NRL South Australia

In the 1940s the Port Adelaide rugby union club split itself into four rugby league clubs, which formed the basis of the first organised rugby league competition in the state, run under the banner of the Amateur South Australian Rugby League. The first South Australian representative team was formed in the early 1950s and traveled to play the South Sydney Rabbitohs in Sydney, NSW where they lost 45–10. The first iteration of the South Australian Rugby League was created in the 1950s when Australian soldiers formed a small four team competition based out of the Woomera Test Range. This body ceased to exist when the soldiers were transferred to the Northern Territory. The current SARL was incorporated on 28 July 1976 and originally featured teams from Northern Districts, South Adelaide, Port Adelaide, Glenelg, Norwood and West Lakes. Today the competition features eight senior clubs and seven junior clubs, competitions are run from Under 7's through to First Grade. File:sarl logo.jpg|Former logo File:South-australia-rugby-league-logo-stateshape.png|Former logo File:South aust rugby league in2009.jpg|Former logo File:South_Australia_Rugby_League_Logo.jpg|Current logo ==Representative Team==

The South Australian state team play in the Affiliated States Championship along with the other four affiliated states (Victoria, Tasmania, Northern Territory and Western Australia) plus the Australian Police and Australian Defence Force. The first instance of rugby league being played in South Australia occurred during the 1914 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand, when the touring Lions beat South Australia 101-0 at Hawthorn Oval in front of 2,500 spectators. In 1994 and 1995 the then West End XIII played Victoria at the Melbourne Cricket Ground as the curtain raiser game for the State of Origin games in those years. In 1994 the South Australian side had the privilege of being one of the first Rugby League sides to play at that venue in nearly 80 years. A South Australian representative side has played a number of games against international touring sides, including Australian team. ==NRL SA Metro==

The NRL SA Metro is the top-level men's competition in South Australia. Current clubs Former clubs Premiership history 2025 - On 31 August 2025 the Western Districts Warriors played against Murray Bridge Swans in the 2025 Grand Final. Western Districts Warriors won the Grand Final 22-10. NRL SAW The NRL SAW is the top-level women's competition in South Australia. ==Limestone Coast Rugby League==

The Limestone Coast Rugby League is a competition co-administered by NRL SA and NRL Victoria. Clubs Former clubs == Former Competitions ==

Spencer Gulf Rugby League NRL SA has previously run competitions in the Spencer Gulf region, but the future of these competitions remains unclear as of 2022. The Olympic Dam Barbarians based in Roxby Downs have played in various formats including intra club and in the Spencer Gulf competition. There have also been efforts to establish the presence of the game in areas including Coober Pedy, however there remains little competitive Rugby League in Northern SA. Former Spencer Gulf Rugby League Clubs == Notable SARL juniors competed in the NRL ==

The following South Australian junior players have played in the National Rugby League. Northern Districts Dragons • Nathan Vagg (2 games) – Cronulla Sharks (2003) South Adelaide Bulldogs • Joel Reddy (137 games) – Parramatta Eels (2005–2011), Wests Tigers (2012–2013), South Sydney Rabbitohs (2014–2016) Central Districts Roosters • Brenton Lawrence (104 games) – Gold Coast Titans (2011–2012), Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles (2013–2017) ==See also==