Drummoyne District Rugby Football Club

[en_force_er]

Alright guys, first I'll make you aware I'm not involved and have never been involved with Sydney or NSW rugby.
As such all the information I pick up 2nd or 3rd hand, usually from the internet (so you know it's true!).

I've always been interested with Drummoyne Rugger club.

How come such a wealthy and historically significant club isn't playing Premier grade?

How come the club is so hated?

Is the club seeking promotion to Premier grade?

Are there any other clubs like this around Sydney or NSW that have been a Premier club at a point and may have a case to be re-included/included in Prem grade?

Maybe while we are at it I'll ask, what are NSW's plans to include Newcastle or Illawara (or any other country teams) in the NSW Premier grade league?

Just interested is all.

 

[en_force_er]

This should be in grass routes shouldn't it? Oh well.

Please feed my thirst for knowledge whilst you are moving it all mighty admins.

 

[sudrugby]

Drummoyne is a hated club?
I don't know why but when I played against them I didn't found this team hated...
Maybe because the first team was full of islanders so it was a bit hard to compete against them but nothing special comes to my mind.

 

[en_force_er]

Thanks sudrugby. Maybe hated isn't the right word but I'm pretty sure I remember a dislike of them being discussed.

 

[AussieDominance]

They are disliked because they have the repuatation of 'buying' a first grade side and not producing locals like most other subbies clubs do. I wouldn't think they would be admitted to grade rugby due to West Harbour being fairly close by and with the money they have in grade football I doubt Drummoyne would sufficiently be able to compete.

A lot of money is involved in grade rugby you just don't realise it.

 

[en_force_er]

Interesting Lion. How did the 2nd Div SRU work? Did it have promotion and relegation? Why did they get rid of it?

 

[sudrugby]

I didn't know all of this, only AussieDominance point about "buying" first grade players which is similar to my point.
I remember they've won pretty easily the Kentwell Cup when I was playing down under but the other grades where not that impressive. I never lost against Drummoyne I think.

 

[wamberal]

The sobriquet "Dirty" Reds goes back to the fifties, when they were in the first grade competition (and capable of winning the premiership), and probably much longer.

 

[PhD96]

Drummoyne were formed after WWI as an amalgamation between Glebe and Balmain Rugby Clubs. They were offered Drummoyne Oval as a home ground, only if they changed their name to Drummoyne. That they did and decided that they would play in the red jersies of Glebe and the black and gold socks of Balmain. The name 'dirty reds' has nothing to do with a thugish style of play, it was the nickname of the Glebe team, that just happened to perpetuate itself with the newly formed club. I'm rather amused that the Balmain Rugby Club, formed some 4 or 5 years ago, would be so audacious as to steal a fairly large chunk of Drummoyne's history, in order to give themselves some sort of credibility. Am very surprised that Drummoyne's solicitors have not sought to correct that situation.

 

[Lindommer]

The story I heard from an old Drummoyne hand was the jumpers came from an enthusiastic Drummoyne supporter who happened to be in Wales some 100 years ago and found a set of Welsh national team jumpers looking for a home. That's where the "red" bit came from.

 

[PhD96]

The story I heard from an old Drummoyne hand was the jumpers came from an enthusiastic Drummoyne supporter who happened to be in Wales some 100 years ago and found a set of Welsh national team jumpers looking for a home. That's where the "red" bit came from.

From Drummoyne's official history:-

'In 1931, as a depression project, Drummoyne Oval as we now know it was constructed on the site of a small oval which Glebe and Balmain had used for junior matches since 1892. To ensure longevity of tenure, because there were just not enough sporting grounds in Sydney, but with some reluctance, the Glebe Balmain Club decided to change its name to the Drummoyne District Rugby Football Club . It did so without giving up its long held traditions, the scarlet jumpers of Glebe and its world famous tag, "The Dirty Reds" and the black and gold of Balmain, colours still worn proudly by today's players in their socks'

Now the only issue here is that the colours of Glebe's sporting teams were and still are Maroon and White eg. Glebe Hockey. How this transformed to red I don't know, but it was probably the availability of fabrics in what were depression years. Mick Simmons I believe supplied most teams in those times.