1955 NSWRFL season

Last updated
1955 New South Wales Rugby Football League
Teams10
Premiers South Sydney colours.svg South Sydney (16th title)
Minor premiers Newtown colours.svg Newtown (6th title)
Matches played94
Points scored3253
Top points scorer(s) St. George colours.svg Doug Fleming (185)
Top try-scorer(s) Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Brian Allsop (18)
South Sydney colours.svg Ian Moir (18)

The 1955 NSWRFL season was the 48th season of the New South Wales Rugby Football League. Ten teams from across Sydney competed for the NSWRFL Premiership J. J. Giltinan Shield during the season, which culminated in a replay of the previous year's Grand Final between the South Sydney and Newtown clubs. [1]

Contents

Season summary

Halfway through the 1955 season Souths were in equal 9th place having won just three of ten matches. From that point they didn't lose another game, winning eight season encounters in a row before the finals. Eventually they finished 4th. Had they lost a single one of these games they would have missed the finals.

In the second last match of the regular season Souths met Manly-Warringah and were behind 4–7 with moments to go. Clive Churchill had broken his arm early in the game tackling Manly winger George Hugo but refused to leave the field. Souths lock Les Cowie managed to score a try in the corner and Churchill with a broken arm took a sideline conversion attempt that wobbled over the posts and won Souths the game. Churchill would take no part in Souths' 1955 finals campaign.

Teams

Balmain
Balmain Jersey 1953.png

48th season
Ground: Leichhardt Oval
Coach: Norm "Latchem" Robinson
Captain: Bill Marsh

Canterbury-Bankstown
Canterbury-Bankstown Jersey 1938.png

21st season
Ground: Belmore Sports Ground
Coach: Vic Hey
Captain: Ray Gartner

Eastern Suburbs
Eastern Suburbs Jersey 1954.png

48th season
Ground: Sydney Sports Ground
Coach: Frank O'Connor
Captain: Noel Pidding

Manly-Warringah
Manly-Warringah Jersey 1954.png

9th season
Ground: Brookvale Oval
Coach: Pat Devery
Captain: Roy Bull

Newtown
Newtown Jersey 1915.png

48th season
Ground: Henson Park
Captain-Coach: Dick Poole

North Sydney
North Sydney Jersey 1954.png

48th season
Ground: North Sydney Oval
Coach: Rex Harrison
Captain: George Martin

Parramatta
Parramatta Jersey 1953.png

9th season
Ground: Cumberland Oval
Captain-Coach: Johnny Slade

South Sydney
South Sydney Jersey 1930.png

48th season
Ground: Redfern Oval
Captain-Coach: Jack Rayner

St. George
St George Jersey 1948.png

35th season
Ground: Kogarah Oval
Captain-Coach: Ken Kearney

Western Suburbs
Western Suburbs Jersey 1953.png

48th season
Ground: Pratten Park
Captain-Coach: Keith Holman

Regular season

Team123456789101112131415161718F1F2F3GF
Balmain MAN
+2
NEW
+4
SOU
−18
PAR
−12
WES
+22
STG
−3
NOR
−4
CBY
+6
EAS
−4
MAN
0
NEW
+4
SOU
−8
PAR
+16
WES
+13
STG
−2
NOR
−13
CBY
+4
EAS
+8
Canterbury-Bankstown WES
−9
STG
−17
NOR
+2
SOU
−25
EAS
−3
MAN
−17
NEW
−25
BAL
+6
PAR
+5
WES
+3
STG
−18
NOR
−28
SOU
−34
EAS
−34
MAN
−26
NEW
−10
BAL
−4
PAR
−13
Eastern Suburbs PAR
+19
WES
−13
STG
−4
NOR
−19
CBY
+3
SOU
+3
MAN
−7
NEW
0
BAL
+4
PAR
+26
WES
+18
STG
−7
NOR
−4
CBY
+34
SOU
−11
MAN
+1
NEW
−18
BAL
−8
Manly-Warringah BAL
−2
PAR
+6
WES
+46
STG
−18
NOR
+4
CBY
+17
EAS
+7
SOU
+12
NEW
−44
BAL
0
PAR
−2
WES
+26
STG
+3
NOR
+2
CBY
+26
EAS
−1
SOU
−2
NEW
+7
SOU
−2
Newtown SOU
+23
BAL
−4
PAR
+3
WES
+17
STG
+6
NOR
+10
CBY
+25
EAS
0
MAN
+44
SOU
+1
BAL
−4
PAR
+17
WES
+26
STG
+5
NOR
+7
CBY
+10
EAS
+18
MAN
−7
XSTG
+3
XSOU
−1
North Sydney STG
−10
SOU
+8
CBY
−2
EAS
+19
MAN
−4
NEW
−10
BAL
+4
PAR
+7
WES
+22
STG
−11
SOU
−15
CBY
+28
EAS
+4
MAN
−2
NEW
−7
BAL
+13
PAR
+1
WES
+22
Parramatta EAS
−19
MAN
−6
NEW
−3
BAL
+12
SOU
+9
WES
−4
STG
−8
NOR
−7
CBY
−5
EAS
−26
MAN
+2
NEW
−17
BAL
−16
SOU
−22
WES
+20
STG
−29
NOR
−1
CBY
+13
South Sydney NEW
−23
NOR
−8
BAL
+18
CBY
+25
PAR
−9
EAS
−3
WES
+25
MAN
−12
STG
−18
NEW
−1
NOR
+15
BAL
+8
CBY
+34
PAR
+22
EAS
+11
WES
+11
MAN
+2
STG
+10
MAN
+2
XSTG
+4
NEW
+1
St. George NOR
+10
CBY
+17
EAS
+4
MAN
+18
NEW
−6
BAL
+3
PAR
+8
WES
+13
SOU
+18
NOR
+11
CBY
+18
EAS
+7
MAN
−3
NEW
−5
BAL
+2
PAR
+29
WES
+15
SOU
−10
XNEW
−3
SOU
−4
Western Suburbs CBY
+9
EAS
+13
MAN
−46
NEW
−17
BAL
−22
PAR
+4
SOU
−25
STG
−13
NOR
−22
CBY
−3
EAS
−18
MAN
−26
NEW
−26
BAL
−13
PAR
−20
SOU
−11
STG
−15
NOR
−22
Team123456789101112131415161718F1F2F3GF

