NRL Western Australia (abbreviated as NRL WA, and formerly the Western Australian Rugby League) is responsible for administering the game of rugby league football in the state of Western Australia.
The NRLWA administers all forms of the game in Western Australia and runs the main Perth metropolitan competitions. This includes eleven clubs in the Perth metropolitan competition (seven fielding first grade), sponsored as the Fuel to Go and Play Premiership, as well as representative teams that compete in interstate competitions.There are over 4,000 participants
History Formed in April 1948 as the Western Australian Amateur Rugby Football League, foundation clubs were Cottesloe, Fremantle, Perth and South Perth.
The first interstate match played by Western Australians was against the South Australia in 1948, with WA winning the series 2–0.
In 1969 Darwin City invited the WARL to Darwin to play a match in celebration of Darwin's 100th founding anniversary in which WA won 23–19. In 1976 WA was invited to participate in the nationwide Amco Cup, where they defeated the Northern Territory 23–18.
On 2 October 1982 to begin the 1982 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France, Western Australia played the Wally Lewis captained Australian Kangaroos in a match at the Cannington Raceway in Perth (on the same day the Australian test team played their first ever test match against Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby). Predictably the Kangaroos defeated WA 57–5, running in 13 tries to 1 with Parramatta Eels winger Eric Grothe, Sr. crossing for 4 tries.1982 Western Australia vs Australia at Rugby League Project The Australian team that day included players who would go on to be mainstays in the Australian test team over the next 5–10 years including Lewis, Grothe, Gene Miles, Steve Mortimer, Greg Conescu and Wayne Pearce as well as test veterans Rod Morris and Les Boyd.
NT toured again in 1981, 1983 & 1985 and since 2001 Western Australia has competed annually in the Affiliated States Championship, winning the most titles of any state or territory.
International touring teams in WA International football also has a history in WA, with Great Britain Lions touring Perth in 1950, 1957 1962 1975 England 1958, and France touring in 1951, 1955, 1964, 1990.
Club football
The first tour game by an interstate club was in 1949 when Balmain Tigers of the NSWRL traveled to Perth. The first tour match by a club affiliated with the Queensland Rugby League was in 1985 when the Qld Country side played a match against the WA State Team. Further interstate club matches occurred in (see list above)
Following the demise of the Western Reds in 1997, there was no professional rugby league team in Western Australia.
The first match in Perth after the Reds were shut down occurred in 1999 when the Western Suburbs Magpies hosted the Melbourne Storm in an NRL premiership match. Further premiership matches followed in 2005 when Cronulla Sharks hosted the New Zealand Warriors, and in July 2013 when the South Sydney Rabbitohs hosted the New Zealand Warriors at NIB Stadium.
Trial matches have also been played, with South Sydney Rabbitohs hosting Canterbury Bulldogs in the 2005 pre-season.
On 24 April 2025, the NRL agreed to a $50 million deal with the Western Australian Government, thereby securing the entry of the Perth Bears in 2027: with this, a Western Australian team will return to top-flight rugby league after 30 years.
National competition
The staging of New South Wales Rugby League premiership matches in the late 1980s and early 1990s led to a push for a Perth-based entry into the Australian Rugby League competition. In 1992, the Western Reds club was accepted into the national competition and would play its first season in 1995; the Reds would play in 1996 and in the Australian Super League in 1997 under the Perth Reds moniker.
A total of $10m in debt, along with issues surrounding the Super League war and the formation of the National Rugby League, led to the Reds being shut down at the end of the 1997 season.
On 12 December 2006, the Australian Rugby League board accepted a proposal to establish a Western Australian Rugby League representative side to play in the NSWRL Jim Beam Cup for 2008 and 2009, known as the WA Reds, and playing home matches at Perth Oval.
In season 2010 the decision was made to enter the WA Reds team into the SG Ball Cup Under 18 competition. The season was a tough one, with the 'Reds' finishing second last, winning only their opening game of the season. The 2011 season saw the young Reds side improve their credentials finishing 13th with three wins from nine matches for the season.
