1949 NSWRFL season

The 1949 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the forty-second season of Sydney’s top-level professional rugby league football club competition, Australia’s first. Ten teams from across the city contested the premiership during the season which culminated in a grand final between St. George and South Sydney.[2]

1949 New South Wales Rugby Football League
Teams10
Premiers St. George[1] (2nd title)
Minor premiers South Sydney (10th title)
Matches played94
Points scored2995
Top points scorer(s) Bill Keato (163)
Top try-scorer(s) Ron Roberts (25)

Season summary

St. George winger Ron Roberts’ 25 tries during 1949 stands in third place behind Les Brennan’s 29 in 1954 and Bob Lulham’s 28 in 1947 for the highest number of tries by a player in a debut season.

The 1949 season was also the last in the NSWRFL for future Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame inductee, Vic Hey.

Teams
Balmain
42nd season
Ground: Leichhardt Oval
Coach: Athol Smith
Captain: Fred de Belin
Canterbury-Bankstown
15th season
Ground:Belmore Oval
Coach: Henry Porter
Captain: Bruce Hopkins 		Eastern Suburbs
42nd season
Ground: Sydney Sports Ground
Coach: Ray Stehr
Captain: Paul Tierney		 Manly-Warringah
3rd season
Ground: Brookvale Oval
Coach: George Mullins
Captain: George Hunter
Newtown
42nd season
Ground: Erskineville Oval
Captain-Coach: Frank Farrell
North Sydney
42nd season
Ground: North Sydney Oval
Coach: Harry McKinnon
Captain: Frank Cottle 		Parramatta
3rd season
Ground: Cumberland Oval
Captain-Coach: Vic Hey		 South Sydney
42nd season
Ground: Redfern Oval
Coach: Dave Watson & Jack Rayner
Captain: Jack Rayner
St. George
29th season
Ground: Hurstville Oval
Coach: Jim Duckworth
Captain: Johnny Hawke		 Western Suburbs
42nd season
Ground: Pratten Park
Captain-Coach: Col Maxwell

Ladder
Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
1 South Sydney 181314360210+15027
2 Western Suburbs 181206365280+8524
3 St. George 181116345231+11423
4 Balmain 181026265206+5922
5 Parramatta 18846311269+4220
6 Newtown 18918358332+2619
7 Canterbury-Bankstown 186210236337−10114
8 Manly-Warringah 186111171293−12213
9 North Sydney 185112253369−11611
10 Eastern Suburbs 183114214351−1377

Finals

Minor premier South Sydney's loss to St. George in the finals meant that a grand final would be necessary.[3]

Home Score Away Match Information
Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd
Semi Finals
South Sydney 12–16 St. George 20 August 1949 Sydney Cricket Ground Tom McMahon 41,696
Western Suburbs 13–20 Balmain 27 August 1949 Sydney Cricket Ground George Bishop 38,209
Preliminary Final
St. George 18–7 Balmain 3 September 1949 Sydney Cricket Ground Jack O'Brien 55,341
Grand Final
South Sydney 12–19 St. George 10 September 1949 Sydney Cricket Ground George Bishop 56,534

Grand Final
South Sydney Position St. George
Clive ChurchillFBDoug Fleming
John GravesWGRon Roberts
Norm SpillaneCEDoug McRitchie
Ken BroganCEMatt McCoy
Len AllmondWGNoel Pidding
Arthur MoynihanFEJohnny Hawke (capt)
Des BryanHBNoel Hill
Denis DonoghuePRJack Holland
Ernie HammertonHKFrank Facer (v.capt)
Jack MelvillePRJack Munn
Bernie PurcellSRCarl Langton
Jack Rayner (Ca./Co.)SRCharles Banks
Les CowieLKGeorge Jardine
CoachJim Duckworth

In a brutal encounter, St George ran in five tries and overcame minor premiers South Sydney 19–12[4] to claim their second premiership in front of 56,532 people, the second biggest crowd of all time to witness a Sydney club match.[5]

Souths opened the scoring, with a converted try to Graves after 21 minutes. However the Dragons were led masterfully by their captain, Kangaroos five-eighth, Norman “Johnny” Hawke. Controlling all aspects of the match, Hawke took the game away from Souths who only got back into the contest when he was forced from the field with injury. Also injured was Saints forward George Jardine who played the match with a broken wrist.

St. George led 11–5 at half time. Hawke returned to the field after treatment and was later dubbed “Man of the Match” and “the Player’s Player”. The Dragons’ wingers, season’s top try scorer Ron Roberts (25 tries) and newcomer Noel Pidding scored two tries each.

Each of the grand final winning players received a record bonus of £300 each.

St. George 19
Tries: Roberts (2), Pidding (2), McCoy
Goals: McCoy, Pidding

South Sydney 12
Tries: Graves, Purcell
Goals: Graves (3)

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References
  1. Premiership Roll of Honour Archived 28 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine at rl1908.com
  2. "South plans counter to McRitchie". The Sydney Morning Herald. 6 September 1949. p. 7. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
  3. Goodman, Tom (21 August 1949). "Munn and McRitchie lead 16–12 victory". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australia. p. 6. Retrieved 4 December 2009.
  4. 1949 Grand Final Archived 4 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine at nrlstats.com
  5. Goodman, Tom (11 September 1949). "Hawke steers St. George to second Rugby League Premiership". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australia. p. 8. Retrieved 4 December 2009.
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