, 1997 was not the year for the Crushers, even in a 12-team competition. Even though wins were few and far between, the Crushers had a few significant ones. They defeated the Sydney Roosters (the Roosters finished fifth) and the Eels (the Eels finished third). The Crushers would also win their final match against the Western Suburbs Magpies.
Like the Reds, when the Super League/ARL war ended, and the NRL was formed, the Crushers were casualty of a condensed competition.
Today, Brisbane has a second team with the addition of the Dolphins (also known as the Redcliffe Dolphins). But if success had happened a bit earlier, maybe they would be celebrating their 30th as well.
Author’s Note: The Rugby League Project was a resource used in this article. I highly recommend checking it out if you would like to revisit fondly remembered games.