Easts Tigers
Encyclopedia
The Eastern Suburbs Tigers are a rugby league
club based at Langlands Park
, which is in the suburb of Coorparoo in Brisbane
, Australia
. They competed in the Brisbane Rugby League
from 1934 to 1996. From 1996 they have competed in the Queensland Cup. Their jersey is traditionally an all gold jersey with two Black Vs. In recent years they have included white in their jersey.
star, Harold Horder
as their captain-coach
in 1924 and 1925. With the move to district football in 1933 a new club, the Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League club, was formed.
The club struggled on the field during the 1930s and 1940s and was in severe financial trouble. In 1946, the club was successfully revived after suffering many defeats during the war years with the re-election of A.G. (Taffy) Welch as club president and the implementation of a completely new management committee. In 1946 no less than twelve teams were registered with the Brisbane Rugby League
. Of these teams, ten were semi finalists and seven made the grand finals. The main object was to present to the public a really strong first grade team. The next year, 1947, saw what would probably be the greatest side fielded by the club. Every trophy competed for in the BRL competition and Premiership were won and had no fewer than eleven players selected for Brisbane's Bulimba Cup
team.
The Tigers won their next premiership in 1950, and in 1951 Easts contested the Grand Final being beaten by Southern Suburbs, This meant that, since the revival of the club in 1946, they had played six finals in succession. They reached the semis in 1952 and the grand final in 1953 where they were beaten again by Souths. In 1954, they failed to make the top four so, for the first time in eight years they failed to compete in the semi-finals. The club was to win the Peter Scott Memorial Trophy in the 1960 season but did not have success again until they won the pre-season competition in 1969.
The 15-year premiership drought forced club officials to search for a top coach and in 1965 former international, Clive Churchill
was engaged to try to mould the team into a premiership 13. The effect was the club's appearance in the 1968 Grand Final against Past Brothers. Although they lost the Grand Final it sparked a resurgence in Easts' performance for years to come and the Tigers won the Woolworths
pre-season competition in 1969.
The captain-coach Des Morris
, a great success to the club, provided Easts with numerous Grand Finals throughout the 70's. This was through the help of arguably the best Queensland Five-eighth before King Wally, Steven Farquhar. He hleled Easts to success.
In the Queensland Wizard Cup era, the Tigers have made the Grand Final twice although having lost both matches, the first to the Redcliffe Dolphins
in 1997 and most recently losing to the Burleigh Bears
in a memorable extra-time final in 2004.
The Club is currently led by President, Keith Philips and Chief Executive Officer, Des Morris
who continues an association with the Club that dates back to 1968. In 2008, the year of the centenary of rugby league in Australia, the Club will celebrate its seventy-fifth anniversary.
. At the end of the 2006 NRL season the New South Wales club South Sydney Rabbitohs
announced an alliance with the Tigers as a feeder club for the NRL side. The partnership with Brisbane Easts Tigers allowed the Rabbitohs to tap into the Tigers' current recruitment and development systems in Queensland, as well as providing a club for young Queenslanders recruited by the Rabbitohs to play at and develop without having to relocate to Sydney
.
At the end of the 2007 season it was announced that the Rabbitohs and Easts would no longer be affiliated due to various conflicting issues, the Tigers instead looked closer to home and struck an affiliate deal with the Brisbane Broncos
. The Broncos have no reserve team for 2008 with former feeder teams the Toowoomba Clydesdales
and Aspley Broncos
not entering teams into the 2008 Queensland Cup. For Brisbane, it's another avenue to bring players back from injury and cover the representative drain and in return it gives the Tigers a pathway for some of their players to crack the NRL.
in 1996 Easts Tigers have been fairly successful. Although only reaching the Grand Final twice, they consistently place in the top half of the table usually making the finals. In eleven years they have made the finals eight times.
is an 11-team competition that is the level below the Queensland Wizard Cup. Easts Tigers have had a team in the Cup since its inception in 2001 and have been the most successful club to date, winning the premiership 4 from 6 years.
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
club based at Langlands Park
Langlands Park
Langlands Park is a sporting venue in the Brisbane suburb of Coorparoo, close to Stones Corner. It is the home ground of the Easts Tigers, a rugby league team that competes in the Queensland Cup.-History:...
, which is in the suburb of Coorparoo in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. They competed in the Brisbane Rugby League
Brisbane Rugby League premiership (rugby league competition)
The Brisbane Rugby League premiership was a rugby league football competition held in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia from 1922 to 1997. Prior to 1922, the competition was conducted under the auspices of the Queensland Rugby League. Until the 1980s it was the premier sporting competition in...
from 1934 to 1996. From 1996 they have competed in the Queensland Cup. Their jersey is traditionally an all gold jersey with two Black Vs. In recent years they have included white in their jersey.
