The National Rugby League (NRL) is the top league of professional rugby league clubs in Australasia. Run by the Australian Rugby League Commission, however, there has not been a league-wide Reserve Grade competition since 1988, when the former New South Wales Rugby League expanded interstate to make the first attempt at a national competition, with the NRL Reserve Grade competition being shut down at the end of the 2002 season.
As a result, NRL-listed players who are not selected in their senior teams are made eligible to play in one of the second-tier state leagues: the New South Wales Cup or the Queensland Cup. The system used to accommodate NRL-listed players within these leagues varies considerably from state to state.
Current affiliations
In the 2024 season, the seventeen National Rugby League clubs will have the following reserves arrangements.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
NRL club
|
Reserves arrangement
|
Affiliated club
|
Affiliated league
|
Affiliated location
|
Brisbane Broncos
|
Club affiliation (split)
|
Burleigh Bears
|
Queensland Cup
|
Miami (Gold Coast), Qld
|
Club affiliation (split)
|
Souths Logan Magpies
|
Queensland Cup
|
West End (Brisbane), Qld
|
Club affiliation (split)
|
Wynnum Manly Seagulls
|
Queensland Cup
|
Manly West (Brisbane), QLD
|
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
|
Stand-alone reserves team
|
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
|
New South Wales Cup
|
Belmore, NSW
|
Club affiliation
|
Western Clydesdales[note 1]
|
Queensland Cup
|
Toowoomba, Qld
|
Canberra Raiders
|
Stand-alone reserves team
|
Canberra Raiders
|
New South Wales Cup
|
Canberra, ACT
|
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
|
Club affiliation
|
Newtown Jets
|
New South Wales Cup
|
Marrickville (Sydney), NSW
|
Dolphins
|
Club affiliation (split)
|
Central Queensland Capras
|
Queensland Cup
|
Rockhampton, Qld
|
Club affiliation (split)
|
Norths Devils
|
Queensland Cup
|
Nundah (Brisbane), Qld
|
Club affiliation (split)
|
Redcliffe Dolphins
|
Queensland Cup
|
Moreton Bay, Qld
|
Gold Coast Titans
|
Club affiliation (split)
|
Ipswich Jets
|
Queensland Cup
|
Ipswich, Qld
|
Club affiliation (split)
|
Tweed Heads Seagulls
|
Queensland Cup
|
Tweed Heads, NSW
|
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
|
Club affiliation
|
Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles
|
New South Wales Cup
|
Arndell Park (Sydney), NSW
|
Melbourne Storm
|
Club affiliation (split)
|
Brisbane Tigers
|
Queensland Cup
|
Coorparoo (Brisbane), Qld
|
Club affiliation (split)
|
Sunshine Coast Falcons
|
Queensland Cup
|
Kawana Waters (Sunshine Coast), Qld
|
Club affiliation (split)
|
North Sydney Bears
|
New South Wales Cup
|
North Sydney, NSW
|
Newcastle Knights
|
Stand-alone reserves team
|
Newcastle Knights
|
New South Wales Cup
|
Newcastle, NSW
|
New Zealand Warriors
|
Stand-alone reserves team
|
New Zealand Warriors
|
New South Wales Cup
|
Auckland, New Zealand
|
North Queensland Cowboys
|
Club affiliation (split)
|
Mackay Cutters
|
Queensland Cup
|
Mackay, Qld
|
Club affiliation (split)
|
Northern Pride
|
Queensland Cup
|
Cairns, Qld
|
Parramatta Eels
|
Stand-alone reserves team
|
Parramatta Eels
|
New South Wales Cup
|
Parramatta (Sydney), NSW
|
Penrith Panthers
|
Stand-alone reserves team
|
Penrith Panthers
|
New South Wales Cup
|
Penrith (Sydney), NSW
|
South Sydney Rabbitohs
|
Stand-alone reserves team
|
South Sydney Rabbitohs
|
New South Wales Cup
|
Redfern (Sydney), NSW
|
Club affiliation
|
Townsville Blackhawks[note 2]
|
Queensland Cup
|
Townsville, Qld
|
St George Illawarra Dragons
|
Stand-alone reserves team
|
St George Illawarra Dragons
|
New South Wales Cup
|
Wollongong, NSW & Carlton (Sydney), NSW
|
Sydney Roosters
|
Stand-alone reserves team
|
Sydney Roosters
|
New South Wales Cup
|
Sydney, NSW
|
Club affiliation
|
Ipswich Jets[note 3]
|
Queensland Cup
|
Ipswich, Qld
|
Wests Tigers
|
Stand-alone reserves team
|
Western Suburbs Magpies
|
New South Wales Cup
|
Leumeah (Sydney), NSW & Leichhardt (Sydney), NSW
|
- The PNG Hunters in the Queensland Cup are currently the only club in either state-based competition without an NRL affiliation.