1929 NSWRFL season

Summary

The 1929 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 22nd season of Sydney's top-level rugby league football competition, Australia's first. During the season, which lasted from April until September, nine teams from across Sydney contested the premiership, culminating in a South Sydney's win over Newtown in the final.[1]

1929 New South Wales Rugby Football League
Teams9
Premiers South Sydney (9th title)
Minor premiers South Sydney (8th title)
Matches played75
Points scored1942
Top points scorer(s) Jim Craig (86)
Top try-scorer(s) Alan Brady (11)

Season summary edit

Half of the 1929 season was played without several of the League's top players who were selected to embark on the 1929–30 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain. South Sydney won their ninth premiership and fifth in succession, defeating Newtown in the Final.

Teams edit

At the end of 1929 Glebe exited the League[2] because of a lack of a home ground, poor results and primarily because the area they represented was no longer big enough to support a club.

Balmain
 
22nd season
Ground: Birchgrove Oval
Captain-Coach: Reg Latta
Eastern Suburbs
 
22nd season
Ground: RAS Showground
Coach: George Boddington
Captain: Arthur Oxford
Glebe
 
22nd season
Ground: Wentworth Park
Coach: Chris McKivat
Captain: Jack McMahon
Newtown
 
22nd season
Ground: Marrickville Oval
Coach: Jack Chaseling[3]
Captain(s): Tom Ellis, Fred Lind
North Sydney
 
22nd season
Ground: North Sydney Oval
Coach: Leo O'Connor
Captain: Les Carroll
St. George
 
9th season
Ground: Earl Park
Coach: Frank Burge
Captain: Arthur Justice
South Sydney
 
22nd season
Ground: Sydney Sports Ground
Coach: Charlie Lynch
Captain: Alf Blair
University
 
10th season
Coach:Billy Kelly
Captain: Sammy Ogg
Western Suburbs
 
22nd season
Ground: Pratten Park
Captain-Coach: Jim Craig

Ladder edit

Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts
1   South Sydney 16 13 1 2 2 296 104 +192 31
2   St. George 16 11 1 4 2 180 147 +33 27
3   Western Suburbs 16 10 2 4 2 258 153 +105 26
4   Newtown 16 10 0 6 2 188 169 +19 24
5   North Sydney 16 6 3 7 2 194 211 -17 19
6   Balmain 16 6 1 9 2 213 259 -46 17
7   Eastern Suburbs 16 4 2 10 2 203 269 -66 14
8   Glebe 16 3 3 10 2 166 261 -95 13
9   Sydney University 16 2 1 13 2 157 282 -125 9

Finals edit

Home Score Away Match Information
Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd
Minor Semi-Final
  Newtown 8–7   St. George 7 September 1929 Earl Park 7,000
Major Semi-Final
  South Sydney 22–10   Western Suburbs 7 September 1929 Sydney Sports Ground Lal Deane 14,774
Final
  South Sydney 30–10   Newtown 14 September 1929 Sydney Sports Ground Lal Deane 16,360

Premiership final edit

South Sydney Position Newtown
Albert Spillane FB Jim Gilmour
Benny Wearing WG George Casey
Oscar Quinlivan CE Carl Mork
Harry Eyres CE Charlie Hill
Reg Williams WG Jack Kessey (c)
Jack Jones FE Vince Hughes
Alf Blair (c) HB Hans Mork
Frank O'Connor PR Charlie Pendergast
Alf O'Connor HK Tom Leamy
Carl Eggen PR Ben Edwards
Alf Binder SR Dave Waters
David Watson SR Jack Davies
Jack Why LK T Walsh
Charlie Lynch Coach

South Sydney took their fifth successive title outgunning Newtown 30–10 after leading 18–2 at half-time.

The Whiticker/Collis reference quotes Sydney's Labor Daily[4] in praise of Souths' win: "Newtown faced inevitable defeat, and while the margin was large, it hardly demonstrated South Sydney's superiority. They were on top from the start and gave a scintillating display both in combination and individual effort. Alf Blair played probably the greatest game in his long career".

Brothers Alf and Frank O'Connor both scored tries for the winning Rabbitohs. The next time two brothers would each score a try in a premiership decider was when Brett and Glenn Stewart scored for Manly-Warringah in their 2011 NRL Grand Final win over New Zealand.

South Sydney 30 (Tries: Alf Blair 3, Reg Williams 3, Frank O'Connor, Alf O'Connor. Goals: Alf Blair 2, Reg Williams)

defeated

Newtown 10 (Tries: Ben Edwards 2. Goals: George Casey 2)

 
Alf O'Connor

References edit

  1. ^ Premiership Roll of Honour Archived 2010-10-11 at the Wayback Machine at rl1908.com
  2. ^ "History of the Premiership". centenaryofrugbyleague.com.au. Australian Rugby League. Archived from the original on 9 February 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  3. ^ History Of NSW Rugby League Finals. Stephen Hadden (ISBN 978 0 646 05098 0)
  4. ^ "Whiticker & Collis p 35"

External links edit

  • Whiticker, Alan & Collis, Ian (2006) The History of Rugby League Clubs, New Holland, Sydney
  • Rugby League Tables - Season 1929 AFL Tables
  • Results: 1921-30 at rabbitohs.com.au