Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club, trading as the Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition. The Roosters have won fifteen New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) and National Rugby League titles, and several other competitions. First founded as the Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club (ESDRLFC), it is the only club to have played in every season at the elite level. The Sydney Roosters have won 15 premierships, equal to the record of the St George Dragons. Only the South Sydney Rabbitohs have won more premierships. The club holds the record for having won more matches than any other in the league, the most minor premierships and the most World Club Challenge trophies. Currently coached by Trent Robinson and captained by James Tedesco, the Roosters play home games at the Sydney Football Stadium.
The club was founded in 1908 in Paddington, Sydney, as Eastern Suburbs; in 1995, the club's name was changed to the Sydney City Roosters and, in 2000, to the Sydney Roosters. The team's Leagues Club is based in Bondi Junction and its home ground, administration and training facilities are located at nearby Moore Park. The Roosters have long-standing and fierce rivalries with other Sydney-based clubs, especially the South Sydney Rabbitohs, a fellow foundation club based in neighbouring Redfern.
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20th century
The Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club (ESDRLFC) was formed on 24 January 1908 at a meeting at the Paddington Town Hall in Sydney after it was decided that the district should enter a team in the newly formed New South Wales Rugby Football League. The ESDRLFC was formed, under its articles of association with the NSWRFL, to represent the geographic areas in Sydney covering the Waverley, Randwick, Woollahra, Paddington and Vaucluse local government municipalities, as well as the eastern parts of the Sydney CBD.
Unofficially nicknamed the "Tricolours" due to the red, white and blue playing strip, Eastern Suburbs won its first match, defeating Newtown 32–16 at Wentworth Oval on 20 April 1908. In 1911-13 it became the first club to win three consecutive premierships; the line-ups during this period included the likes of Dally Messenger, Harry "Jersey" Flegg and Sandy Pearce, all regarded as all-time rugby league greats. In 1911 John "Dinny" Campbell playing for Eastern Suburbs kicked the last ever soccer-style field goal in premiership history. After 1913 the club rapidly declined and failed to win the premiership for the next nine seasons.
Eastern Suburbs missed the finals once from 1926 to 1942, and in that time won four titles and the minor premiership on seven occasions. During this period, Dave Brown set several point-scoring records that still stand. In 1935, the team lost just one game, and recorded the highest winning margin in their history, an 87–7 (equivalent to 106–8 using the modern scoring system) victory over Canterbury. In 1936, Eastern Suburbs became one of five teams in premiership history to remain undefeated for an entire season, a feat they repeated the following year. It is the only club to remain unbeaten for two consecutive seasons.
Despite claiming the premiership in 1945, Eastern Suburbs failed to make the finals for the following seven seasons. A runners-up finish in 1960 was the closest the club came to claiming the premiership during this era. Eastern Suburbs were soundly defeated 31–6 in the grand final that year, by the famous record-beating St George outfit. In 1966, the club fell to new depths and was winless for the first time in its history. It was also the last occasion in which the Roosters won the wooden spoon until claiming it again in the 2009 season. It ended a poor run for Eastern Suburbs; from 1963 to 1966, they won 8 of 72 matches, finishing second to last in 1964 and last in the other three years. The club underwent a renaissance in 1967 after appointing Jack Gibson as coach (1967–68), and introducing a new emblem on the playing jerseys, the rooster.
21st century
In 2002, the club captured its 12th premiership – the first in 27 years – defeating Minor Premiers the New Zealand Warriors 30–8 in the 2002 NRL grand final.
In the 2003 NRL grand final against the Penrith Panthers, the Roosters lost 18–6 in what was their heaviest defeat for the year. A decisive moment occurred midway through the second half: with the scores tied at 6-all, Roosters winger Todd Byrne made a clear break down the sideline and looked set to score a try before being chased down and tackled into touch by Penrith lock forward, Scott Sattler. From then on, the momentum of the game was with Penrith. The Roosters' made the 2004 NRL Grand Final, in which they ceded a 13–6 half-time lead to be defeated by the Bulldogs 16–13. The match was captain Fittler's last for the team.
