Albury Thunder
The Albury Thunder are a rugby league team based in Albury, New South Wales, Australia. Founded in 2011, the Thunder play in the Group 9 Rugby League competition.
History
The Albury Thunder were originally founded as the Albury Blues in 1934, playing in the Group 13 Rugby League competition, in which they won 8 titles. Then in 1991, Group 13 folded, and the Blues moved to Group 9. Upon joining, the club changed its name to the Albury Southern Rams to avoid a clash with the Tumut Blues club which was a foundation club of that competition.In 2003, the club again underwent a rebrand, becoming the Lavington Panthers in an effort to align with the Lavington Sports Club, which had recently been bought by the leagues club arm of NRL side Penrith Panthers. Around this time, members of the Albury Roos club, which joined the Goulburn Murray Rugby League following the demise of Group 13, joined the Panthers club in an effort to establish a single, more competitive side in Group 9.
In 2011, the club voted to return to being known as Albury Rugby League Football Club, to be more inclusive to the whole city of Albury, not just the suburb of Lavington. The club held a subsequent vote to determine a new moniker, with 'Thunder' beating out Titans, Pumas and Predators.
Albury Thunder era
After the renaming in 2011, the Thunder have been one of the most consistent sides in Group 9 in the modern era, enjoying immediate success, winning 3 premierships in their first four years, and being a consistent top 5 side in their first decade under the rebrand.The club won its first premiership in just their second season under the name, beating South City Bulls 36-26 at McDonald's Park in Wagga Wagga. In 2013, they again breezed through the season, with highlights including a 78-0 win over the Tumut Blues. This time, they faced the Gundagai Tigers in the Grand Final, and won 30-20, to secure back to back titles. The next season they again finished Minor Premiers, and again defeated South City in the Grand Final, winning 45-4 in front of over 4,000 people at McDonald's Park. This completed a threepeat, and the Thunder's only premiership titles to date. The club also made a finals appearance in 2016, where they made the second week before being eliminated.
From 2018 until 2020, the club was captain-coached by local junior and former NRL star Adrian Purtell. He was joined by fellow former NRL stars Etu Uaisele and Joel Monaghan. In 2022, he left to coach the Eden Tigers in the Group 16 Rugby League competition.
In 2023, the club was captain-coached by Purtell's former Canberra Raiders teammate and ex-Sydney Roosters winger Justin Carney. Uaisele took over the job upon Carney's departure in 2025.