Who are the Stanley River Wolves?

Group of rugby players in red, black, and white striped uniforms posing outdoors with a rugby ball in front, on a grassy field with a building and spectators in the background.

In late 1973 a meeting at the ROAB Hall in Archer Street responded to groundswell of interest for Woodford to enter U16, U18 and Reserve Grade in the Sunshine Coast competition in 1974.

 It was not a pretty sight when we turned up for the first training session at the Woodford Showgrounds. Floodlights were practically non-existent, showers were futuristic and the changing rooms were a shed with two teams separated by a canvas tarp. But we had a field and a lot of determined young men ready to have a go. Our jerseys were a blue colour with a white V and white numbers. They soon looked pale and washed out. Very ordinary by today’s standards.

The 74 teams were very competitive with U16 making the finals, U18 minor premiers and Reserve Grade, coached by Ron prior, losing the Grand final in a thriller.

In 1975 the Club was required to enter a team in A Grade and with newly appointed Captain Coach, Mick Klein, the side comprised mainly of the reserve graders from Woodford and Kilcoy found the going tough that year. But our juniors were beginning to blossom. Russell Klein in his first year at Woodford captained the U16 side to an undefeated Premiership with the team coached by Ron Prior. In the write up of the match in the Near North Coast News, Woodford were referred to as the Woodford Wolves. The emblem stuck and still remains 50+ years later. 

In 1976 the Club was rebranded the Stanley River RLFC in recognition of the two towns of Woodford and Kilcoy and the nexus provided by the proximity to the Stanly River. We also changed colours to the red and black horizontal bars as these were the colours worn in the past by Woodford teams. The A Grade improved under Coach, Nooky Raaen, and we were competitive. We managed to sign a few imports like Bobby Miller, Kev Stone and Larry Norton. The Under 18’s held the Premiership Trophy aloft by Captain, Jim Klein, and coached by Ron Prior. 

In 1977 the Club continued to get stronger with Coach Bobby Raaen handing over control mid season to former Norths player Doug Champion. The Clubhouse, formerly the Caboolture state School house, was shifted to the Showgrounds and was formally opened that year. This was the year that year saw the arrival of a tackling dynamo and hard running second rower David Donkin who would go on to be a legend at the Club. With the introduction of ex valleys players Doug Murphy, Ken Schneider and Jo Chambers the team started to perform much better bowing out in the semis. The Under 18’s again provided a premiership coached by Ron Prior.

1978 saw the A Grade, captained coached by Doug Champion, go within a “no try” by front rower Wayne Porky Davis to go down to Caboolture in a thriller. The Under 18, captained by Shane Bleakley and coached by Wayne Krisanski were undefeated premiers. The U16 coached by Alan Watson and then Gary Tones got to the grand final going down to Nambour Souths. This year saw Russell Klein represent the U18’s Sunny Coast Falcons, Wide Bay and Queensland. A feat unmatched by any other Rivers player.

1979 was our finest hour. The A Grade, captain Coached by Jo Chambers took out the premiership defeating our nemesis Caboolture. The Reserve Grade Captained coached by Porky Davis won the Reserve Grade and the Under 18 coached by Ken Schneider took out the Under 18 premiership. This year also saw the transfer from playing games on the Showground to what was the Pony Club arena where we continue to play fixtures today. That ground was named The Claude Bleakley Oval after one of our finest administrators.

1980 saw the A Grade win back-to-back premierships under Coach, Doug Murphy. The early 1980’s saw moderate success and by 1985 the Club was in financial difficulty. In 1986 the Club withdrew from Sunny Coast and went to the Brisbane MRL to rebuild. In 1986 we lost the grand final to Browns Plains and in 1987 we entered two teams in the MRL one in A Grade coached by Bobby Raaen and Reserves coached by Brian Shallcross. The A Grade were successful winning the A Grade grand final. That year was notable as it unveiled a junior player that would become arguably the best player to play for Rivers in Grant Young who went onto play rep football for New Zealand.

In 1988 we returned to the Sunshine Coast through the second division and won that Grand Final. It was a stepping stone to rejoining the Sunshine Coast competition. We were approached by Brisbane Broncos rep, Bob Cutmore, to enter teams in U17, U19 and Reserve Grade with the Broncos Colts as our A Grade. This was approved most successful with the Broncos dominating the A Grade and Stanley River, coached by Russell Klein, winning the Reserve Grade grand final. That year we wore Bronco’s jerseys in recognition of the Broncos assistance. Most of the Colts went on to play for the Broncos, notably, John Plath, Willie Carne, Bob Conroy, Ray Gagai and Allan Cann.  

More success would following the early 1990’s with another A Grade premiership spearheaded by Captain Coach Craig McAlpine and our own Grant Young.

Senior football fell into the abysses and what emerged was the Stanley River Juniors which kept the Club alive to fight another day.

The club would like to recognise this contribution to Rex Klein, thank you.

Premiership Teams

1976 Champions

A rugby team posing for a group photo in 1976, with players wearing red and black striped uniforms, two coaching staff in casual attire, and trophies in front
A group of young people on stage celebrating a victory, with one standing on others holding a trophy and a person holding a volleyball marked 1976.

1977 Champions

A group of rugby players and coaches, including a woman holding a rugby ball above her head, posing on a field during a sunny day.

