South Darwin and Top End rugby union reach their fourth decade

SOUTH Darwin has been an integral part of Top End rugby union since the game kicked off in Darwin 40 years ago.

NT Rugby Union Darwin South club captain Steven Eardley, left, with club president James de Dassel. The Rabbitohs are 40 years old this year.

SOUTH Darwin has been an integral part of Top End rugby union since the game kicked off in Darwin 40 years ago.

The city was still recovering from the effects of Cyclone Tracy when a five-team competition began to throw a piece of pigskin around rugby fields in September, 1976.

Souths, Casuarina, Palmerston, Waratah (Bayside) and the RSL Dragons were the foundation clubs when the game that is played in heaven took its

first steps in deep north of Australia.

Ironically, this weekend’s clash between Souths and the Dragons commemorates the first official NT Rugby Union game.

Rabbitohs president James de Dassel said the other rugby code _ league _ was well established in Darwin when people like the Hedger

brothers, Ian and Sean, kicked union off as a recognised competition.

“We had six or eight foundation members and hopefully three or four of them will be in Darwin this weekend,’’ de Dassel said.

The game began as a wet season competition and continued that way for 28 years until early 2002 when we changed to the dry.’’

Souths have only won four senior flags, the last in 2008 when they beat University 29-21 in a highly entertaining final.

They lost a series of grand finals to Casuarina in the 1980s and again in 2012 and last year when the club was under the reign of Tim Atkinson, a former Australian 7s rep.

Former Australian, Japan and now England coach Eddie Jones played with South Darwin in the 1980s and Sean Hedger Jr is an assistant

coach of Super Rugby club Melbourne Rebels.

For de Dassel, the club’s big Fijian representation is one of the club’s biggest achievements and one he is convinced will win the club a series

of senior premierships in the years to come.

Right now the 2016 campaign is the most important step and being crowned champions in the competition’s 40th yeasr.

“It’s not going to be easy, this season has already been very competitive,’’ de Dassel said.

“There’s been a few big upsets already, headed by Palmerston beating University and last weekend Dragons knocked over Casuarina right at the

death when they scored a try in the 79th minute.

“Uni, the reigning premier have dropped to third and we’ve got away to first very early one, it’s going to be a real race to the finish.’’

On Saturday it will be Souths and Dragons on the main field 40 years on from the first NTRU game in history.

“We got on top of them in the first half of the first game this season, but they’ve improved gradually since and will provide us with plenty of

headaches this week,’’ de Dassel said.