1981 NSWRFL season

Last updated
1981 New South Wales Rugby Football League
Teams12
Premiers Parramatta colours.svg Parramatta (1st title)
Minor premiers Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Eastern Suburbs (15th title)
Matches played138
Points scored4160
Attendance1312977
Top points scorer(s) Cronulla colours.svg Steve Rogers (194)
Player of the year Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Kevin Hastings (Rothmans Medal)
Top try-scorer(s) Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Terry Fahey (16)

The 1981 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 74th 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 Parramatta and Newtown clubs. NSWRFL clubs also competed in the 1981 Tooth Cup and players from NSWRFL clubs were selected to represent the New South Wales team.

Contents

Season summary

In 1981 the "sin-bin" was introduced to rugby league in Australia, enabling referees to send players from the field for five or ten minute periods for minor or deliberate technical offences. [1] Newtown hooker Barry Jensen became the first player to be sent from the field in this manner.

Midway through the season, players contracted to NSWRFL clubs were selected to represent the New South Wales team in two games against the Queensland team in 1981. After that the experimental 1981 State of Origin game was played, and for the second time in history NSWRFL clubs' players were able to represent Queensland.

Twenty-two regular season rounds were played from March until August, resulting in a top five of Easts, Newtown, Parramatta, Cronulla and Manly who battled it out in the finals.

Eastern Suburbs' halfback Kevin Hastings won the 1981 season's Rothmans Medal as well as Rugby League Week's Player of the Year award. The Dally M Award went to Cronulla-Sutherland centre, Steve Rogers.

Teams

This was to be the final year that the NSWRFL premiership was an all-Sydney competition, with the introduction of teams from Canberra and Illawarra in 1982 starting a new era of expansion which would see the League transform into a national, then international competition.

Balmain
Balmain Jersey 1978.png

74th season
Ground: Leichhardt Oval
Coach: Frank Stanton
Captain: Allan McMahonNeil Whittaker

Canterbury-Bankstown
Canterbury-Bankstown Jersey 1979.png

47th season
Ground: Belmore Oval
Coach: Ted Glossop
Captain: Mark Hughes & Garry Hughes

Cronulla-Sutherland
Cronulla-Sutherland Jersey 1981.png

15th season
Ground: Endeavour Field
Coach: Greg Pierce
Captain: Steve Rogers

Eastern Suburbs
Eastern Suburbs Jersey 1980.png

74th season
Ground: Sydney Sports Ground
Coach: Bob Fulton
Captain: Royce Ayliffe

Manly-Warringah
Manly-Warringah Jersey 1980.png

35th season
Ground: Brookvale Oval
Coach: Ray Ritchie
Captain: Max Krilich

Newtown
Newtown Jersey 1979.png

74th season
Ground: Henson Park
Coach: Warren Ryan
Captain: Tommy Raudonikis

North Sydney
North Sydney Jersey 1980.png

74th season
Ground:North Sydney Oval
Coach: Ron Willey
Captain: Mark Graham

Parramatta
Parramatta Jersey 1980.png

35th season
Ground: Cumberland Oval
Coach: Jack Gibson
Captain: Steve Edge

Penrith
Penrith Jersey 1980.png

15th season
Ground: Penrith Park
Coach: Len Stacker
Captain: Tim Sheens

South Sydney
South Sydney Jersey 1980.png

74th season
Ground: Redfern Oval
Coach: Bill Anderson
Captain: Nathan GibbsMitch Brennan

St. George
St George Jersey 1979.png

61st season
Ground: Kogarah Oval
Coach: Harry Bath
Captain: Craig Young

Western Suburbs
Western Suburbs Jersey 1978.png

74th season
Ground: Lidcombe Oval
Coach: Roy Masters
Captain: Warren Boland

Ladder

PosTeamPldWDLPFPAPDPts
1 Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Eastern Suburbs Roosters 221606385225+16032
2 Newtown colours.svg Newtown Jets 221426326268+5830
3 Parramatta colours.svg Parramatta Eels 221417398246+15229
4 Cronulla colours.svg Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 221318339337+227
5 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 221228350317+3326
6 Western Suburbs colours.svg Western Suburbs Magpies 2211110311352-4123
7 North Sydney colours.svg North Sydney Bears 229013322355-3318
8 St. George colours.svg St. George Dragons 228113320399-7917
9 South Sydney colours.svg South Sydney Rabbitohs 228113322423-10117
10 Canterbury colours.svg Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 228014340344-416
11 Penrith colours.svg Penrith Panthers 228014305350-4516
12 Balmain colours.svg Balmain Tigers 226115293395-10213