In 2007, the Roosters became the first club to play 100 seasons of first grade rugby league; having been the only outfit to play in each season since the competition's inception in 1908. They appointed Chris Anderson as coach in 2007 and 2008 following two relatively unsuccessful years under Ricky Stuart. On 9 July 2007, Anderson resigned after a 56–0 loss to the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. Assistant Coach Fittler acted as the caretaker for the remainder of the 2007 season, before being appointed in August to the top job for two years. With eight rounds remaining in a disappointing 2009 season in which the Roosters finished with the wooden spoon for the first time in 43 years, Fittler was informed he would not be the coach in 2010, his position to be taken by veteran coach Brian Smith. The Roosters wound up winning only five games for the entire season; twice against Cronulla and once against each of Canberra in Canberra, eventual grand finalists Parramatta and Newcastle in Newcastle.
A year after finishing last, under the coaching of Brian Smith they reached the 2010 NRL Grand Final where the St. George Illawarra Dragons defeated them 32–8. The Roosters led 8–6 at half time but were overrun in the second half.
What followed was another relatively disappointing season at Bondi Junction, with the Roosters finishing 11th in a 2011 season plagued by off-field issues involving 2010 Dally M Medallist Todd Carney (who was later sacked by the Roosters at season's end). However, a four-game winning streak to end the season brought hope for the 2012 season. Other high-profile players including Nate Myles, Mark Riddell, Jason Ryles, Kane Linnett, and Phil Graham all left the club at season's end.
Emblem and colours
The club's red, white and blue colours and initial striped jersey design were adopted at its founding meeting at Paddington Town Hall in 1908 by replicating those of the district's Easts rugby union club. The latter club had its formation in 1900 taken on the colours of the 1899 defunct Paddington FC, copying the same tri-colours hooped jersey worn by the 1899 British Lions on their tour of Australia. The red, white and blue tricolours jersey was first used in Australia in 1872 by Sydney's Wallaroo FC who were based at Moore Park (home of the Sydney Roosters).
Eastern Suburbs did not traditionally sport a crest badge on their jerseys in the first half of the 20th century. Other clubs occasionally sported simple designs on their strip; however, this was not seen consistently on all jerseys until the 1950s and 1960s. In 1967, the club introduced its first logo, displaying the mantra "Easts to Win", following a winless season. The crest also incorporated a rooster or cockerel in the design; one source suggested that this choice of mascot followed after the Roosters' jersey design was inspired by the French national team's jersey. Given that the French team's mascot was affectionately known to supporters as le coq, "the rooster", connections have been made as to the choosing of a rooster for Eastern Suburbs' mascot.
In 1978, the mantra was replaced with the team's name, "Eastern Suburbs". This name was kept until 1994, when the club changed its team name to the "Sydney City Roosters" for the start of the 1995 season to appeal to the club's widening fan base. In 2000, the club shortened its name to the "Sydney Roosters".
Although marketing names have changed, the Roosters are still registered with the National Rugby League competition as the Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club, the entity holding the NRL licence.
Red, white and blue have been the colours of every jersey design in the club's history; however, the jersey design has undergone several alterations. During World War II, the design of the jersey was modified because the dye used to colour jerseys was needed for the war effort. This saw Eastern Suburbs playing in different colours and an altered design. Instead of using the traditional hoops, the side used a sky-blue based jersey and a red and white V-strip around the collar. This is the only noted time in the club's history where the traditional deep blue, red and white combination was absent from the jersey. After the war, the V-strip design reverted to the original blue that had been present in the original jerseys, and the single red and white stripes around the shirt's chest were incorporated with a single white stripe surrounded by a red stripe on either side. This jersey appeared in the 1950s and remains the team's base design.
Rivals
Main: South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Major: St. George Illawarra Dragons (Anzac Day rivals), Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Melbourne Storm, Brisbane Broncos.
Minor: Penrith Panthers, Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, Parramatta Eels, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, Dolphins, Wests Tigers.
Stadium
Most sources suggest that the Royal Agricultural Ground was often used as a home venue between 1908 and 1910, before the club hosted matches at the Sydney Sports Ground from 1911 onwards. It was here that the team played almost all of their home games up until 1986, when the ground was demolished with the Sydney Cricket Ground No. 2 to make way for Sydney's main rectangular field, the Sydney Football Stadium. In 1987, games were moved away to the Newtown Jets' home ground, Henson Park, temporarily to await the completion of the Sydney Football Stadium. The team capitalised on this move, and under coach Arthur Beetson finished second in the regular season, and narrowly missed playing in the grand final. It was the only time between 1983 and 1995 that the club reached the finals.
