1962 NSWRFL season

The 1962 NSWRFL season was the 55th New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership, Australia's first rugby league competition. Ten teams from across Sydney competed for the J J Giltinan Shield and WD & HO Wills Cup during the season, which culminated in a replay of the previous year's grand final between St. George and Western Suburbs.

1962 New South Wales Rugby Football League
Teams10
Premiers St. George (9th title)
Minor premiers St. George (8th title)
Matches played94
Points scored2683
Attendance963433
Top points scorer(s) Don Parish (123)
Top try-scorer(s) Eddie Lumsden (21)

The 1962 season was also the last in the playing career of future Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame inductee, Brian Carlson.

Teams
Balmain
55th season
Ground: Leichhardt Oval
Coach: Harry Bath
Captain: Billy Bischoff, Jr.
Canterbury-Bankstown
28th season
Ground: Belmore Sports Ground
Coach: Eddie Burns
Captain: Ray Beavan, Brian Davies 		Eastern Suburbs
55th season
Ground: Sydney Sports Ground
Coach: Dick Dunn
Captain: Terry Fearnley 		Manly-Warringah
16th season
Ground: Brookvale Oval
Captain-Coach: Ron Willey
Newtown
55th season
Ground: Henson Park
Coach: Allan Ellis
Captain: Tony Brown & Barry Nelson
North Sydney
55th season
Ground: North Sydney Oval
Coach: Robert Sullivan
Captain: Brian Carlson 		Parramatta
16th season
Ground: Cumberland Oval
Coach: Ken Kearney
Captain: Ron Lynch 		South Sydney
55th season
Ground: Redfern Oval
Coach: Denis Donoghue
Captain: Darrel Chapman
St. George
42nd season
Ground: Jubilee Oval
Captain-coach: Norm Provan		 Western Suburbs
55th season
Ground: Pratten Park
Coach: Jack Fitzgerald
Captain: Arthur Summons, Kel O'Shea

Ladder
Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
1 St. George 181314373194+17927
2 Newtown 181305290230+6026
3 Western Suburbs 181215299210+8925
4 Parramatta 18927236218+1820
5 Eastern Suburbs 18918213230-1719
6 Canterbury-Bankstown 18729228235-716
7 Manly-Warringah 187110234270-3615
8 Balmain 185211237300-6312
9 North Sydney 184212263361-9810
10 South Sydney 184212212337-12510

Finals
Home Score Away Match Information
Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd
Semi Finals
Western Suburbs 6–0 Parramatta 25 August 1962 Sydney Sports Ground Darcy Lawler 26,281
St. George 30–9 Newtown 1 September 1962 Sydney Cricket Ground Col Pearce 36,058
Preliminary Final
Newtown 13–25 Western Suburbs 8 September 1962 Sydney Cricket Ground Col Pearce 26,554
Grand Final
St. George 9–6 Western Suburbs 15 September 1962 Sydney Cricket Ground Jack Bradley 41,184

Grand Final
St. George Position Western Suburbs
Kevin McDonaldFBKevin Bray
Johnny KingWGDave Barsley
Johnny RileyCEFred Norden
Reg GasnierCEGil MacDougall
Eddie LumsdenWGPeter Dimond
Johnny RaperFEArthur Summons (c)
George EvansHBDon Malone
Monty PorterPRDenis Meaney
Ian WalshHKNoel Kelly
Billy WilsonPRJohn Hayes
Kevin RyanSRJim Cody
Norm Provan (Ca./Co.)SRGarry Russell
Elton RasmussenLKKevin Smyth
CoachJack Fitzgerald

Wests had finished third on the ladder but won two semi-finals for another crack at their nemesis in a rain-soaked and muddy Grand Final. St George were favoured by a strong breeze in the first half which dropped off in the second half, giving Wests no reciprocal advantage.

The only try of the match was scored in the 17th minute after Norm Provan burst through and found Kevin Ryan in support who in turn found Johnny King on the fly. The winger raced 30 yards over sodden ground to score, notching up another Grand Final try in his unblemished consistent record.

The score was 7–2 at half time, with the Dragons playing almost all the second half with twelve men after Billy “Bluey” Wilson was sent off.[1]

The match was a tight forward struggle with misdemeanors from both sides. Provan and Rasmussen finished the game needing stitches and Jim Cody and Garry Russell suffered broken noses. Wests did all they could to contain Reg Gasnier with Gill McDougall enjoying some success in hammering Gasnier and keeping him bottled up.

Saints' best were Ryan, Ian Walsh and Johnny Raper playing at five-eighth in place of Brian Clay whose injury prone season had ended early with a broken arm.

The game is remembered for a couple of off-the-ball incidents which began with Provan being knocked out by Jim Cody five minutes before half time. “Sticks” Provan was carried from the field and didn't return again until well into the second half. Cody escaped any official punishment. Wilson came out as captain in the second half and apparently squared things up in the first seconds after kick-off before the first tackle took place. Accounts differ as to whether “Bluey” Wilson was provoked by Cody before Wilson hit him, but hit him he did and referee Jack Bradley sent Wilson off. With no replacements allowed in those days, St George were reduced to 11 men until Provan returned to the field 15 minutes later.

In what can only be described as a heroic defensive effort, St George held out Wests and won the match.

The match was Billy Wilson's final game for St George; he had appeared in six of the Grand Final victories. The Larry Writer reference suggests that the send-off may have soured Wilson's relationship with club officials in spite of the victory. Whether true or not, at 35 years of age, the end of Wilson's playing career was looming from the club's perspective and his contract was not renewed.

As of the 2015 NRL season, no forward since Wilson has been sent off in a Grand Final. In this game Wilson also became the only man to have been sent off in two grand finals following on from his dismissal by Darcy Lawler in 1953 for fighting with South Sydney's Martin Gallagher.

St. George 9 (Tries: King. Goals: McDonald 3.)

Western Suburbs 6 ( Goals: Bray 3.)

References
  1. Coady, Ben (2009-09-28). "Grand final dramas". WA Today. Australia: Fairfax Digital. Archived from the original on 2018-10-04. Retrieved 2010-01-15.
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