St Joseph’s Junior Rugby League Football Club was established in 1964 to provide sport for students at St Joseph’s Primary School, Oyster Bay. What began as St Joseph’s Oyster Bay Sports Club quickly grew thanks to the dedication of early pioneers whose vision shaped the foundations of the Club we know today.
Joeys joined 12 clubs in the CSDJRL competition and thrived through the leadership of early volunteers including Bill and Judy Urquhart, Kevin Stokes, John Kean, Fred Lemon, John Barry, Ken Rosenthal, Leo Strong and Ralph Hill. Until 1997 the Club also participated in netball and football before officially incorporating in 1998 to form the rugby league club as it exists today.
The Club originally trained at Scylla Oval, but by 1969 Joeys moved to Kareela Oval. This shift was made possible by the efforts of Allan Holmes, whose work with the Council helped secure a long-term home for the Club.
Como Football Club played a key role in Joeys’ early years, donating £25 towards jerseys and socks. Joeys adopted the school colours, resulting in jersey evolutions that often followed the Manly strip. While designs changed, the maroon and white have remained a cultural symbol of the Club, deeply tied to our identity and history.
In the early 1990s, new dressing sheds, a canteen and toilets were built at Kareela Oval, replacing the original kiosk tent. Standard goalposts were installed, and the cricket pitch was removed.
A major Clubhouse renovation was completed in 2005, largely thanks to Steve Gillfeather, whose unmatched dedication, labour and planning brought the project to life.
Joeys claimed their first senior premiership in 2001, winning the A Reserve Grand Final. By 2009 the Club had just nine teams remaining, but strong leadership from men like Peter Jamieson and Peter Matheson rebuilt the Club into the thriving, family-focused organisation it is today.
In 2018, Sam Matheson became the first Joeys player to reach 300 games—a proud achievement for both Sam and the Matheson family.
The 2022 Clubhouse upgrade introduced a new canteen, bar and referees’ shed, made possible through the perseverance of Steve Cheetham.
Joeys celebrated their first-ever A Grade premiership in 2023, then backed it up with another title in 2024.
In 2025, Joeys made history again with the introduction of the Club’s first female tackle team, alongside the continued dominance of the Open Women’s League Tag team, securing their sixth straight premiership.
From fielding just two teams in 1964, Joeys expanded to five teams by 1979 and introduced their first Under 13s team in 1992. Today the Club fields around 20 teams for male and female players aged 5 to 50, reflecting over 60 years of growth and community involvement.
Since 1964 Joeys has won 57 premierships—an incredible achievement considering the Club fielded only junior sides for its first 30 years. Our continued success is driven by Life Members, committees, volunteers, families, sponsors and the players who keep the Joeys spirit alive.
Club of the Year: 1993, 2003
Junior Club Championship Winners: 1995, 1996
Joeys members who are Life Members of the CSDJRLFC:
Allan Holmes
Kim Delaney
Peter Matheson
Allan Holmes Jnr – St George
Paul Evans – Cronulla
Chris Quinn – Cronulla, St George, Adelaide Rams, Parramatta
Cameron Ciraldo – Cronulla, Newcastle, Penrith; Head Coach, Canterbury-Bankstown
Keiran Kerr – Cronulla, St George, Wests Tigers
Luke McDougall – Berries, Wests, Souths
Daniel Vasquez – Cronulla
Kitone Kautoga – Parramatta
