Harold Matthews Cup
Current season or competition:
[[2022 Harold Matthews Cup]]
SportRugby league
Instituted1970
Inaugural season1970
Number of teams15
Country Australia (15 teams)
Premiers Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (2023)
Most titles Parramatta Eels (20 titles)
WebsiteHarold Matthews Cup
Broadcast partnerNSWRL channel on facebook
Related competitionAndrew Johns Cup
S. G. Ball Cup

The NSWRL Harold Matthews Cup is a junior rugby league competition played in New South Wales between teams made up of players aged under 16. The competition is administered by the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL). The competition is made up of NSW-based clubs and includes both junior representative teams of the elite National Rugby League (NRL) and clubs that do not field teams in the NRL competition.

The competition is named after Harold Matthews, a Balmain Tigers secretary who later was appointed as manager of the Australian Test squad and later went on to become secretary of the NSWRL and ARL.[1][2]

The clubs

In 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022, 15 clubs fielded teams in the NSWRL UNE Harold Matthews Cup.

In the 1970s and early 1980s the Harold Matthews Cup was played in a carnival format over three to five successive days. Teams from the country groups and regions competed alongside representative teams from the NSWRL clubs of Sydney. The competition later changed to a partial round-robin format.

Former teams in the Harold Matthews Cup include: Gold Coast Titans (2009), Melbourne Storm (2013-14), South-Western Sydney Academy of Sport (2008–16) and Western Sydney Academy of Sport (2007–17).

After the sixth round on March 14 & 15, the 2020 competition was suspended and subsequently cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.[3]

Harold Matthews Cup Premiers

Year Age Premiers Runners Up Report
1970 Parramatta Eels
1971 Parramatta Eels
1972 Parramatta Eels
1973 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
1974 South Sydney Rabbitohs
1975 Parramatta Eels
1976 U/14s Parramatta Eels
1977 U/14s Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
1978 U/14s Canberra Rugby League (CRL) Parramatta Eels CT[4]
1979 U/14s Penrith Panthers
1980 U/14s Group 12 (CRL) Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks CT[5]
1981 U/14s Parramatta Eels
1982 U/14s Parramatta Eels
1983 U/14s Group 6 Rugby League (CRL) Penrith Panthers CT[6]
1984 U/14s Canberra Raiders Central Coast CT[7]
1985 U/14s Penrith Panthers
1986 U/15s Parramatta Eels
1987 U/15s Illawarra Steelers
1988 U/15s Parramatta Eels Penrith Panthers CT[8]
1989 U/15s Penrith Panthers
1990 U/15s Parramatta Eels Gold Coast Seagulls
1991 U/15s Gold Coast Seagulls Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
1992 U/15s Newcastle Knights South Sydney Rabbitohs
1993 U/15s Canberra Raiders Parramatta Eels CT[9]
1994 U/15s Parramatta Eels Penrith Panthers
1995 U/15s Canberra Raiders Parramatta Eels CT[10]
1996 U/15s Illawarra Steelers Newcastle Knights
1997 U/16s Parramatta Eels North Sydney Bears
1998 U/16s Parramatta Eels
1999 U/16s Parramatta Eels South Sydney Rabbitohs
2000 U/16s Newcastle Knights Penrith Panthers
2001 U/16s Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Penrith Panthers
2002 U/16s Penrith Panthers
2003 U/15s Parramatta Eels St George Dragons
Year Age Premiers Score Runners Up Minor Premiers Wooden Spoon Report
2004 U/16s Parramatta Eels 18 – 16 Penrith Panthers Parramatta Eels Western Suburbs Magpies
2005 U/16s Penrith Panthers 38 – 10 Illawarra Steelers Illawarra Steelers Newcastle Knights
2006 U/16s Penrith Panthers 20 – 8 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs North Sydney Bears
2007 U/16s Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 18 – 14 Penrith Panthers Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs North Sydney Bears
2008 U/16s Parramatta Eels 30 – 17 Penrith Panthers Penrith Panthers South-West Academy
2009 U/16s Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 34 – 22 Parramatta Eels Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs South-West Academy
2010 U/16s Penrith Panthers 22 – 12 Parramatta Eels Parramatta Eels South-West Academy
2011 U/16s Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 13 – 12 Illawarra Steelers Illawarra Steelers North Sydney Bears
2012 U/16s Parramatta Eels 39 – 32 Newcastle Knights South Sydney Rabbitohs Sydney Roosters FC[11] OFT[12]
2013 U/16s Parramatta Eels 24 – 16 South Sydney Rabbitohs South Sydney Rabbitohs South-West Academy VH[13] SSR[14]
2014 U/16s Newcastle Knights 34 – 4 Penrith Panthers Newcastle Knights North Sydney Bears CA[15] VR[16]
2015 U/16s Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 30 – 16 Parramatta Eels Parramatta Eels Sydney Roosters PE[17] VH[18]
2016 U/16s Parramatta Eels 16 – 14 Newcastle Knights Parramatta Eels South-West Academy TCT[19] VH[20]
2017 U/16s Newcastle Knights 26 – 20 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles Newcastle Knights Western Suburbs Magpies NH[21] VH[22]
2018 U/16s Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 26 – 18 Parramatta Eels Penrith Panthers North Sydney Bears NSWRL[23] VH[24]
2019 U16/s Newcastle Knights 28 – 8 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Newcastle Knights St George Dragons NSWRL[25] VH[26]
2020 Season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[27]
2021 U17/s Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 24 – 12 Parramatta Eels Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles Canberra Raiders NSWRL[28]
2022 U17/s Western Suburbs Magpies 42 – 16 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Western Suburbs Magpies Central Coast Roosters NSWRL[29]
2023 U17/s Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 32 - 6 Newcastle Knights Penrith Panthers Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles

