1985 NSWRL season

The 1985 New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the seventy-eighth season of professional rugby league football in Australia. Thirteen teams competed for the J J Giltinan Shield and Winfield Cup during the season, which culminated in a grand final between the Canterbury-Bankstown and St. George clubs. This season NSWRL teams also competed for the 1985 National Panasonic Cup.

1985 New South Wales Rugby League
Teams	13
Premiers	Canterbury-Bankstown (5th title)
Minor premiers	St. George (15th title)
Matches played	163
Points scored	5,416
Attendance	1,450,162
Top points scorer(s)	Mick Cronin (204)
Rothmans Medal	Wayne Pearce
Top try-scorer(s)	Steve Linnane (17)

Season summary

Twenty-six regular season rounds were played from March till September, resulting in a top five of St. George, Balmain, Canterbury, Parramatta and Penrith battling it out in the finals

The 1985 season's Rothmans Medallist was Balmain's lock, Wayne Pearce. The Dally M Award was given to Penrith's halfback, Greg Alexander, while Rugby League Week gave its player of the year award to Parramatta's lock, Ray Price.

Teams

The lineup of clubs remained unchanged from the previous year, with thirteen contesting the 1985 premiership, including five Sydney-based foundation teams, another six from Sydney, one from greater New South Wales and one from the Australian Capital Territory

Balmain Tigers 78th season Ground: Leichhardt Oval Coach: Frank Stanton Captain: Wayne Pearce	Canberra Raiders 4th season Ground: Seiffert Oval Coach: Don Furner Captain: Dean Lance	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 51st season Ground: Belmore Oval Coach: Warren Ryan Captain: Steve Mortimer	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 19th season Ground: Ronson Field Coach: Terry Fearnley Captain: David Hatch	Eastern Suburbs Roosters 78th season Ground: Sydney Sports Ground Coach: Arthur Beetson Captain: Ron Gibbs→John Tobin	Illawarra Steelers 4th season Ground: Wollongong Showground Coach: Brian Smith Captain: Brian Hetherington	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 39th season Ground: Brookvale Oval Coach: Bob Fulton Captain: Glenn Ryan→Paul Vautin
North Sydney Bears 78th season Ground: North Sydney Oval Coach: Greg Hawick→Brian Norton Captain: W. Honeywood→Fred Teasdell→Mark Graham	Parramatta Eels 39th season Ground: Belmore Oval Coach: John Monie Captain: Ray Price	Penrith Panthers 19th season Ground: Penrith Park Coach: Tim Sheens Captain: Royce Simmons	South Sydney Rabbitohs 78th season Ground: Redfern Oval Coach: Ron Willey Captain: David Boyle	St. George Dragons 65th season Ground: Kogarah Oval Coach: Roy Masters Captain: Craig Young	Western Suburbs Magpies 78th season Ground: Lidcombe Oval Coach: Ken Gentle Captain: Lee Crooks

