# Mount Albert Lions

The Mount Albert Lions are a rugby league club based in Mount Albert, New Zealand. The Lions home ground is at Fowlds Park. Their patron is the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark. In 2008 and 2009 the Lions won the Fox Memorial.
As of 2019 the team is coached by John Ackland.

## History

The club was founded in 1928, after a meeting was held in April of that year. They fielded teams in the 3rd and 4th grades. In the early 1930s the club moved to its current location at Fowlds Park in Morningside. In their initial seasons they had trained on Springleigh Avenue at what is now Phyllis Street Reserve. Up until 1934 the club had played in mauve colours but in April of that year they applied to the junior management committee to change their club colours to blue and gold. They gained senior status from the Auckland Rugby League in 1935.
The club has won the Fox Memorial trophy fifteen times; in 1939, 1947, 1950, 1951, 1968, 1969, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2009. In 1984 the Lions won the National Club Competition and in 2002, 2004 and 2005 they won the Bartercard Cup.
In 2006 they defended the Roope Rooster Challenge trophy in all eleven of their games and went on to win the Fox Memorial. In early 2007 they lost the trophy to the Te Atatu Roosters.

## Notable players
### Kiwis

* Des Herring (1938)
* Clarry McNeil (1938)
* Bob Banham (1939)
* Bert Leatherbarrow (1939)
* Arthur McInnarney (1939)
* Ray Cranch (1951)
* Don Hammond (1959)
* Ray Wilson (1969)
* Richard Bolton (1972)
* John Ackland (1983)
* Shane Cooper (1985)

### Australians

* Nathan Cleary

### Other NZ representatives

Players who represented New Zealand before or after playing for Mt Albert.
* Gordon Campbell
* Claude List
* Wilf Hassan
* Roy Hardgrave
* Cliff Satherley
* Ted Mincham

### Auckland Representatives (1935-1945)

* Des Herring (1935-1939)
* Robert Morrissey (1936)
* J Peterson (1936)
* Joseph Gunning (1937-1939)
* Bert Leatherbarrow (1937)
* William McCallum (1937)
* Clarry McNeil (1938)
* Richard Shadbolt (1938-1945)
* Walter Cameron (1939)
* Bruce Donaldson (1939)
* W Walker (1939)
* Jack Tristram (1941)
* Les Clement (1944-1945)
* Ivan Sumich (1944)
* Bob Borich (1945)
* Alan Wiles (1945)
* Selwyn Thomassen (1945)

### Bartercard Cup

Between 2000 and 2005 the Lions competed in the national Bartercard Cup competition. Under the guidance of Brian McClennan they were the most successful club in the competition's history, being champions three times and twice winning the minor premiership. However the club had a slow start to the competition, not making the playoffs in the first two years. Their place in the Bartercard Cup was taken over by the Auckland Lions, an entity which represented Mount Albert as well as other neighbouring clubs. In 2007 the Auckland Lions also competed in the NSWRL Premier League but they were replaced in 2008 by the Auckland Vulcans.
| Season | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Position (Teams) | Finals |
| 2000 | 22 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 593 | 584 | 9 | 25 | Sixth (Twelve) | N/A |
| 2001 | 21 | 8 | 0 | 13 | 414 | 630 | -216 | 18* | Tenth (Twelve) | N/A |
| 2002 | 16 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 620 | 270 | 350 | 30 | Minor Premiers (Twelve) | Champions |
| 2003 | 16 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 530 | 328 | 202 | 26 | Second (Twelve) | Defeated in Preliminary Final |
| 2004 | 16 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 522 | 378 | 144 | 24 | Third (Twelve) | Champions |
| 2005 | 16 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 570 | 326 | 244 | 24 | Minor Premiers (Twelve) | Champions |
*Two points for a Bye as the Ngongotaha Chiefs withdrew from the competition

