Current season or competition: 2022 New South Wales Rugby League | |
 | |
| Sport | Rugby league |
|---|---|
| Formerly known as | Inter-District Competition Second Division Metropolitan League Metropolitan Cup Jim Beam Cup Bundaberg Red Cup |
| Instituted | 1963 |
| Inaugural season | 1963 |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Country |  Australia |
| Premiers |  Glebe Dirty Reds (2024) |
| Most titles |  Wentworthville Magpies(17 titles) |
| Website | Ron Massey Cup |
| Related competition | KOE NSW Cup Sydney Shield Presidents Cup NSW Challenge Cup |
TheRon Massey Cup (formerly known as theBundaberg Red Cup andJim Beam Cup) is a semi-professional development levelrugby league competition inNew South Wales (NSW), Australia, run jointly by theNew South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) and theCountry Rugby League of New South Wales (CRL). The competition is run concurrently with theNational Rugby League (NRL). It currently comprises 13 teams drawn from theSydney metropolitan area. The competition is named afterRon Massey, a former rugby league coach. Ron Massey died on 19 September 2016.[1]
The competition is an expanded version of the former Metropolitan Cup and Second Division competitions. The competition was renamed the Bundaberg Red Cup after the 2008 season (the last Jim Beam Cup season), afterBundaberg Rum replaced former sponsorJim Beam.[2] For the 2013 season, the competition was re-branded as the Ron Massey Cup in honour of the former coach, tactician, mentor and administrator.
Ten teams will compete in the 2025 Ron Massey Cup. The fixture list is available on thePlay Rugby League website.
| Colours | Club | Location | Stadium | Premierships | Founded | Joined* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Blacktown Workers | Blacktown,New South Wales | H.E. Laybutt Fields | None | 1964 | 2012 |
 | Cabramatta Two Blues | Cabramatta, New South Wales | New Era Stadium | 2011 | 1919 | 2004 |
 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Belmore, New South Wales | Hammondville Oval | None | 1937 | 2023 |
| Glebe Dirty Reds | Glebe, New South Wales | Goddard Park | 2024 | 1908 | 2015a |
 | Hills District Bulls | Baulkham Hills, New South Wales | Crestwood Oval | 2022 | 1964 | 2016 |
 | Mounties RLFC | Mount Pritchard,New South Wales | Aubrey Keech Reserve | 2015-16 | 1927 | 2007 |
 | Penrith Brothers | Penrith, New South Wales | Parker St Reserve | None | 1968 | 2024 |
 | Ryde-Eastwood Hawks | Ryde, New South Wales | TG Milner Field | 1972, 1974-76, 1990, 2000 | 1962 | 2003b |
 | St Marys Saints | St Marys,New South Wales | St Marys Leagues Stadium | 1993-94, 2001, 2023 | 1908 | 2016c |
 | Wentworthville Magpies | Wentworthville, New South Wales | Ringrose Park | 1964-65, 1967-71, 1973, 1998-99, 2009-20, 2012-13, 2017-19 | 1963 | 2003 |
*: The season the team joined is in the Jim Beam Cup/Bundaberg Red Cup/Ron Massey Cup, not any other competition before this.
a- Glebe previously competed as the Glebe-Burwood-Concord Wolves until 2021.[3]
b- Ryde Eastwood did not compete from 2005 to 2020.
c- St Marys previously competed as a merged entity in 2003.
d- Western Suburbs did not compete in 2020.
|
(Known as Mungoball Tigers) (2003–2007, 2010–2014)
|
1 – Ourimbah withdrew from the competition midway through the 2005 season.
2 – Sydney Bulls withdrew from the competition midway through the 2011 season.
3 – St Johns Eagles joined the competition midway through the 2011 season, replacing the Sydney Bulls.
TheRon Massey Cup is the latest in a succession of Sydney-based second tier, semi-professional Rugby League competitions.
The second tier senior Rugby League competition in Sydney was theInter-District Competition established in 1963 by the NSWRL. It was renamed theSecond Division in 1964. Like succeeding competitions theSecond Division had a high turnover of participating clubs. The 'promotion' of two of the two biggest clubsPenrith Panthers (1966 champions) andCronulla-Sutherland Sharks, at the conclusion of the 1966 season did not help the long-term stability of the competition.
