1958 NSWRFL season

Last updated
1958 New South Wales Rugby Football League
Teams10
Premiers St. George colours.svg St. George (5th title)
Minor premiers St. George colours.svg St. George (5th title)
Matches played95
Points scored3050
Attendance1030272
Top try-scorer(s) St. George colours.svg Eddie Lumsden (18)

The 1958 NSWRFL season was the 51st season of the New South Wales Rugby Football League, Australia's first rugby league football competition. Ten teams from across Sydney competed for the J. J. Giltinan Shield during the season, which culminated in a grand final between St. George and Western Suburbs.

Contents

Season summary

Having been wooden spooners in 1955, Wests embarked on a massive spending spree to recruit internationals Harry Wells, Kel O'Shea, Arthur Summons, Dick Poole, Darcy Henry and Ian Moir over a five-year period. The fruits of this labour began to show in 1958 when they finished in second place for the minor premiership and posed a challenge to St. George in the finals.

Harry Bath was the competition's leading goal scorer in 1958, with his St George teammate Eddie Lumsden the leading try scorer. Bath shattered the Dragons club's point scoring record with 225 season points from three tries and 108 goals.

Nineteen-year-old Reg Gasnier, later to be honoured as one of the Australian game's Immortals, made his Third Grade debut in 1958 and was immediately noticed, regularly scoring length-of-the-field tries.

The 1958 season also saw the retirement from the League of future Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame inductee, Clive Churchill.

Teams

Balmain
Balmain Jersey 1953.png

51st season
Ground: Leichhardt Oval
Coach: John O'Toole
Captain: Bill Marsh

Canterbury-Bankstown
Canterbury-Bankstown Jersey 1938.png

24th season
Ground: Belmore Sports Ground
Coach: Cec Cooper
Captain: Ray Gartner

Eastern Suburbs
Eastern Suburbs Jersey 1954.png

51st season
Ground: Sydney Sports Ground
Coach: Dave Brown
Captain: Terry Fearnley

Manly-Warringah
Manly-Warringah Jersey 1957.png

12th season
Ground: Brookvale Oval
Coach: Ken Arthurson
Captain: Ron Willey

Newtown
Newtown Jersey 1915.png

51st season
Ground: Henson Park
Coach: Dick Poole
Captain: Gordon Clifford

North Sydney
North Sydney Jersey 1954.png

51st season
Ground: North Sydney Oval
Coach: Trevor Allen
Captain: Bob Honeysett

Parramatta
Parramatta Jersey 1953.png

12th season
Ground: Cumberland Oval
Coach: Jack Rayner
Captain: Roy Fisher

South Sydney
South Sydney Jersey 1930.png

51st season
Ground: Redfern Oval
Captain-Coach: Clive Churchill

St. George
St George Jersey 1948.png

38th season
Ground: Jubilee Oval
Captain-coach: Ken Kearney

Western Suburbs
Western Suburbs Jersey 1953.png

51st season
Ground: Pratten Park
Coach: Vic Hey
Captain: Harry Wells

Ladder

TeamPldWDLPFPAPDPts
1 St. George colours.svg St. George 181602480187+29332
2 Western Suburbs colours.svg Western Suburbs 181206379263+11624
3 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 181116291251+4023
4 Newtown colours.svg Newtown 181008297252+4520
5 Balmain colours.svg Balmain 1810082542731920
6 North Sydney colours.svg North Sydney 189092793224318
7 Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Eastern Suburbs 188010244252816
8 South Sydney colours.svg South Sydney 18601224639114512
9 Canterbury colours.svg Canterbury 184113207276699
10 Parramatta colours.svg Parramatta 1830152024122106

Finals

The developing Western Suburbs side which would become such a force at the beginning of the 1960s, was already building around the class of internationals Keith "Yappy" Holman, Harry "Dealer" Wells, Kel "Twigs" O'Shea along with their hard men Neville "Boxhead" Charlton, Mark Patch and fiery nineteen-year-old Peter Dimond. With a simple game plan of "retaliate first", the Magpies' aggression in the semifinal stunned St George who were coming off a coasting run through the end of the season. In spite of having beaten Wests twice in the regular season, the Dragons were mauled by them 34–10 in the major-semi final with Dimond dominating his opposite five-eighth Peter Carroll and forcing the Dragons to a sudden death final against Balmain for the right to defend their title.

