Canterbury-Bankstown

Real club history, premierships, Grand Final appearances, and ladder finishes, aggregated from our sourced rugby league archive.

Data last verified: 11 August 2026.

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Canterbury-Bankstown — 8 premierships on record (1938, 1942, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1995, 2004).

Club Background

Canterbury-Bankstown traces its roots to 1935, when local officials formed the Canterbury-Bankstown Junior Rugby League and the senior club was admitted to the elite NSWRFL premiership the same year. Known for decades as the "Berries" before a 1977-78 supporter poll rebranded them the Bulldogs, the club competes in the NRL and called Belmore Sports Ground home from 1936 until the mid-1990s.

Honours

Premiership
Winners (8)1938, 1942, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1995, 2004
Runners-up (10)1940, 1947, 1967, 1974, 1979, 1986, 1994, 1998, 2012, 2014
Minor Premiership
Winners (8)1938, 1942, 1947, 1980, 1984, 1993, 1994, 2012
World Club Challenge
Runners-up (1)2005

League history

1st 16th 1935: 8 of 91936: 3 of 91937: 4 of 91938: 1 of 81939: 2 of 81940: 3 of 81941: 3 of 81942: 1 of 81943: 7 of 81944: 8 of 81945: 6 of 81946: 4 of 81947: 1 of 101948: 5 of 101949: 7 of 101950: 6 of 101951: 7 of 101952: 9 of 101953: 5 of 101954: 8 of 101955: 9 of 101956: 7 of 101957: 9 of 101958: 9 of 101959: 9 of 101960: 4 of 101961: 8 of 101962: 6 of 101963: 8 of 101964: 10 of 101965: 9 of 101966: 8 of 101967: 3 of 121968: 9 of 121969: 8 of 121970: 4 of 121971: 5 of 121972: 5 of 121973: 5 of 121974: 3 of 121975: 4 of 121976: 5 of 121977: 7 of 121978: 4 of 121979: 5 of 121980: 1 of 121981: 10 of 121982: 8 of 141983: 3 of 141984: 1 of 131985: 3 of 131986: 3 of 131987: 6 of 131988: 2 of 161989: 9 of 161990: 7 of 161991: 5 of 161992: 7 of 161993: 1 of 161994: 1 of 161995: 6 of 201996: 10 of 201997 Super League: 4 of 101998: 9 of 201999: 5 of 172000: 11 of 142001: 2 of 142002: 15 of 152003: 3 of 152004: 2 of 152005: 12 of 152006: 2 of 152007: 6 of 162008: 16 of 162009: 2 of 162010: 13 of 162011: 9 of 162012: 1 of 162013: 6 of 162014: 7 of 162015: 5 of 162016: 7 of 162017: 11 of 162018: 12 of 162019: 12 of 162020: 15 of 162021: 16 of 162022: 12 of 162023: 15 of 172024: 6 of 172025: 3 of 17 19351942194919561963197019771984199119982005201220192025

Final ladder position each season on record (1935–2025) — 1st at the top. Hover a point for the exact position and field size that season.

Full table
SeasonFinal position
20253 of 17
20246 of 17
202315 of 17
202212 of 16
202116 of 16
202015 of 16
201912 of 16
201812 of 16
201711 of 16
20167 of 16
20155 of 16
20147 of 16
20136 of 16
20121 of 16
20119 of 16
201013 of 16
20092 of 16
200816 of 16
20076 of 16
20062 of 15
200512 of 15
20042 of 15
20033 of 15
200215 of 15
20012 of 14
200011 of 14
19995 of 17
19989 of 20
1997 Super League4 of 10
199610 of 20
19956 of 20
19941 of 16
19931 of 16
19927 of 16
19915 of 16
19907 of 16
19899 of 16
19882 of 16
19876 of 13
19863 of 13
19853 of 13
19841 of 13
19833 of 14
19828 of 14
198110 of 12
19801 of 12
19795 of 12
19784 of 12
19777 of 12
19765 of 12
19754 of 12
19743 of 12
19735 of 12
19725 of 12
19715 of 12
19704 of 12
19698 of 12
19689 of 12
19673 of 12
19668 of 10
19659 of 10
196410 of 10
19638 of 10
19626 of 10
19618 of 10
19604 of 10
19599 of 10
19589 of 10
19579 of 10
19567 of 10
19559 of 10
19548 of 10
19535 of 10
19529 of 10
19517 of 10
19506 of 10
19497 of 10
19485 of 10
19471 of 10
19464 of 8
19456 of 8
19448 of 8
19437 of 8
19421 of 8
19413 of 8
19403 of 8
19392 of 8
19381 of 8
19374 of 9
19363 of 9
19358 of 9

Club history

The Canterbury-Bankstown club traces its roots to 1935, when local officials met above the Ideal Milk Bar in Campsie to form the Canterbury-Bankstown Junior Rugby League; the senior club was admitted to the elite NSWRFL premiership the same year, fielding a side drawn heavily from rural and western-Sydney recruits that earned them the early jibe "Country Bumpkins." They won a maiden premiership in 1938. For decades the club was known as the "Berries" — the official club history says it's simply a catchy shortening of "Canterbury," though some fan sources attribute it instead to an early maroon, strawberry-coloured jersey. In 1977-78 the club rebranded as the Bulldogs after a supporter poll wanting an identity connoting "determination and grit." The club's blue-and-white colours reflect the political leanings of its founding NSW Labor officials.

Belmore Sports Ground was home from 1936 until the mid-1990s, after which the club shifted its major fixtures to Sydney's big stadiums. After a long post-war drought, the Bulldogs became the dominant club of the 1980s under coach Warren Ryan, winning four premierships (1980, 1984, 1985, 1988). Their bitter rivalry with Parramatta produced the famous 1998 preliminary final comeback, while the 2002 salary-cap scandal — stripped of all competition points — remains a defining low point.

Grand Final appearances (1938-2014)

YearResultOpponentScore
2014LostSouth Sydney6-30
2012LostMelbourne Storm4-14
2004WonSydney Roosters16-13
1998LostBrisbane Broncos12-38
1995WonManly-Warringah17-4
1994LostCanberra12-36
1988WonBalmain24-12
1986LostParramatta2-4
1985WonSt. George7-6
1984WonParramatta6-4
1980WonEastern Suburbs18-4
1979LostSt. George13-17
1974LostEastern Suburbs4-19
1967LostSouth Sydney10-12
1947LostBalmain9-13
1942WonSt. George11-9
1940LostEastern Suburbs14-24
1938WonEastern Suburbs19-6

Sources

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