1902 Metropolitan Rugby Union season

Last updated

1902 Sydney Rugby Premiership
Duration17 May to 30 August
Teams8
Premiers Wests Colours.png Western Suburbs  (1st title)
Minor Premiers Wests Colours.png Western Suburbs  (1st title)
Runners-up University 1865.png Sydney University
Wooden spoon Balmain Colours.png Balmain  (2nd spoon)
Top point-scorer(s) Wests Colours.png Stanley Wickham (60)
Top try-scorer(s) Norths 1901.png Patrick Higgins (11)
Second Grade
Number of teams8
Premiers Glebe 1900.svg Glebe
Runners-up Easts 1901.svg Eastern Suburbs
Boroughs Competition
Number of teams16
PremiersManly
Runners-up Glebe 1900.svg Glebe

The 1902 Metropolitan Rugby Union season was the 29th season of the Sydney Rugby Premiership. It was the third season run for clubs that represented a district. Eight clubs (seven representing a district, the remaining club representing Sydney University) competed from May till August 1902. The season culminated in the third district premiership, which was won by Western Suburbs. Western Suburbs were crowned premiers by virtue of finishing the season on top of the table.

Contents

Teams

Eight clubs contested the season; seven clubs representing a district and one club representing Sydney University. [1]

Balmain Jersey 1902.png
Balmain

Formed on 26 March 1900
Ground: Birchgrove Oval
Captain: Walter Davis

Eastern Suburbs 1902.png
Eastern Suburbs

Formed on 22 March 1900
Ground: Rushcutters Bay Oval
Captain: Percy Macnamara

Glebe Jersey 1902.png
Glebe

Formed on 15 March 1900
Ground: Wentworth Park
Captain: William Howe

Newtown Jersey 1915.png
Newtown

Formed on 22 March 1900
Captain: Harold Judd

North Sydney Jersey 1908.png
North Sydney

Formed on 23 March 1900
Ground: North Sydney Oval
Captain: Jack O'Donnell

South Sydney 1900.png
South Sydney

Formed on 26 March 1900
Ground: RAS Showground
Captain: J Bourke

Sydney University 1902.png
Sydney University

Formed on 19 August 1865
Ground: University Oval
Captain: Harry Blaney

Western Suburbs Jersey 1902.png
Western Suburbs

Formed on 22 March 1900
Captain: Stanley Wickham

Season Summary

The 1902 Sydney Rugby Premiership saw a popular win for the Western Suburbs District Football Club. The club had experienced the unfortunate and sad loss of their captain, William Shortland, at the end of the previous season. [2] During the season, the team recovered from this huge loss to display improvement in defence, with only 4 tries scored against them over the final 7 rounds. Three-Quarter, Stanley Wickham demonstrated the importance of having a great goal kicker in the team, scoring 11 field goals during the season with 5 scored in one game against South Sydney. [3]

Glebe opened the season in magnificent form defeating the two teams that eventually finished above them on the ladder. However, as the season progressed the team was required to shift players around due to injuries to important members of the team. As a result, over the final four rounds Glebe drew with North Sydney, drew with Western Suburbs and lost the penultimate match to University 6 to 4. This meant that they were out of contention for the premiership in the final round. [4]

The final round of the season had been originally scheduled for 26 July and was postponed to the end of August due to heavy and persistent rain. [5] This meant that for the last round of games for the season, the two teams in contention for the premiership would face each other in a "final". In order that representatives in both teams be able to depart on time for the intercolonial matches in Queensland, the game was scheduled for Wednesday, 27 August at 2pm. Again rain interfered with the quality of the game which resulted in Western Suburbs winning against Sydney University 4 points to 3. [4]

At the conclusion of the season, the rugby world lost another significant player with the death of former University captain Horace Jones. Jones had previously captained the NSW team in intercolonial matches and had retired from rugby at the end of the 1901 season due to ill health. His cause of death was sarcoma, a soft tissue cancer. [6]

Ladder

TeamPldWDLBPFPAPDPts
1 Wests Colours.png Western Suburbs 141013014870+7821
2 University 1865.png Sydney University 1410040152108+4420
3 Glebe 1900.svg Glebe 14833015588+6719
4 Norths 1901.png North Sydney 14824013656+8018
5 Easts 1901.svg Eastern Suburbs 14617086132-4613
6 Newtown Colours.png Newtown 1452709189+212
7 Souths Colours.png South Sydney 143110056147-917
8 Balmain Colours.png Balmain 141013063197-1342

[7]