The lessons from this loss sat heavily with St George – how an early forward onslaught designed to knock the spirit of the rival pack could determine the course of the entire game. For the next eight years, in all of their finals appearances, the Dragons would play a deliberate tactic of giving the opposition the ball in the first fifteen minutes and setting about demoralising them with brutal defence.

HomeScoreAwayMatch information
Date and timeVenueRefereeCrowd
Playoff
Newtown colours.svg Newtown 4–15 Balmain colours.svg Balmain 19 August 1958 Redfern Oval 10,430
Semifinals
Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Manly-Warringah 10–22 Balmain colours.svg Balmain 23 August 1958 Sydney Cricket Ground Darcy Lawler 27,985
St. George colours.svg St. George 10–34 Western Suburbs colours.svg Western Suburbs 30 August 1958 Sydney Cricket Ground Darcy Lawler 38,857
Preliminary Final
St. George colours.svg St. George 26–21 Balmain colours.svg Balmain 6 September 1958 Sydney Cricket Ground Darcy Lawler 39,132
Grand Final
Western Suburbs colours.svg Western Suburbs 9–20 St. George colours.svg St. George 13 September 1958 Sydney Cricket Ground Darcy Lawler 62,283

Grand Final

St. GeorgePositionWestern Suburbs
  1. Brian Graham
FB
  1. Darcy Russell
2. Eddie Lumsden WG 2. Bernard Kelly
19. Ray Smith CE 3. Harry Wells (c)
4. Geoff Weekes CE 6. Darcy Henry
17. Brian Messiter WG 5. Don Malone
8. Brian Clay FE 4. Peter Dimond
7. Bob Bugden HB 7. Keith Holman
13. Billy Wilson PR 13. Mark Patch
12. Ken Kearney (Ca./Co.) HK 12. Bede Goff
10. Harry Bath PR 11. Neville Charlton
24. Monty Porter SR 10. Bill Carson
9. Norm Provan SR 9. Jack Bowman
8. Peter Provan LK 8. Doug Jones
Coach Vic Hey

In an effort to negate Peter Dimond, Saints dropped Peter Carroll for the Grand Final, selecting lock and hard hitting defender, Brian Clay at five-eighth. From the kick-off, the record crowd saw a furious St George team lay into Wests. High tackles and punches were the order of the day and referee Darcy Lawler penalised the Dragons seventeen times to Wests seven.

Wests were unable to counter the onslaught which saw a ruthless Dragon defence advancing upon them at every opportunity although the score remained close for most of the match. Eventually with the Magpies subdued, Norm Provan and Bob Bugden cut loose, with Provan scoring two tries and Bugden snatching an intercept try near the end. Saints won the fight, and the match. For eighty minutes Clay was all over Dimond who ended the match dazed and bleeding.

The Sydney Morning Herald described the match as the most “savage” game of the season.

St George 20 (Tries: N. Provan 2, Bugden, Lumsden. Goals: Bath 4.)

Wests 9 (Tries: Russell. Goals: Russell 3 )

Player statistics

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

Great Britain Lions Tour

From May until August, the Great Britain Lions toured Australia and New Zealand. In Australia they played the three Test Ashes series against Australia as well as games against various sides including Sydney Firsts, New South Wales and a Sydney Representative Colts side that featured a young Reg Gasnier.

The team was coached by Jim Brough and was captained was Alan Prescott.

