Glebe Estate

"To working men in Glebe, rugby league became their food and their drink, and they rolled up in strength on Saturday afternoon to see their men win, a desire made more intense by the fact that players were fellow suburbanites with whom they were in touch, and often knew personally.

"The hard core of Glebe District Rugby League Club's players and supporters lived in and on the edges of what is now known as the Glebe Estate - an area of about 75 acres over which the Church of England retained ownership, and built up with small cottages and one or two storeyed terraces between 1865 and 1882.

"A resident here might often know a large number of people by name, and even more by face, something that served to emphasise the overwhelming importance of the locality and the street. They did not fraternise with the suburb's more affluent residents at Glebe Point.

"The casual nature of much work meant families of blue collar workers had an uncertain and fluctuating income with the threat of unemployment (and consequent poverty), and on the Glebe Estate its residents found their greatest protection in times of stress and hardship.

"Organized team sports were integrated into this close-knit pattern of collective life and local networks that revolved around the corner store, church, school, pawn shop and pub strengthened neighbourly solidarities. Rugby league on the Glebe Estate was an important part of the fabric that held their community together, their association with their team made them feel they belonged to a community" - Sean Fagan / rl1908.com