Group 16 Rugby League

Group 16 is a rugby league competition on the south coast of New South Wales, run under the auspices of the Country Rugby League. The Group 16 district covers the area from Batemans Bay down the Sapphire Coast to Eden, and inland across the Southern Tablelands to the Snowy Mountains towns of Cooma and Jindabyne.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia the commencement of Group 16 2020 season was postponed and subsequently cancelled.

The competition is held across four grades, First Grade, Reserve Grade, Ladies League Tag and Under 18s.

The competition also has a junior league with clubs aligned with their respective teams of the senior competition.

Former Clubs
Former clubs that once played in the area include:
 * Alpine Wanderers
 * Bodalla
 * Candelo-Bemboka Panthers
 * Cobargo-Bermagui Eels
 * Delegate Tigers
 * Milton-Ulladulla Bulldogs
 * Tuross Lakers

Batemans Bay Tigers

 * Ben Cross
 * Matthew Cross

Bega Roosters

 * Dale Finucane
 * Kezie Apps
 * Deon Apps

Bombala Blue Heelers

 * Ky Rodwell

Cooma Stallions

 * Brett White
 * Sam Williams
 * Jack Williams
 * Zac Saddler

Merimbula-Pambula Bulldogs

 * Euan Aitken
 * Wayne Collins
 * Tony Paton
 * Pat Coman
 * Scott Gammell
 * Ben Duckworth
 * Tommy Hughes

Moruya Sharks

 * Michael Weyman
 * Tim Weyman
 * Jarrad Kennedy
 * Rhys Kennedy

Narooma Devils

 * Chris Houston
 * Michael Lett
 * Teig Wilton

Tathra Sea Eagles

 * Adam Elliott

Eden Tigers

 * Corey Stewart
 * Brett Kelly
 * Peter Kelly

Sub-Group Competitions
From the mid-1920s to the mid-1950s Rugby League was played in what became known as sub-group competitions.

Far South Coast / Northern Sub-Group
This competition began as the Far South Coast Rugby League in 1925, with Wyndham Oaks, Bega Waratahs, Bega Federals, Candelo, Pambula Buccaneers and Eden as the competing teams. In 1937 the first grade competition was not held, with teams playing challenge cup matches instead, although a reserve grade competition was held. Following the 1940 Grand Final, competition was suspended due to World War Two.

Competition resumed in 1946.

Pambula / Imlay
A competition centred around Pambula was held in 1933. Four teams contested the 1936 season: Pambula, Eden, Wolumla and Burragate.

The 1947 Imlay Rugby League competition included Bemboka, Candelo, Eden, Pambula, Tathra, Wolumla and Wyndham. The Bega Rovers and Bega Wests switched from the Northern Sub-Group to the Imlay League in 1955.

Southern Monaro
The four towns of Bibbenluke, Bombala, Cathcart and Delegate regularly played Rugby Union matches in the early decades of the 20th century. The clubs trialed league rules in 1928 but returned to Union in 1929. In 1932, however, Southern Monaro Rugby League was established as a sub-group of Group 16. In 1935, the three first grade teams became two by the end of the season. Bombala fielded two teams (Blues and Blacks), and Nimmitabel joined to make a five team 1936 competition. From 1937, the clubs reverted to challenge cup matches.

Group 19 Rugby League (1950–1970)
A senior Rugby League competition under the enumeration Group 19 ran from the post-war years until 1970. Participating teams included Bibbenluke, Bombala, Delegate, Jindabyne and (usually) Adaminaby. In most seasons two or three Cooma teams participated – the Cooma Rovers and St Patricks, Cooma Blues or Cooma Citizens. Employees engaged in the Snowy River Scheme fielded teams for short periods – Public Service, Snowy and the intriguingly named Utah-Island Bend.

In 1971 the northern Group 19 clubs – Cooma Rovers, Adaminaby, Jindabyne, Cooma Citizens and Nimmitabel agreed to combine playing resources and field a team in the Group 16 competition, as the Alpine Wanderers. The three teams from southern Monaro also joined the combined competition, although they remained separate clubs.

The enumeration Group 19 was later redeployed to the northern tablelands of New South Wales, with teams from Armidale, Glen Innes, Guyra, Narwan, Uralla and Walcha competing under that banner in the 1980s.

Group 16 Minor League Clubs

 * Batemans Bay Tigers
 * Bega Roosters
 * Bombala Blue Heelers
 * Cooma Stallions
 * Eden Tigers
 * Merimbula-Pambula Bulldogs
 * Moruya-Tuross Sharks
 * Narooma Devils
 * Tathra Sea Eagles