Sydney Roosters Juniors
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The Sydney Roosters Juniors is officially known as the Eastern Suburbs District Junior Rugby League (ESDJRL). It is comprised of an affiliation of junior clubs in the Eastern Suburbs area, covering the Woollahra and Waverley local government areas (LGAs) and also the eastern areas of the City of Sydney LGA. The district currently boasts the following clubs;
- Bondi United
- Clovelly Crocodiles
- Paddington-Woollahra Tigers
- St Charles Waverley
These clubs play in a combined junior competition with the clubs in the South Sydney District Junior Rugby League.
Some former Eastern Suburbs junior clubs include;
- Paddington (Paddo) Colts (became affiliated with South Sydney shortly before folding)
- Dunbar United (Paddington)
- Nelson Hotel (Woollahra)
- East Randwick
- Rose Bay
- Brothers
- Darlinghurst Devils Police
- Paddington CYO
Some notable players who have played in the Eastern Suburbs district as a junior include;
- Luke Ricketson (Bondi United)
- Bryan Fletcher (Paddington Colts)
- Ryan Cross (St Charles Waverley)
- Craig Salvatori (Nelson Hotel)
- Shaun Kenny Dowall (Clovelly Crocodiles)
- Anthony Cherrington (Paddington-Woolahra Tigers)
Some Roosters juniors that have been earmarked as future NRL talent include;
- Luke Towers (Bondi United & Clovelly): with Sydney Roosters Under 20's
- Tom Symonds (Bondi United): with Sydney Roosters Under 20's
- Mark Talanoa (Paddo Tigers): with Sydney Roosters Under 20's
- Sandor Earl (Paddo Tigers): with Sydney Roosters Under 20's
- Blake Ayshford (Paddington-Woollahra): with Wests Tigers Under 20's
- Daniel Ezekiel (Clovelly Crocodiles): with Canterbury Bulldogs Under 20's
[edit] Turf wars
When the Sydney Roosters first entered the NSWRL competition as Eastern Suburbs in 1908, the tricolours would become neighbours to fellow city counterpart, the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Anzac Parade separated the territories for both inner-Sydney clubs when the boundaries were first established the previous year.
The areas would remain unchanged for nearly half a century until 1954 when the NSWRL decided to re-allocate club boundaries. In 1954, S.G. Ball in his capacity as the President of the NSWRL transferred the suburbs of Coogee and Randwick from the Eastern Suburbs District Junior Rugby League to the South Sydney Junior District Rugby League. These suburbs are now represented by the Coogee Dolphins and the Coogee-Randwick Wombats.
Rabbitohs stalwart S.G. Ball was a dual administrator within South Sydney Rabbitohs and the New South Wales Rugby League at the time. The Rabbitohs were in a highly successful period and had established South Sydney Juniors Leagues club in Kingsford, Roosters territory in recent times. Debate still continues amongst rival fans as to how and why Eastern Suburbs territory was given to South Sydney.
This was not to be the end of struggle for junior territory between the two inner-city clubs. In the 1980s several junior clubs within Roosters territory became dissatisfied with Roosters management and affiliated with South Sydney. These included the Coogee Dolphins, Moore Park Magpies, Coogee-Randwick Wombats and the Paddington Colts.
