The 1924 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the seventeenth season of Sydney’s top-level rugby league club competition, Australia’s first. Nine teams from across the city contested during the season which culminated in Balmain’s victory over South Sydney in the premiership final.[1] The 1924 season was the last in the NSWRFL for future Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame inductee, Harold Horder.
| 1924 New South Wales Rugby Football League | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 9 |
| Premiers |  Balmain (6th title) |
| Minor premiers | Balmain (6th title) |
| Matches played | 37 |
| Points scored | 917 |
| Top points scorer(s) |  Jack Courtney (42) |
| Top try-scorer(s) | Tommy Kennedy (10) |
Teams
edit- Balmain, formed on 23 January 1908 at Balmain Town Hall
- Eastern Suburbs, formed on 24 January 1908 at Paddington Town Hall
- Glebe, formed on 9 January 1908
- Newtown, formed on 14 January 1908
- North Sydney, formed on 7 February 1908
- South Sydney, formed on 17 January 1908 at Redfern Town Hall
- St. George, formed on 8 November 1920 at Kogarah School of Arts
- Western Suburbs, formed on 4 February 1908
- University, formed in 1919 at Sydney University
Balmain Ground: Birchgrove Oval Captain-Coach: Charles Fraser |
Eastern Suburbs Ground: Sydney Sports Ground Coach: Captains: Arthur Oxford, Jack Watkins |
Glebe Ground: Birchgrove Oval Coach: Jack Hickey Captain: Bill Benson |
Newtown Ground: Marrickville Oval Coach: Bill Farnsworth Captain: Tom Ellis |
North Sydney Ground: North Sydney Oval Coach: Jim Devereux Captain: Clarrie Ives |
South Sydney Ground: Sydney Cricket Ground Coach: Owen McCarthy Captain: Harold Horder |
St. George Ground: Earl Park Coach: Herb Gilbert Captain: Arnold Traynor, George Carstairs |
University Coach: Bill Kelly Captain: Hubert Finn, Alby Lane |
Western Suburbs Ground: Pratten Park Coach: Albert "Ricketty" Johnston Captains: Tedda Courtney, Clarrie Prentice |
Ladder
editBecause of the British Lions tour of Australia, and interstate matches, the 1924 season was shortened to a single round of eight matches. No club fixtures were played on the weekends of 31 May, 7 June, 21 June nor 28 June.[2]
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Balmain
|
8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 124 | 53 | +71 | 15 |
| 2 |  South Sydney
|
8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 104 | 60 | +44 | 15 |
| 3 |  Western Suburbs
|
8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 130 | 103 | +27 | 10 |
| 4 |  Glebe
|
8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 87 | 95 | -8 | 10 |
| 5 |  St. George
|
8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 94 | 125 | -31 | 10 |
| 6 | North Sydney
|
8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 107 | 128 | -21 | 8 |
| 7 |  Eastern Suburbs
|
8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 85 | 106 | -21 | 8 |
| 8 |  Sydney University
|
8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 85 | 115 | -30 | 7 |
| 9 |  Newtown
|
8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 98 | 129 | -31 | 7 |
Premiership Final
edit| Balmain | Position | South Sydney |
|---|---|---|
| 19. Des Ponchard | FB | 18. Howard Hallett |
| 6. Jim Love | WG | 14. Benny Wearing |
| 2. Dud Millard | CE | 2. Harold Horder |
| 5. Billy Craig | CE | 15. Oscar Quinlivan |
| 16. Tommy Kennedy | WG | 5. Cec Blinkhorn |
|
FE | 6. Alf Blair |
| 24. Norman Robinson | HB | 32. Frank Brogan |
| 10. Bill Schultz | PR | 22. David Watson |
| 9. Horrie Watt | HK | 9. Ern Wilmot |
| 12. Alf Fraser | PR | 13. Jack Lawrence |
| 15. Roy Liston | SR | 11. Edward Root |
| 8. Les Hayes | SR | 37. Pat Murphy |
| 14. Reg Latta | LK | 21. Alby Carr |
| Coach | Owen McCarthy |
Balmain and South Sydney finished equal at the top of the ladder, having dropped just one game each. The teams had earlier met in Round 5, with a 10–10 draw being the result at the Sydney Cricket Ground in front of a crowd of around 16,000.
The Final was played before a crowd of around 15,000 at the Sydney Cricket Ground on 29 July 1924 and refereed by former Rabbitoh premiership winner Webby Neill. Balmain led 3–0 at half-time and both sides failed to score in the second half. The Tigers thus claimed their sixth premiership within ten years. At the time it was the lowest-scoring Final since the start of the NSWRFL premiership and the first time a team had been held scoreless in a Final.
The Final was also the first rugby league match broadcast on radio with commentary by Balmain secretary Bob Savage.[3]
Balmain 3 (Try: Latta)
defeated
South Sydney 0
References
edit- ^ Premiership Roll of Honour Archived 2011-05-14 at the Wayback Machine at rl1908.com
- ^ Haddan, Steve; History of the NSW Rugby League Finals; pp. 42-43 ISBN 0646050982
- ^ "Gerard first to 300; Joey smashes record; Taylor passes Halligan". NRL. 28 July 2022.
External links
edit- Rugby League Tables - Notes AFL Tables
- Rugby League Tables - Season 1924 AFL Tables
- Premiership History and Statistics RL1908
- History - Introduction North Sydney Bears
- Andrews, Malcolm (2006) The ABC of Rugby League Austn Broadcasting Corpn, Sydney
- Results: 1921-30 at rabbitohs.com.au