The Western Premiership (also known as the Peter McDonald Premiership due to the name of its First Grade competition) is a New South Wales, Australia rugby league competition. The competition commenced in April 2022.[1] The competition incorporates the former Group 10 and Group 11 competitions by implementing a first past the post system to award silverware to the clubs who win the respective historic competitions. The top four from each conference will then compete in the Finals with the overall Western Conference winners progressing to the two week state NSWRL Presidents Cup finals against the Northern (Newcastle), Southern (Illawarra) and Ron Massey Cup (Sydney) conferences to crown the state semi-professional club champions.[2][3]
| Sport | Rugby league |
|---|---|
| Inaugural season | 2022 |
| Number of teams | 13 |
| Region | Greater Western & Bidgee (New South Wales Rugby League) |
| Premiers |  Dubbo CYMS (2023) |
| Most titles |  Forbes Magpies Dubbo CYMS (1 title) |
| Website | Play Rugby League.com |
| Related competition | Presidents Cup Conferences: *Denton Engineering Cup (North) *Ron Massey Cup (Central) *Mojo Homes Illawarra Cup (South) |
The competition is named in honour of the late Peter 'Ace' McDonald, a long-time Cowra Magpies, Group 10, Western Division and Country Rugby League administrator.[4]
The competition is played in four grades, these being First-Grade, Reserve-Grade, Under 18s and Ladies League Tag.
History edit
The competition was founded in 2022 after a series of strategic meetings with group 10 and 11 clubs conducted by the NSWRL.
The competition initially only had First Grade and Under 18s, with respective reserves and women's tag competitions remaining under the control of Group 10 and Group 11. However, the competition will feature all four grades from 2023, as clubs wanted a full consistent matchday.
Clubs edit
14 clubs compete in the Peter McDonald Premiership, of which 12 are in First Grade. All 14 clubs field a Reserve Grade team.
Current Clubs edit
| Club | Moniker | Group | Home ground | Premierships | Premiership Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Grade | |||||
 Bathurst
|
Panthers | Group 10 | Carrington Park, Bathurst | 0 | None |
 Bathurst St Patrick's
|
St Pat's | Group 10 | Jack Arrow Sporting Complex, Bathurst | 0 | None |
| Dubbo
|
CYMS | Group 11 | Apex Oval, Dubbo | 1 | 2023 |
 Dubbo Macquarie
|
Raiders | Group 11 | Apex Oval, Dubbo | 0 | None |
| Forbes
|
Magpies | Group 11 | Spooner Park, Forbes | 1 | 2022 |
 Lithgow Workmen's Club
|
Wolves | Group 10 | Tony Luchetti Showground, Lithgow | 0 | None |
 Mudgee
|
Dragons | Group 10 | Glen Willow Oval, Mudgee | 0 | None |
| Nyngan
|
Tigers | Group 11 | Larkin Oval, Nyngan | 0 | None |
 Orange CYMS
|
CYMS | Group 10 | Wade Park, Orange | 0 | None |
| Orange
|
Hawks | Group 10 | Wade Park, Orange | 0 | None |
 Parkes
|
Spacemen | Group 11 | Pioneer Oval, Parkes | 0 | None |
 Wellington
|
Cowboys | Group 11 | Kennard Park, Wellington | 0 | None |
Former Clubs edit
| Town | Team | Home ground | Conference | No. of Premierships | Group Premierships | No. of Western Conference titles | Western Conference titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blayney
|
Bears | King George Oval | Group 10 | 5 | 1977, 1990, 1993, 1996, 1998 | 0 | None |
| Cowra
|
Magpies | Sid Kallas Oval | Group 10 | 4 | 1978, 1983, 1992, 1995 | 0 | None |
Grand Finals edit
Peter McDonald Premiership (First Grade) edit
| Year | Premiers | Score | Runner-Up | Venue | Scott Weir Medal | Group 10 Premiers | Group 11 Premiers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Forbes
|
28-16 | Dubbo CYMS
|
Apex Oval, Dubbo | Mitch Andrews (Forbes) | Mudgee
|
Dubbo CYMS
|
| 2023[5] | Dubbo CYMS
|
25-12 | Mudgee
|
Apex Oval, Dubbo | Jarryn Powyer (CYMS) | Mudgee
|
Dubbo CYMS
|
Western Premiers Challenge/Peter McDonald Premiership - Reserve Grade edit
| Year | Premiers | Score | Runner-Up | Group 10 Premiers | Group 11 Premiers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Bathurst Panthers
|
29-24 | Dubbo CYMS
|
Bathurst Panthers
|
Dubbo CYMS
|
| 2023 | Dubbo CYMS
|
32-22 | Cowra
|
Cowra
|
Dubbo CYMS
|
Western Premiers Challenge/Peter McDonald Premiership - League Tag edit
| Year | Premiers | Score | Runner-Up | Group 10 Premiers | Group 11 Premiers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Bathurst St Patrick's
|
28-0 | Dubbo CYMS
|
Bathurst St Patrick's
|
Dubbo CYMS
|
| 2023 | Bathurst St Patrick's
|
32-8 | Dubbo Macqurarie
|
Bathurst St Patrick's
|
Dubbo CYMS
|
Tom Nelson Under 18s Premiership edit
| Year | Premiers | Score | Runner-Up | Group 10 Premiers | Group 11 Premiers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Nyngan
|
26-12 | Bathurst St Patrick's
|
N/A | N/A |
| 2023 | Orange Hawks
|
42-14 | Lithgow
|
Orange Hawks
|
Dubbo CYMS
|
Western Women's Rugby League edit
The Western Womens Rugby League (WWRL) is a post-season women's tackle competition contested in the Central West. It features teams from the Peter McDonald Premiership, and their affiliates (in the case of Orange and Panorama), as well as representative sides from other Western Division competitions such as the Castlereagh League and Woodbridge Cup.[6]
Clubs edit
| Town | Team | Home ground | Titles | Premiership Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castlereagh
|
Cougars | Coonamble Sports Ground | ||
 Lachlan District
|
Lachlan | Pioneer Oval, Parkes | ||
| Mudgee
|
Dragons | Glen Willow Sports Stadium | ||
 Orange
|
Vipers | Pride Park, Waratah Sports Ground | ||
 Panorama
|
Platypi | Jack Arrow Sporting Complex | 3 | 2021, 2022, 2023 |
 Wiradjuri
|
Goannas | Kennard Park, Wellington | ||
 Woodbridge
|
Cup | Henry Lawson Oval, Grenfell |
References edit
- ^ Mobbs, Jay-Anna (2 Apr 2022). "Mudgee Dragons defeat Dubbo's Macquarie Raiders in Peter McDonald Premiership opener". Daily Liberal. Australian Community Media. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
- ^ "NSWRL announces Western Premiership 2022 structure". New South Wales Rugby League. 2021-07-23. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
- ^ "Western Conference system to benefit future generations". New South Wales Rugby League. 2021-03-29. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
- ^ McGrath, Nick (5 Apr 2022). "Peter McDonald's family says 'Ace' would be honoured by new Western Rams title race". Central Western Daily. Australian Community Media. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
- ^ Smith, Tallon (2023-09-22). "Grand Final Watch: Dubbo CYMS take Peter McDonald Premiership title, plus a recap of Groups 2, 3 & 7, GTS and the NHRL". Battlers For Bush Footy. Retrieved 2023-09-25.
- ^ "Association: Western Womens Rugby League". www.playrugbyleague.com. Retrieved 2023-12-01.