The 1917 Auckland Rugby League season was its 9th. Due to the large number of players now serving in the First World War it was agreed to relax transfer rules to allow players from stronger teams to join weaker teams to even the competition.[1] It was noted how many men from various clubs had been killed in battle by the beginning of 1917. They were Cecil Walker, Doug Dawson, T Marshall (Grafton Athletic), Charles Savory, Frank McWhirter (Ponsonby United), Graham Cook (Ponsonby United), N Vause, Victor McCollum, Alf Gault, T Lambert, E Tiernan, F Stubbs, W. G. Handle (Ponsonby United), B Hart, Frederick Gladding, A Powley, Chas Mann (North Shore Albions), William Moeki, G Jones, W Harris, Sam Magee, S Greer (City Rovers), Alan Miller, Charles Sinton, and Leslie O'Leary (Sunnyside). City Rovers had 'sent' ninety men to war by this time and twenty-one had been wounded and five killed. The Sunnyside club had only nine members left and one of those who had gone to the war (William O'Shaughnessey) said that in the trenches he had made a list of league players from various clubs which totaled 120. All three of the Sunnyside secretaries had enlisted and the executive was also gone. Ponsonby had also had over eighty of its members join the war effort.[2]
Thirty three teams entered the six grades. This was down on previous seasons due to the number of men who had gone to fight. In the senior grade there were still six teams entered, with five second grade teams, five third grade teams, nine fourth grade teams, six fifth grade teams, and four sixth grade teams. The season was notable for the fact that Otahuhu was forced to drop out of the first grade competition after round 4 as it struggled to field senior players. Grafton Athletic also fell by the way-side soon after for the same reason.
Ponsonby United won the first grade championship for the first time in their history. They also won the Roope Rooster trophy for the first time with a 12–6 win over City Rovers in the final. By winning both competitions they became the second Auckland senior club to win multiple trophies in the same season following on the footsteps of City Rovers who had won both titles the year prior.