ABOUT US
With teams in all Junior and Senior grades and a first-class facility available for hire, Emus has been growing the game on and off the field for more than 75 years.
HISTORY
"Emus has always been a family club. In my time that's the way we've felt about one another, and it's the way we played. The closest thing to my heart about Emus has always been that we have never shut the door on anyone."
Don Strachan, Emus foundation member and patron
THE BEGINNING
In 1947, the Orange Rugby Club had been plying its trade for a year, mainly playing against Sydney-based life-saving clubs and agricultural colleges. In a bid to foster community spirit and alleviate the hardships of post-war life, 'Trix' Malcolm first floated the idea of an all-Orange rugby competition. So it was, and Emus Rugby Club was formed under the watchful eyes of Don Strachan, John Smith, Jim Caldwell, Noel Culverson, Newville Plowman and Kevin Eslick. The Kangaroo had already been adopted by many clubs nation-wide so the men looked to other side of the Australian coat of arms for inspiration - the emu.
THE EARLY DAYS
Wearing a jersey of emerald green, similar to that of Ireland, the Emus played in the inaugural competition the following year in 1948, taking on Wests, Wallaroos and Woollen Mills. Wests won that title, before Emus would claim the club's maiden premiership the next year in 1949 - one of many the greens would celebrate over the coming years. The competition and Emus would celebrate more success in the next few years, including Don Strachan's initial Wallabies selection in 1952, before Central West Rugby Union formed ahead of the 1956 season.
THE RIVALRY BEGINS
After Emus tasted Central West premiership success a number of times, the first being in 1958, it became apparent Orange had the capacity to be the home of another rugby club. In 1973 one of Orange's greatest sporting rivalries was born, as the Orange City Rugby Union Club was formed, with the Lions competing in their inaugural season the following year. It would take another 18 years for the two clubs to finally meet in a top grade Grand Final, in 1991, which the Lions won 16-3. Emus would repay the favour in the next all-Orange decider in 2015, and also won the third in 2020. The two clubs' lower grade sides have played in number of Grand Finals over the years as well, and the two clubs still share a health rivalry but more important, the utmost of respect.
THE WOMEN'S ARRIVAL
For a number of years, Emus had a women's hockey team playing locally and they would return to the rugby club for post-game drinks, during one of these post-game gatherings it was suggested a women's rugby team could be viable. And so former Wallaroo Amanda Ferguson, along with Mick Cornish, Dave Greatbatch and Danielle Spargo formed the club's first women's team. Dave Cleal was the first coach and the side's first game was against Dubbo Kangaroos, which incredibly they won 17-12. Not only that, they also went on to win a maiden premiership that year and backed it up the following season. That year there was 27 players capped, which has grown to more than 250 now. Since then the women's team has won multiple premierships and raised a number of representative players, all the way up to Wallaroos.
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THE GLORY YEARS
Emus has enjoyed a number of periods of sustained success, including a hat-trick of premierships between 1971 and '73, and four in a row between 1999 and 2002. But undoubtedly the club's longest run of dominance has come recently, with the Men's First XV playing in nine consecutive grand finals between 2014 and 2022. The Men's First XV finished last in 2013, before rocketing to the Grand Final the year after and not looking back. Nigel Staniforth captained the side through all of those Grand Finals appearances, before retiring to coach after the 2022 season. Four of those seasons have resulted in premierships, with a number of other lower grade and women's grand finals and premiership to boot.
TITLES
MEN'S FIRST XV
1958 - 1961 - 1962 - 1971 - 1972 - 1973 - 1980 - 1983
1999 - 2000 - 2001 - 2022 - 2015 - 2016 - 2018 - 2020
WOMEN'S FIRST XV
2001 - 2002 - 2004 - 2010 - 2012 - 2015
LOWER GRADES
COMING SOON
JUNIORS
COMING SOON
BECOME
A MEMBER
ADDRESS
ENDEAVOUR OVAL
84 WOODWARD STREET
ORANGE, NSW, 2800
