List of sports rivalries
1st party 2nd party Timespan
Brisbane Broncos North Queensland Cowboys 1995 to present
Brisbane Broncos Gold Coast Titans 2007 to present
Canberra Raiders Wests Tigers 1989 to present
Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs Parramatta Eels 1970s to present
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles Wests Tigers 1970s to present
Melbourne Storm St George Illawarra Dragons 1999 to present
Melbourne Storm Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 2007 to present
Melbourne Storm Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 2016 to present
Melbourne Storm Brisbane Broncos 2003 to present
Newcastle Knights Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 1988 to present
South Sydney Rabbitohs Sydney Roosters 1908 to present
Rugby league -- Australia
See also : Rivalries in the National Rugby League
A sports rivalry is intense competition between athletic teams or athletes, affecting participants, management, and supporters all to varying degrees. The intensity of the rivalry can range anywhere from a light hearted banter to serious violence. A rivalry that gets out of control can lead to fighting, hooliganism, rioting and some instances with career-ending and even fatal consequences. In The football war, along with other factors, it was suggested to have been the tipping point in leading to military conflicts. Owners have been known to encourage rivalries as they tend to improve game attendance and television ratings for rivalry matches. Clubs can reduce fan aggression surrounding rivalry games by acknowledging rather than downplaying the conflict because the rivalry is an integral part of fan identity. Games between two rivals that are based in areas of close geographical proximity are often known as a local derby, or simply just a derby ( , ); a sporting event between two teams from the same town, city or region. The term is usually connected with association football and the media and supporters will often refer to this fixture as Derby Day. The term derby possibly originated from The Derby, a horse race in England, founded by the 12th Earl of Derby in 1780. The 19th Earl has since claimed the Derby name was originally only given to one other sporting event: Rugby league fixtures between St Helens at one end of the family's Knowsley estate and Wigan at the other. The other theory as to the name's origin involves Shrovetide football, an early, unofficiated version of both association and rugby football. It was first played in the town of Derby prior to Medieval times.