# Group 2 Rugby League

Group 2 is a rugby league competition on the north coast of New South Wales Since 1966, run under the auspices of the Country Rugby League. The Group 2 area runs from Grafton in the north to Macksville in the south. Group 2 teams played for many decades before 1966 when some redistribution, amalgamation or control mechanism presumably changed. Teams on the Nambucca River, namely Bowraville, Macksville and Nambucca Heads played in a southern division against Kempsey, Smithtown, Port Macquarie and Wauchope before 1966.

## Teams
### Clubs in 2024 Group 2 Competitions

| Clubs | City/Town | Home Ground | Titles | Seniors | Juniors |
| Senior Clubs ||||||
| Coffs Harbour Comets | Coffs Harbour | Geoff King Motors Oval | 1970–71, 1973–74, 1983, 1985, 2013, 2018 | Yes | Yes |
| Grafton Ghosts | Grafton | Frank McGuren Field | 2014, 2017, 2019 | Yes | Yes |
| Macksville Sea Eagles | Macksville | Allan Gillett Oval | 1979, 1991, 1995, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 | Yes | Yes |
| Nambucca Heads Roosters | Nambucca Heads | Coronation Park | 1969, 1972, 1975–76, 1986, 1992–93, 2024 | Yes | Yes |
| Sawtell Panthers | Coffs Harbour (Sawtell) | Rex Hardaker Oval | 1978, 2009, 2011 | Yes | Yes |
| South Grafton Rebels | Grafton | McKittrick Park | 2015–16, 2022 | Yes | Yes |
| Woolgoolga Seahorses | Woolgoolga | Woolgoolga Sports Ground | 2023 | Yes | Yes |
| Junior Clubs ||||||
| Bowraville Tigers | Bowraville | Bowraville Sports Hub | None | No | Yes |
| Kempsey Dragons | Kempsey | Verge Street Oval | None | No* | Yes |
| Smithtown Tigers | Smithtown | Smithtown Oval | 1966, 1968, 1977 | No‡ | Yes |
*Kempsey Dragons no longer field a senior team, but remain a member of Group 2. Kempsey's modern senior side, the Macleay Valley Mustangs, play in the Group 3 Rugby League Premiership.
‡Smithtown's senior team is Lower Macleay Magpies, in Hastings League.

### Former clubs
#### Defunct/Moved

* Former clubs
* Bellingen Dorrigo Magpies
* Coffs Harbour Raiders
* Coffs Jetty Park Beach
* Central Kempsey
* Gimbisi Valley Warriors
* Dunghutti Broncos
* Kempsey Kowboys
* Kempsey Dragons
* Macleay Valley Mustangs
* Ngaku Warriors (Kempsey)
* Orara Valley Axemen
* Port City Breakers
* Port Macquarie Sharks
* Smithtown

