FOR the first time since 2013 there will be eight teams vying for Illawarra League supremacy, with shire club De La Salle Caringbah to join the 2022 premiership race.
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The club will join Cronulla Caringbah in shifting south to form part of the southern conference in NSW Rugby League's Presidents Cup, with the league's newest derby likely to kick of proceedings when the season begins in late April.
The club announced the shift for what will be its 60th season on Monday, a remarkable turn for the Illawarra following two years lost to the COVID pandemic.
IDRL chairman Gerry Murphy confirmed the news to the board on Monday night, a huge boost following two years lost to the COVID pandemic.
"It's a really positive move for the game in the area, it shows confidence from the NSW [Rugby League] in the Illawarra area," Murphy said.
"It's been a huge effort that's gone on behind the scenes since we locked down in June last year.
"We started last year with only five teams, now we've got the Burgh back and Cronulla Caringbah and De La Salle involved.
"I know from a NSWRL point of view, and from our perspective, it's always been our goal to get eight teams into the Illawarra competition to bolster the game and get that interest back in the game again.
"It's very exciting where it's got to. It shows a great deal of confidence in footy in this area and we can only grow from here."
An eight-team competition, with a full home and away draw, is a dream scenario in reducing the excessive number of byes and missed rounds that have plagued recent seasons.
It will also largely see a return to the more traditional three grades, with the draws for reserve grade and under 18s back in sync with the top-grade competition.
"It makes it a lot easier for us when you have some consistency [in the schedule]," Murphy said.
"We haven't been able to have an even home and away [draw] because the draws haven't been aligned. With the number of teams and different grades there was someone missing out on a game every second week.
"Clubs haven't had that consistency on the way through the season and it has been challenging from a club point of view because resources, coaching, playing, support and medical staff, have been split.
"Now, while it won't be every single week, most weeks will see a return to [under] 18s, reserves and firsts."
The league last featured eight teams in 2013 before Berkeley dropped out of first grade and "on-loan" Shellharbour Sharks returned to Group Seven after five seasons in the Illawarra league.
It saw the competition reduced to six teams, though Berkeley brought that number to seven on returning to first grade in 2017, before dropping out of the 2020 premiership due to COVID factors.
The IDRL has not crowned a first grade premier since Collegians claimed the 2019 title under coach Nathan Fien, who remains at the helm of Dogs for the 2022 season.
Collies sat out 2020 while, in the absence of an Illawarra first grade competition, Thirroul and Wests took part in the state-wide Presidents Cup and Helensburgh reached a grand final qualifier in the Sydney Shield - new Illawarra rivals Cronulla Caringbah claiming that crown.
Thirroul claimed the 'Open Age' competition run in the Illawarra, defeating Avondale in the grand final.
A five-team first-grade competition featuring Collies, Wests, Thirroul, Corrimal and Dapto was abandoned in June last year when the NSW government imposed lockdown measures in response to the Delta outbreak.
After running five senior teams through the gruelling 2020 season, Helensburgh dropped out of first grade last season but will return to the top-flight in 2022.