Castlereagh League
Rugby league competition in Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Castlereagh League (also known as the Castlereagh Cup and formerly as Group 14 Rugby League) is a rugby league competition in western New South Wales, Australia For all intents and purposes the competition is effectively the Group 14 Rugby League senior competition, and the league has re-obtained Group status as of 2023, but will not revert to the Group 14 name for branding reasons. In 2025, the competition ran a first grade and reserve grade competition in men's, and women's league tag.
| |
| Sport | Rugby league |
|---|---|
| Formerly known as | Group 14 |
| Inaugural season | 1949 |
| Ceased | 1999 |
| Re-formed | 2001 |
| Number of teams | 9 |
| Country | Australia |
| Premiers |  Coolah (2025 2nd title) |
| Most titles |  Coonamble (18 titles) |
Teams
The following clubs fielded at least one team across the three Castlereagh League grades:
| Castlereagh Cup Clubs | Moniker | Premierships | Premiership Years | 1st | Res | WLT | Youth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castlereagh League clubs | |||||||
 Baradine |
Magpies | 10 | 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1968, 1969, 1979, 1993, 1995 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
 Binnaway |
Bombshells | 1 | 2004 | No | Yes | No | Yes |
 Cobar |
Roosters | 1 | 2022 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Coolah |
Kangaroos | 4 | 1963, 1965, 2024, 2025 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
 Coonabarabran |
Unicorns | 13 | 1950, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1970, 1972, 1977, 1980, 1988, 1990, 1994, 2019 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Coonamble |
Bears | 18 | 1949, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1971, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1991, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2009 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
 Dunedoo |
Swans | 3 | 1967, 2014, 2020 | Yes | No | Yes | No |
 Gilgandra |
Panthers | 11 | 1956, 1981, 1986, 1987, 1997, 2001, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018 | No | No | Yes | No |
 Gulgong |
Terriers | 1 | 2015 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
 Mendooran |
Tigers | 3 | 1983, 1984, 1985 | No | Yes | No | No |
 Narromine |
Jets | 0 | None | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
 Warren |
Bulldogs | 2 | 2010, 2012 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Former Teams
| Team | Moniker | Notes | Premierships |
|---|---|---|---|
 Gulargambone |
Galahs | Folded 2008 | None |
 Mudgee |
Tigers | Moved to Group 10 | 1960, 1973, 1975, 1976 |
| Merriwa |
Magpies | Moved to Group 21 | None |
 Nyngan |
Tigers | Moved to Group 11 Rugby League | 1989 |
 Orana |
Googars | Folded | 1992 |
| Tambar Springs | Folded | None | |
| Tottenham |
Turtles | Folded | None |
| Trangie |
Magpies | Folded 2022 | None |
| Walgett |
Dragons | Moved to Barwon Darling Rugby League | None |
Premierships
| Season | Premiers | Score | Runners-up | Grand final host | Minor premiers | Teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formation of Group 14 Rugby League. | ||||||
| 1949 | Coonamble |
Baradine |
||||
| 1950 | Coonabarabran |
14–0 | Coonamble |
Baradine | 8 | |
| 1951 | Baradine |
10–3 | Coonabarabran |
Mendooran | Coonabarabran |
|
| 1952 | Baradine |
9 | ||||
| 1953 | Baradine |
9–2 | Mudgee |
9 | ||
| 1954 | Baradine |
16–2 | Coonabarabran |
Binnaway | 8 | |
| 1955 | Baradine |
|||||
| 1956 | Gilgandra |
13–0 | Binnaway |
|||
| 1957 | Coonamble |
11–4 | Baradine |
|||
| 1958 | Coonamble |
8–5 | Mudgee |
|||
| 1959 | Coonamble |
Mudgee |
||||
| 1960 | Mudgee |
11–10 | Coonamble |
|||
| 1961 | Coonabarabran |
|||||
| 1962 | Coonabarabran |
|||||
| 1963 | Coolah |
3–2 | Gilgandra |
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| 1964 | Coonabarabran |
10–7 | Gilgandra |
|||
| 1965 | Coolah |
9–5 | Mudgee |
|||
| 1966 | Coonabarabran |
Baradine |
||||
| 1967 | Dunedoo |
16–8 (replay) | Coonabarabran |
|||
| 1968 | Baradine |
17–10 | Dunedoo |
|||
| 1969 | Baradine |
10–9 | Coonabarabran |
|||
| 1970 | Coonabarabran |
22–7 | Gulgong |
|||
| 1971 | Coonamble |
