Auckland Rugby League club trophies


The Auckland Rugby League competition has been competed for since 1909 when the first organised match was played between North Shore and City Rovers. The following year an official champion was crowned for the first time, namely the City Rovers club who won the 1910 1st Grade title and were one of the 4 original teams at that time. Over the following 110 years many team and individual trophies have been awarded. The following is a list of the clubs and individuals that they have been awarded to at the premier-grade level.

Trophies

There are approximately 24 trophies which have been competed for in Auckland Rugby League history by clubs. These include the following for teams; Fox Memorial Shield, Rukutai Shield, Roope Rooster, Stormont Shield, Kiwi Shield, A.R.L. Trophy, Sharman Cup, Lawson Cup, Walmsley Shield, ARL Cup, Norton Cup, Gillett Cup and the Autex Award. Several have also been awarded to players including the Lipscombe Cup, Rothville Trophy, Bert Humphries Memorial, Tetley Trophy, Painter Trophy, Hyland Memorial Cup, Doug Price Memorial Medal, Jack Counihand Trophy, Harry Mackwood Trophy and the Simons Scroll.

Explanation of team trophies

  • The Fox Memorial is awarded to the grand final winner of Premier One and is considered the most prestigious trophy in Auckland club rugby league. It was named after Edward Vincent Fox who played for North Shore, and Auckland before going to fight in World War I. He was awarded a medal for bravery but suffered a leg injury ending his playing career. From 1910 to 1919 the first grade trophy awarded was the Myers Cup. In the war years the trophy was not officially awarded. Then from 1920 to 1930 the Monteith Shield was awarded to the first grade champions. It was named after the man who had donated it to the league.
  • The Rukutai Shield is awarded to the Premier One minor or premiership champions at the end of the regular season. It is named after Jim Rukutai who was an early player in Auckland Rugby League and later became the youngest-ever coach of New Zealand at the age of 33.
  • The Roope Rooster was first competed for in 1915. It was named after Dick Roope who donated the trophy when he was Auckland Rugby League Chairman. For the first few decades of its existence it was a knockout competition played after the championship was completed but later moved to being a pre-season competition. In 2006 it changed format when it became a trophy which only changes hand when the holder of the trophy loses a match on their home ground.
  • The Stormont Shield is named after Bill Stormont, a World War I veteran who played for the Marist club and for the Kiwis. The Shield is a champion of champions playoff between the Fox Memorial and Roope Rooster winners and has been competed for since 1925.
  • The Kiwi Shield is awarded to the Premier One club with the most points scored from Premiers and Reserves.
  • Club of the Year. Awarded to the club in Auckland considered to have achieved the most in an all-round sense.

    Premier One titles

Total Fox Memorial First Grade Titles (includes Myers Cup and Monteith Shield)

