1965 NSWRFL season

Last updated

1965 New South Wales Rugby Football League
Teams10
Premiers St. George colours.svg St. George (12th title)
Minor premiers St. George colours.svg St. George (11th title)
Matches played94
Points scored2485
Attendance1171510
Top points scorer(s) North Sydney colours.svg Fred Griffiths (181)
Top try-scorer(s) St. George colours.svg Johnny King (15)

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.

Contents

The 1965 season also saw the retirement from the League of future Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame inductee, Norm Provan.

Teams

Balmain
Balmain Jersey 1964.png

58th season
Ground: Leichhardt Oval
Coach: Harry Bath
Captain: Keith Barnes

Canterbury-Bankstown
Canterbury-Bankstown Jersey 1963.png

31st season
Ground: Belmore Oval
Coach: Eddie Burns
Captain: Leo Toohey

Eastern Suburbs
Eastern Suburbs Jersey 1954.png

58th season
Ground: Sydney Sports Ground
Coach: Bert Holcroft
Captain: Frank Drake

Manly-Warringah
Manly-Warringah Jersey 1965.png

19th season
Ground: Brookvale Oval
Coach: Russell Pepperell
Captain: Frank Stanton

Newtown
Newtown Jersey 1915.png

58th season
Ground: Henson Park
Coach: Allan Ellis
Captain: Brian Graham

North Sydney
North Sydney Jersey 1965.png

58th season
Ground: North Sydney Oval
Captain-Coach: Fred Griffiths

Parramatta
Parramatta Jersey 1963.png

19th season
Ground: Cumberland Oval
Captain-coach: Ken Thornett

South Sydney
South Sydney Jersey 1965.png

58th season
Ground: Redfern Oval
Coach: Bernie Purcell
Captain: Jim Lisle

St. George
St George Jersey 1959.png

45th season
Ground: Jubilee Oval
Captain-coach: Norm Provan

Western Suburbs

58th season
Ground: Pratten Park
Coach: Ken Kearney
Captain: Bob McGuinness

Ladder

TeamPldWDLPFPAPDPts
1 St. George colours.svg St. George 181503394142+25230
2 North Sydney colours.svg North Sydney 181125318218+10024
3 Parramatta colours.svg Parramatta 181116243220+2323
4 South Sydney colours.svg South Sydney 181107227205+2222
5 Balmain colours.svg Balmain 181017223211+1221
6 Newtown colours.svg Newtown 18837212210+219
7 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Manly-Warringah 186012228235-712
8 Western Suburbs colours.svg Western Suburbs 186012181244-6312
9 Canterbury colours.svg Canterbury-Bankstown 185013194331-13710
10 Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Eastern Suburbs 183114149353-2047

Finals

HomeScoreAwayMatch Information
Date and TimeVenueRefereeCrowd
Semi-finals
Parramatta colours.svg Parramatta 2–17 South Sydney colours.svg South Sydney Rabbitohs 28 August 1965 Sydney Cricket Ground Col Pearce54,626
St. George colours.svg St. George Dragons 47–7 North Sydney colours.svg North Sydney Bears 4 September 1965 Sydney Cricket Ground Col Pearce38,944
Preliminary Final
North Sydney colours.svg North Sydney Bears 9–14 South Sydney colours.svg South Sydney Rabbitohs 11 September 1965 Sydney Cricket Ground Col Pearce36,695
Grand Final
St. George colours.svg St. George Dragons 12–8 South Sydney colours.svg South Sydney Rabbitohs 18 September 1965 Sydney Cricket Ground Col Pearce78,056

Grand Final

St. George DragonsPositionSouth Sydney Rabbitohs
  1. Graeme Langlands
FB
  1. Kevin Longbottom
2. Eddie Lumsden WG 2. Eric Simms
3. Reg Gasnier CE 3. Arthur Branighan
4. Billy Smith CE 4. Bob Moses
5. Johnny King WG 5. Michael Cleary
6. Brian Clay FE 6. Jim Lisle (c)
7. George Evans HB 7. Ivan Jones
13 Robin Gourley PR 13. Jim Morgan
12. Ian Walsh HK 12. Fred Anderson
11. Kevin Ryan PR 11. John O'Neill
10. Elton Rasmussen SR 10. Bob McCarthy
9. Norm Provan (Ca./Co.) SR 9. John Sattler
8. Johnny Raper LK 8. Ron Coote
Coach Bernie Purcell