History
Easts had competed as Coorparoo in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership from 1917. A highlight of the 1920s was the signing of South SydneySouth Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...
star, Harold Horder
Harold Horder
Harold Norman Horder was an Australian rugby league player a national and state representative player whose club career was with the South Sydney Rabbitohs and North Sydney Bears between 1912 and 1924...
as their captain-coach
Player-coach
A player-coach, in sports, is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. The term can be used to refer to both players who serve as head coaches, or as assistant coaches....
in 1924 and 1925. With the move to district football in 1933 a new club, the Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League club, was formed.
The club struggled on the field during the 1930s and 1940s and was in severe financial trouble. In 1946, the club was successfully revived after suffering many defeats during the war years with the re-election of A.G. (Taffy) Welch as club president and the implementation of a completely new management committee. In 1946 no less than twelve teams were registered with the Brisbane Rugby League
Brisbane Rugby League premiership (rugby league competition)
The Brisbane Rugby League premiership was a rugby league football competition held in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia from 1922 to 1997. Prior to 1922, the competition was conducted under the auspices of the Queensland Rugby League. Until the 1980s it was the premier sporting competition in...
. Of these teams, ten were semi finalists and seven made the grand finals. The main object was to present to the public a really strong first grade team. The next year, 1947, saw what would probably be the greatest side fielded by the club. Every trophy competed for in the BRL competition and Premiership were won and had no fewer than eleven players selected for Brisbane's Bulimba Cup
Bulimba Cup (rugby league competition)
The Bulimba Cup was a representative rugby league football competition held between Brisbane, Ipswich and Toowoomba. It was first contested in 1925 but was cancelled in 1972 due to waning public interest....
team.
The Tigers won their next premiership in 1950, and in 1951 Easts contested the Grand Final being beaten by Southern Suburbs, This meant that, since the revival of the club in 1946, they had played six finals in succession. They reached the semis in 1952 and the grand final in 1953 where they were beaten again by Souths. In 1954, they failed to make the top four so, for the first time in eight years they failed to compete in the semi-finals. The club was to win the Peter Scott Memorial Trophy in the 1960 season but did not have success again until they won the pre-season competition in 1969.
The 15-year premiership drought forced club officials to search for a top coach and in 1965 former international, Clive Churchill
Clive Churchill
Clive Bernard Churchill AM was an Australian rugby league footballer and coach of the mid-20th century. An Australian international and New South Wales and Queensland interstate representative fullback, he played the majority of his club football with and later coached the South Sydney Rabbitohs...
was engaged to try to mould the team into a premiership 13. The effect was the club's appearance in the 1968 Grand Final against Past Brothers. Although they lost the Grand Final it sparked a resurgence in Easts' performance for years to come and the Tigers won the Woolworths
Woolworths Group
Woolworths Group plc was a listed British company that owned the high-street retail chain, Woolworths, as well as other brands such as the entertainment distributor Entertainment UK and book and resource distributor Bertram Books...
pre-season competition in 1969.
The captain-coach Des Morris
Des Morris
Des Morris is an Australian former rugby league footballer, coach and administrator.He played club football in Queensland for the Booval Swifts and Eastern Suburbs club of the Brisbane Rugby League, and represented his state on fifteen occasions...
, a great success to the club, provided Easts with numerous Grand Finals throughout the 70's. This was through the help of arguably the best Queensland Five-eighth before King Wally, Steven Farquhar. He hleled Easts to success.
In the Queensland Wizard Cup era, the Tigers have made the Grand Final twice although having lost both matches, the first to the Redcliffe Dolphins
Redcliffe Dolphins
The Redcliffe Dolphins are a rugby league team from the city of Redcliffe in Queensland, Australia. The Redcliffe Dolphins were founded in 1947, accepted into the Brisbane Rugby League premiership in 1960, and since 1996 have played in the Queensland Cup....
in 1997 and most recently losing to the Burleigh Bears
Burleigh Bears
The Burleigh Heads Rugby League Football Club are one of the oldest rugby league football clubs on the Gold Coast, Australia. Originally formed in 1934 playing out of Rudd Park, the club relocated to Pizzey Park in 1971, their current home ground....
in a memorable extra-time final in 2004.
The Club is currently led by President, Keith Philips and Chief Executive Officer, Des Morris
Des Morris
Des Morris is an Australian former rugby league footballer, coach and administrator.He played club football in Queensland for the Booval Swifts and Eastern Suburbs club of the Brisbane Rugby League, and represented his state on fifteen occasions...
who continues an association with the Club that dates back to 1968. In 2008, the year of the centenary of rugby league in Australia, the Club will celebrate its seventy-fifth anniversary.