During this periodWentworthville ("The Magpies") was the most successful club, competing in every grand final of the Second Division, winning a total of 8 premierships (including 5 in a row between 1967 and 1971). Due to their domination of the competition 'Wenty' was widely considered the best candidate for promotion to the NSWRL Premiership when two positions were made available for the 1967 competition. Due to their proximity toParramatta, where a Premiership club was established in 1947, the Magpies were overlooked.
| Year | Premiers | Score | Runners-up | Winning Coach | Referee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 |  Kingsford | 9 – 7 | Cronulla-Caringbah Sharks | Col Pearce | |
| 1964 | Wentworthville Magpies | 20 – 5 | Ryde-Eastwood Hawks | Lewis Jones | Jack Harris |
| 1965 | Wentworthville Magpies | 31 – 3 |  Penrith Panthers | Lewis Jones | Keith Holman |
| 1966 | Penrith Panthers | 9 – 7 | Wentworthville Magpies | Leo Trevena | Lin Turner |
| 1967 | Wentworthville Magpies | 25 – 6 | Ryde-Eastwood Hawks | John Farrelly | |
| 1968 | Wentworthville Magpies | 17 – 5 |  Arncliffe Scots | Lewis Jones | John Farrelly |
| 1969 | Wentworthville Magpies | 20 – 2 |  Sydney University | Lewis Jones | Les Samuelson |
| 1970 | Wentworthville Magpies | 15 – 5 | Blacktown Workers | Lewis Jones | Laurie Bruyeres |
| 1971 | Wentworthville Magpies | 21 – 15 | Sydney University | Lewis Jones | Keith Page |
| 1972 | Ryde-Eastwood Hawks | 18 – 14 | Wentworthville Magpies | Laurie Fagan | Keith Page |
| 1973 | Wentworthville Magpies | 12 – 8 | Ryde-Eastwood Hawks | D. Rayner | Don Macdonald |
The Second Division was reorganised in 1974 and renamed theMetropolitan League. It was dominated by theRyde-Eastwood club. In the absence of Wentworthville, who competed in theIllawarra Rugby League competition, Ryde-Eastwood won all three Metropolitan League titles. The Metropolitan League was dismantled in 1976 and with it the idea of a second-tier competition.
| Year | Premiers | Score | Runners-up | Winning Coach | Referee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Ryde-Eastwood Hawks | 37 – 9 | St Marys Saints | Laurie Fagan | D. MacDonald |
| 1975 | Ryde-Eastwood Hawks | 18 – 14 | Windsor Wolves | Laurie Fagan | |
| 1976 | Ryde-Eastwood Hawks | 10 – 8 |  University of NSW |
The concept of the second-tier competition was resurrected in 1990 with the establishment of theMetropolitan Cup. Many teams that were involved in the formerSecond Division andMetropolitan League were included in the new competition, includingRyde-Eastwood and Wentworthville. Other teams in the new competition included theGuildford Owls, Mount Pritchard, Bankstown Greyhounds, Western Suburbs Magpies and the Hills District Bulls. TheNewtown Jets, who had been exiled from theNew South Wales Rugby League premiership at the close of the 1983 season, were also granted admission into the competition in 1991 and became a successful club in their second life, winning 4 premierships (including 3 in a row between 1995 and 1997).Other teams who competed in the cup over the years included St. Marys Saints, West Wollongong Red Devils,Moorebank Rams (Bulldogs), UTS Roosters, Windsor Wolves, Cabramatta Blues, Sydney Bulls and the Kellyville Bushrangers
The finalMetropolitan Cup was contested in 2002 and was won by a newly formed club, theSydney Bulls, defeatingRyde-Eastwood in the last grand final of theMetropolitan Cup.
