History of The Sydney Roosters - Birth of The Rooster

Birth of The Rooster

For much of the first half of the 20th century, the Eastern Suburbs club was known colloquially as the "Tricolours" after the club colours of red, white and blue. Occasionally, the club was also referred to as the "Beachsiders" or the "Seasiders". In the 1960s, adopting a new playing strip that consisted of a V-shaped design similar to that of the popular French teams who also wore red, white, and blue, the Eastern Suburbs club became known as the Roosters. This was due to the similarities of the French team jersey, which displayed a cock badge on their jersey.

However it is contested by fans of the day that the rooster was associated with the football club decades earlier. This claim is strengthened by newspapers in the 1930s depicting photos of a rooster-top weather vane pointing eastward when publishing articles on the Sydney Roosters. The explanation given being that Eastern Suburbs being in the east, is where the sun would rise hence where the rooster would crow first. The football club itself has neither confirmed or denied both origins of the rooster mascot although the first mentioned origin is generally the wider accepted one amongst the rugby league community.

The Roosters were able to make the 1960 Grand Final, but unfortunately their opponents were the mighty St. George who were in the middle of a dynasty that lasted eleven premierships. The Jack Gibson-captained side was to be no match for the Dragons, with Easts defeated comprehensively 31-6. The 1960 Grand Final would remain the highlight of the decade for the Roosters, who would experience their worst era yet. Consistently finishing at the bottom of the table, the Roosters would make history in 1966 by failing to win a single a game. 1967 however brought redemption for the Roosters, who were able to shake off the ghosts of the previous seasons by finishing in fourth place under the guidance of rookie coach Jack Gibson.