When the Northern Territory Rugby Union was officially formed in 1976, there were no stadiums, no grandstands, and certainly no floodlit training fields.
What there was, however, were a handful of clubs with more determination than resources, and enough characters to fill a rugby folklore book. These were the foundation clubs, Tracey Village (later Casuarina Cougars), South Darwin Rabbitohs, Darwin Rugby Club (later Palmerston Crocs), Waratahs (later to become Bayside), and the Larrakeyah ‘Buffaloes’ (later Combined Services). Together, they laid the groundwork for what has become 50 years of rugby in the Top End.
Casuarina Cougars – Born in a Construction Camp
The Cougars’ roots go back to the Tracy Village construction camp, where workers rebuilding Darwin after Cyclone Tracy decided they needed more than just hammers and beer to keep them occupied. Recruiters like Nick Dondas and David “Coops” Cooper rounded up enough willing bodies to form a team.
From humble beginnings, Casuarina quickly became a powerhouse. By the early ’80s, they were collecting premierships and, in 1983, made international headlines by winning the Singapore Sevens without conceding a single point. Not bad for a team that started in dongas and dust.
South Darwin Rabbitohs – The Battlers with Bite
Souths were born with the same post-Tracy spirit, attracting a mix of tradies, servicemen, and locals. They quickly became known as the Rabbitohs, not because of their speed, but because they just kept multiplying.
The headquarters of the club was initially the Marrara Hotel before the club became affiliated with the South Darwin Sporting League and drew upon the playing fraternity of the South Darwin Rugby League team to field a side in the inaugural competition.
They wore their battler tag with pride, pulling off famous upsets against bigger, better resourced teams. And if the scoreline didn’t go their way, they always won the post-match singing contest. Souths embodied the Territory attitude: tough, scrappy, and always up for a laugh.
Darwin Rugby Club – Becoming the Palmerston Crocs
Originally simply “Darwin Rugby Club,” this team very quickly changed its name to the Palmerston Crocs (Palmerston being the name for the original settlement in Darwin Harbour) when the organisers realised the sport could only grow and prosper and as such there would be Darwin representative teams in the future. In the early 1980’s, when the Government of the day decided to establish a satellite city southeast of Darwin and name it after the Palmerston Rugby Union Club, the club relocated and by 1990 had established their clubhouse on Bonson Terrece. From the start, Darwin Rugby was known for being family focused. Brothers, cousins, and mates formed the backbone of the side, and it wasn’t unusual to see multiple generations involved.
That tradition reached its peak in 1997, when the Bree family created NT rugby history by fielding three generations in one game. If you wanted to know what Darwin Rugby was about, you just had to stand on their sideline: kids kicking balls, mums selling raffle tickets, and dads strapping on boots after work.
RSL Dragons – social rugby, “Old Plebians’
The Old Plebians were a social rugby team formed in 1975 who played a social game or two against the Palmerston Crocs. These games led to the Old Plebians being invited to organise a team to compete in the first official competition in 1976.
The new Club gained financial support from the Darwin RSL Subbranch and adopted the RSL club’s green and gold colours. They incorporated the ‘Dragons’ name and emblem into the club’s name to acknowledge the significant involvement and support of the Nightcliff Rugby League players that had signed up to play for the club.
The club has subsequently evolved its colours, now gold and black, and its name, in 1996 becoming the PINT Dragons and in 2000-01 becoming the Darwin Dragons.
Waratahs and Bayside – Glory and Goodbyes
One of the original foundation clubs, Waratahs rebranded as Bayside in the late ’70s. They wasted no time making their mark, famously knocking off the heavily favoured Casuarina in the 1980 grand final.
Bayside were fiery, fun, and ferociously competitive. Sadly, the club folded in the mid-90s, but their legacy lived on. In 1999, more than 120 former players gathered in Darwin for a massive reunion. By all reports, the stories got taller, and the beers went faster as the night went on, a fitting send off for a club that burned brightly, if briefly.
Larrakeyah Buffaloes – military
Larrakeyah was the last of the original six foundation clubs to be formed and made up almost exclusively of military personnel. Most coming from the Larrakeyah Army base hence the initial name. The competition organisers were very glad when the team formed as it appeared they were headed for a five team competition meaning a bye each week. Something they were not keen on.
The club changed its name to Combined Services in 1980 to attract funding from all three arms of the Defence Forces. Although initially very competitive, the club struggled to attract players from outside the Defence Services and subsequently became non-competitive and was disbanded in 1986.
The Legacy of the Foundation Clubs
Individually, each foundation club had its quirks and characters. Together, they formed the bedrock of NT Rugby. They built fields when none existed, scraped together jerseys when money was tight, and recruited players from building sites, universities, and military barracks.
Fifty years on, some of those clubs have evolved, some have merged, and others have disappeared. But their spirit lives on in every tackle at Skyring Rugby Park and every cheer on the sideline. The foundation clubs didn’t just create teams; they created a culture.
And if you look closely at the game today, you’ll still see the fingerprints of those early years: the Cougars’ determination, Souths’ humour, Palmerston’s family values, Dragons’ social approach and Buyside’s passion. Together, they remind us that rugby in the Territory has never been about perfection. It’s been about people coming together, having a go, and leaving a story behind.
Sources:
- Cramp, N (2001). Rah-Rah in the Never-Never – foundation club’s histories (Casuarina Cougars, Darwin/Palmerston, South Darwin, RSL Dragons / Darwin Dragons, Bayside/Waratahs, Larrakeyah Buffaloes / Combined Services).
- NT Rugby historical notes and club records.