| Year | Premiers | Score | Runners up | Winning Coach | Referee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Ryde-Eastwood Hawks | 19 – 6 | Hills District Bulls | Ken Wilson | Peter Filmer |
| 1991 |  Guildford Owls | 21 – 6 | Ryde-Eastwood Hawks | Greg Pierce | Chris Ward |
| 1992 |  Newtown Jets | 30 – 18 | Wentworthville Magpies | B Wakefield | |
| 1993 | St Marys Saints | 30 – 10 | Ryde-Eastwood Hawks | Mark O'Reilly | Kelvin Jeffes |
| 1994 | St Marys Saints | 32 – 14 | Hills District Bulls | Mark O'Reilly | Graeme West |
| 1995 | Newtown Jets | 26 – 8 | Wentworthville Magpies | Col Murphy | Matt Hewitt |
| 1996 | Newtown Jets | 28 – 16 | Ryde-Eastwood Hawks | Col Murphy | David Jay |
| 1997 | Newtown Jets | 18 – 8 | Guildford Owls | Col Murphy | |
| 1998 | Wentworthville Magpies | 18 – 12 |  Kellyville | Ian McCann | |
| 1999 | Wentworthville Magpies | 30 – 22 | Ryde-Eastwood Hawks | Ian McCann | |
| 2000 | Ryde-Eastwood Hawks | 24 – 10 | St Marys Saints | Dave Nugent | |
| 2001 | St Marys Saints | 20 – 16 |  Sydney Bulls | Tim O'Brien | Kelvin Jeffes |
| 2002 | Sydney Bulls | 44 – 10 | Ryde-Eastwood Hawks | Steve Ghosn | Rod Lawrence |
TheJim Beam Cup was established in 2003 as part of another overall restructure of the NSWRL competitions operating in the levels below the NRL. TheJim Beam Cup was intended to lay the foundations of a semi-professional 'State League' competition (similar to theQueensland Cup) and included four non-Sydney teams from the Central Coast (Erina Eagles,The Entrance Tigers,Ourimbah Magpies, andWoy Woy Roosters.) With the inclusion of these clubs (who field teams in the Central Coast Division of the CRL) theJim Beam Cup became a cooperative effort between the NSWRL and the CRL.
Radio coverage was heard onHawkesbury Radio 89.9FM withPeter Jolly and Shane Skeen.
| Year | Premiers | Score | Runners-up | Winning Coach | Referee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 |  The Entrance Tigers | 14 – 10 | Wentworthville Magpies | Matt Parish | Jason Robinson |
| 2004 | Sydney Bulls | 22 – 16 | The Entrance Tigers | Steve Ghosn | Rod Lawrence |
| 2005 | Windsor Wolves | 23 – 18 | Sydney Bulls | Steve Ghosn | Jared Maxwell |
| 2006 | Sydney Bulls | 56 – 22 | Newtown Jets | David Bayssari | Alan Shortall |
| 2007 | The Entrance Tigers | 30 – 20 | Sydney Bulls | Jamy Forbes | Chris James |
| 2008 | Windsor Wolves | 36 – 16 | Sydney Bulls | Trent Rosa | Adam Gee |
The 2009 Grand Final was a closely fought battle between Minor PremiersWentworthville Magpies andCabramatta Two Blues, withWentworthville coming out victorious by 24–20 in the game atLeichhardt Oval.
| Year | Premiers | Score | Runners-up | Winning Coach | Referee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Wentworthville Magpies | 24 – 10 |  Cabramatta Two Blues | Brett Cook | Chris Sutton |
| 2010 | Wentworthville Magpies | 38 – 28 | Bankstown City Bulls | Brett Cook | Jon Stone |
| 2011 | Cabramatta Two Blues | 28 – 20 | Mount Pritchard Mounties | Corey Ruttle | Robert Bowen |
| 2012 | Wentworthville Magpies | 16 – 14 | The Entrance Tigers | Alex Chan | Phil Henderson |
During the 2012/13 offseason it was announced that Bundaberg Rum had withdrawn their sponsorship, and the competition would be renamed as the Ron Massey Cup, after the great Parramatta assistant coach.
| No. | Club | Premierships |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wentworthville Magpies | 17 (1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1998, 1999, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019) |
| 2 | Ryde-Eastwood Hawks | 6 (1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1990, 2000) |
| 3 | Newtown Jets | 4 (1992, 1995, 1996, 1997) |
| 4 | St Marys Saints | 4 (1993, 1994, 2001,2023) |
| 5 | The Entrance Tigers | 3 (2003, 2007, 2014) |
| 6 | Sydney Bulls | 3 (2002, 2004, 2006) |
| 7 | Mount Pritchard Mounties | 2 (2015, 2016) |
| 8 | Windsor Wolves | 2 (2005, 2008) |
| 9 | Cabramatta Two Blues | 1 (2011) |
| 10 |  Guildford Owls | 1 (1991) |
| 11 | Penrith Panthers | 1 (1966) |
| 12 | Kingsford | 1 (1963) |
| 13 | Hills District Bulls | 1 (2022) |
Bold means the team is still currently playing in the competition.
The following timeline displays the participation of clubs in the Ron Massey Cup and its most recent predecessors, The Metropolitan Cup, the Jim Beam and Bundaberg Red Cups. The competitions had Top 4 final series from 1990 to 2002, Top 5 from 2003 to 2012, and Top 8 from 2013 to 2019. Three teams from the cancelled 2020 Ron Massey Cup participated in the 2020 President's Cup, two making the four team final series.