On 27 June 2012, the Western Australian Rugby League announced a new identity for its NRL entry bid. The West Coast Pirates was released as the team name, with the logo a pirate skull over crossed cutlasses. The announcement of this new bid identity is viewed as a longer-term strategy for a Western Australian-based National Rugby League team, but the NRL officially stated that there would be no further expansion until 2017 to shore up its financially weak structure.
Multiple attempts to resurrect a Perth-based team stalled over the years, and an original bid was rejected by the NRL in October 2024. However, in April 2025, after initially putting negotiations on hold, the NRL entered negotiations with the Government of Western Australia, and on 24 April 2025, an agreement was reached to admit the Bears into the competition in 2027 as a Perth Bears expansion team, the first Perth-based top-flight rugby league team in 30 years.
WARL competitions First Grade clubs Club NameClub NicknameColoursCity/SuburbFG SeasonsFG PremiershipsTotalRecentEllenbrookRabbitohsPerth(Ellenbrook)Charlottes Vinyard Pavilion20152019, 2026–present0—FremantleRoostersPerth(Fremantle)Treeby Sports Complex19481948–present122022JoondalupGiantsPerth(Joondalup)Admiral Reserve19901990–present22020KalamundaBulldogsPerth(Forrestfield)Hartfield Park2026-presentKwinanaTitansPerth(Kwinana)Thomas Oval2026-present0 -North BeachSea EaglesPerth(North Beach)Charles Riley Reserve19511959-present152024RockinghamCoastal SharksPerth(Rockingham)Lark Hill Sports ComplexSouth PerthLionsPerth(South Perth)George Burnett Park19481948–present202014WillageeBearsPerth(Willagee)Webber Reserve12025
WARL Premiership The NRLWA, sponsored as the Fuel to Go and Play Premiership, is the premier rugby league football competition in the state. The majority of the Eleven clubs originate in the Perth metro area and both Fremantle and South Perth are foundation WARL clubs. Junior grades run from under 6's up to under 16's and senior competition is divided into four divisions, Men's First Grade, Men's Reserve Grade (Val Murphy Trophy), Women's Tackle and Women's League Tag (Flag Belt). Colours Club Nickname District Ground Founded Junior AssociationFirst Grade* Fremantle* Roosters* Fremantle Treeby Sports Complex 1948 Southern Pride Joondalup* Giants* Joondalup Admiral Reserve 1990 Northern Fusion North Beach* Sea Eagles* North Beach Charles Riley Reserve 1951 Northern Fusion Rockingham* Coastal Sharks* Rockingham Lark Hill Sports Complex 1988 South West Dolphins South Perth* Lions* South Perth George Burnett Park 1948 Southern Pride Willagee Bears Willagee Webber Reserve 1962 Southern PrideSecond Grade* Alkimos Tigers Eglinton Amberton Playing Fields 2015 Northern Fusion Ellenbrook* Rabbitohs* Ellenbrook Charlottes Vinyard Pavilion 2015 Northern Fusion Kalamunda Bulldogs Belmont Hartfield Park 1949 Northern FusionThird Grade Kwinana Titans Kwinana Thomas Oval 2022 South West Dolphins Mandurah Storm Mandurah Ocean Road Reserve 2013 South West DolphinsSerpentine-JarrahdaleSerpentsSerpentineLark Hill Sportsplex2023South West DolphinsJunior Grade Busselton Broncos Busselton Busselton Sportsmans Club 2017 South West Dolphins Bunbury Titans Bunbury Hay Park Sports Complex 2017 South West Dolphins Dalyellup Rhinos Dalyellup East Dalyellup Pavilion 2017 South West Dolphins Eaton Panthers EatonEaton 2017 South West Dolphins Albany Sea Dragons AlbanyAlbany 2019 South West Dolphins