## First Grade Grand Final Results 1966–present

| Season | Grand Final Information | Grand Final Information | Grand Final Information | Grand Final Information | Minor Premiers |
| Season | Premiers | Score | Runners-up | Report | Minor Premiers |
| 1966 | Smithtown Tigers | 3–2 | Macksville Sea Eagles | | |
| 1967 | Smithtown Tigers | – | Coffs Harbour | | |
| 1968 | Smithtown Tigers | 7–4 | Coffs Harbour Comets | | |
| 1969 | Nambucca Heads Roosters | 10–6 | Central Kempsey | | |
| 1970 | Coffs Harbour Comets | – | Central Kempsey | | |
| 1971 | Coffs Harbour Comets | 20–9 | Nambucca Heads Roosters | | |
| 1972 | Nambucca Heads Roosters | 15–10 | Coffs Harbour Comets | | |
| 1973 | Coffs Harbour Comets | 20–13 | Nambucca Heads Roosters | | |
| 1974 | Coffs Harbour Comets | 6–2 | Bellingen Magpies | | |
| 1975 | Nambucca Heads Roosters | 19–4 | Kempsey Dragons | | |
| 1976 | Nambucca Heads Roosters | 19–2 | Bellingen Magpies | | |
| 1977 | Smithtown Tigers | – | Nambucca Heads Roosters | | |
| 1978 | Sawtell Panthers | 14–13 | Smithtown Tigers | | Sawtell (Clayton Cup) |
| 1979 | Macksville Sea Eagles | 24–7 | Smithtown Tigers | | |
| 1980 | Bellingen Magpies | 19–10 | Sawtell Panthers | | |
| 1981 | Bellingen Magpies | 44–0 | Macksville Sea Eagles | | Bellingen Magpies |
| 1982 | Bellingen Magpies | 21–12 | Ngaku Warriors (Kempsey) | | Sawtell Panthers |
| 1983 | Coffs Harbour Comets | 28–16 | Woolgoolga Seahorses | | Coffs Harbour Comets |
| 1984 | Bellingen Magpies | 4–1 | Coffs Harbour Comets | | Bellingen Magpies |
| 1985 | Coffs Harbour Comets | 18–10 | Nambucca Heads Roosters | | Nambucca Heads Roosters |
| 1986 | Nambucca Heads Roosters | 18–16 | Kempsey Dragons | | Kempsey Dragons |
| 1987 | Bellingen Magpies | 23–6 | Nambucca Heads Roosters | | Bellingen Magpies |
| 1988 | Bellingen Magpies | 50–24 | Kempsey Dragons | | Nambucca Heads Roosters |
| 1989 | Bellingen Magpies | 39–6 | Coffs Harbour Comets | | Bellingen Magpies |
| 1990 | Bellingen Magpies | 22–20 | Orara Valley Axemen | | Smithtown Tigers |
| 1991 | Macksville Sea Eagles | 26–26 | Coffs Harbour Comets | | Macksville Sea Eagles |
| 1992 | Nambucca Heads Roosters | 40–6 | Woolgoolga Seahorses | | Nambucca Heads Roosters |
| 1993 | Nambucca Heads Roosters | 26–10 | Macksville Sea Eagles | | Macksville Sea Eagles |
| 1994 | Orara Valley Axemen | 30–18 | Nambucca Heads Roosters | | Macksville Sea Eagles |
| 1995 | Macksville Sea Eagles | 24–16 | Coffs Harbour Comets | | Macksville Sea Eagles |
| 1996 | Nambucca Heads Roosters | 36–34 | Orara Valley Axemen | | Nambucca Heads Roosters |
| 1997 | Orara Valley Axemen | 40–32 | Coffs Harbour Comets | | Coffs Harbour Comets |
| 1998 | Port Macquarie Sharks | 26–25 | Nambucca Heads Roosters | | Nambucca Heads Roosters |
| 1999 | Bellingen Magpies | 20–18 | Port Macquarie Sharks | | Port Macquarie Sharks |
| 2000 | Port Macquarie Sharks | 24–12 | Nambucca Heads Roosters | | Port Macquarie Sharks |
| 2001 | Port Macquarie Sharks | 54–26 | Macksville Sea Eagles | | Port Macquarie Sharks |
| 2002 | Macksville Sea Eagles | 39–26 | Port Macquarie Sharks | | Port Macquarie Sharks |
| 2003 | Macksville Sea Eagles | 30–23 | Orara Valley Axemen | | Port Macquarie Sharks |
| 2004 | Macksville Sea Eagles | 34–23 | Port Macquarie Sharks | | Port Macquarie Sharks |
| 2005 | Macksville Sea Eagles | 60–22 | Orara Valley Axemen | | Orara Valley Axemen |
| 2006 | Port Macquarie Sharks | 22–18 | Sawtell Panthers | | Port Macquarie Sharks |
| 2007 | Macksville Sea Eagles | 32–24 | Orara Valley Axemen | | Macksville Sea Eagles |
| 2008 | Orara Valley Axemen | 19–18 | Woolgoolga Seahorses | | Orara Valley Axemen |
| 2009 | Sawtell Panthers | 21–20 | Macksville Sea Eagles | | Sawtell Panthers |
| 2010 | Port Macquarie Sharks | 41–16 | Coffs Harbour Comets | | Port Macquarie Sharks |
| 2011 | Sawtell Panthers | 29–28 | Nambucca Heads Roosters | | Nambucca Heads Roosters |
| 2012 | Macleay Valley Mustangs | 36–12 | Nambucca Heads Roosters | | Nambucca Heads Roosters |
| 2013 | Coffs Harbour Comets | 42–20 | Nambucca Heads Roosters | | Coffs Harbour Comets |
| 2014 | Grafton Ghosts | 18–16 | Coffs Harbour Comets | | Grafton Ghosts |
| 2015 | South Grafton Rebels | 46–18 | Coffs Harbour Comets | | South Grafton Rebels |
| 2016 | South Grafton Rebels | 26–12 | Grafton Ghosts | | South Grafton Rebels |
| 2017 | Grafton Ghosts | 32–12 | South Grafton Rebels | | Grafton Ghosts |
| 2018 | Coffs Harbour Comets | 30–14 | Macksville Sea Eagles | | Grafton Ghosts |
| 2019 | Grafton Ghosts | 68–6 | Coffs Harbour Comets | | Coffs Harbour Comets |
| 2020 & 2021 seasons cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic ||||||
| 2022 | South Grafton Rebels | 36–8 | Orara Valley Axemen | | Orara Valley Axemen |
| 2023 | Woolgoolga Seahorses | 26–10 | South Grafton Rebels | | South Grafton Rebels |
| 2024 | Nambucca Heads Roosters | 31–12 | Woolgoolga Seahorses | | Nambucca Heads Roosters |

