New South Wales Rugby Football League season 1944
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| New South Wales Rugby Football League season 1944 | |
 |
|
| Teams | 8 |
| Premiers |  Balmain (8th title) |
| Minor premiers |  Newtown (4th title) |
| Matches played | 60 |
| Points scored | 2159 (average 35.983 per match) |
| Top points scorer(s) | Tom Kirk (185 points) |
| Top try scorer(s) | Sid Goodwin (22 tries) |
The 1944 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the thirty-seventh season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney. Eight teams from across Sydney contested during the season.
Contents |
[edit] 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
[edit] Colours
 Balmain |
 Canterbury |
 Eastern Suburbs |
 Newtown |
 North Sydney |
 South Sydney |
 St. George |
 Western Suburbs |
[edit] Ladder
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newtown |
14 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 379 | 220 | +159 | 22 |
| 2 | Balmain |
14 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 402 | 171 | +231 | 21 |
| 3 |  St. George |
14 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 230 | 238 | -8 | 18 |
| 4 |  South Sydney |
14 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 193 | 287 | -94 | 15 |
| 5 |  North Sydney |
14 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 204 | 202 | +2 | 11 |
| 6 |  Western Suburbs |
14 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 180 | 246 | -66 | 10 |
| 7 |  Eastern Suburbs |
14 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 227 | 360 | -133 | 8 |
| 8 |  Canterbury-Bankstown |
14 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 206 | 297 | -91 | 7 |
[edit] Finals
Newtown looked set for back-to-back titles after finishing as minor premiers.
Both Newtown and Balmain won their respective semi-finals with the Bluebags blitzing St George by 55-7. However injuries and war duties then ravaged the side including the key losses of Len Smith and Herb Narvo who had starred for them all season. Balmain thus overcame Newtown 19-16 in the Final, enabling Newtown a "right of challenge'.
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Crowd | |||||
| Semi Finals | ||||||||
 Newtown |
55 - 7 |  St. George |
26 August 1944 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Tom McMahon | 34,883 | ||
 Balmain |
15 - 6 |  South Sydney |
2 September 1944 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Jack O'Brien | 28,237 | ||
| Final | ||||||||
| Newtown |
16 - 19 | Balmain |
9 September 1944 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Tom McMahon | 41,807 | ||
| Grand Final | ||||||||
| Newtown |
8 - 12 | Balmain |
16 September 1944 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Jack O'Brien | 24,186 | ||
[edit] Grand Final
| Newtown Bluebags | Position | Balmain Tigers |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Kirk | FB | Dave Parkinson |
| Sid Goodwin | WG | Arthur Patton (c) |
| Lin McLean | CE | Joe Jorgenson |
| Bruce Ryan | CE | Tom Bourke |
| Norm Jacobsen | WG | Keith Parkinson |
| Tom Nevin | FE | Stan Ponchard |
| Jack Kadwell | HB | Pat Devery |
| Charlie Montgomery | PR | Jack Hampstead |
| Jimmy Brailey | HK | George Watt |
| Frank Farrell (c) | PR | Colin Campbell |
| Keith Phillips | SR | Athol Smith |
| Len Ryan | SR | Sid Ryan |
| Charles Cahill | LK | Dawson Buckley |
| Arthur Folwell | Coach | Norm "Latchem" Robinson |
Newtown exercised their "right of challenge" as minor premiers and called for a Grand Final. In a low scoring affair Balmain's representative centre Joe Jorgenson kicked two late penalty goals to give the Tigers a 12-8 win and their 8th title.
Balmain 12 (Tries: Devery, K Parkinson. Goals: Jorgenson 3)
defeated
Newtown 8 (Tries: Farrell, McLean. Goals: Kirk)
[edit] References
- Rugby League Tables - Notes The World of Rugby League
- Rugby League Tables - Season 1944 The World of Rugby League
- Premiership History and Statistics RL1908
- Finals lineups and results Hunterlink site