Ladder Progression

Team1234567891011121314
1 Wests Colours.png Western Suburbs 0224681012121416171921
2 University 1865.png Sydney University 2244681010121416182020
3 Glebe 1900.svg Glebe 2466681012141617181819 [8]
4 Norths 1901.png North Sydney 01357779111314141618
5 Easts 1901.svg Eastern Suburbs 2444446688810 [9] 1213 [8]
6 Newtown Colours.png Newtown 23566668881010 [9] 1012
7 Souths Colours.png South Sydney 00013555555777
8 Balmain Colours.png Balmain 00022222222222

Statistics

Points

PlayerPlTGFGPts
1 Wests Colours.png Stanley Wickham 14071160
2 University 1865.png Harry Blaney14213347
3 Norths 1901.png Frank Row 11018040
4 Norths 1901.png Patrick Higgins12110033
5 University 1865.png Nigel Barker13100030
6 Wests Colours.png Aub Johnstone1317330
7 Wests Colours.png EC Deering1490027
8 Glebe 1900.svg James Joyce 1322323
9 Newtown Colours.png Thomas Comber1025122
10 University 1865.png Humphrey Oxenham1370021

[7]

Tries

PlayerPlT
1 Norths 1901.png Patrick Higgins1211
2 University 1865.png Nigel Barker1310
3 Wests Colours.png EC Deering149
4 University 1865.png Humphrey Oxenham137
5 Balmain Colours.png Ed Halloren127
6 Glebe 1900.svg George Roberts127
7 Norths 1901.png R Wickham126
8 Norths 1901.png RH Carlisle145
9 Glebe 1900.svg Victor Harris134
10 Glebe 1900.svg C Rundle104

[7]

Lower Grades

The MRFU also conducted Second Grade and Boroughs competitions this season. [10]

Second Grade

The eight First grade clubs entered a team each into the Second Grade competition. The season concluded with a final game between Glebe and Eastern Suburbs that was practically a final. The game ended in a draw. However, Glebe were declared premiers as they were one point ahead of Eastern Suburbs on the ladder. [4]

Boroughs Competition

Sixteen teams participated in the first Boroughs Competition. This was a competition for teams that did not necessarily represent a district. Non-district teams acted as a feeder club for the larger district teams. These teams were: Manly, Glebe, Gipps, Willoughby, Surry Hills, Rockdale, Balmain, Newtown, Leichhardt, Burwood, Marrickville, University, Annandale, North Sydney, Mosman and Parramatta. At the conclusion of the season, Manly sat undefeated at the top of the table and were thus declared Premiers. [7]

Participating Clubs

ClubGrade
1st2ndB.
Annandale Football ClubY
Balmain Colours.png Balmain District Football Club YYY
Burwood Football ClubY
Easts 1901.svg Eastern Suburbs District Rugby Football Club YY
Gipps Football ClubY
Glebe 1900.svg Glebe District Football Club YYY
Leichhardt Football ClubY
Manly Football ClubY
Marrickville Football ClubY
Mosman.png Mosman Football ClubY
Newtown Colours.png Newtown District Football ClubYYY
Norths 1901.png North Sydney District Rugby Football Club YYY
Parramatta 1934.png Parramatta Rugby Football Club Y
Rockdale Football ClubY
Souths Colours.png South Sydney District Football ClubYY
Surry Hills Football ClubY
University 1865.png Sydney University Football Club YYY
Wests Colours.png Western Suburbs District Rugby Football Club YY
Willoughby Football ClubY

Footnotes

  1. ↑ "RUGBY FOOTBALL NOTES". Referee (Sydney, NSW : 1886 - 1939). 14 May 1902. p. 8. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  2. ↑ "RUGBY FOOTBALL NOTES". Referee (Sydney, NSW : 1886 - 1939). 18 September 1901. p. 8. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  3. ↑ "RUGBY FOOTBALL NOTES". Referee (Sydney, NSW : 1886 - 1939). 25 June 1902. p. 8. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 "RUGBY FOOTBALL NOTES". Referee (Sydney, NSW : 1886 - 1939). 3 September 1902. p. 8. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  5. ↑ "RUGBY FOOTBALL NOTES". Referee (Sydney, NSW : 1886 - 1939). 30 July 1902. p. 8. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  6. ↑ "FOOTBALL NOTES". Referee (Sydney, NSW : 1886 - 1939). 24 September 1902. p. 8. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "FOOTBALL STATISTICS, 1902". Referee (Sydney, NSW : 1886 - 1939). 17 September 1902. p. 8. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  8. 1 2 No game was played between Glebe and Eastern Suburbs with an agreement made to declare the game as a draw.
  9. 1 2 Newtown forfeited the game against Eastern Suburbs.
  10. ↑ "FOOTBALL NOTES". Referee (Sydney, NSW : 1886 - 1939). 23 April 1902. p. 8. Retrieved 15 July 2018.

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References

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