Illawarra clubs are well placed across all four Southern Corridor competitions as the 2026 season passes the halfway mark, with local teams occupying ladder-leading positions and firmly in the finals race against rivals from the St George and Sutherland districts.
While every competition has been impacted by washouts and forfeits, Illawarra sides have continued to feature prominently across the board.
Southern Corridor U18 Boys Premiership
Four Illawarra clubs are represented in the Southern Corridor U18 Boys Premiership, with both Thirroul and Wests well positioned inside the top four.
Thirroul sit second on the ladder with a strong 6-2 record, just four competition points behind leaders De La Salle. Their only defeats have come against fellow top-three teams De La Salle and St Josephs, underlining their credentials as genuine premiership contenders.
Wests occupy fourth position with a positive 4-3 record and remain within striking distance of the competition leaders.
Collegians are sixth after posting two wins from eight matches, while Dapto broke through for their first win of the season last week against Como Jannali.
Like every club in the competition, the Illawarra sides have had their campaigns interrupted by washouts, leaving all teams with games still to be made up.
More >> Round 10 Fixtures, Ladder
Southern Corridor U18 Gold
The U18 Gold competition remains one of the closest in the region, with Thirroul, Helensburgh and Corrimal all still in contention.
Thirroul lead the competition with an unbeaten 6-0 record and 21 competition points. Despite playing fewer matches than many of their rivals, they have established themselves as the benchmark team with an outstanding +170 points differential. The next best differential belongs to Arncliffe at just +26.
Helensburgh sit ninth on 12 competition points (-11) with a record of two wins, three losses and a draw, while Corrimal (-25) are level on points in ninth from three wins.
The competition has been heavily disrupted by washouts and forfeits, leaving clubs with varying numbers of games played. With five rounds remaining, the race for the minor premiership remains wide open.
More >> Round 10 Fixtures, Ladder
Southern Corridor Open Women’s Premiership
Illawarra clubs have dominated the Southern Corridor Open Women’s competition, currently occupying the top three positions on the ladder.
Corrimal lead the competition with an unbeaten 8-0 record and 24 competition points. Despite playing fewer matches than their record suggests due to competition disruptions, the Cougars have been dominant whenever they have taken the field, boasting a remarkable +204 points differential.
Collegians (pictured) sit second, on 22 competition points, with a 7-1 record and a healthy +117 differential. Their only defeat came at the hands of fellow Illawarra side Helensburgh, who complete the Illawarra trifecta in third position with five wins from eight matches and a +128 points differential.
Tigers centre Taylor Charman has been one of the competition’s standout performers, leading both the try-scoring charts with nine tries and the overall points tally with 38.
Washouts and forfeits have affected the standings throughout the season, but the three Illawarra clubs have established a clear break on the rest of the field. They are the only teams with positive points differentials and hold an eight-point advantage over the fourth-placed side with five rounds remaining.
More >> Round 10 Fixtures, Ladder
Southern Corridor U18 Girls
Corrimal continue to set the pace in the U18 Girls competition, leading the ladder with a 7-1 record, 22 competition points and a +118 points differential. Their only defeat came against the Stingrays in Round 1.
Collegians is in fourth place with a 4-4 record and +29 points differential. Wests round out the Illawarra contingent in fifth with four wins from their seven matches.
Like the other Southern Corridor competitions, the U18 Girls season has been affected by washouts and forfeits, leaving the ladder tightly compressed. With only ten competition points separating the entire field and five rounds remaining, the race for both the minor premiership and finals positions is still wide open.
More >> Round 10 Fixtures, Ladder
Words: Harrison Mellare
Main Image: Collegians JRLFC Facebook