1960 NSWRFL season

1960's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 53rd season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney. Ten teams from across the city competed for the J J Giltinan Shield and WD & HO Wills Cup during the season, which culminated in a grand final between St. George and Eastern Suburbs.

1960 New South Wales Rugby Football League
Teams10
Premiers St. George (7th title)
Minor premiers St. George (7th title)
Matches played98
Points scored3084
Attendance1032655
Top points scorer(s) Brian Graham (193)
Top try-scorer(s) Reg Gasnier (25)

Season summary

With four teams finishing on equal second place at the end of the regular season, and no weight given to the "for" and "against" points differential, minor premiers St. George watched Western Suburbs, Eastern Suburbs, Balmain and Canterbury-Bankstown go through a four-match series of play offs before the real finals commenced. In a double header at the Sydney Sports Ground, Easts and Wests won the right to play off for second and third spots, while Canterbury and Balmain's losses meant they would play off for the fourth and final place in the finals series.

Also in 1960, NSWRFL president Henry "Jersey" Flegg died and Bill Buckley took up the position.

This season the Western Suburbs Magpies won the NSWRFL Club Championship.

Teams
Balmain

53rd season
Ground: Leichhardt Oval
Coach: John O'Toole
Captain: Keith Barnes

Canterbury-Bankstown

26th season
Ground: Belmore Sports Ground
Coach: Eddie Burns
Captain: Brian Davies

Eastern Suburbs
53rd season
Ground: Sydney Sports Ground
Coach: Dick Dunn
Captain: Jack Gibson		 Manly-Warringah
14th season
Ground: Brookvale Oval
Coach: Ken Arthurson
Captain: Ron Willey
Newtown
53rd season

Ground: Henson Park
Coach: Charles Cahill
Captain: Bobby Whitton

North Sydney
53rd season
Ground: North Sydney Oval
Captain-coach: Greg Hawick		 Parramatta
14th season
Ground: Cumberland Oval
Coach: Jack Rayner
Captain: Ron Boden 		South Sydney
53rd season
Ground: Redfern Oval
Coach: Denis Donoghue
Captain: Bernie Purcell
St. George
40th season
Ground: Kogarah Oval
Captain-coach: Ken Kearney		 Western Suburbs
53rd season
Ground: Pratten Park
Coach: Dudley Beger
Captain: Dick Poole

Ladder
Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
1 St. George 181404456176+28028
2 Western Suburbs 181107350298+5222
3 Eastern Suburbs 181107264221+4322
4 Balmain 181107286254+3222
5 Canterbury-Bankstown 181107249285-3622
6 Manly-Warringah 181008231217+1420
7 North Sydney 188010317357-4016
8 South Sydney 186012211256-4512
9 Newtown 186012251313-6212
10 Parramatta 182016215453-2384

Finals
Home Score Away Match Information
Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd
Playoffs
Western Suburbs 28–10 Balmain 9 August 1960 Sydney Sports Ground 21,308
Eastern Suburbs 20–11 Canterbury-Bankstown 9 August 1960 Sydney Sports Ground 21,308
Western Suburbs 18–7 Eastern Suburbs 13 August 1960 Sydney Cricket Ground 21,855
Balmain 7–18 Canterbury-Bankstown 14 August 1960 Sydney Sports Ground 16,507
Semi Finals
St. George 31–7 Western Suburbs 20 August 1960 Sydney Cricket Ground Col Pearce 38,407
Eastern Suburbs 16–9 Canterbury-Bankstown 21 August 1960 Sydney Sports Ground Darcy Lawler 18,455
Preliminary Final
Western Suburbs 15–20 Eastern Suburbs 27 August 1960 Sydney Cricket Ground Darcy Lawler 29,393
Grand Final
St. George 31–6 Eastern Suburbs 3 September 1960 Sydney Cricket Ground Darcy Lawler 53,156

Grand Final
St. George Position Eastern Suburbs
Brian GrahamFBJohn Andrew
Johnny KingWGBoyce Beeton
John StathersCEBill Roney
Reg GasnierCEDoug Ricketson
Dave BrownWGBob Landers
Brian ClayFEBilly McNamara
Bob BugdenHBBruce Ranier
Kevin RyanPRBob McDonagh
Ken Kearney (Ca./Co.)HKKen Ashcroft
Billy WilsonPRJack Gibson (c)
Monty PorterSRBrian Wright
Norm ProvanSRBob Heffernan
Johnny RaperLKDick See
CoachDick Dunn

St. George had lost to Eastern Suburbs late in the regular season and expected them to be a finals force. But due to the playoffs for the minor premiership placements the Roosters were playing their sixth match in four weeks, including an extra-time tussle in the minor semi against Canterbury.

For the first grand final in four the defending premiers left their strongarm tactics in the locker room and let their skilled backline excel. Five minutes into the game Bob Bugden toed a loose ball through and fell on it to open the scoring. At 23 minutes the second try was set up by Brian Clay who beat his opposite Billy McNamara and passed to Reg Gasnier who dazzled the opposition with a change of pace that left them flatfooted.

Prop Kevin Ryan may have been in his rookie St. George season but he had already represented for Australia at rugby union and for Queensland in boxing. He had fit into the tough St. George pack with ease and featured on Grand Final day in setting up firstly fellow newcomer Johnny King for a first half try, then Gasnier after the break for his second before being sent off at the 60 minute mark, along with Easts forward Brian Wright, for fighting.

Norm Provan and Dave Brown also scored in the second half and two minutes before the bell an interplay between Provan and Brian Graham resulted in King getting his second try. Only a few weeks earlier Johnny King had been the third grade fullback, having been declined a contract offer early in the season from South Sydney.

Although they were on the wrong side of a 17-6 penalty caning, St. George scored seven tries to nil, walloping Eastern Suburbs 31-6.

Ken Kearney became the oldest player to appear in a grand final (36 years 123 days) and also equalled Jack Rayner's record of five grand finals won as captain.

St. George 31 (Tries: Gasnier 2, King 2, Bugden, Brown, Provan. Goals: Graham 5.)

Eastern Suburbs 6 (Goals: Landers 3.)

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References
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