After it was killed off 86 years ago, plans are afoot to resurrect one of rugby league's great foundation clubs, the Glebe Dirty Reds, in time to rejoin the NSWRL fold in 2017.

The club, which some historians believe was probably the first to join the breakaway professional code in 1908, was voted out of the competition in 1929 after three lean years. There were suggestions at the time that Glebe's demise was hastened after Balmain and South Sydney brokered an unholy alliance to get rid of the Dirty Reds to bolster their own territories.

In an ironic twist, Glebe spokesman Darren Flynn told Fairfax Media that after meeting with the NSWRL last Tuesday the Dirty Reds planned to enter their junior teams into Balmain's junior competition.

"The plan is to have a semi-professional senior side in either the Ron Massey Cup or the Sydney Shield and, depending on the demand locally. There'll be teams run in the Balmain Junior League as well," Flynn said.