1944 NSWRFL season
| 1944 New South Wales Rugby Football League | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 8 |
| Premiers |
 Balmain (8th title) |
| Minor premiers |
 Newtown (4th title) |
| Matches played | 60 |
| Points scored |
2159 (total) 35.983 (per match) |
| Top point scorer(s) |
Tom Kirk (185) |
| Top try scorer(s) |
Sid Goodwin (22) |
The 1944 NSWRFL season was the thirty-seventh season of the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership, Sydney’s top-level rugby league competition, and Australia’s first. Eight teams from across the city contested the premiership during the season which culminated in Balmain’s victory over Newtown in the grand final.[1]
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
 37th season Ground: Leichhardt Oval Coach: Norm Robinson Captain: Arthur Patton |
 10th season Ground: Belmore Sports Ground Captain: Ron Bailey Coach: Ron Bailey→Cec Fifield |
Eastern Suburbs 37th season Ground: Sydney Sports Ground Coach: Sid Pearce Captain: Harry Pierce |
 37th season Ground: Henson Park Coach: Arthur Folwell Captain: Frank Farrell |
 37th season Ground: North Sydney Oval Captain-Coach: Frank Hyde |
South Sydney 37th season Ground: Sydney Sports Ground Coach: Alf Blair Captain: Jack Walsh |
St. George 24th season Ground: Hurstville Oval Coach: Bill Kelly Captain: Len Kelly |
Western Suburbs 37th season Ground: Pratten Park Coach: Henry Bolewski Captain: Paddy Bugden |
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 |
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 points to 7, which was to remain the Dragons’ largest losing margin until 1994.[2] 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[3] | Sydney Cricket Ground | Jack O'Brien | 24,186 | ||
Grand Final
| Newtown | Position | Balmain |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Kirk | FB | Dave Parkinson |
| Sid Goodwin | WG | Arthur Patton (c) |
| Lin McLean | CE | Joe Jorgenson |
| Bruce Ryan | CE | Tom Bourke |
| Norm Jacobson | 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 eighth title.
Balmain 12 (Tries: Devery, K Parkinson. Goals: Jorgenson 3)
defeated
Newtown 8 (Tries: Farrell, McLean. Goals: Kirk)
References
- ↑ Premiership Roll of Honour at rl1908.com
- ↑ St. George: Biggest Losses
- ↑ 1944 Grand Final at nrlstats.com
External links
- Rugby League Tables - Notes AFL Tables
- Rugby League Tables - Season 1944 AFL Tables
- Premiership History and Statistics RL1908
- Finals lineups and results Hunterlink site
- 1944 Labor Daily Cup at rleague.com
- Results: 1941-1950 at rabbitohs.com.au