## Mount Albert Senior Team Records (1928-1944) & (2022-24)

The season record for the most senior men’s team in the club.
| Season | Grade | Name | Play | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Finishing position & notes |
| 1928 | 3rd Grade | Mount Albert United | 15 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 148 | 31 | 117 | 23 | 2nd of 14 |
| 1929 | 2nd Grade | Mount Albert United | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 141 | 37 | +104 | 20 | 2nd of 7 |
| 1930 | B Grade | Mount Albert United | 11 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 82 | 101 | -19 | 2 | 3rd of 7 |
| 1931 | 2nd Grade | Mount Albert United | 15 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 128 | 26 | 102 | 22 | 2nd of 8 |
| 1932 | 2nd Grade | Mount Albert United | 16 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 96 | 52 | 44 | 17 | 4th of 9, lost Ko final 15-18 to Māngere United |
| 1933 | 2nd Grade | Mount Albert United | 12 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 56 | 105 | -49 | 9 | 5th of 7 |
| 1934 | 2nd Grade | Mount Albert United | 14 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 81 | 96 | -15 | 13 | 3rd of 6, lost semi final of KO competition 5-13 to Papakura |
| 1935 | 1st Grade (Fox) | Mount Albert United | 13 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 184 | 148 | 36 | 19 | 2nd of 7 (lost Phelan Shield final 8-11 v Ponsonby) |
| 1936 | 1st Grade (Fox) | Mount Albert United | 13 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 155 | 149 | 6 | 15 | 4th of 8 |
| 1937 | 1st Grade (Fox) | Mount Albert United | 14 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 219 | 124 | 95 | 20 | 2nd of 8 (lost Phelan Shield final 18-22 v North Shore) |
| 1938 | 1st Grade (Fox) | Mount Albert United | 16 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 277 | 205 | 72 | 22 | 2nd of 9 |
| 1939 | 1st Grade (Fox) | Mount Albert United | 16 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 284 | 165 | 119 | 27 | 1st of 9 (lost Roope Rooster final 11-13 v Marist, won Stormont Shield 21-9 v Marist) |
| 1940 | 1st Grade (Fox) | Mount Albert United | 16 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 285 | 206 | 79 | 20 | 3rd of 9 (lost Phelan Shield final 14-20 v Manukau) |
| 1941 | 1st Grade (Fox) | Mount Albert United | 15 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 187 | 238 | -51 | 10 | 8th of 9 |
| 1942 | 1st Grade (Fox) | Newton-Mount Albert | 15 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 160 | 208 | -48 | 12 | 4th of 6 (combined side with Newton due to WW2 weakening senior playing numbers) |
| 1943 | 1st Grade (Fox) | Mount Albert United | 16 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 209 | 162 | 47 | 18 | 5th of 9 |
| 1944 | 1st Grade (Fox) | Mount Albert United | 19 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 190 | 158 | 32 | 26 | 2nd of 10 (lost championship final to City 7-17, won v Otahuhu in RR R1, lost v Ponsonby 2-17 in RR SF. |
| 1945 | Fox Memorial | Mount Albert United | 14 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 175 | 139 | 36 | 18 | 4th of 10 |
| | Roope Rooster | Mount Albert United | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 49 | 45 | 4 | | W v Manukau 18-15, W v Ponsonby 19-13, L v North Shore 12-17 in SF |
| | Phelan Shield | Mount Albert United | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 25 | -20 | | L v City 5-25 in SF |
| 2022 | 1st Grade (Fox) | Mt Albert Lions | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 274 | 170 | 104 | 10 | 3rd of 9 in section 1 |
| | Playoffs | | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 58 | 62 | -4 | | W v Otara 36-18 in PF, L v Pt Chevalier 40-22 in QF |
| 2023 | Fox Qualifiers | Mt Albert Lions | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 36 | 90 | -54 | 2 | 3rd of 4 Pool B |
| | Fox Memorial | | 11 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 219 | 260 | -41 | 9 | 7th of 12 |
| 2024 | Fox Qualifiers | Mt Albert Lions | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 96 | 20 | +76 | 6 | 1st of 4 Pool B |
| | Fox Memorial | | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 302 | 280 | +22 | 11 | 6th of 12 |
| | Playoffs | | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 22 | -12 | 11 | L v Te Atatu 10-22 in SF |
| 1928-44 + 2022-2024 | TOTAL | | 414 | 217 | 21 | 174 | 6646 | 5989 | +657 | 447 | |

## All time top point scorers (1935-1945)

The point scoring lists are compiled from matches played in matches for the first grade side. The matches and point scorers includes the combined Newton-Mount Albert side of 1942.
| Top point scorers |
| No | Player | Start | End | Games | Tries | Con | Pen | DG | Mark | Pts |
| 1 | Basil Cranch | 1935 | 1945 | - | 44 | 73 | 69 | 0 | 0 | 416 |
| 2 | Bert Leatherbarrow | 1937 | 1943 | - | 42 | 29 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 192 |
| 3 | Des Herring | 1934 | 1940 | 94 | 34 | 24 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 170 |
| 4 | Les Clement | 1940 | 1945 | - | 36 | 19 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 156 |
| 5= | Bruce Donaldson | 1939 | - | - | 7 | 28 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 117 |
| 5= | Robert Morrissey | 1935 | 1940 | - | 5 | 26 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 117 |
| 7 | Joseph Gunning | 1936 | 1940 | - | 32 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 104 |
| 8 | Richard Shadbolt | 1935 | 1945 | - | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 80 |
| 9 | Bob Banham | 1939 | 1940 | 32 | 3 | 20 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 77 |
| 10 | Arthur McInnarney | 1938 | 1941 | - | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 70 |
| 11= | C Cowley | 1939 | 1943 | - | 21 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 69 |
| 11= | Jack Tristram | 1937 | 1941 | - | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 69 |
| 13 | Cliff Satherley | 1937 | - | 16 | 22 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67 |
| 14 | Clarry McNeil | 1935 | 1939 | 34 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 57 |
| 15 | Roy Niwa | 1942 | - | - | 2 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 50 |
| 16= | Roy Hardgrave | 1938 | 1939 | 26 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 |
| 16= | McCallum | 1937 | - | - | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 |