40/20's

The 40/20’s were originally formed as one of the three new Super League franchises in late 1995 (the other two being the Hunter Mariners and Adelaide Rams) when it was apparent that the Parramatta Eels would remain with the ARL.

The fight for the rugby league heartland of the Hills District was particularly bitter which made life for the 40/20’s a very difficult task.

The 40/20’s hopes for sharing an upgraded Parramatta Stadium with the Eels were brought to an end in October 1995 when the Supreme Court ruled 40/20’s had no rights to the Council-leased stadium. The 40/20’s had been prepared to spend big bucks build two new grandstands (and a bar) at the ground.

But the team had to be disbanded and the club put into stasis following the legal restrictions placed on Super League, which prevented the 1996 rebel competition from proceeding. The 40/20 players were scattered across other competitions and elsewhere – some of them would not return.

In November 2003 the 40/20’s were finally given the go ahead by the courts and got on the field in October 2004.

They assembled a useful team of many quality D graders including Scott McPhee, Daniel Kelleher, Denis Navaratnam, Michael Egan, Brad Arrow,
Chris Thomas, Sonny-Doug Richardson, Jason Moore, Tony Freestone and Mark Douglas.

Sporting a flashy white and blue sleeved playing strip, and securing the sponsorship of Mortgage Choice the 40/20’s played their first game of the Hills Competition at their new home of Yattenden Park against ADHD. In a spirited display the 40/20’s went down 4 to 3.

With a learning curve that will be steep, the 40/20’s are looking to develop throughout 2004, and be looking for a top eight finish in the 2005 competition.