1979 Champions

A group photo of a rugby team wearing matching green and red striped jerseys with the sponsor name 'Woodford Timber' printed on the front. They are outdoors in a woodland area with trees in the background. The team is posed in two rows, with some members kneeling in the front and others standing in the back.

1979 A-Grade Premiers Stanley Rivers Rugby League Football Team

Back row: Dave Donkin, Gary Tones, Russell Klein, Geoff Howard, Shane Bleakley, Peter Smith, Peter King, Doug Drew, Col McMillan

Front Row: Kev Johnson (strapper), Doug Murphy, Ken Schneider, Joe Chambers (Capt/Coach), Lyle Johnson, George Pratten, Jim Klein, Allan Mcmillan, Charlie King (Manager)

(Also taking home premierships that year were the reserve grade team and U18’s team.)

A group of women rugby players in black and red uniforms celebrating together outdoors, some holding a yellow team banner, with trees and hills in the background.
A vintage photograph of a rugby team holding a trophy, with players wearing red and black striped jerseys, gathered outdoors on a field with spectators and trees in the background.

Circa 1980

A newspaper article with the headline "Woodford Teams Sweep the Grand Final Pools." The article highlights a rugby league match where Stanley Rivers defeated Caboolture. A team photo shows rugby players and their captains, including Joey Chambers and Doug Champion, posing outdoors. One player is holding a trophy above his head. The team members are dressed in striped jerseys and shorts, some with arms around each other, smiling.
A group of children and three adults posing for a photograph in front of a wooden wall, with some children sitting on the ground and others standing behind them.

TBA A-Grade Premiers Stanley Rivers Rugby League Football Team

Back Row (L to R): Ron Prior (Coach), Trevor Phillips (Manager), Shane Bleakley, Eric Pickersgill, Sam Draper, Mark smith, Michael McAtee, Billy Tones, Rex Klein (Strapper), Claude Bleakley (President)

Middle row: Ashley Bleakley, Jeff Shallcross, Kevin Mills, Neil Pickersgill, Robert Juffs, Russell Klein

Front Row: Alan Traves, Jim Pratten, Jack Hume, Larry Prior, Russell Litherland, Mark Cannon.

Circa 1972-1975

Black and white photograph of a group of college tennis players, some holding tennis rackets, standing outdoors on a tennis court, with a coach, and a wooded hill in the background. The caption below identifies reserve grade champions and lists their names.
A 1976 rugby team photo with players in black and pink striped uniforms, seated and standing in front of a green curtain stage. Several trophies and a ball with '1976' written on it are displayed in front. Two men, likely coaches or team officials, a
Photograph of 12 young rugby players and 2 coaches from the 1996 Stanley Rivers Junior Rugby League Under 13 Team, posing outdoors on a grassy field with trees in the background, arranged in three rows with the front row seated, the middle row kneeli
Black and white photo of a rugby team with 11 young women and 2 young men, all in matching uniforms, seated and standing together with a woman holding a rugby ball in the front row, posed in front of curtains.
A youth rugby team with two adult coaches posing outdoors in a group photo.
A black-and-white photograph of a group of young men, some with athletic builds, posing outdoors on a field with trees in the background. Several are holding a rectangular plaque or sign with text that isn’t legible. They are dressed in matching spor
A vintage outdoor photo of a rugby team with players in red and black striped jerseys, kneeling and standing on a grass field, with two women and one man standing at each end.
Teams of our past
A rugby match with players tackling. One player in a red and black jersey is tackled to the ground by two opponents in black and gray jerseys. Other players and spectators are visible in the background on a dirt field.
A black and white photo of a football game showing players in action. One player is on the ground while a teammate, Barry Powell, is tackling or helping to tackle an opponent and is being assisted by another teammate, Shaun Chambers. The players are
Black and white photo of a rugby game with players from Caboolture and Stanley Rivers teams. A player from Caboolture is running with the rugby ball, attempting to evade a tackle from Doug Champion of Stanley Rivers, who is seen from behind. Other pl
A black-and-white photo of a hockey game where a player is falling on the ice near the goal, with several officials and players around him. The scene shows a close-up of the action with the goalpost, and a caption below reads: "Stanley River's Jimmy
Black and white photo of a football game. A player from Woodford A, Jimmy Klein, is tackling Barry Powell of Caboolture, who is being held by Stanley's Doug Murphy. Klein is wearing a striped jersey, and Powell is carrying the football. Murphy is bes
Black and white photo of rugby players, with one wearing jersey number 11 labeled Marquisel, engaging in a tackle on a player from Stanley Rivers. The action occurs during a rugby game.
Rugby players Joey Smith and Dennis Tones of Stanley Rivers play against Dave Wilson of Caboolture in a Reserve grade match, with one player on the ground holding onto a rugby ball, while others are actively involved in the game.
A black and white photo of a group of men in sports uniforms, standing outdoors on a field. The caption mentions they are reserve grade champions, and lists the names of some players and the coach.
Black and white photo of a rugby match where a player is being tackled by another player on the ground. Two other players and a referee are visible on the field, with spectators in the background.
Logo of the Woodford Historical Society featuring a black circle with white text and a decorative border.

We would like to acknowledge the support and help of the Woodford Historical Society in providing us with information about our past.

Please visit and support

Visit the Woodford Historical Society