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

Ladder

TeamPldWDLPFPAPDPts
1 Newtown colours.svg Newtown 181413376179+19729
2 St. George colours.svg St. George 181404396247+14928
3 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Manly-Warringah 181116332245+8723
4 South Sydney colours.svg South Sydney 181107367260+10722
5 North Sydney colours.svg North Sydney 181008345278+6720
6 Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Eastern Suburbs 18819342325+1717
7 Balmain colours.svg Balmain 18819384381+317
8 Parramatta colours.svg Parramatta 185013258365-10710
9 Canterbury colours.svg Canterbury-Bankstown 184014167414-2478
10 Western Suburbs colours.svg Western Suburbs 183015186459-2736

Ladder progression

Team123456789101112131415161718
1 Newtown colours.svg Newtown 2246810121315171719212325272929
2 St. George colours.svg St. George 2468810121416182022222224262828
3 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Manly-Warringah 024468101212131315171921212123
4 South Sydney colours.svg South Sydney 0024446666810121416182022
5 North Sydney colours.svg North Sydney 0224446810101012141414161820
6 Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Eastern Suburbs 222246679111313131515171717
7 Balmain colours.svg Balmain 244466666799111313131517
8 Parramatta colours.svg Parramatta 0002444444666688810
9 Canterbury colours.svg Canterbury-Bankstown 002222246888888888
10 Western Suburbs colours.svg Western Suburbs 244446666666666666

Finals

HomeScoreAwayMatch Information
Date and TimeVenueRefereeCrowd
Semifinals
Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Manly-Warringah 12–14 South Sydney colours.svg South Sydney 27 August 1955 Sydney Cricket Ground Darcy Lawler 35,677
Newtown colours.svg Newtown 11–8 St. George colours.svg St. George 3 September 1955 Sydney Cricket Ground Darcy Lawler 34,158
Preliminary Final
St. George colours.svg St. George 14–18 South Sydney colours.svg South Sydney 10 September 1955 Sydney Cricket Ground Col Pearce 41,583
Grand Final
Newtown colours.svg Newtown 11–12 South Sydney colours.svg South Sydney 17 September 1955 Sydney Cricket Ground Col Pearce 42,466

Grand Final

NewtownPositionSouth Sydney
13. Gordon Clifford FB 15. Don Murdoch
12. Kevin Considine WG 12. Ian Moir
10. Brian Clay CE 11. Martin Gallagher
9. Dick Poole(Ca./Co.) CE 18. Malcolm Spencer
11. Ray Preston WG 29. Dale Puren
8. Ray Kelly FE 14. John Dougherty
7. Bobby Whitton HB 8. Col Donohoe
2. Don Stait PR
  1. Denis Donoghue
27. Greg Ellis HK 2. Ernie Hammerton
3. Les Hampson PR 25. Norm Nilson
4. Henry Holloway SR 4. Jack Rayner (Ca./Co.)
5. Frank Narvo SR 5. Bernie Purcell
6. Peter Ryan LK 6. Les Cowie

After their incredible eight game end-of-season run and having come from behind in both their semi-finals it looked unlikely that Souths’ fairytale would end happily on Grand Final day. They were without stars Clive Churchill and Greg Hawick. Newtown were the minor premiers and had eleven of their 1954 Grand Final side back for the 1955 decider, all fit, experienced and keen to avenge their 1954 loss.

The 1955 Grand Final was very closely fought out. Souths trailed 4–8 at half-time and the Bluebags looked home with an 11–7 lead with ten minutes remaining. In the final moments captain-coach Jack Rayner managed to win a strike in the play-the-ball and toed it through. Newtown lock Peter Ryan fumbled and again Rayner got the boot to it. Souths halfback Col Donohoe won the race and grounded the ball next to the posts, enabling an easy conversion by Bernie Purcell for the Rabbitohs to take a one-point lead. [2]

A last gasp long-range penalty goal attempt from Bluebags fullback Gordon Clifford was unsuccessful (it passed between the posts but fractionally under the crossbar) and Souths won by a single point. Despite being the best performed side for two successive seasons Newtown had nothing in the trophy cabinet to show for it. Souths had timed an extraordinary premiership run to absolute perfection.

Jack Rayner's fifth grand final win that day stands along with Ken Kearney's five wins by 1960 as the most number of grand final successes by an individual as captain. As captain-coach for all of those wins Rayner was thus also the first man to coach a side to five grand final victories, a record subsequently matched by Jack Gibson and beaten in 2006 by Wayne Bennett.

South Sydney 12 Tries: Moir, Donohoe. Goals: Purcell 3.

Newtown 11 Try: Considine. Goals: Clifford 3. Field Goal: Clifford

Player statistics

The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 18.

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References

  1. Goodman, Tom. "Churchill decides not to play in R.L. Grand Final". The Sydney Morning Herald . p. 13. Retrieved 2009-11-20.[ dead link ]
  2. Clarkson, Alan (1986-09-26). "The best Grand Finals I've seen". The Sydney Morning Herald . Fairfax Media. p. 77. Retrieved 2010-09-14.