2026 Territory Junior Championships
Uniting the Territory. Strengthening the Pathway. Building the Future.
The Territory Junior Championships returns in 2026 for its third year under the NRL NT regional representative model continuing to unite the Northern Territory’s best emerging talent within a clear and structured development pathway.
On Saturday, 28 March 2026, under 16 Boys and Girls from across urban, regional and remote communities will converge at Territory Rugby League Stadium, Marrara, competing for the title of Territory Champions and taking a major step in their representative journey.
🏆 A Growing Legacy
Since its introduction in 2024, the Championships has quickly established itself as the Territory’s premier U16 representative event.
Previous Champions
2024
- U16 Boys – Katherine
- U16 Girls – Southern Heat
2025
- U16 Boys – Southern Heat
- U16 Girls – Darwin City
These results highlight the growing competitive balance and strength across regional programs throughout the Northern Territory.
Why the Championships Was Introduced
In 2024, NRL NT introduced the Territory Junior Championships to create greater opportunity at a regional representative level, supporting inspirational:
- Players
- Coaches
- Sports Trainers
- Team Managers
- Match Officials
The goal was clear: To bridge the gap between local club football and the demands of national representative rugby league.
By introducing a structured regional model, NRL NT has delivered:
- A more challenging competitive environment
- Stronger personal and professional development opportunities
- Clearer and more transparent selection processes
- A unified whole-of-Territory representative culture
Strategic Alignment: RISE, NT Titans & Dolphins NRL Pathways
The Championships is fully integrated into the NRL NT RISE Program and aligned with the broader NRL NT / Dolphins NRL strategic pathways partnership.
This alignment ensures:
- Territory athletes are developed within nationally consistent NRL standards
- Coaching and training methodologies align with NRL club systems
- Talent identification connects directly into recognised national frameworks
- Players receive greater exposure within the national rugby league landscape
Importantly, this structure strengthens how we select and prepare our NT Titans teams, reducing the historical gap between club football and national competition.
In 2026, we once again bring together representative teams from:
- Darwin City
- Southern Heat
- Katherine Cowboys
- Gove United
An overall winners will be crowned in both the U16 Boys and U16 Girls competitions.
Beyond the Trophies
The Championships serves as a critical selection event:
- 30 players will be selected from each competition to join the RISE Program
- From this squad, the final 20-member NT Titans travelling squads will be selected
- Squads will undertake five weeks of structured training
- NT Titans Teams will compete at the U16 Boys & U16 Girls ASSRL National Championships
- 📍 Coffs Harbour
- 🗓 2–11 July 2026
This pathway provides Territory players with the opportunity to represent the NT on the national stage under a fully aligned and professionally structured system.
Team eligibility is determined by the club a player represented in 2025.
- Ages Players turning 15 or 16 in 2026 (Boys & Girls)
- Cost $50.00 (Includes participation fee and regional representative polo shirt – payment details TBC
Darwin City
- Darwin Brothers
- Nightcliff Dragons
- South Darwin Rabbitohs
Southern Heat
- Litchfield Bears
- Palmerston Raiders
- Northern Sharks
- Livingstone Jets
Katherine Cowboys
- Katherine Junior Rugby League
Gove United
- Elcho Island Dolphins
- Groote Eylandt
Combined Teams if required and future plans
May include players from: Alice Springs, Tennant Creek or Kununurra WA.
This structure ensures strong representation from urban, regional and remote communities, reinforcing NRL NT’s commitment to inclusive pathways and year-round participation across the Territory.
How to Participate
Darwin-based players can register via the links below and select the catchment aligned to their 2025 club.
Please enter your details and tick the box for the catchment your club is in
(e.g. Litchfield Bears → Southern Heat).
U16 Boys Registration: https://form.jotform.com/260197479174064
U16 Girls Registration: https://form.jotform.com/260197544842059
More Than a Competition
The Territory Junior Championships is more than a one-day event. It is:
- A celebration of regional identity
- A bridge between community rugby league and elite pathways
- A steppingstone toward national representation
- A platform building future leaders of the game
Through strong regional representation, integration with the RISE Program, alignment with the NT Titans system and connection to the Dolphins NRL strategic pathway, NRL NT continues to deliver a true whole-of-Territory representative culture.
We look forward to welcoming the next generation of Territory talent to Marrara in March 2026.
For further information contact:
Duncan MacGillivray
NRL NT Pathways Manager
📧dmacgillivray@nrl.com.au