Regular season

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	F1	F2	F3	F4	GF
Balmain Tigers	NOR +20	PEN +30	CRO +24	WES +40	CBY −2	MAN −4	EAS −4	X	STG +5	ILA +8	CAN +3	PAR +13	SOU +12	NOR +23	PEN +6	CRO −20	WES +6	CBY +6	MAN +8	EAS +1	X	STG −2	ILA +13	CAN +18	PAR −32	SOU +18	X	CBY −6*	PAR −28
Canberra Raiders	ILA +10	PAR −14	NOR +8	SOU +14	PEN −30	CRO −20	WES +32	CBY −24	MAN 0	EAS −2	BAL −3	STG +10	X	ILA +9	PAR −14	NOR +30	SOU +7	PEN −6	CRO −2	WES 0	CBY −12	MAN −15	EAS −18	BAL −18	STG −44	X
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	CRO +14	X	MAN −20	EAS 0	BAL +2	STG 0	ILA +6	CAN +24	PAR −20	NOR +8	SOU −15	PEN −11	WES +52	CRO +8	X	MAN +4	EAS +7	BAL −6	STG −10	ILA +20	CAN +12	PAR +15	NOR +18	SOU +18	PEN +14	WES +28	X	BAL +6*	STG −11	PAR +26	STG +1
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	CBY −14	EAS −20	BAL −24	STG −10	ILA +8	CAN +20	PAR −4	NOR +14	SOU −6	PEN −6	X	WES +18	MAN +15	CBY −8	EAS −7	BAL +20	STG −18	ILA +26	CAN +2	PAR +8	NOR +12	SOU −2	PEN −8	X	WES +26	MAN −6
Eastern Suburbs Roosters	SOU −18	CRO +20	WES +38	CBY 0	MAN −12	X	BAL +4	STG −4	ILA +2	CAN +2	PAR −26	NOR −4	PEN +20	SOU −8	CRO +7	WES 0	CBY −7	MAN −22	X	BAL −1	STG 0	ILA −10	CAN +18	PAR +2	NOR +16	PEN −32
Illawarra Steelers	CAN −10	NOR −5	SOU +13	PEN +6	CRO −8	WES −10	CBY −6	MAN −12	EAS −2	BAL −8	STG −8	X	PAR −20	CAN −9	NOR +18	SOU +4	PEN −26	CRO −26	WES −12	CBY −20	MAN −6	EAS +10	BAL −13	STG −12	X	PAR −2
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	PEN −12	WES +20	CBY +20	X	EAS +12	BAL +4	STG −4	ILA +12	CAN 0	PAR +4	NOR +14	SOU −8	CRO −15	PEN −12	WES +24	CBY −4	X	EAS +22	BAL −8	STG −17	ILA +6	CAN +15	PAR −12	NOR +18	SOU −26	CRO +6	PEN −3
North Sydney Bears	BAL −20	ILA +5	CAN −8	PAR −2	X	SOU +4	PEN −12	CRO −14	WES +2	CBY −8	MAN −14	EAS +4	STG −16	BAL −23	ILA −18	CAN −30	PAR −8	X	SOU +4	PEN 0	CRO −12	WES +16	CBY −18	MAN −18	EAS −16	STG −8
Parramatta Eels	STG −20	CAN +14	X	NOR +2	SOU +17	PEN −8	CRO +4	WES +6	CBY +20	MAN −4	EAS +26	BAL −13	ILA +20	STG +4	CAN +14	X	NOR +8	SOU −13	PEN +11	CRO −8	WES +38	CBY −15	MAN +12	EAS −2	BAL +32	ILA +2	X	PEN +32	BAL +28	CBY −26
Penrith Panthers	MAN +12	BAL −30	STG −3	ILA −6	CAN +30	PAR +8	NOR +12	SOU +5	X	CRO +6	WES −9	CBY +11	EAS −20	MAN +12	BAL −6	STG −10	ILA +26	CAN +6	PAR −11	NOR 0	SOU −4	X	CRO +8	WES +26	CBY −14	EAS +32	MAN +3	PAR −32
South Sydney Rabbitohs	EAS +18	STG −6	ILA −13	CAN −14	PAR −17	NOR −4	X	PEN −5	CRO +6	WES −8	CBY +15	MAN +8	BAL −12	EAS +8	STG −24	ILA −4	CAN −7	PAR +13	NOR −4	X	PEN +4	CRO +2	WES +8	CBY −18	MAN +26	BAL −18
St. George Dragons	PAR +20	SOU +6	PEN +3	CRO +10	WES +12	CBY 0	MAN +4	EAS +4	BAL −5	X	ILA +8	CAN −10	NOR +16	PAR −4	SOU +24	PEN +10	CRO +18	WES −3	CBY +10	MAN +17	EAS 0	BAL +2	X	ILA +12	CAN +44	NOR +8	X	X	CBY +11	X	CBY −1
Western Suburbs Magpies	X	MAN −20	EAS −38	BAL −40	STG −12	ILA +10	CAN −32	PAR −6	NOR −2	SOU +8	PEN +9	CRO −18	CBY −52	X	MAN −24	EAS 0	BAL −6	STG +3	ILA +12	CAN 0	PAR −38	NOR −16	SOU −8	PEN −26	CRO −26	CBY −28
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	F1	F2	F3	F4	GF

