South Queensland Crushers

South Queensland

Australian Rugby League Brisbane Rugby League
Team colours
Records
Premierships	0
Runners-up	0
Minor premierships	0
Wooden spoons	1.5 (1996, 1997 (ARL))

South Queensland Crushers was an Australian

The South Queensland Crushers, whose whole existence was against the backdrop of the Super League war, were a club that would be unsuccessful. They had to compete for support with the other Brisbane-based club, the Brisbane Broncos, who were already well-established. The Crushers only competed in the three seasons of the Australian Rugby League's premiership, winning the wooden spoon twice for being last in the competition. Despite the wealth of star players the Crushers managed to attract, they were financially unsustainable and competitively unsuccessful, which ultimately led to their demise at the end of 1997.

The

The club competed in the Brisbane Rugby League premiership in 1994 and 1995 to prepare for entry into the ARL.

The Crushers' first match was against the previous season's premiers, Canberra which they lost along with their next three before winning their first match 16–12 against North Sydney in Round five. Trevor Gillmeister had the honour of scoring the Crusher's first ever try.^[2] An injury to Dale Shearer and the difficulties for Garrick Morgan to adapt to rugby league saw the Crushers fail to utilise much of its attacking potential. Captain Fenech was dropped to the interchange bench and lost the captaincy which was passed on to Gillmeister. The season's end was dampened after coach Lindner and Fenech feuded, resulting in Fenech being released from the final year of his contract.^[1]

In the 1995 season, the club had only won six and drew another in the twenty-two games played. In 1995,

The club had bought five players from the Sydney Roosters to help them improve from their inaugural season, and Queensland representative Tony Hearn also joined the club for the 1996 season. The opening round of the 1996 season the club gathered two points because of Canberra's forfeit but the club only recorded three more wins in the entire season gathering six points on the competition ladder and took the wooden spoon for being last on the ladder. The Crushers won the second round clash against Parramatta before losing ten in a row. The Crushers then won two in a row before plummeting to lose their last eight matches.^[1]

Despite a record crowd of 34,263 that watched the Crushers take on the Brisbane Broncos in round 4, the Crushers home ground support only averaged over 13,000 each game. The diminishing crowd numbers and player payments meant the club was on the brink of bankruptcy. The ARL and a mystery supporter bailed the club out with over half a million dollars in financial relief. With first-grade rugby league divided between two competitions, it would be hard for the Crushers to recoup lost money in establishing the club as it ploughed further into debt.^[1]

A glimmer of hope for the club came when the Crushers won the Under 21's premiership, defeating the Parramatta Eels in the Under 21's Grand Final. This was to be the only premiership of any competition or grade for the Crushers.

The 1997 season was not much better for the Crushers, again taking the wooden spoon for the second year running. Major sponsor

With the unification of the Australian Rugby League and Super League competitions following the 1997 season, the new National Rugby League competition was formed. This meant that three of the twenty-two teams participating in 1997 would be axed as part of the rationalisation process aimed at reducing teams to an optimal number. With the introduction of the Melbourne Storm and the fact that the agreement between the Australian Rugby League and Super League was to have a fourteen-team competition in 2000, the future for the Crushers was inevitably demise.^[1]

In late 1997, the club's only option of survival was to merge, with the most likely contender the Gold Coast Chargers, who like the Crushers, were struggling to be able to compete in the competition with the hugely successful Brisbane Broncos being the dominant team in south-east Queensland. However, the National Rugby League approved the Gold Coast team for the 1998 season, and they went alone into the re-unified competition. The South Queensland Crushers were liquidated in December 1997 with debts totalling over A$3 million.^[1]

Over their three-year presence in the

Club records from 1995–1997.[3]

• 1st Grade: 0
• 2nd Grade: 0
• 3rd Grade/Presidents Cup: 1 (1996)
• Pre Season: 0

• 58 Craig Teevan (1995–1997)

• 108 (7 tries, 40 goals), Clinton Schifcofske (1996–1997)

• 11, Jason Hudson (1996–1997)

• 40, Clinton Schifcofske (1996–1997)

• 94 (6 tries, 35 goals), Clinton Schifcofske in 1997

• 9, David Krause in 1995
• 9, Jason Hudson in 1997

• 35 (35/67 – 61.40%), Clinton Schifcofske in 1997

2 matches, 30 June – 7 July 1996.

10 matches, 7 April – 22 June 1996.

34,263 vs Brisbane Broncos, Round 4, 1996

2,364 vs Illawarra Steelers, Round 16, 1997

49,607 vs Brisbane Broncos at ANZ Stadium, Round 4, 1995

3,107 vs South Sydney Rabbitohs at Redfern Oval, Round 15, 1996

Notes

Sources

• "South Queensland Crushers". RL1908.com. Retrieved 28 April 2008.
• "Rugby League Tables / South Queensland". Rugby League Tables & Statistics. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
• "Sydney Clubs -- Defunct Clubs". The Vault. Archived from the original on 29 August 2005. Retrieved 10 July 2008.