File Photo: JDF vs Liguanea Dragons
The National Club Championship (NCC) kicks off on Saturday June 11, with eight teams vying for rugby league supremacy in Jamaica. The League is in its 16th year after the 2020 and 2021 seasons were lost to Covid.
Eight teams will contest the Championship to determine Jamaica’s best rugby league club. The competition culminates with the Grand Final on Saturday, September 17. Retuning clubs are champions Duhaney Park RedSharks, Liguanea Dragons, Washington Blvd. Bulls, The Jamaica Defence Force Warriors, Spanish Town Vikings.
Two new teams will debut, they are Portmore Rugby League Club and Young Crocs Academy. Every club will play each other once before heading to a three round playoffs system with Quarterfinals, Semi-Finals, and Grand Finals. The team with the most points during the round robin stage will be declared Minor Premier winners. Perennial contenders GC Angels is the noticeable team not to take part.
In Round 1 on Saturday, Hyenas face off with Young Crocs Academy at 2pm and JDF takes on Dragons at 4pm, both games at Up Park Camp. Over at the The Cedar Grove Academy, Portmore open their campaign against champs Duhaney Park at 4pm.
Director of Rugby Romeo Monteith is expecting another competitive season:
"We are excited to see community rugby league return, it’s almost unbelievable to start with 8 teams, one more than we had before the pandemic. Young Crocs Academy and Portmore as new teams will bring fresh life and rivalries to the competition, and we expect to see plenty from traditional clubs Duhaney Park and JDF. "
"The dark horse of the competition might well be Washington Blvd Bulls, but expect Hyenas, Dragons and Vikings to also be knocking at the door come play-off time. The season is even more special as some of these players will be selected in the World Cup squad for October"