* Denotes currently fielding a First Grade Team in the Fuel to Go and Play Premiership * Denotes First Grade contests for the Fuel to Go and Play Premiership * Denotes Second Grade contests for the Val Murphy Trophy
First Grade premiers Year Club Titles 1948 South Perth Lions 1 1949 Perth† 1 1950 Fremantle Roosters 1 1951 Perth† 2 1952 South Perth Lions 2 1953 South Perth Lions 3 1954 South Perth Lions 4 1955 Cottesloe Tigers† 1 1956 Victoria Park Butchers 1 1957 South Perth Lions 5 1958 South Perth Lions 6 1959 Victoria Park Butchers 2 1960 Victoria Park Butchers 3 1961 Fremantle Roosters 2 1962 Victoria Park Butchers 4 1963 Fremantle Roosters 3 1964 Applecross Jets† 1 1965 Applecross Jets† 2 1966 Applecross Jets† 3 1967 Applecross Jets† 4 1968 Victoria Park Butchers 5 1969 Applecross Jets† 5 1970 Applecross Jets† 6 1971 North Beach Sea Eagles 1 1972 Applecross Jets† 7 1973 South Perth Lions 7 1974 North Beach Sea Eagles 2 1975 South Perth Lions 8 1976 Fremantle Roosters 4 1977 Fremantle Roosters 5 1978 Canning Bulldogs 1 1979 Mosman-Cottesloe Tigers† 2 1980 North Beach Sea Eagles 3 1981 Fremantle/Mosman-Cottesloe† 6/3 1982 South Perth Lions 9 1983 South Perth Lions 10 1984 North Beach Sea Eagles 4 1985 South Perth Lions 11 1986 Applecross Jets† 8 1987 Belmont Steelers† 1 1988 Belmont Steelers† 2 1989 Belmont Steelers† 3 1990 Canning Bulldogs 2 1991 Canning Bulldogs 3 1992 Applecross Jets† 9 1993 Rockingham Raiders 1 1994 Canning Bulldogs 4 1995 Belmont Steelers† 4 1996 South Perth Lions 12 1997 Fremantle Roosters 7 1998 North Beach Sea Eagles 5 1999 Canning Bulldogs 5 2000 Joondalup Giants 1 2001 North Beach Sea Eagles 6 2002 South Perth Lions 13 2003 North Beach Sea Eagles 7 2004 South Perth Lions 14 2005 South Perth Lions 15 2006 North Beach Sea Eagles 8 2007 North Beach Sea Eagles 9 2008 South Perth Lions 16 2009 South Perth Lions 17 2010 South Perth Lions 18 2011 South Perth Lions 19 2012 North Beach Sea Eagles 10 2013 North Beach Sea Eagles 11 2014 South Perth Lions 20 2015 Fremantle Roosters 8 2016 North Beach Sea Eagles 12 2017 Fremantle Roosters 9 2018 Fremantle Roosters 10 2019 Fremantle Roosters 11 2020 Joondalup Giants 2 2021 North Beach Sea Eagles 13 2022 Fremantle Roosters 12 2023 North Beach Sea Eagles 14 2024 North Beach Sea Eagles 152025Willagee Bears1 2026 South Perth Lions 21 † Denotes club dissolved and no longer exists
Regional competitions East Pilbara rugby league Tom Price Steelers Rugby League Club Paraburdoo Pirates Touch & Rugby League Football Club Pannawonica Panthers
Goldfields rugby league Goldfields Titans (Kalgoorlie)
Kimberley rugby league Kununurra Thunder Ord River Bulls
Pilbara rugby league The Pilbara Rugby League was a 6 team competition in the north-west of Western Australia. Wickham Wasps were back to back premiers in 2016/17 before the PRL folded. Some games are still completed to keep rugby league in the region alive. The clubs are:
Wickham Wasps Karratha Broncos Karratha Roosters Karratha Storm Port Hedland Hawks South Hedland Cougars
Notable WARL juniors The following is a list of former WARL juniors who later competed in the NRL or NRLW: