1914 NSWRFL season

Summary

The 1914 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the seventh season of Sydney's top-grade rugby league football club competition, Australia's first. Eight teams from across the city contested during the season. The 1914 season's gate receipts totalled £24,072, which was £7,038 more than the previous season's.[2]

1914 NSWRFL season
LeagueNew South Wales Rugby Football League
Duration2 May to 22 August
Teams8
Matches played56
Points scored1202
Premiers South Sydney[1] (3rd title)
Minor Premiers South Sydney (3rd title)
Top point-scorer(s) Harold Horder (87)
Top try-scorer(s) Harold Horder (19)
Second Grade
Number of teams14
Premiers South Sydney
Runners-up Eastern Suburbs
Third Grade
Number of teams16
Premiers Eastern Suburbs
Runners-upSouth Sydney Kinkora

Season summary edit

Following the retirement of Dally Messenger at the end of the 1913 season, Eastern Suburbs’ stranglehold on the premiership came to an end. In their place, previous premiers South Sydney and Newtown took control of the competition. Newtown were in a good position to take out their second premiership midway through the season but a loss to middle-placed Balmain hurt their cause, although Newtown defeated South Sydney the following week. It turned out that the Balmain loss would make the difference, with South Sydney finishing just one point ahead of Newtown at the end of the season to claim their third premiership. No Finals were contested. Members of the South Sydney premiership winning side included Howard Hallett (Player of the Season), Roy Almond, O. Brown, Arthur Butler, Harry Butler, William Cann, Jim Davis, Wally Dymant, E. Hilliard, Owen McCarthy, Arthur McCabe and Harold Horder.[3]

The season was punctuated by matches against the 1914 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand, and was the last for future Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame inductee Chris McKivat who went on to have a prominent coaching career.

Teams edit

The teams remained unchanged from the previous season.

 
Annandale
Ground: Wentworth Park
Captain :William Lindsay
 
Balmain
Ground: Birchgrove Oval
Coach: Bill Kelly
Captain: Charles Fraser
 
Eastern Suburbs
7th season
Ground: Sydney Sports Ground
Captain: Dan Frawley
 
Glebe
Ground: Wentworth Park
Captain-Coach: Chris McKivat
Co-captain: Alby Burge
 
Newtown
Ground: Erskineville Oval
Captain: Paddy McCue
 
North Sydney
Ground: North Sydney Oval
Captain: Albert Broomham
 
South Sydney
Ground: Sydney Cricket Ground
Captain: Arthur Butler
 
Western Suburbs
Ground: Pratten Park
Captain: Tedda Courtney

Ladder edit

 
The geographical locations of the teams that contested the 1914 premiership across Sydney.
Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
1   South Sydney 14 11 1 2 166 79 +87 23
2   Newtown 14 11 0 3 185 111 +74 22
3   Eastern Suburbs 14 8 0 6 164 122 +42 16
4   Balmain 14 6 4 4 132 111 +21 16
5   Glebe 14 7 1 6 187 140 +47 15
6   North Sydney 14 5 1 8 158 165 -7 11
7   Western Suburbs 14 3 0 11 104 231 -127 6
8   Annandale 14 1 1 12 106 243 -137 3

References edit

  1. ^ Premiership Roll of Honour Archived 14 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine at rl1908.com
  2. ^ "Rugby League's Gate Receipts". Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 64. New Zealand. 5 March 1915. p. 8. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
  3. ^ Haddan, Stephen (1991). History of the NSW Rugby League Finals. Australia. p. 26. ISBN 9780646050980. Retrieved 13 July 2014.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

Sources edit

  • Rugby League Tables - Notes AFL Tables
  • Rugby League Tables - Season 1914 AFL Tables
  • Premiership History and Statistics RL1908
  • 1914 - South Sydney Edge Out Newtown RL1908
  • Results: 1911-20 at rabbitohs.com.au

Collis, Ian; Whiticker, Alan (2007). 100 Years of Rugby League. Vol. 1. Chatswood, NSW: New Holland. p. 52. ISBN 978-1-74110-463-9.