Rugby League came to the region in 1986 as the Rockingham Tigers. The first Rugby league side entered in the Perth competition from the Rockingham area was in 1986. They were called the Rockingham Tigers and were coached by Trevor Maybank and Rod Fielding formerly of the Mosman Cottesloe club.
The club became the Rockingham Raiders Rugby League Club, then South Coast, following a meeting following a meeting at the Leisure Inn Hotel in March 1987. The club adopted the colours, nickname and logo of the newest then NSWRL club, Canberra Raiders. A submission was prepared and presented to the WARL for inclusion within the competition in both the senior 3rd grade and junior competitions with a 5-year plan of entering the first grade competition. The Raiders entered the competition in 1988. It was the Raiders club initiative that saw the introduction of night rugby league matches as a regular feature of the WARL competition with crowds at matches unsurpassed by any other club.
The ‘South Coast’ name was changed to Rockingham at the end of 1992 to create a more definite link with the clubs location – and because of the addition of a club from Mandurah. The Raiders proved their resilience and success both on and off the field. In 16 years in the competition the clubs’ senior grades (under-18’s, 3rds, womens, reserves and firsts) contested 12 final series including 7 grand finals, winning 3 premierships (2 third grade and 1 first grade). The clubs juniors experienced a wide range of success competing within a large number of final and grand final series matches. The quality of the Raiders’ juniors has been acknowledged with a considerable number of the clubs players being selected for state and national representative teams.The sole junior grade premiership of that era came with the clubs’ 1990, under-15 team which completed the season as undefeated premiers. The Sharks have since eclipsed that with three junior premierships in the under-11’s (2004), 12’s (2005) and 12’s in 2006. A number of former junior players remain with the club to this day representing our senior grades.
In 1998 the Coastal Cowboys were formed and went on to win three third grade grand finals. They just missed out on the reserve grade finals, being beaten by a strong South Perth team in the last round of the 2003 season. A combined Raiders and Cowboys side played in the third grade grand final in 2003, losing 22-20 to Brothers.
The Raidettes, a new addition to Rugby league in WA, with womens super tag, made the semi-finals in 2002 and the Grand Final in 2003 along with the Southern Districts third grade team. Heather Turnbull won two WARL best and fairest awards. The Sharks League tag side won the 2006/7 premierships, the first Sharks senior side to win a premiership. They beat dual premiership side Armadale in the grand final in 2006 and Kalgoorlie 2007.
The Rockingham Coastal Sharks and Sporting Club was named on February 20, 2004 to reflect the previous clubs of Rockingham and Coastal, and to marry the club to the Rockingham region. The sharks’ emblem added to the aquatic flavour of where the club lives, south of Perth. The colours were originally a result of Cronulla Sutherland providing the combined grand final team in 2003 a set of neutral jumpers and members decided to stay with those colours of blue, white and black. The emblem was borrowed, and altered slightly, from the American National League team, the New Jersey Sharks. Rockingham RLC won the junior club championships in 2002/5/6/7/8, the last four years as the Coastal Sharks. The Sharks made the semi-finals in all grades in their first year. In the second year they made the reserves grand final.
In 2008 the Sharks made the senior finals in first grade, reserve grade and League tag. They also won premierships in the under-11,13, and 15 age groups.
The club made first and reserve grade grand finals after securing two minor premierships, succumbing to Fremantle 26-22 in first grade and losing out to Willagee in reserves. Coach Darren Shaw was named NRLWA Coach of the Year, four players were named to the league’s Team of the Year and two (Ben Bolth and Andrew Jefferies) represented CAS against England at nib Stadium.
In a season badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, with games suspended for three months, under new coach Peter Williams, a young Sharks side stormed to the 2020 grand final after finishing fourth in the regular season. Wins on the road at Fremantle, with an extra time goal from halfback Sean Scott, then a dominating win at South Perth, saw the team face minor premiers Joondalup in the grand final. And what a final ... 12-12 at full time, then three periods of extra time time before a winner emerged, as the Giants kicked the winning goal to win 13-12 in what has been described as the best final ever seen in WA.