In 1965, the Sydney Cricket Ground could accommodate 70,000. With capacity already reached two hours before kick-off the SCG staff closed the gates and posted an attendance figure of just over 78,000, a ground record that still stands as of 2016 and with changes to the venue in the years since resulting in a decreased capacity of 48,000 is unlikely to be broken. [1] Meanwhile, the surrounding streets and parklands were packed with an estimated 40,000 people who were still trying to get into a ground. Hundreds chose to break in by storming the Members gates and proceeded to climb the grandstands, perching themselves on the roofs. Scores more bought tickets to the Motor Show which was being held next door in the Royal Showground. From here they took up vantage points on the Showground Pavilions with good views of the SCG pitch. After consultation the police allowed thousands to sit on the ground itself, covering the outer ring of the oval.

At 3pm, St George captain-coach Norm Provan, the last player from the Dragons' 1956 premiership-winning side, led his team onto the field in what would be his final match before retiring. Souths had already beaten Saints twice in 1965 and the huge crowd that attended were either looking to see the milestone 10th successive win or to see the dominant run halted. The St George team, with an average age of 27, faced a real threat from their younger South Sydney rivals whose average age was 22.

Rabbitohs fullback, Kevin Longbottom opened the scoring with a 55-yard penalty goal in the 20th minute – the kick receiving applause from St. George fullback Graeme Langlands. St George replied with a Billy Smith try. Langlands and Longbottom exchanged penalty goals with both players booting the ball more than 50 yards. It was a tough encounter with fiery forward charges from Provan, Johnny Raper and Kevin Ryan. The scrums in particular were no place for the faint-hearted, and Ryan was being unsettled by the Souths' front row of Jim Morgan and John O'Neill. In one scrum, after seeing Rabbitohs hooker Fred Anderson reaching into the tunnel, Ryan stood on Anderson, raked him back and proceeded to walk over him. The Dragons pack surged forward, forcing Anderson along the ground through the St George second row and out the back of the scrum. The 'keelhauled' Anderson sat dazed and bleeding on the ground with the ball still in hand.

The second half began with more penalty goals to Langlands and Longbottom. Souths' lock Ron Coote kept his side in the match with two brilliant try-saving tackles. With 13 minutes to go, Johnny King scored, continuing his amazing record of scoring tries in six successive Grand Finals. Souths' Eric Simms kicked a penalty goal, giving them some hope but Saints held their line and at full-time the score was 12–8. St George had won their tenth consecutive Grand Final and Provan bowed out victorious. At the sounding of the full-time siren, the SCG was invaded by thousands of fans and the ground became a sea of people – any chance of a victory lap was soon forgotten. Kevin Ryan was named Man of the Match.

Some records were set in the 1965 Grand Final. The attendance of 78,056 is the record for a rugby league match at the SCG and for thirty four years, until the Sydney Olympic Stadium was opened in 1999, this stood as the highest attendance at a rugby league match in Australia. Norm Provan's ten premiership wins achieved that day stands as the most number of grand final successes by a player. He also holds equal first place with his St George team-mate Brian Clay for the highest number of grand final appearances. Clay's ten appearances include two losses in 1954 and 1955 with Newtown.

St. George 12 (Tries: Smith, King. Goals: Langlands 3.)

South Sydney 8 ( Goals: Longbottom 3, Simms.). Crowd 78,056

Player statistics

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

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References

  1. ↑ Clarkson, Alan (1986-09-26). "The best Grand Finals I've seen". The Sydney Morning Herald . Fairfax Media. p. 77. Retrieved 2010-09-14.
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