Rugby league · ACT

Rugby league training for Canberra players

Canberra is a rugby league town with an NRL club on its doorstep and two junior rep programs to aim at. The 2026 regional junior season even opened in the Canberra region, with a Regional Magic Round at Seiffert Oval and David Campese Oval.

One month free, then A$24.99/month. Cancel any time. iPhone and iPad.

Short answer

Canberra’s rugby league pathway has two junior representative routes: the Canberra Raiders’ Harold Matthews Cup (under-17) and SG Ball Cup (under-19) teams, and the Monaro Colts in the NSWRL’s regional Laurie Daley (under-18) and Andrew Johns (under-16) Cups. Community football runs through the Canberra Region Rugby League’s Canberra Raiders Cup — an 18-round competition from early April with first grade, reserve grade, ladies league tag and under-19s.

18 clubs

Find your club in Canberra

The clubs in the competition’s own record, with their home grounds. Contact the club for age groups and girls’ and women’s teams.

Canberra Rugby League
ClubHome groundAreaGrade
Belconnen United SharksNSWRL HQ BruceCanberra (Bruce)First grade
Goulburn City BulldogsWorkers ArenaGoulburnFirst grade
Gungahlin BullsGungahlin Enclosed OvalCanberra (Gungahlin)First grade
Queanbeyan KangaroosSeears Workwear OvalQueanbeyan (Crestwood)First grade
Queanbeyan United BluesSeiffert OvalQueanbeyan (Queanbeyan East)First grade
Tuggeranong Valley BushrangersGreenway OvalCanberra (Greenway)First grade
West Belconnen WarriorsRaiders BelconnenCanberra (Holt)First grade
Woden Valley RamsPhillip OvalCanberra (Phillip)First grade
Yass United MagpiesWalker ParkYassFirst grade
Binalong BrahmansBinalong Recreation GroundBinalongSecond division
Boorowa RoversBoorowa ShowgroundBoorowaSecond division
Bungendore TigersMick Sherd OvalBungendoreSecond division
Crookwell Green DevilsCrookwell Memorial OvalCrookwellSecond division
Googong GoannasGoogongSecond division
Harden-Murrumburrah HawksMcLean OvalHardenSecond division
North Canberra BearsKaleen Enclosed OvalCanberra (Kaleen)Second division
Snowy River BearsJJ Connors OvalJindabyneSecond division
University of Canberra StarsRaiders BelconnenCanberra (Holt)Second division

Checked September 2026. Clubs merge, fold and change grounds between seasons; the competition is right if this is not.

Your pathway

Which club your address belongs to

Two junior representative programs draw on the Canberra region.

Canberra Raiders
Harold Matthews Cup (under-17) and SG Ball Cup (under-19) teams, and an NSW Cup side.
Monaro Colts
Laurie Daley Cup (under-18) and Andrew Johns Cup (under-16), southern pool. Squads have included players from Queanbeyan clubs and Raiders juniors.

The Raiders or your junior club can confirm this season’s trial dates.

How the rugby league pathway works, step by step →

Where you play

The competitions

Canberra Raiders Cup
The Canberra Region Rugby League’s senior competition: 18 rounds from early April, then a three-week finals series. First grade, reserve grade, ladies league tag and under-19s. Clubs have included West Belconnen, Belconnen United, Woden Valley, Tuggeranong, Queanbeyan Blues, Queanbeyan Kangaroos, Yass and Goulburn.
Canberra Region Rugby League juniors
Junior club competitions across the region.
NSW Cup
The Canberra Raiders’ side.
Your first ten minutes

Set it up for Canberra

Four things, in the order the app asks them. None of them needs a coach.

Choose rugby league, then your team nights

Onboarding asks “When do you train with your team?” Pick your club nights — Canberra Raiders Cup or wherever you play — and your gym and conditioning are scheduled around them, lighter the day after a big one. Tell it your equipment and any niggles and every exercise is fitted to both.

Match the program to your league’s start

The app treats November to February as rugby league pre-season and March to October as the season. A junior rep player whose games start in late January or February can set their phase to in-season early. The phase lives in Program → Your year.

Know your numbers on day one

Your first testing session is ready immediately: Bronco test, Bench press 1RM, Weighted chin-up 3RM, Back squat 1RM, Standing vertical jump. It is re-run every 8 weeks, and the results re-price your training weights and conditioning paces.

Put your suburb on the board

In Social → Town, set where you train. Your minutes count toward that town’s weekly conditioning and strength top-10 boards — only the town is kept, never your location.

BelconnenTuggeranongWodenGungahlinQueanbeyanYassGoulburn

Starting now

What you start with, by the month you join

Every block is four weeks — three building, one deload — so a free month is one complete block.

Jan
Pre-season
Max-strength block
Feb
Pre-season
Max-strength block
Mar
In-season
Maintenance block
Apr
In-season
Maintenance block
May
In-season
Maintenance block
Jun
In-season
Maintenance block
Jul
In-season
Maintenance block
Aug
In-season
Maintenance block
Sep
In-season
Maintenance block
Oct
In-season
Maintenance block
Nov
Pre-season
Max-strength block
Dec
Pre-season
Max-strength block
Read from the app: the season phase a new rugby league account starts in, and the first four-week block it runs.
The year

The rugby league year in Canberra

November – January
Pre-season. Aerobic base, then strength, then repeat-effort work. Test on arrival.
Late January – April
Junior representative season. The 2026 regional season opened in the Canberra region on 31 January.
April – September
Canberra Raiders Cup and club seasons. Volume comes down, weights hold.
October
A short break.

How the program follows your season →

Conditions

Hot summers, frozen winter mornings

Canberra swings from hot, dry summer days to some of the coldest winter mornings of any Australian capital. Run the pre-season early to beat the heat, and in winter treat the warm-up on a frosty ground as part of the session — cold tissue is where hamstrings go.

For coaches

Coaching a side in Canberra?

A club licence is A$8 per player, per month (minimum 5), and every player on it gets full Train Smart membership at no cost to them. You write the block once, it lands in each player’s app, and the console shows who actually did it.

FAQ

Rugby league in Canberra: questions

What is the Canberra Raiders Cup?
The Canberra Region Rugby League’s senior competition — 18 rounds from early April and a three-week finals series, with first grade, reserve grade, ladies league tag and under-19s.
Who are the Monaro Colts?
An NSWRL regional junior representative team in the Laurie Daley Cup (under-18) and Andrew Johns Cup (under-16), whose squads have included Queanbeyan club players and Raiders juniors.
Sources

Where these facts come from

Checked September 2026. Zones, grades and dates change — if something here is out of date, the governing body is right and we are wrong.

  1. SG Ball Cup — 2026 teams
  2. 2026 Laurie Daley Cup — pools and result
  3. NSWRL — Regional Magic Round opens the 2026 junior rep season (Canberra)
  4. Canberra Region Rugby League — FAQ (Canberra Raiders Cup)
  5. Canberra Times — Monaro Colts Laurie Daley Cup squad
  6. Canberra Rugby League — clubs and grounds

Spotted an error? Tell us and we will fix it.

Turn up to round one already fit

Pick rugby league, tell it your team nights, and your first block and testing session are ready before you leave the car park.

One month free, then A$24.99/month. Cancel any time. iPhone and iPad.