NRL Affiliation
Easts Tigers were the last team in the Queensland Cup to follow the trend of becoming affiliated with a team from the National Rugby LeagueNational Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
. At the end of the 2006 NRL season the New South Wales club South Sydney Rabbitohs
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...
announced an alliance with the Tigers as a feeder club for the NRL side. The partnership with Brisbane Easts Tigers allowed the Rabbitohs to tap into the Tigers' current recruitment and development systems in Queensland, as well as providing a club for young Queenslanders recruited by the Rabbitohs to play at and develop without having to relocate to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.
At the end of the 2007 season it was announced that the Rabbitohs and Easts would no longer be affiliated due to various conflicting issues, the Tigers instead looked closer to home and struck an affiliate deal with the Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
. The Broncos have no reserve team for 2008 with former feeder teams the Toowoomba Clydesdales
Toowoomba Clydesdales
The Toowoomba Clydesdales are a rugby league football club based in Toowoomba, Queensland, named after the Scottish horse breed. They played in the Queensland Wizard Cup since the competition began in 1996 but no longer play in this competition....
and Aspley Broncos
Aspley Broncos
The Aspley Broncos are a rugby league club in Brisbane, Australia. Aspley competes in the FOGS Cup and FOGS Colts Challenge competitions...
not entering teams into the 2008 Queensland Cup. For Brisbane, it's another avenue to bring players back from injury and cover the representative drain and in return it gives the Tigers a pathway for some of their players to crack the NRL.
Notable players
In 2008, the Eastern Suburbs Tigers named their 75 Year "Dream Team", which included players from 1933 to 2007. The team consists of 13 players who have played more than 50 games for the club, chosen by a panel of experts.Internationals while at Coorparoo/Easts
- Neville Broadfoot
- Bill Christie
- Bob HaganBob HaganRobert F. Hagan is an American politician affiliated with the Democratic party who has held a seat in the Ohio House of Representatives for the Sixtieth District since 2007...
- Arther Henderson
- John LangJohn Lang (rugby league)John Lang is an Australian former rugby league football coach and player. A Queensland State of Origin and Australian international representative hooker, he played his club football in Brisbane with the Eastern Suburbs Tigers and in Sydney with the Eastern Suburbs Roosters...
- Rod MorrisRod MorrisRod Morris is an Australian retired rugby league footballer of the 1970s and '80s. An Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative front row forward, he played club football in the New South Wales Rugby Football League for Balmian, and in the Brisbane Rugby League for...
Other famous players
- Tonie CarrollTonie CarrollTonie Carroll is retired professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. An Australian and New Zealand international representative utility, he played for the Brisbane Broncos of the NRL...
- Paul KhanPaul KhanPaul Khan is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1970s and 80s. He was a state representative for both New South Wales and Queensland with his first grade club career played with the Cronulla Sharks....
- Wayne Lindenberg
- Des MorrisDes MorrisDes Morris is an Australian former rugby league footballer, coach and administrator.He played club football in Queensland for the Booval Swifts and Eastern Suburbs club of the Brisbane Rugby League, and represented his state on fifteen occasions...
- Darren Smith
- Kev Stephens
Queensland Cup Results
Since the inception of the Queensland CupQueensland Cup
The Queensland Cup is the premier rugby league football competition in the State of Queensland, Australia.It is a statewide competition with the majority of teams based in South East Queensland but also including sides based in Cairns, Mackay and Rockhampton.The competition began in 1996 as a...
in 1996 Easts Tigers have been fairly successful. Although only reaching the Grand Final twice, they consistently place in the top half of the table usually making the finals. In eleven years they have made the finals eight times.
- 1996 - 4th
- 1997 - Runners Up - 2nd
- 1998 - 9th
- 1999 - 5th
- 2000 - 3rd
- 2001 - 4th
- 2002 - 4th
- 2003 - 9th
- 2004 - Runners Up - 2nd
- 2005 - 8th
- 2006 - 3rd
- 2007 - 5th
- 2008 - 7th
- 2009 - 9th
FOGS Cup Results
The FOGS CupBrisbane A-Grade Rugby League
The FOGS Cup is an 11 team competition that is the level below the Queensland Cup. It started in 2001, then known as the Quest Cup and changed its name to the Mixwell Cup in 2003. Finally it became the FOGS Cup in 2006...
is an 11-team competition that is the level below the Queensland Wizard Cup. Easts Tigers have had a team in the Cup since its inception in 2001 and have been the most successful club to date, winning the premiership 4 from 6 years.
- 2001 - Premiers
- 2002 - Premiers
- 2003 - Runners-up (2nd)
- 2004 - Premiers
- 2005 - Premiers
- 2006 - Semi-Finalists (4th)
- 2008 - Premiers
- 2009 - ???
On-line references
- Eastern Suburbs Tigers History retrieved December 7, 2005
- Eastern Suburbs Tigers Statistics retrieved December 7, 2005