Premiership pride is on full display as the club grows its trophy cabinet. Photos: Tathra Rugby League Football Club.
Tathra Rugby League Football Club has had much to celebrate in recent times, but perhaps marking its 100-year milestone in 2026 will be its greatest triumph.
The club was formed in 1926 when people came to the area for work, drawn by the town’s wharf.
Also known as the Sea Eagles, the club has won multiple premierships throughout its history.
For club secretary Matthew Hughes, the 100-year milestone evokes strong feelings for the “very special” club.
“Tathra is one of the smallest towns in the Group 16 competition [a regional competition for Far South Coast and Southern Tablelands regions].
“But it’s a town that comes together with community pride, a sense of togetherness,” he said.
Matthew is a relative newcomer to the region, having made a tree change several years ago.
“I come from Sydney, and when I moved down here, I didn’t know anyone – I only knew my wife’s family,” he said.
“I reached out … they welcomed me with open arms.”
Matthew said that while the club hadn’t competed continuously over the past 100 years, it had still become a local institution.
“They play AFL, they play soccer, they play cricket. There’s a fishing club, a surf club … There’s no sport that stands out,” he said.
“Be we like to say rugby league is probably the biggest sport that does stand out [most] in the South Coast, for its popularity.”
The club took home three consecutive championships in the 1950s, before the modern Group 16 competition was launched.
The club folded several times over the next few decades, before circumstances shifted in the mid-90s.
“We’re labelling it as the comeback of what was, ultimately, Tathra’s great run of reaching the grand finals and becoming a prosperous team,” Matthew said.
The club’s 66-year premiership drought was broken in 2019, when the first-grade team took home the silverware.
“The whole town erupted … Ever since 2019, Tathra’s sides – male and female – have always reached the finals and had a very strong team,” Matthew said.
“We won the competition last year … We’ve labelled it ‘We did it with locals.'”
He said the club had had to navigate off-field struggles, such as repeat bushfires.
“We lost a lot of houses, we lost a shed [in 2018]. … A lot of people lost a lot – their valuables and everything.
“Anyone in town lent a hand to anyone, and that’s where Tathra really shone.”
The Sea Eagles were named the 2019 Grassroots Club of the Year, in honour of their resilience.
Matthew said it was always a case of the more players, the merrier, as they prepared to field up to five teams for the 2026 season.
“We recognise both male and female [players],” he said.
“It doesn’t matter what ability you have, doesn’t matter if you’re the best player in the world [or] the worst player in the world … We grow as a club.”
He said the Sea Eagles were dedicated to building a family-friendly culture at the club.
“We’ve always had a strong community – we’ve had a strong bond as a family … If you were to ask a player of the past what Tathra means to them, they would say family.
“It’s a family club.”
The Tathra Rugby League Football Club will have its official season launch on 28 March from 6 pm. Find out more (and follow its centenary celebrations) on its Facebook page and Instagram.