Bold – Home game
X – Bye
* – Extra time game
Opponent for round listed above margin

Ladder

	Team	Pld	W	D	L	B	PF	PA	PD	Pts
1	St. George	24	18	2	4	2	470	264	+206	42
2	Balmain	24	18	0	6	2	494	304	+190	40
3	Canterbury	24	16	2	6	2	435	267	+168	38
4	Parramatta	24	16	0	8	2	458	311	+147	36
5	Penrith	24	13	1	10	2	460	379	+81	31
6	Manly	24	13	1	10	2	404	345	+59	31
7	Eastern Suburbs	24	10	3	11	2	374	389	-15	27
8	Cronulla	24	11	0	13	2	440	404	+36	26
9	South Sydney	24	10	0	14	2	373	419	-46	24
10	Canberra	24	8	2	14	2	432	534	-102	22
11	North Sydney	24	6	1	17	2	281	491	-210	17
12	Western Suburbs	24	5	2	17	2	311	661	-350	16
13	Illawarra	24	5	0	19	2	303	467	-164	14

Ladder progression

• Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 5.
• Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round.
• Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished last place on the ladder in that round.
• Underlined numbers indicate that the team had a bye during that round.

	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26
1	St. George Dragons	2	4	6	8	10	11	13	15	15	17	19	19	21	21	23	25	27	27	29	31	32	34	36	38	40	42
2	Balmain Tigers	2	4	6	8	8	8	8	10	12	14	16	18	20	22	24	24	26	28	30	32	34	34	36	38	38	40
3	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	2	4	4	5	7	8	10	12	12	14	14	14	16	18	20	22	24	24	24	26	28	30	32	34	36	38
4	Parramatta Eels	0	2	4	6	8	8	10	12	14	14	16	16	18	20	22	24	26	26	28	28	30	30	32	32	34	36
5	Penrith Panthers	2	2	2	2	4	6	8	10	12	14	14	16	16	18	18	18	20	22	22	23	23	25	27	29	29	31
6	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	0	2	4	6	8	10	10	12	13	15	17	17	17	17	19	19	21	23	23	23	25	27	27	29	29	31
7	Eastern Suburbs Roosters	0	2	4	5	5	7	9	9	11	13	13	13	15	15	17	18	18	18	20	20	21	21	23	25	27	27
8	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	0	0	0	0	2	4	4	6	6	6	8	10	12	12	12	14	14	16	18	20	22	22	22	24	26	26
9	South Sydney Rabbitohs	2	2	2	2	2	2	4	4	6	6	8	10	10	12	12	12	12	14	14	16	18	20	22	22	24	24
10	Canberra Raiders	2	2	4	6	6	6	8	8	9	9	9	11	13	15	15	17	19	19	19	20	20	20	20	20	20	22
11	North Sydney Bears	0	2	2	2	4	6	6	6	8	8	8	10	10	10	10	10	10	12	14	15	15	17	17	17	17	17
12	Western Suburbs Magpies	2	2	2	2	2	4	4	4	4	6	8	8	8	10	10	11	11	13	15	16	16	16	16	16	16	16
13	Illawarra Steelers	0	0	2	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	6	6	6	8	10	10	10	10	10	10	12	12	12	14	14

Finals

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time	Venue	Referee	Crowd
Playoff
Penrith Panthers	10-7	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	3 September 1985	Sydney Cricket Ground	Mick Stone	16,428
Qualifying Finals
Parramatta Eels	38-6	Penrith Panthers	7 September 1985	Sydney Cricket Ground	Kevin Roberts	18,939
Balmain Tigers	8-14	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	8 September 1985	Sydney Cricket Ground	Mick Stone	25,194
Semi-finals
Balmain Tigers	4-32	Parramatta Eels	14 September 1985	Sydney Cricket Ground	Kevin Roberts	25,423
St. George Dragons	17-6	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	15 September 1985	Sydney Cricket Ground	Mick Stone	39,013
Preliminary final
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	26-0	Parramatta Eels	22 September 1985	Sydney Cricket Ground	Kevin Roberts	34,915
Grand final
St. George Dragons	6-7	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	29 September 1985	Sydney Cricket Ground	Kevin Roberts	44,569

