Western Suburbs Rosellas
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| Rosella | |
| Club information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Western Suburbs Rugby League Football Club |
| Website | http://www.westrosellas.com.au |
| Colours |
Green Red Black White |
| Founded | 1910 |
| Current details | |
| Ground(s) |
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| Competition | Newcastle Rugby League |
The Western Suburbs Rosellas, Western Suburbs, Wests, The Rosellas or The Maggots (local nickname) are a Rugby League club based in the Newcastle, NSW region of Australia. It was a foundation member of the Newcastle Rugby League in 1909 and has been one of the most successful teams in that competition. The club has had a number of players represent Australia including Wally Prigg, a member of the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame.Johnny Raper, another member of the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame played for Wests after he finished playing for the St. George Dragons.
A strike in 1909 hastened the conversion to the professional code and the club was formed in New Lambton, though no Rebels players had joined. Playing in red and green, their first match was on 14 May 1910 where they lost to South Newcastle 18-0. They withdrew from the competition midyear.
The club has been known as the Rosellas since at least 1915, where it is recorded in a report on a challenge match where they as champions played Balmain as champions of the Sydney premiership that year and won 35-5.
The club has had a successful leagues club making an attractive sponsor of rugby league in the national rugby league. Despite attempts by the Newcastle Knights to gain sponsorship from the Wests Leagues Club, in 1995, the club was going to be the majority owner of the Hunter Mariners in the Super League competition until a majority of members of the club made it clear that they would not support a team in the Super League competing against the Knights in August 1995. Bob Ferris, the General Manager of Western Suburbs, left shortly after to manage the Mariners. In December 2005 the Wests Leagues Club, entered into an arrangement with the Newcastle Knights to secure their future as a member of the National Rugby League.
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