1942 NSWRFL season

The 1942 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the thirty-fifth season of Sydney's top-level rugby league football competition, Australia's first. Eight teams from across the city contested the premiership during the season, which lasted from May until September, culminating in the Canterbury-Bankstown club's grand final victory over St. George.[1]

1942 New South Wales Rugby Football League
Teams8
Premiers Canterbury-Bankstown (2nd title)
Minor premiers Canterbury-Bankstown (2nd title)
Matches played61
Points scored1895
Top points scorer(s) Ray Lindwall (143)
Top try-scorer(s) Jack Lindwall (16)

Teams
Balmain
35th season
Ground: Birchgrove Oval
Coach: Bill Kelly
Captain: Dawson Buckley
Canterbury-Bankstown
8th season
Ground: Belmore Sports Ground
Coach: Jerry Brien
Captain: Ron Bailey		 Eastern Suburbs
35th season
Ground: Sydney Sports Ground
Captain-Coaches: Ray Stehr & Joe Pearce
Newtown
35th season
Ground: Henson Park
Coach: Arthur Folwell
Captain: Tom Kirk
North Sydney
35th season
Ground: North Sydney Oval
Coach: Jim O'Reilly
Captain: Rex Harrison		 South Sydney
35th season
Ground: Sydney Sports Ground
Coach: Jim Tait
Captain: Fred Felsch		 St. George
22nd season
Ground: Hurstville Oval
Captain-coach: Len Kelly		 Western Suburbs
35th season
Ground: St Lukes Oval
Coach: Albert McGuiness

Ladder
The geographical locations of the teams that contested the 1942 premiership across Sydney.
Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
1 Canterbury 141004264162+10220
2 Balmain 141004223192+3120
3 St. George 14905271205+6618
4 Eastern Suburbs 14806213214-116
5 South Sydney 14716209191+1815
6 North Sydney 14509220216+410
7 Newtown 14419189266-779
8 Western Suburbs 142012148291-1434

Finals

The minor premiership was won by Canterbury-Bankstown in a play off against Balmain after both sides had finished the season on twenty points.

In the semi finals, Canterbury-Bankstown lost their match to St. George whilst Eastern Suburbs, who only just made the finals after South Sydney had drawn their match in the final round of the season, defeated Balmain. The result of the first semi final meant that St. George and Eastern Suburbs played a Preliminary Final which would decide who met minor premiers Canterbury-Bankstown in the Grand Final. St. George won the match, as they had done four weeks earlier over Easts in the final round of the season proper.

St. George had won two matches in the semis while Canterbury had just one victory, but the Berries were guaranteed a Grand Final berth under a call back of the old rules giving the minor premiers a right of challenge. In the Grand Final, Canterbury-Bankstown narrowly defeated St. George to collect their second premiership victory.

Home Score Away Match Information
Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd
Playoff
Canterbury-Bankstown 26–20 Balmain 15 August 1942 Sydney Cricket Ground 17,300
Semi Finals
Canterbury-Bankstown 10–25 St. George 22 August 1942 Sydney Cricket Ground Jack O'Brien 26,467
Balmain 14–20 Eastern Suburbs 29 August 1942 Sydney Cricket Ground Jack O'Brien 19,782
Preliminary Final
St. George 18–5 Eastern Suburbs 5 September 1942 Sydney Cricket Ground Jack O'Brien 30,858
Grand Final
Canterbury-Bankstown 11–9 St. George 12 September 1942 Sydney Cricket Ground Jack O'Brien 26,171

Grand Final
Canterbury-Bankstown Position St. George
Lindsay JohnsonFBRay Lindwall
Edgar NewhamWGDoug McRitchie
Ron Bailey (c)CETed McHugh
Ron KnightCENoel Jones
Bob JacksonWGJack Lindwall
Tom EzartFECedric Turvey
Jack BonnymanHBEric Laurence
Henry PorterPRCharlie Montgomery
Roy KirkaldyHKHerb Gilbert Jnr
Eddie BurnsPRBill McRitchie
George ElleySRAlister Clarke
Bob FarrarSRLen Kelly (c/c)
Frank SponbergLKBill Collier
Jerry BrienCoach

The Sydney Cricket Ground was a muddy quagmire with a treacherous patch in the centre which kept the teams evenly matched and the crowd in a fever of excitement until the final whistle. The "Gregory’s" reference records that 7,000 of the crowd on the hill had jumped the fence during the reserve grade final and invaded the half-empty new member's stand. Towards the end of the first grade match 5,000 people crowded onto the touchline and referee O'Brien had to hold up play until officials were able to get them back twenty yards.[2]

Canterbury's defence was tested during a torrid ten-minute period when St. George hurled themselves at the line from never more than eight yards away. The Berries defence held and the Dragons could not break through.

The Canterbury-Bankstown tactics were to keep the game with the forwards and away from the St George backs. Canterbury hooker Kirkaldy won the vital scrums. Bob Farrar, Frank Sponberg and Henry Porter were tireless with Porter's handling and kicking skills on display.

Saints were leading 9–6 late in the match after a try to their record-breaking winger Jack Lindwall was converted by his brother Ray Lindwall. Berries' winger Bob Jackson then scored a magnificent try made possible by a resolute and tricky run from skipper Ron Bailey which locked up the scores at 9–all.

Canterbury's Lindsay Johnson managed a late conversion to secure the win. Johnson's goal just scraped over the cross bar to give his team the premiership.

Canterbury-Bankstown 11 (Tries: Jackson. Goals: Johnson 4)[3]

defeated

St George 9 (Tries: J. Lindwall. Goals: R. Lindwall 3)[4]

References
  1. Premiership Roll of Honour Archived 28 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine at rl1908.com
  2. Pollard, Jack (1965). Gregory's Guide to Rugby League. Australia: Grenville Publishing. p82.
  3. 1942 Grand Final Archived 6 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine at nrlstats.com
  4. "GRAND FINAL: Premiership to Canterbury". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australia. 14 September 1942. p. 9. Retrieved 19 November 2009.
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