1945 NSWRFL season
The 1945 NSWRFL season was the thirty-eighth New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership season, Sydney’s top-level rugby league club competition, and Australia’s first. Eight teams from across the city contested during the season which culminated in Eastern Suburbs' victory over Balmain in the grand final.[1]
| 1945 New South Wales Rugby Football League | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 8 |
| Premiers |  Eastern Suburbs (9th title) |
| Minor premiers | Eastern Suburbs (11th title) |
| Matches played | 60 |
| Points scored | 1941 |
| Top points scorer(s) | Dick Dunn (150) |
| Top try-scorer(s) |  Chicka Cahill (13) |
Teams
- Balmain, formed on January 23, 1908, at Balmain Town Hall
- Canterbury-Bankstown
- Eastern Suburbs, formed on January 24, 1908, at Paddington Town Hall
- Newtown, formed on January 14, 1908
- North Sydney, formed on February 7, 1908
- South Sydney, formed on January 17, 1908, at Redfern Town Hall
- St. George, formed on November 8, 1920, at Kogarah School of Arts
- Western Suburbs, formed on February 4, 1908
 38th season Ground: Leichhardt Oval Captain: Tom Bourke Coach: Norm Robinson |
 11th season Ground: Belmore Sports Ground Coach: Bill Kelly Captain: George Kilham |
Eastern Suburbs 38th season Ground: Sydney Sports Ground Coach: Arthur Halloway Captain: Ray Stehr |
 38th season Ground: Henson Park Coach: Arthur Folwell, Frank Farrell and Len Smith Captain: Frank Farrell |
 38th season Ground: North Sydney Oval Coach: Frank Burge Captain: Rex Harrison |
South Sydney 38th season Ground: Sydney Sports Ground Coach: Eric Lewis[2] |
St. George 25th season Ground: Hurstville Oval Coach: Percy Williams & Harry Kadwell Captain: Jim Hale |
Western Suburbs 38th season Ground: Pratten Park Coach: Frank McMillan Captain: Jack Walsh |
Ladder
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eastern Suburbs |
14 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 276 | 190 | +86 | 22 |
| 2 | Newtown |
14 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 326 | 177 | +149 | 21 |
| 3 |  Western Suburbs |
14 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 238 | 192 | +46 | 17 |
| 4 |  Balmain |
14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 252 | 202 | +50 | 16 |
| 5 |  North Sydney |
14 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 188 | 175 | +13 | 16 |
| 6 |  Canterbury |
14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 217 | 285 | -68 | 9 |
| 7 |  St. George |
14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 183 | 253 | -70 | 9 |
| 8 |  South Sydney |
14 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 144 | 350 | -206 | 2 |
Finals
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Crowd | |||||
| Playoff | ||||||||
| Balmain |
9–5 | North Sydney |
16 August 1945 | Sydney Cricket Ground | 17,207 | |||
| Semi Finals | ||||||||
| Eastern Suburbs |
28–13 | Western Suburbs |
18 August 1945 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Tom McMahon | 34,916 | ||
| Newtown |
9–13 | Balmain |
25 August 1945 | Sydney Cricket Ground | George Bishop | 35,151 | ||
| Final | ||||||||
| Eastern Suburbs |
22–18 | Balmain |
1 September 1945[3] | Sydney Cricket Ground | Jack O'Brien | 44,585 | ||
Premiership Final
| Eastern Suburbs | Position | Balmain |
|---|---|---|
| Ray Pratt | FB | Dave Parkinson |
| Lionel Cooper | WG | Robert Nielson |
| Paul Tierney | CE | Joe Jorgenson |
| Johnny Hunter | CE | Tom Bourke (c) |
| Ken Foster | WG | Robert Paterson |
| Wally O'Connell | FE | Harry Leo |
| Sel Lisle | HB | Stan Ponchard |
| Ray Stehr (c) | PR | Jack Spencer |
| George Watt | HK | Ted Dawes |
| Jack Arnold | PR | Hilton Kidd |
| Bert Rollason | SR | Jim Metcalf |
| Sid Hobson | SR | Sid Ryan |
| Dick Dunn | LK | Jack Hampstead |
| Arthur Halloway | Coach | Norm Robinson |
Balmain led 10–5 at half time and the match was evenly balanced throughout the second half. With three minutes to go the Tricolours trailed 17—18. The Roosters were awarded a penalty on half way and Dick Dunn convinced his reluctant captain Ray Stehr that he could make the distance. Dunn successfully kicked the goal from the then unorthodox upright position.
Dunn received Joe Jorgenson’s kick from the restart and booted the ball into touch five metres from the Balmain line. Tricolours’ hooker George Watt won the scrum against the feed and Easts’ classy halves pairing of Sel Lisle and Wally O'Connell put on a move that saw Dunn score in the corner.
Dunn scored 19 of the Tricolours’ 22 points that day carrying with him for luck the sock of his fourteen-month-old daughter in his shorts pocket throughout the match.[4][5]
Eastern Suburbs 22 (Tries: Dunn 3, J Arnold. Goals: Dunn 5)
defeated
Balmain 18 (Tries: Ponchard 2, Dawes, Nielsen. Goals: Jorgenson 3)
References
- "Premiership Roll of Honour". rl1908.com. Archived from the original on 2007-04-28.
- "Eric Lewis". yesterdayshero.com. SmartPack International Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
- 1945 Grand Final Archived 2012-03-04 at the Wayback Machine at nrlstats.com
- SMH claim
- rl1908.com disputes this claim. "Dick Dunn: A True Rooster Booster". Archived from the original on 2011-05-14.
External links
- Rugby League Tables - Notes AFL Tables
- Rugby League Tables - Season 1945 AFL Tables
- "Premiership History and Statistics". rl1908.com. Archived from the original on 2009-02-08.
- Finals lineups and results Hunterlink site
- Sean Fagan interviews Dick Dunn. "Dick Dunn: A True Rooster Booster". rl1908.com. Archived from the original on 2011-05-14.
- Sydney Morning Herald 30sept2004 SMH interviews Dick Dunn
- Results: 1941-1950 at rabbitohs.com.au
- 1945 Labor Daily Cup at rleague.com
- NSWRFL season 1945 at rugbyleagueproject.org