Note: Other than the Ashes Tests, only games in NSW listed

GameDateResultVenueAttendance
118 May Great Britain colours.svg Great Britain def. Illawarra colours.svg Southern Districts 36–18 Wollongong Showground, Wollongong
221 May Great Britain colours.svg Great Britain drew with Canberra colours.svg Western Districts 24–24 Wade Park, Orange
324 May Great Britain colours.svg Great Britain def. Newcastle foundation colours.svg Newcastle 35–16 Newcastle Sportsground, Newcastle 21,126
428 May Great Britain colours.svg Great Britain def. Balmain colours.svg Northern NSW 27–17Scully Park, Tamworth
531 May Great Britain colours.svg Great Britain def. City colours.svg Sydney 20–15 Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney 48,692
64 June Great Britain colours.svg Great Britain def. Western Suburbs colours.svg Riverina 29–10 Leeton 6,000
77 June Great Britain colours.svg Great Britain def. New South Wales colours.svg New South Wales 19–10 Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney 52,963
814 JuneFlag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia def. Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain 25–8 Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney 68,777
155 JulyFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain def. Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 25–18 Brisbane Exhibition Ground, Brisbane 33,563
1713 July Great Britain colours.svg Great Britain def. Balmain colours.svg NSW North Coast 56–15 Oakes Oval, Oakes Oval, Lismore 5,541
1819 JulyFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain def. Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 28–26 Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney 68,720
??14 August City colours.svg Representative Colts vs Great Britain colours.svg Great Britain Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
??17 AugustCoalfields vs Great Britain colours.svg Great Britain Maitland Showground, Maitland

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New South Wales Rugby League</span> Governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory

The New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory and is a member of the Australian Rugby League Commission. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was known as the New South Wales Rugby Football League (NSWRFL) until 1984. From 1908 to 1994, the NSWRL ran Sydney's, then New South Wales', and eventually Australia's top-level rugby league club competition from their headquarters on Phillip Street, Sydney. The organisation is responsible for administering the New South Wales rugby league team.

The St. George Dragons is an Australian rugby league football club from the St George District in Sydney, New South Wales that played in the top level New South Wales competition and Australian Rugby League competitions from the 1921 until the 1997 ARL season, as well as the unified 1998 National Rugby League season. On 23 September 1998, the club formed a joint venture with the Illawarra Steelers, creating the St. George Illawarra Dragons team which competed in the 1999 NRL season and continues to compete in the league today. As a stand-alone club, it fields teams in the NSWRL underage men's and women's competitions, Harold Matthews Cup, S.G. Ball, and Tarsha Gale Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Suburbs Magpies</span> Australian rugby league club, based in Sydney, NSW

The Western Suburbs Magpies are an Australian rugby league football club based in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 1908, Wests, as they are commonly referred to, were one of the nine foundation clubs of the first New South Wales Rugby League competition in Australia. The club, as a sole entity, departed the top-flight competition in 1999 after forming a 50–50 joint venture with Balmain Tigers to form the Wests Tigers. The club currently fields sides in the NSW State Cup, Ron Massey Cup (Opens), S.G. Ball Cup and Harold Matthews Cup competitions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Bath</span> Australian RL coach and former rugby league footballer

Harry Bath, born Alfred Henry Bath, also known by the nickname of "The Old Fox", was an Australian rugby league footballer and coach who was prominent and influential in the mid-20th century. A state and international representative who played 12 matches for Other Nationalities in the International Championship from 1949 to 1955, he played as a second-row and has been referred to as the best Australian rugby league player never to be picked for the Australian national team. Following his retirement, Bath coached in the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership for two decades, also achieving selection as the Australian national team coach.

Billy Wilson was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. An Australia national and New South Wales state representative front-row forward, he captained the national team in two Tests against New Zealand in 1963 and captained-coached several of his club sides during a record length top-grade career over twenty seasons from 1948 to 1967. Much of his New South Wales Rugby League premiership career was spent with Sydney's St. George club where he was a pivotal member for the first half of that club's 11-year consecutive premiership run from 1956. Billy Wilson won six consecutive premierships with the Dragons between 1956 and 1962.