Chart

	Qualifying final					Major semi-final					Preliminary final					Grand final
						1	St. George	17								St. George		6
							Canterbury	6								Canterbury		7
	2	Balmain	8								Canterbury		26
	3	Canterbury	14			Minor semi-final					Parramatta		0
						Balmain		4
	4	Parramatta	38			Parramatta		32
	5	Penrith	6

Grand final

St. George Dragons	Position	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Glenn Burgess	FB	Michael Potter
2. Denis Kinchela	WG	2. Matthew Callinan
3. Michael O'Connor	CE	3. Andrew Farrar
4. Michael Beattie	CE	4. Chris Mortimer
5. Steve Morris	WG	5. Peter Mortimer
6. Steve Linnane	FE	14. Michael Hagan
7. Perry Haddock	HB	7. Steve Mortimer (c)
13. Pat Jarvis	PR	13. Peter Tunks
12. Phil Ritchie	HK	12. Billy Johnstone
11. Craig Young (c)	PR	11. Peter Kelly
10. Billy Noke	SR	10. Steve Folkes
9. Graeme Wynn	SR	9. Brian Battese
8. Graeme O'Grady	LK	8. Paul Langmack
17. Chris Johns	Reserve	15. David Gillespie
20. Alan Neil	Reserve	16. Greg Mullane
23. Stephen Funnell	Reserve	17. Mark Bugden
38. Chris Guider	Reserve
Roy Masters	Coach	Warren Ryan

The 1985 grand final was played at the Sydney Cricket Ground before a crowd of 44,569. Canterbury continually put St George fullback Burgess under the test of the high-ball in his in-goal area, which, under the rules of the time, resulted in a line drop-out with the Bulldogs regaining possession. After felling St George's Graeme Wynn as a scrum broke up, Canterbury's prop Peter Kelly was surprising awarded a penalty and shortly thereafter Kelly used the blindside to send winger Peter Mortimer over out wide for a 6-0 half time lead.

Bulldogs half and skipper Steve Mortimer seized control of the match and centre Andrew Farrar clinched it with a field goal in the 72nd minute to take the score to 7-0. A last light of hope appeared for the Dragons when Steve Morris scored and Michael O'Connor converted with five minutes left on the clock. In the end a practised and clinical approach from Canterbury shut out the Dragons who had been the minor premiers.

Canterbury-Bankstown 7
Tries: P Mortimer. Goal: Farrar. Field Goal: Farrar.

St. George 6
Tries: Morris. Goal: O'Connor.

Man-of-the-match: Steve Mortimer

Player statistics

The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 26.

Top 5 point scorers

Points	Player	Tries	Goals	Field goals
194	Dean Carney	11	75	0
192	Ross Conlon	4	88	0
184	Greg Alexander	13	65	2
178	Michael O'Connor	6	76	2
178	Mick Cronin	4	81	0

Top 5 try scorers

Tries	Player
16	Steve Linnane
14	Steve Ella
13	Greg Alexander
12	John Davidson
11	Ben Gonzales
11	Wayne Challis
11	Dean Carney
11	Les Biles
11	Craig Bellamy

Top 5 goal scorers

Goals	Player
88	Ross Conlon
81	Mick Cronin
77	Ron Giteau
76	Michael O'Connor
75	Dean Carney

External links

• 1985 season Rugby League Tables
• Results:1981-90 at rabbitohs.com.au
• 1985 J J Giltinan Shield and Winfield Cup at rleague.com
• NSWRL season 1985 at rugbyleagueproject.org