The 1945 NSWRFL season was the thirty-eighth New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership season, Sydney’s top-level rugby league club competition, and Australia’s first. Eight teams from across the city contested during the season which culminated in Eastern Suburbs' victory over Balmain in the grand final.[1]

1945 New South Wales Rugby Football League
Teams8
Premiers Eastern Suburbs (9th title)
Minor premiers Eastern Suburbs (11th title)
Matches played60
Points scored1941
Top points scorer(s) Dick Dunn (150)
Top try-scorer(s) Chicka Cahill (13)

Teams

edit
Balmain
 

38th season
Ground: Leichhardt Oval
Captain: Tom Bourke
Coach: Norm Robinson

Canterbury-Bankstown
 

11th season
Ground: Belmore Sports Ground
Coach: Bill Kelly
Captain: George Kilham

Eastern Suburbs
 

38th season
Ground: Sydney Sports Ground
Coach: Arthur Halloway
Captain: Ray Stehr

Newtown
 

38th season
Ground: Henson Park
Coach: Arthur Folwell, Frank Farrell and Len Smith
Captain: Frank Farrell

North Sydney
 

38th season
Ground: North Sydney Oval
Coach: Frank Burge
Captain: Rex Harrison

South Sydney
 

38th season
Ground: Sydney Sports Ground
Coach: Eric Lewis[2]
Captain: Eddie Hinson

St. George
 

25th season
Ground: Hurstville Oval
Coach: Percy Williams & Harry Kadwell
Captain: Jim Hale

Western Suburbs
 

38th season
Ground: Pratten Park
Coach: Frank McMillan
Captain: Jack Walsh

Ladder

edit
 
The geographical locations of the teams that contested the 1945 premiership across Sydney.
Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
1   Eastern Suburbs 14 11 0 3 276 190 +86 22
2   Newtown 14 10 1 3 326 177 +149 21
3   Western Suburbs 14 8 1 5 238 192 +46 17
4   Balmain 14 6 4 4 252 202 +50 16
5   North Sydney 14 8 0 6 188 175 +13 16
6   Canterbury 14 4 1 9 217 285 -68 9
7   St. George 14 4 1 9 183 253 -70 9
8   South Sydney 14 1 0 13 144 350 -206 2

Finals

edit
Home Score Away Match Information
Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd
Playoff
  Balmain 9–5   North Sydney 16 August 1945 Sydney Cricket Ground 17,207
Semifinals
  Eastern Suburbs 28–13   Western Suburbs 18 August 1945 Sydney Cricket Ground Tom McMahon 34,916
  Newtown 9–13   Balmain 25 August 1945 Sydney Cricket Ground George Bishop 35,151
Final
  Eastern Suburbs 22–18   Balmain 1 September 1945[3] Sydney Cricket Ground Jack O'Brien 44,585

Premiership final

edit
Eastern Suburbs Position Balmain
40. Ray Pratt FB
  1. Dave Parkinson
9. Lionel Cooper WG 12. Robert Nielson
10. Paul Tierney CE 3.Joe Jorgenson
11. Johnny Hunter CE 4. Tom Bourke (c)
35. Ken Foster WG 31. Robert Paterson
8. Wally O'Connell FE 8. Harry Leo
7. Sel Lisle HB 7. Stan Ponchard
1. Ray Stehr (c) PR 10. Jack Spencer
15. George Watt HK 9. Ted Dawes
14. Jack Arnold PR 23. Hilton Kidd
5. Bert Rollason SR 11. Jim Metcalf
4. Sid Hobson SR 24. Sid Ryan
6. Dick Dunn LK 13. Jack Hampstead
Arthur Halloway Coach Norm Robinson

Balmain led 10–5 at half time and the match was evenly balanced throughout the second half. With three minutes to go the Tricolours trailed 17—18. The Roosters were awarded a penalty on half way and Dick Dunn convinced his reluctant captain Ray Stehr that he could make the distance. Dunn successfully kicked the goal from the then unorthodox upright position.

Dunn received Joe Jorgenson’s kick from the restart and booted the ball into touch five metres from the Balmain line. Tricolours’ hooker George Watt won the scrum against the feed and Easts’ classy halves pairing of Sel Lisle and Wally O'Connell put on a move that saw Dunn score in the corner.

Dunn scored 19 of the Tricolours’ 22 points that day carrying with him for luck the sock of his fourteen-month-old daughter in his shorts pocket throughout the match.[4][5]

Eastern Suburbs 22 (Tries: Dunn 3, J Arnold. Goals: Dunn 5)

defeated

Balmain 18 (Tries: Ponchard 2, Dawes, Nielsen. Goals: Jorgenson 3)

Player statistics

edit

The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 14.

References

edit
  1. ^ "Premiership Roll of Honour". rl1908.com. Archived from the original on 2007-04-28.
  2. ^ "Eric Lewis". yesterdayshero.com. SmartPack International Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
  3. ^ 1945 Grand Final Archived 2012-03-04 at the Wayback Machine at nrlstats.com
  4. ^ SMH claim
  5. ^ rl1908.com disputes this claim. "Dick Dunn: A True Rooster Booster". Archived from the original on 2011-05-14.
edit