### Premiership Tally

| Club | Premierships |
| Nambucca Heads Roosters | 10 |
| Bellingen Magpies | 9 |
| Macksville Sea Eagles | 8 |
| Coffs Harbour Comets | 8 |
| Port Macquarie Sharks | 5 |
| Smithtown Tigers | 4 |
| Sawtell Panthers | 3 |
| Orara Valley Axemen | 3 |
| Grafton Ghosts | 3 |
| South Grafton Rebels | 3 |
| Woolgoolga Seahorses | 1 |
| Macleay Valley Mustangs | 1 |

## Players from Group 2 to play NRL

| Player | Club |
| Greg Inglis | Bowraville Tigers JRL |
| Albert Kelly | Smithtown Tigers JRL |
| Kevin Gordon | Sawtell Panthers JRL |
| Aiden Tolman | Smithtown Tigers JRL |
| Wayne Bartrim | Macleay Valley Mustangs |
| Matt Donovan | Macksville Sea Eagles |
| Paul Davis | Port Macquarie, Macksville and Dunghutti |
| Clint Greenshields | Sawtell Panthers JRL |
| Troy Robinson | Sawtell Panthers JRL |
| Mitchell Thomson | Sawtell Panthers JRL |

### Notable players
#### Bellingen

* Dylan Edwards

#### Grafton Ghosts

* Danny Wicks
* Anthony Don
* Daine Laurie

#### Macksville Sea Eagles

* Matt Donovan
* Paul Davis
* Nathan Smith

#### Orara Valley Axemen

* Luke Metcalf

#### Sawtell Panthers

* Kevin Gordon
* Jarrod Wallace
* Troy Robinson
* Clint Greenshields
* Noel Cleal
* Jason Alchin

#### South Grafton Rebels

* Brian Graham
* John Ferguson
* Ron Gill
* Fred Felsch
* Paul Pyers
* Kevin Stevens
* Eric Lawrence

#### Bowraville Tigers

* Greg Inglis

#### Kempsey Dragons

* Amos Roberts

#### Nambucca Heads Roosters

* Ryan Stig
* Daniel Fitzhenry

#### Smithtown Tigers

* Albert Kelly
* Aiden Tolman