Premiership Tally

No. Club Seasons
1 Parramatta Eels 20 (1970, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1976, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2016)
2 Penrith Panthers 7 (1979, 1985, 1989, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2010)
3 Newcastle Knights 5 (1992, 2000, 2014, 2017, 2019)
4 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 4 (2007, 2009, 2011, 2023)
4 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 4 (1973, 1977, 2001, 2015)
6 Canberra Raiders 3 (1984, 1993, 1995)
7 Illawarra Steelers 2 (1987, 1996)
7 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 2 (2018, 2021)
9 South Sydney Rabbitohs 1 (1974)
9 Canberra Rugby League (CRL) 1 (1978)
9 Group 12 (Central Coast, CRL) 1 (1980)
9 Group 6 (CRL) 1 (1983)
9 Gold Coast Seagulls 1 (1991)
9 Western Suburbs Magpies 1 (2022)

Bold means that the team is still currently plays in the competition.

See also

References

  1. ^ "1920". TIGERS. Archived from the original on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
  2. ^ New South Wales Rugby Football League. "Harold Matthews - League was his Life". Rugby League news. Sydney: N.S.W. Rugby Football League. Retrieved 7 September 2020 – via Trove.
  3. ^ "NSWRL cancels nine competitions for 2020 season". NSWRL. 27 March 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  4. ^ "Sport in Brief". The Canberra Times. Canberra: National Library of Australia. 24 April 1978. p. 16. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  5. ^ Harrison, Ian (14 August 1980). "Group 12 wins Matthews Cup". The Canberra Times. Canberra: National Library of Australia. p. 16. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  6. ^ "Sports results, details". The Canberra Times. Canberra: National Library of Australia. 4 April 1983. p. 12. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  7. ^ "Under-14 team waits six years for win". The Canberra Times. Canberra: National Library of Australia. 14 April 1984. p. 51. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  8. ^ "Times Sport". The Canberra Times. Canberra: National Library of Australia. 14 June 1988. p. 27. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  9. ^ Kirkman, Janette (2 May 1993). "Excellent U15s roll the Eels". The Canberra Times. Canberra: National Library of Australia. p. 17. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  10. ^ Hannan, Bevan (1 May 1995). "Raiders outclass favourites to take junior title". The Canberra Times. Canberra: National Library of Australia. p. 25. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  11. ^ "Eels win Harold Matthews Cup". Fairfield City Champion. 8 May 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  12. ^ "NSWRL 2012 Harold Matthews Cup - GRAND FINAL". OurFootyTeam. 5 May 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  13. ^ "2013 HMATTS Grand Final". NSWRL. 7 May 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  14. ^ "Under 16s Go Down in Harold Matthews Cup Grand Final in 2013". South Sydney Rabbitohs. 6 May 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  15. ^ "Cessnock boys star in Harold Matthews grand final". Cessnock Advertiser. 14 May 2014. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  16. ^ "2014 Harold Matthews Grand Final". NSWRL. 4 May 2017 [2014]. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  17. ^ "District Reps: Harold Matthews Grand Final". ParraEels. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  18. ^ "Harold Matthews highlights: Grand Final". NSWRL. 13 May 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  19. ^ "Live Blog – Harold Matthews Grand Final vs Newcastle Knights". The Cumberland Throw. 10 May 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  20. ^ "Highlights - 2016 Harold Matthews Cup Grand Final". NSWRL. 10 May 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  21. ^ Gardiner, James (6 May 2017). "Newcastle Knights score in extra-time to snatch thrilling comeback win over Manly Sea Eagles in Harold Matthews Cup final". Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  22. ^ "Highlights - Harold Matthews Cup Grand Final". NSWRL. 10 May 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  23. ^ Masterton, Simon (5 May 2018). "Sea Eagles Win First-Ever UNE Harold Matthews Cup". NSWRL. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  24. ^ "Highlights - UNE Harold Matthews Grand Final". NSWRL. 10 May 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  25. ^ Honeysett, Stuart (4 May 2019). "Newcastle crowned Harold Matthews champions". NSWRL. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  26. ^ "Highlights - UNE Harold Matthews Cup Grand Final". NSWRL. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  27. ^ "NSWRL cancels nine competitions for 2020 season". New South Wales Rugby League. 27 March 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  28. ^ "Fainu puts on masterclass for Harold Matthews decider". NSWRL. 1 May 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  29. ^ Honeysett, Stuart (30 April 2022). "Magpies cap stunning season with Harold Matthews Cup Grand Final win". NSWRL. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
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