Finals

The elimination semi-final between Newtown and Manly-Warringah will always be remembered for the notorious all-in brawl, with the main combatants Newtown's Steve Bowden and Manly hardman Mark Broadhurst. Bowden was marched for the incident and was unable to take part in the Preliminary Final against Eastern Suburbs or the Grand Final against Parramatta. [2]

HomeScoreAwayMatch Information
Date and TimeVenueRefereeCrowd
Qualifying Finals
Newtown colours.svg Newtown 8–10 Parramatta colours.svg Parramatta 5 September 1981 Sydney Cricket Ground John Gocher17,265
Cronulla colours.svg Cronulla-Sutherland 11–14 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Manly-Warringah 6 September 1981 Sydney Cricket Ground Greg Hartley21,635
Semi Finals
Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Eastern Suburbs 8–12 Parramatta colours.svg Parramatta 12 September 1981 Sydney Cricket Ground Greg Hartley27,600
Newtown colours.svg Newtown 20–15 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Manly-Warringah 13 September 1981 Sydney Cricket Ground John Gocher22,440
Preliminary Final
Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Eastern Suburbs 5–15 Newtown colours.svg Newtown 19 September 1981 Sydney Cricket Ground Greg Hartley25,243

Chart

 
 Qualifying/Elimination FinalMajor/Minor Semi FinalPreliminary FinalGrand Final
                   
1 Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Eastern Suburbs8 
   Parramatta colours.svg Parramatta12     Parramatta colours.svg Parramatta20
2 Newtown colours.svg Newtown8   Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Eastern Suburbs5  Newtown colours.svg Newtown11
3 Parramatta colours.svg Parramatta10    Newtown colours.svg Newtown15 
Newtown colours.svg Newtown20
4 Cronulla colours.svg Cronulla-Sutherland11  Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Manly15 
5 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Manly14

Grand Final

ParramattaPositionNewtown
Steve McKenzie FB Phil Sigsworth
Graeme Atkins WG John Ferguson
Mick Cronin CE Mick Ryan
Steve Ella CE Brian Hetherington
Eric Grothe WG Ray Blacklock
Brett Kenny FE Paul Morris
Peter Sterling HB Tommy Raudonikis (c)
Ron Hilditch PR Steve Blyth
Steve Edge (c) HK Barry Jensen
Bob O'Reilly PR Craig Ellis
John Muggleton SR Michael Pitman
Kevin Stevens SR Phil Gould
Ray Price LK Graeme O'Grady
Steve Sharp Reserve Geoff Bugden
Paul Taylor Reserve Jim Walters
Reserve Ken Wilson
Reserve Shane McKellar
Jack Gibson Coach Warren Ryan

Newtown had reached their first grand final in twenty-six years. Parramatta led 7–6 at half-time, but the Jets looked set to spring a major upset when tough half back Tommy Raudonikis crashed over to score early in the second-half. Then the Eels' brilliant backline exploded into action. The combination of Brett Kenny, Mick Cronin, Peter Sterling, Eric Grothe and Steve Ella dominated and would go on to feature in five grand finals and four premierships by the end of 1986.

Steve Edge became the first player to captain two different sides to premiership victory having captained St. George to a win over the Eels in season 1977.

Master coach Jack Gibson had just six words for a packed Parramatta Leagues Club auditorium, who had just witnessed the Eels' first ever premiership since their 1947 entry to the competition. "Ding, dong, the witch is dead," he said before the thunderous chants of the success-starved blue and gold army of fans.

Parramatta 20 (Tries: Kenny 2, Atkins, Ella. Goals: Cronin 4.)

Newtown 11 (Tries: O'Grady, Hetherington, Raudonikis. Goal: Morris.)

Cumberland Oval

In the resultant celebrations at Parramatta with a large group of supporters having gathered at the Eels homeground of Cumberland Oval, subsequently lit a fire that burned the grandstand to the ground. In late 1984 a construction contract was signed by the NSW Government, with the new Parramatta Stadium being opened on 5 March 1986 by Queen Elizabeth II. Parramatta Stadium itself was knocked down along with the adjacent public pools, in 2017. The new stadium, the Western Sydney Stadium was opened on 14 April 2019.

Player statistics

The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 22.

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References

  1. Middleton, David (2008). League of Legends: 100 Years of Rugby League in Australia (PDF). National Museum of Australia. p. 31. ISBN   978-1-876944-64-3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-03-17.
  2. 1981 NSWRFL Semi-final – Manly vs Newtown fight