Premier two and three titles

  • The Sharman Cup has been awarded to the Premier 2 Championship winners in recent years; however, originally it was awarded to the Premier 2 Minor Championship winners. It was gifted to Auckland Rugby League in October 1934 by Mr. Sharman of George Court and Sons. He was moving from New Zealand to live in England and wished to leave a happy memory behind of his involvement in Auckland rugby league.
  • The Lawson Cup was awarded to the Premier 2 Major Champions, and in essence it has been replaced by the Sharman Cup.
  • The Norton Cup was originally awarded to the Senior B Grade champions however in 1931 it was awarded to the reserve grade winners which superseded the second division for a period of time.
  • The Phelan Shield has been awarded to the Premier 3 Major Champions. The Phelan Shield replaced the ARL Trophy ; however, from 2015 it was awarded to the Premier 2 Minor Champion as the competition reverted to a two-division structure. It was donated to the league in 1934 by Ted Phelan and was won in its inaugural season by Newton Rangers. At this point it was competed for by teams who were eliminated from the Roope Rooster in the first round.
YearSharman CupLawson CupNorton CupPhelan Shield/ARL TrophyStallard Cup
1925Ellerslie United Otahuhu Rovers
1926Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers Kingsland Rovers
1927Ellerslie United Ellerslie United
1928Grafton Athletic
1929Point Chevalier
1930Otahuhu Rovers
1931Devonport United
1932Richmond Rovers
1933Richmond Rovers
1934Richmond Bulldogs Newton Rangers
1935Otahuhu Rovers Marist Old Boys Ponsonby United Marist Old Boys
1936Papakura Mount Albert United Ponsonby United Marist Old Boys
1937Papakura Richmond Rovers North Shore Albions Marist Old Boys
1938Otahuhu Rovers Richmond Rovers Manukau Richmond Rovers
1939Otahuhu Rovers Richmond Rovers City Rovers Richmond Rovers
1940Otahuhu Rovers Richmond Rovers Manukau
1941Otahuhu Rovers Not Played Mount Albert United
1942No CompetitionNo CompetitionNo Competition
1943Not AwardedNot AwardedMount Albert United
1944Not AwardedNot AwardedNo Competition
1945Not AwardedNot AwardedPonsonby United
1946Not AwardedNot Awarded-
1947Not AwardedNot Awarded-
1948Newton Not AwardedRichmond Rovers -
1949Ellerslie Ponsonby-
1950Otahuhu Mt Albert-
1951Pt Chevalier Not Awarded-
1952Pt Chevalier Not Awarded-
1953Richmond Not Awarded-
1954Not AwardedNot Awarded-
1955Not AwardedNot Awarded-
1956Not AwardedNot AwardedCity Newton-
1957Not AwardedNot Awarded-
1958Not AwardedNot Awarded-
1959Not AwardedNot Awarded-
1960Not AwardedNot Awarded-
1961Not AwardedNot Awarded-
1962Not AwardedNot Awarded-
1963Not AwardedNot Awarded-
1964Not AwardedNot AwardedMarist-
1965Southern Not Awarded-
1966City Newton Not Awarded-
1967Southern Not Awarded-
1968Mt Wellington Not Awarded-
1969City Newton Mangere East--
1970Te Atatu & Pt Chevalier NorthcoteUniversity-
1971Glenora Marist & Pakuranga-
1972Richmond Mt Roskill-
1973Te Atatu North Shore-
1974Te Atatu Maritime & City Newton-
1975Mangere East Pt Chevalier-
1976Te Atatu City Newton-
1977Manukau Glenfield-
1978Te Atatu Pt Chevalier-
1979Northcote Glenora Corona-
1980Mt Albert Otara-
1981Ellerslie Richmond-
1982Mangere East Glenora-
1983Richmond Glenora/Kelston-
1984City Newton City NewtonRichmond-
1985Glenora GlenoraRichmond-
1986Ellerslie EllerslieRichmond-
1987City-Pt Chevalier City-Pt ChevalierMt Albert & Richmond-
1988City-Pt Chevalier OtaraOtahuhu Blue-
1989City-Pt Chevalier OtaraMt WellingtonMt Wellington-
1990Ponsonby City-Pt ChevalierNorth ShoreGlenfield-
1991Ellerslie EllerslieNorth ShoreWaitemata-
1992Marist EllerslieGlenfieldGlenfield-
1993Marist Saints Glenfield Greyhounds-
1994-
1995Manurewa Marlins -
1996Glenora-
1997Richmond-
1998Hibiscus CoastMt Albert-
1999Mt Albert-
2000PonsonbyPonsonbyMt AlbertMt Albert-
2001Hibiscus CoastHibiscus CoastMangere EastMangere East-
2002EllerslieMt Wellington-
2003Northcote East Coast Bays-
2004Manukau-
2005Howick-
2006ManurewaHibiscus Coast-
2007Northcote Ponsonby-
2008RichmondNew Lynn-
2009HowickHowickManukauManukau-
2010East Coast BaysPt ChevalierPt Chevalier-
2011Pt ChevalierNew Lynn-
2012Mangere EastPapatoetoeHibiscus Coast-
2013RichmondOtaraMt Wellington-
2014Ōtara Mt Wellington-
2015RichmondTe Atatu-
2016Te AtatuTe Atatu-
2017OtahuhuOtahuhu-
2018Bay RoskillBay Roskill-
2019---
2020Not AwardedNot AwardedNot AwardedNot Awarded-
2021Waitemata Seagulls Manukau Magpies-
2022Northcote -
2023Ōtara -
2024Northcote -
2025Otara Hibiscus Coast-