New South Wales Cup /

The New South Wales Cup, established in 1908, is the New South Wales Rugby League's premier competition renowned for producing and developing NRL players.

The original Auckland Warriors made their debut in the competition in 1995, reaching the grand final in 1996 when they lost 12-14 to Cronulla Sutherland. In 1997 the Warriors played in Super League’s reserve grade, again making the grand final when they lost 12-40 to Canterbury-Bankstown.

The Warriors didn’t field a New South Wales Rugby League reserve grade side from 1998 to 2006 although in 2000 they formed a partnership as a feeder club for the Newtown Jets.

In 2007 the Auckland Lions, run by a consortium from the Mount Albert Rugby League Club, gained entry into the then-New South Wales Premier League, providing an opportunity for Warriors players to play in the reserve grade competition. The Auckland Rugby League took over the side in 2008, changing the team’s name to the Vulcans in the revamped New South Wales Cup.

Working in partnership with the Warriors, it enabled the NRL club to give its first-grade squad members regular reserve grade football through to the end of the 2013 season. In the 2011 season the Vulcans finished second in the minor premiership and went on to make the grand final only to lose 28-30 in the dying seconds to the Bulldogs.

In 2025, the Warriors dominated the competition in a season of singular achievement.

Their superiority saw them win a record 14 matches on end in an unbeaten run of 16 games interrupted only by a draw. With just two losses they finished 11 points clear in clinching the minor premiership for the first time in the club's history before following it up with a maiden triumph in the New South Wales Cup grand final (beating St George Illawarra 30-12). The season was iced with a commanding 50-20 victory over the Burleigh Bears in the NRL State Championship.

The Warriors assumed outright control of the NSW Cup side from 2014 with Rohan Smith as coach followed by Stacey Jones (2015-2016), Ricky Henry (2017), John Teina (2018), Nathan Cayless (2019), Justin Morgan (2020), Slade Griffin (2023) and David Tangata-Toa (2024-2025).

Performances:
2014 | Third (eliminated week two of finals).
2015 | Sixth (eliminated week two of finals).
2016 | Fifth (eliminated week two of finals).
2017 | Second (eliminated week in preliminary final).
2018 | Seventh (eliminated week one of finals).
2019 | Ninth (didn’t qualify for finals).
2020 | Seventh (competition cancelled after two rounds due to Covid).
2021 | Didn’t field team.
2022 | Didn’t field team.
2023 | Second (eliminated in preliminary final).
2024 | Fourth (eliminated in week one of finals).
2025 | First (won grand final and NRL State Championship)

The One New Zealand Warriors' New South Wales Cup side provides a pivotal link between the club's junior ranks and the NRL, offering a competitive environment for emerging talent. Designed to facilitate seamless player transition, the New South Wales Cup focuses on:

• Player progression
• Performance evaluation
• Recovery and fitness 
• Professional development