In 1988, the club moved its home ground to the newly built Sydney Football Stadium on the site of the old Sydney Sports Ground, opening the season with a 24–14 defeat at the hands of the St George Dragons in front of 19,295 spectators on a wet night on 4 March 1988. At the Sydney Football Stadium, the Roosters have a 59% win record from 256 games with a 58% and 55% win record at former home grounds the Sydney Sports Ground and the Sydney Cricket Ground respectively.
The Roosters played their last game, a Preliminary Final against South Sydney, at the Sydney Football Stadium on 22 September 2018 in front of a ground record crowd of 44,380. In 2019, the Sydney Roosters home became the Sydney Cricket Ground whilst the replacement Sydney Football Stadium (2022) was being built.
Supporters and geographical area
Their main fan base is in Sydney, with particular concentration in Sydney's East.Traditionally they represented the entirety of the Eastern Suburbs (being at the time the municipalities of Paddington, Woollahra, Vaucluse, Randwick and Waverley with many of these councils now since being amalgamated together) however due to junior team boundary lines changing in the late 1930's (of which many Roosters supporters have viewed as bias due to administrator conflicts of interest) the lower part of the Eastern Suburbs from Maroubra to La Perouse were taken off the Roosters and given to the Rabbitohs. However their original articles of association from 1908 still haven't been changed meaning technically at a senior level the Roosters still represent the whole area. Currently though the suburbs represented by the Sydney Roosters as still traditional Eastern Suburbs heartland include Woolloomooloo, Potts Point, Darling Point, Kings Cross, Elizabeth Bay, Rushcutters Bay, Darlinghurst, Surry Hills, Double Bay, Point Piper, Bellevue Hill, Vaucluse, Dover Heights, Rose Bay, Watsons Bay, Paddington, Woollahra, Moore Park, Centennial Park, North Bondi, Bondi, Bondi Junction, Bondi Beach, Tamarama, Waverley, Bronte, Clovelly, Kensington, Randwick, Coogee and South Coogee.
Compared to the early days though the team has now branched out due to the changing demographics of that region with most fans of the club coming from outside the traditional area. Due to the affluence of the Eastern Suburbs, the Roosters fanbase is often perceived as affluent White Collar and Upper Class, although the club (Like other Rugby League clubs) was formed mostly by players with a working class background.
They have an estimated 800k fans due to a club estimate. When calculating their 'average exposure value' across the 2019, 2020 and 2021 seasons it was determined that they were the most watched NRL club and the third most watched club across all sporting codes in Australia. They had 18.6 million game views in 2021 alone.
In the premiership winning season of 2013 the club tallied the fourth-highest home attendance of all National Rugby League clubs with an average of 19,368 spectators at the Sydney Football Stadium. This figure does not factor in whether supporters are from the home or away team. Following the re-opening of the newly renovated Sydney Football Stadium, during the 2023 season the Roosters recorded the third-highest average home attendance in the NRL and the highest outside of Queensland with an average of 22,898. This figure was boosted by the fact that the club was the designated "home team" for Magic Round and for the traditional ANZAC Day game. Again in 2024 they recorded the third-highest average home attendance and the most in NSW with 23,364.
Statistics and records
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves holds the record for the most first grade games (307), having surpassed Mitchell Aubusson's tally of 306 matches in round 19 of the 2024 season. Former team captain Craig Fitzgibbon holds the club record for scoring the most points, tallying 1,376 over his 210 matches. Fitzgibbon also broke the all-time point scoring record for a forward in the later rounds of 2006. Dave Brown's tally of 45 points (five tries and 15 goals) in a single match against Canterbury in 1935 remains a competition record after more than seven decades. Ivan Cleary scored 284 points in 1998, which at the time was an all-time points scoring record in a season.
