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 2022 and incorporates the former Group 10 and Group 11 competitions.[1][2]
| Sport | Rugby league |
|---|---|
| Inaugural season | 2022 |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Region | Central West and Orana (NSWRL) |
| Premiers |  Mudgee Dragons (2024) |
| Most titles |  Dubbo CYMS  Forbes Magpies Mudgee Dragons (1 title) |
| Website | Play Rugby League.com |
| Related competition | Group 10 Rugby League Group 11 Rugby League |
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, and is played in four grades, these being First-Grade, Reserve-Grade, Under 18s and Ladies League Tag.[3]
History
editThe competition is the result of a merger between the historic Group 10 and Group 11 Rugby League competitions.
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.
Initially, the competition also had two conferences, and implemented a first past the post system to award the historic Group 10 and 11 titles to the clubs who finished first on the ladder the respective historic competitions, however the conference system was scrapped in favour of a single league system from 2024 onwards.
Initially, the First Grade premiers progressed 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, however this was scrapped after the 2023 season.[4]
Clubs
edit12 clubs compete in the Peter McDonald Premiership. All clubs field all grades.
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 | 1 | 2024 |
| 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 | Premierships | Premiership Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blayney
|
Bears | King George Oval | Group 10 | 0 | None |
| Cowra
|
Magpies | Sid Kallas Oval | Group 10 | 0 | None |
Grand Finals
editPeter McDonald Premiership (First Grade)
edit| Year | Premiers | Score | Runner-Up | Venue | Scott Weir Medal | Minor Premiers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Forbes
|
28-16 | Dubbo CYMS
|
Apex Oval, Dubbo | Mitch Andrews (Forbes) | Mudgee (Group 10) /
|
| 2023[5] | Dubbo CYMS
|
25-12 | Mudgee
|
Apex Oval, Dubbo | Jarryn Powyer (CYMS) | Mudgee (Group 10) /
|
| 2024[6] | Mudgee
|
46-16 | Parkes
|
Glen Willow Oval, Mudgee | Clay Priest (Mudgee) | Mudgee
|
Western Premiership - Reserve Grade
edit| Year | Premiers | Score | Runner-Up | Venue | Minor Premiers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Bathurst Panthers
|
29-24 | Dubbo CYMS
|
Apex Oval, Dubbo | Bathurst Panthers (Group 10) /
|
| 2023 | Dubbo CYMS
|
32-22 | Cowra
|
Apex Oval, Dubbo | Cowra (Group 10) /
|
| 2024 | Dubbo CYMS
|
18-10 | Mudgee
|
Glen Willow Oval, Mudgee | Dubbo CYMS
|
Western Premiership - League Tag
edit| Year | Premiers | Score | Runner-Up | Venue | Minor Premiers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Bathurst St Patrick's
|
28-0 | Dubbo CYMS
|
Apex Oval, Dubbo | Bathurst St Patrick's (Group 10) /
|
| 2023 | Bathurst St Patrick's
|
32-8 | Dubbo Macquarie
|
Apex Oval, Dubbo | Bathurst St Patrick's (Group 10) /
|
| 2024 | Dubbo Macquarie
|
18-6 | Bathurst St Patrick's
|
Glen Willow Oval, Mudgee | Dubbo Macqurarie
|
Tom Nelson Under 18s Premiership
edit| Year | Premiers | Score | Runner-Up | Venue | Minor Premiers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Nyngan
|
26-12 | Bathurst St Patrick's
|
Apex Oval, Dubbo | |
| 2023 | Orange Hawks
|
42-14 | Lithgow
|
Apex Oval, Dubbo | Orange Hawks (Group 10) /
|
| 2024 | Orange Hawks
|
22-8 | Dubbo CYMS
|
Glen Willow Oval, Mudgee | Orange Hawks
|
Western Women's Rugby League
editThe 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.[7]
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- ^ "Western Conference system to benefit future generations". New South Wales Rugby League. 2021-03-29. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "NSWRL announces Western Premiership 2022 structure". New South Wales Rugby League. 2021-07-23. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Smith, Tallon (2024-09-12). "Dragons down Spacemen as Mudgee claim Peter McDonald Premiership crown". Battlers For Bush Footy. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
- ^ "Association: Western Womens Rugby League". www.playrugbyleague.com. Retrieved 2023-12-01.