Since its establishment in 2003 the competition has both expanded and contracted in terms of numbers of sides competing. Aside from the original expansion of the Sydney-based competition into the Central Coast, the Bundaberg Red Cup has continued to expand throughout Sydney, moving away from itsWestern Sydney base in 2005 with the inclusion of two Northern Sydney sides: theAsquith Magpies andBelrose Eagles.
2003
2003 saw the inauguration of the new Jim Beam Cup. It featured eight teams from Sydney and four from the Central Coast.
2004
The St Mary's-Penrith Cougars left to focus on their NSW Premier League side, and were replaced by the Cabramatta Two Blues.
2005
2006
The Woy Woy Roosters withdrew.
2007
In 2007, 12 clubs competed for theJim Beam Cup. New clubsShellharbour,Chester Hill, Seven Hills and Mount Pritchard competed for the first time. TheNewtown Jets dropped out of the competition to concentrate on their club's 2007NSWRL Premier League campaign.
In terms of geographical spread four clubs were based in the Parramatta District (Wentworthville, Seven Hills, Cabramatta and Mount Pritchard), two on the Central Coast of NSW (Erina and The Entrance) and Canterbury-Bankstown (Chester Hill and Sydney Bulls) and one each in Penrith (Windsor Wolves), Manly-Warringah (Belrose), Illawarra (Shellharbour) and North Sydney (Asquith).
2008
In 2008, for the first time, an interstate team entered the competition, aWestern Australia Rugby League representative side known as theWA Reds, with a view to developing the game in the state in order to secure a futureNRL franchise in 2011–2012.[6] The Cronulla Sutherland Sharks and theCampbelltown Eagles also joined the competition. The Seven Hills Demons announced that they would not field a team in the Jim Beam Cup in Season 2008.[7]The Entrance Tigers, who had claimed the 2007 title, unfortunately pulled out of the Jim Beam Cup due to the restrictions placed on gambling and smoking in clubs and pubs.[8] The Asquith Magpies also withdrew from the competition.
2009
2010
2011
In 2011, the Kingsgrove Colts joined the competition, based in the St George catchment area. As of Round 6, the Sydney Bulls left the competition due to financial difficulties.
2012
2013
TheAsquith Magpies returned, replacing the St Johns Eagles. TheGuildford Owls made their return, and theWestern Suburbs Magpies made their return following the merger of the NSW Cup entities.
2014
2015
The reigning premiers,The Entrance Tigers withdrew. Western Suburbs, Cabramatta and Kingsgrove missed the eight-team finals series.
2016
TheHills District Bulls andSt Marys Saints joined the competition.
2017
2018
Auburn did not field a team in the competition after being liquidated.
2019
 | Parts of this article (those related to 2022 competition) need to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(May 2022) |
2020
For 2020 the 11 clubs in the list immediately below were included in the competition. After the first round on 14 & 15 March, the Ron Massey Cup was suspended and subsequently cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in Australia.[9] In that single, first round the winning teams were theKaiviti Silktails (40-16 on their debut),Concord-Burwood-Glebe Wolves (12-4), Wentworthville (18-14), St Marys (44-32) and Blacktown Workers (30-4). Guildford had the bye.
The NSWRL subsequently arranged two men's competitions, aPresident's Cup and a reconfiguredSydney Shield.[10] Hills District Bulls and Wentworthville entered teams in both competitions. Glebe-Burwood Wolves fielded a team in the President's Cup.
The President's Cup comprised four teams from within the Sydney metropolitan area and five teams from other areas of the state. The Sydney teams wereGlebe-Burwood Wolves (finished as runners-up),North Sydney Bears (semi-finalist),Hills District Bulls (semi-finalist) andWentworthville Magpies (8th). The teams from regions wereMaitland Pickers (Premiers[11]) from the Hunter Valley;Thirroul Butchers (5th) andWestern Suburbs Red Devils (6th) from the Illawarra,Dubbo CYMS (7th) and aWestern Rams representative team (9th).[12] TheWestern Rams played their home games in Forbes, Orange, Mudgee and Bathurst.
On 28 September 2020, the NSWRL announced their intention to expand, from the 2021 season, the Ron Massey Cup to become a statewide competition. The statement also affirmed that Kaiviti Silktails from Fiji would be part of that competition.[13][14]
Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Ron Massey Cup was cancelled after one round of matches.
2021
2022
All of the above are available at the State Library of NSW, although some collections are incomplete.
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