Bill Mullins, father of 2002 premiership player Brett, scored 104 tries in his 11-year, 190-game career with Eastern Suburbs between 1968 and 1978, meaning that on average, he scored at least one try every two games. Anthony Minichiello became the highest try scorer in the Roosters history when he scored his 105th try against the Newcastle at Ausgrid Stadium in June 2011. 'Mini' finally retired after the 2014 season, and ended his career with 139 tries. He is also the first fullback in 70 years to win the Grand Final (2013), while captaining the club. Rod O'Loan scored seven tries in a single match against Sydney University in 1935, and Dave Brown's 38 tries in 15 games in the same year remains a competition record.
In 1975, the Eastern Suburbs Roosters set a record 19-match winning streak on their way to their 11th premiership. In a 1935 match against Canterbury, Dave Brown scored 45 points, the highest score and victory margin for the club (the 87–7 scoreline is equivalent to 106–8 under the contemporary scoring system). The winning margin is the second largest overall, behind St. George's 91–6 win over Canterbury a week earlier.
The club's record attendance for a regular season game at its home ground—the Sydney Football Stadium—stands at 40,864, achieved in a match on ANZAC Day against the St George Illawarra Dragons in 2017. The club's record attendance for a regular season game at the SCG stands at 50,130 on 4 May 1974 against the Manly Sea Eagles
The 2000 grand final between the Sydney Roosters and the Brisbane Broncos attracted 94,277 spectators to the Olympic Stadium.
Squads
Team of the Century
In 2000, the Sydney Roosters named their "Team of the Century", which included players from 1908 to 2000. The official team is listed below along with their Sydney Roosters cap number.
The Centurions
In 2007, the Sydney Roosters announced "The Centurions", a team consisting of those regarded as the greatest players to have played 100 or more games for the club between 1908 and 2007. The team was selected by Ray Chesterton, Ian Heads, David Middleton and Alan Clarkson and was unveiled at the centenary season launch at the Michael Algeri Pavilion on 10 March 2007.
Honours
Titles
Premierships – 151911, 1912, 1913, 1923, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1940, 1945, 1974, 1975, 2002, 2013, 2018, 2019
Runners-up – 151908, 1919, 1921, 1928, 1931, 1934, 1938, 1941, 1960, 1972, 1980, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2010
Minor Premierships – 201912, 1913, 1923, 1931, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1940, 1941, 1945, 1974, 1975, 1980, 1981, 2004, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018
World Club Challenge – 51976, 2003, 2014, 2019, 2020
Amco Cup – 2 1975, 1978
City Cup – 3 1914, 1915, 1916
Auckland Nines – 1 2017
World Sevens – 1 1993
Youth/Pre-season Titles
Club Championship – 12 1930, 1931, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1945, 1970, 1974, 1975, 2004, 2006
Second Grade – 9 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1935, 1937, 1949, 1986, 2004
Third Grade/Under 23 – 11 1914, 1917, 1924, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1941, 1947, 1970, 1976
Preseason Cup – 4 1974, 1977, 1979, 1981
Under-20s Competition – 1 2016
Jersey Flegg Cup – 3 1995, 2002, 2004
Presidents Cup – 16 1910, 1911, 1913, 1915, 1920, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1927, 1938, 1948, 1949, 1955, 1978, 1993
S. G. Ball Cup – 5 1997, 2008, 2010, 2014 , 2025
The Knock On Effect NSW Cup – 0
NRL State Championship – 0
Women's team
On 27 March 2018, the Sydney Roosters applied for, and won, a license to participate in the inaugural 2018 NRL Women's season. Adam Hartigan was named as the coach of the women's side.
In June 2018, the club used up the maximum of fifteen marquee signings ahead of the inaugural season which subsequently commenced in September. Players signed included Karina Brown, Isabelle Kelly and Ruan Sims.
The club finished runners-up in the inaugural NRL Women's Premiership, losing to the Brisbane Broncos by 34–12 in the 2018 NRL Women's Premiership Grand Final. Zahara Temara claimed the 2018 Player of the Season award.
In 2019, Rick Stone took over as coach. The club, however, failed to win a match, claiming the wooden spoon. Tallisha Harden was awarded the club's Best & Fairest Player for the 2019 season.
Jamie Feeney was appointed the head coach for the 2020 season, being determined to turn the club's fortunes around. He was assisted by Kylie Hilder and John Strange. Feeney immediately appointed Corban McGregor as the club's new captain. The club also announced the big signing of Sevens Rugby star and 2016 Gold Medalist, Charlotte Caslick.