Shellharbour Sharks

Shellharbour City RLFC has a 113-year history{{citation needed|date=July 2014}}, originally existed as a rugby union club, before switching to rugby league in 1920.

The club have won five first-grade premierships in total, as well as over 30 reserve, third, and under-18 premierships. The club's inaugural first grade premiership was in 1939.{{Cite news |date=1939-08-18 |title=Rugby League |page=13 |work=Illawarra Mercury |publisher=National Library of Australia |location=Wollongong |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article133008511 |access-date=2018-04-18}} The last premiership was won in 2018.

The Shellharbour LGA itself forms the southern part of the Greater Wollongong urban area.

In 2007, Shellharbour City struck a deal with NRL side the St. George Illawarra Dragons and thus created a new team and entered themselves into the NSWRL Jim Beam Cup with the name Shellharbour City Marlins using the colours as their parent club. It is rumoured that the name Marlins was chosen to differentiate themselves from any Cronulla Sharks sides. The Shellharbour Sharks still competed in Group 7 Rugby League competition during this time. During 2008, the Dragons leagues club however did not give the same backing to Sharks, instead the Sharks stayed alive through other sponsorship deals, most notably Corban KIA.{{Cite news |last=Roots |first=Chris |date=2008-01-02 |title=Dragons let us down: Marlins |work=Illawarra Mercury |url=https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/602771/dragons-let-us-down-marlins/ }} 2009 saw a change in direction again with both the Sharks side moving into the Illawarra Carlton League and the Marlins side moving into the NSW Cup.{{Cite news |last=Keeble |first=Tim |date=2008-09-25 |title=Sharks, Marlins make big moves |work=Illawarra Mercury |url=https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/609911/sharks-marlins-make-big-moves/ }} This resulted in the Marlins changing their name to Shellharbour City Dragons and consequently changing their strip to the more famous Red-V.

The club moved back to Group 7 from the Illawarra League in 2014.

Ron Costello Oval (formally Fuller Park) has been the home of Shellharbour City Rugby League Football Club since the mid-1950s.

• Ron Costello – Wests, Canterbury, NSW, and Australian Kangaroo. The club's home ground, Ron Costello Oval, is named after him.
• Luke Bailey – St George Illawarra, Gold Coast captain, NSW and Australian front row forward.
• Matt Cooper – St George Illawarra, NSW, and Australian centre
• Dan Hunt – St George Illawarra and Country prop.
• Trent Merrin – St George Illawarra, Country, NSW and Australian Lock.
• Adam Docker – Penrith Panthers
• Euan Aitken – St George Illawarra
• Jai Field – St George Illawarra

• Group 7 Rugby League Premierships: 6

:: 1939, 1962, 1971, 1973, 2001, 2018

::

• Second Grade Premierships: 14

:: 1959, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1983, 1990, 2001,2003, 2004, 2005, 2006

• Third Grade Premierships: 2

:: 1971, 1977

• Group 7 U-18's Premierships: 11

:: 1944, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2020

• Illawarra U-18's Premierships: 3

:: 2009, 2010, 2012

Source: {{Cite web |title=Trophy Room |url=http://www.sportingpulse.com/trophyroom.cgi?c=0-2373-83958-159122-10253808 |access-date=2015-10-16 |website=FOX SPORTS PULSE}}{{failed verification |date=September 2020}}

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.sportingpulse.com/club_info.cgi?c=1-2373-83958-0-0 Shellharbour Sharks Illawarra District Homepage]
• [http://www.sportingpulse.com/club_info.cgi?c=1-2379-21326-0-0&sID=161452 Shellharbour Sharks Junior South Coast District Homepage]
• [http://www.shellharboursharks.com.au/ Sharks clubpage]
• [http://crlnsw.com.au/ Country Rugby League Homepage]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20210806160615/http://southcoast.leaguenet.com.au/ South Coast Rugby League Homepage]
• [http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?c=0-2373-0-0-0 Illawarra District League]

{{Group 7 Rugby League}}

{{Illawarra Rugby League}}

{{Country Rugby League}}

Category:Rugby league teams in Wollongong

Category:St. George Illawarra Dragons

Category:Rugby clubs established in 1920

Category:1920 establishments in Australia

Category:South Coast (New South Wales)