The 1980 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 73rd season of Sydney's professional rugby league football competition, Australia's first. Twelve clubs, including six of 1908's foundation teams and another six from around Sydney competed for the J.J. Giltinan Shield and WD & HO Wills Cup during the season, which culminated in a grand final between the Canterbury-Bankstown and Eastern Suburbs clubs. NSWRFL clubs also competed in the 1980 Tooth Cup and players from NSWRFL clubs were selected to represent the New South Wales team.

1959's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 52nd season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney. Ten teams from across the city competed for the J. J. Giltinan Shield during the season, which culminated in a grand final between St. George and Manly-Warringah.

1960's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 53rd season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney. Ten teams from across the city competed for the J J Giltinan Shield and WD & HO Wills Cup during the season, which culminated in a grand final between St. George and Eastern Suburbs.

The 1965 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 58th season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney. Ten clubs from across the city competed for the J.J. Giltinan Shield and the WD & HO Wills Cup during the season, which culminated in a grand final between St. George and South Sydney.

The 1962 NSWRFL season was the 55th New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership, Australia's first rugby league competition. Ten teams from across Sydney competed for the J J Giltinan Shield and WD & HO Wills Cup during the season, which culminated in a replay of the previous year's grand final between St. George and Western Suburbs.

1957's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 50th season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney. Ten teams from across the city competed for the J. J. Giltinan Shield during the season, which culminated in a grand final between St. George and Manly-Warringah.

The 1964 NSWRFL season was the fifty-seventh season of Sydney's professional rugby league football competition, the New South Wales Rugby Football League Premiership, Australia's first. Ten clubs from across the city competed for the J. J. Giltinan Shield and the WD & HO Wills Cup during the season, which culminated in a grand final between St. George and Balmain.

The 1961 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 54th season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney. Ten teams from across the city competed for the J J Giltinan Shield and WD & HO Wills Cup during the season, which culminated in a grand final between St. George and Western Suburbs.

The 1963 NSWRFL season was the 56th season of the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership based in Sydney. Ten teams from across the city competed for the J J Giltinan Shield and WD & HO Wills Cup during the season, which culminated in a replay of the previous two years' grand finals between St. George and Western Suburbs.

The 1966 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 59th season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney. Ten clubs from across the city competed for the J.J. Giltinan Shield and the WD & HO Wills Cup during the season, which culminated in a replay of the 1964 grand final between St. George and Balmain.

1956's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 49th season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney. Ten teams from across the city competed for the J. J. Giltinan Shield during the season, which culminated in a Grand Final between St. George and Balmain.

The 1952 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the forty-fifth season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney. Ten teams from across Sydney contested for the J. J. Giltinan Shield during the season which culminated in a grand final between Western Suburbs and South Sydney.

The 1967 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 60th season of Sydney's professional rugby league football competition, Australia's first. The introduction of the Cronulla-Sutherland and Penrith clubs saw a total of twelve teams from across the Sydney area compete for the J.J. Giltinan Shield and WD & HO Wills Cup during the season, which culminated in a grand final between South Sydney and Canterbury-Bankstown. This was also the first live televised broadcast of a football grand final of any code in Australia.

The 1977 NSWRFL season was the 70th season of Sydney's professional rugby league football competition, the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership. Twelve clubs, including six of 1908's foundation teams and another six from around Sydney competed for the J. J. Giltinan Shield and WD & HO Wills Cup during the season, which culminated in a grand final between the St. George and Parramatta clubs. NSWRFL teams also competed for the 1977 Amco Cup.

The 1979 NSWRFL season was the 72nd season of Sydney's professional rugby league football competition, Australia's first. Twelve New South Wales Rugby Football League clubs competed for the J.J. Giltinan Shield and WD & HO Wills Cup during the season, which culminated in a grand final between the St. George and Canterbury-Bankstown clubs. NSWRFL teams also competed in the 1979 Amco Cup.

References