31–4 | Coonabarabran |
|||
| 1972 | Coonabarabran |
26–8 | Baradine |
|||
| 1973 | Mudgee |
8–6 | Coonamble |
|||
| 1974 | Coonamble |
19–14 | Dunedoo |
|||
| 1975 | Mudgee |
15–10 | Baradine |
|||
| 1976 | Mudgee |
33–17 | Gilgandra |
|||
| 1977 | Coonabarabran |
6–5 | Gilgandra |
|||
| 1978 | Coonamble |
13–10 | Coonabarabran |
|||
| 1979 | Baradine |
16–6 | Coonabarabran |
|||
| 1980 | Coonabarabran |
16–15 | Gilgandra |
|||
| 1981 | Gilgandra |
19–5 | Baradine |
|||
| 1982 | Coonamble |
16–8 | Coonabarabran |
|||
| 1983 | Mendooran |
40–22 | Baradine |
Mendooran |
7 | |
| 1984 | Mendooran |
64–4 | Coonamble |
|||
| 1985 | Mendooran |
24–20 | Cobar |
|||
| 1986 | Gilgandra |
14–6 | Cobar |
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| 1987 | Gilgandra |
23–16 (a.e.t.) | Nyngan |
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| 1988 | Coonabarabran |
38–18 | Dunedoo |
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| 1989 | Nyngan |
37–12 | Coonabarabran |
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| 1990 | Coonabarabran |
32–22 | Orana |
|||
| 1991 | Coonamble |
30–20 | Baradine |
|||
| 1992 | Orana |
30–20 | Coonamble |
|||
| 1993 | Baradine |
16–14 | Coonamble |
|||
| 1994 | Coonabarabran |
22–18 | Coonamble |
7 | ||
| 1995 | Baradine |
40–14 | Coonamble |
4 | ||
| 1996 | Coonamble |
36–28 | Nyngan |
|||
| 1997 | Gilgandra |
33–20 | Walgett |
Gilgandra | Walgett |
6 |
| Competition in recess in 1998 | ||||||
| 1999 | Coonamble |
29–24 | Nyngan |
|||
| Competition in recess in 2000. | ||||||
| Group 14 Rugby League rebranded to Castlereagh Cup. | ||||||
| 2001 | Gilgandra |
36–4 | Coonamble |
8 | ||
| 2002 | Coonamble |
36–26 | Dunedoo |
8 | ||
| 2003 | Coonamble |
70–24 | Baradine |
Coonamble |
5 | |
| 2004 | Binnaway |
32–26 | Gulargambone |
Binnaway |
7 | |
| 2005 | Coonamble |
34–24 | Binnaway |
Coonamble |
6 | |
| 2006 | Coonamble |
44–22 | Warren |
Coonamble |
6 | |
| 2007 | Coonamble |
36–16 | Baradine |
Coonamble |
5 | |
| 2008 | Coonamble |
40–32 | Baradine |
Coonamble |
5 | |
| 2009 | Coonamble |
32–26 | Gilgandra |
Gilgandra |
6 | |
| 2010 | Warren |
46–20 | Coonamble |
Warren |
7 | |
| 2011 | Gilgandra |
28–24 | Warren |
Warren |
7 | |
| 2012 | Warren |
47–32 | Coonabarabran |
Coonabarabran |
7 | |
| 2013 | Gilgandra |
30–24 | Coonabarabran |
Coonabarabran | Coonabarabran |
8 |
| 2014 | Dunedoo |
32–12 | Coonamble |
Dunedoo | Dunedoo |
8 |
| 2015 | Gulgong |
40–14 | Gilgandra |
Coonamble |
6 | |
| 2016 | Gilgandra |
28–22 | Gulgong |
Gilgandra | Coonamble |
9 |
| 2017 | Gilgandra |
46–10 | Coonamble |
Gilgandra | Gilgandra |
8 |
| 2018 | Gilgandra |
31–30 | Gulgong |
Gulgong |
8 | |
| 2019 | Coonabarabran |
32–22 | Gilgandra |
Coonabarabran |
9 | |
| 2020 | Dunedoo |
16–10 | Gilgandra |
Gilgandra | Dunedoo |
5 |
| Competition abandoned due to COVID-19 pandemic. | ||||||
| 2022 | Cobar |
28–26 | Gilgandra |
Narromine |
7 | |
| 2023 | Gulgong |
10–4 | Cobar |
Gulgong | Gulgong |
9 |
| 2024 | Coolah |
32–8 | Cobar |
Cobar | Coolah |
8 |
| 2025 | Coolah |
24–18 | Coonabarabran |
Coolah | Coolah |
9 |
| 2026 | ||||||
See also
Group 14 Juniors
Current Teams
- Baradine Junior Sports Club
- Coolah Junior Sports Club
- Coonabarabran JRLFC
- Coonamble JRLFC
- Dunedoo Junior Rugby League and Netball Association
- Gilgandra Junior Rugby League and Netball Association
- Gulgong Junior Rugby League and Netball Club
- Walgett Dragons JRLC (Seniors play in Barwon Darling)
Former Structure
The competition was formerly divided into Eastern and Western divisions. The following clubs fielded teams in the 2006 Group 14 Eastern junior competition:
- Binnaway (fields a senior team in the Castlereagh Cup)
- Coolah (rejoined as of 2024)
- Dunedoo (fields a senior team in the Castlereagh Cup)
- Gulgong (fields a senior team in the Castlereagh Cup)
- Merriwa (fields a senior team in Group 21)
While these clubs fielded teams in the 2006 Group 14 Western junior competition:
- Baradine (fields a senior team in the Castlereagh Cup)
- Coonabarabran (fields a senior team in the Castlereagh Cup)
- Coonamble (fields a senior team in the Castlereagh Cup)
- Gilgandra (fields a senior team in the Castlereagh Cup)
- Nyngan (fields a senior team in Group 11)