1985 NSWRL season

1985 New South Wales Rugby League
Teams	13
Premiers	Canterbury-Bankstown (5th title)
Minor premiers	St. George (15th title)
Matches played	163
Points scored	5,416
Attendance	1,450,162
Top points scorer(s)	Mick Cronin (204)
Wooden spoon	Illawarra Steelers  (1st spoon)
Rothmans Medal	Wayne Pearce
Top try-scorer(s)	Steve Linnane (17)
← 1984 1986 →

The 1985 New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the seventy-eighth season of professional rugby league football in Australia. Thirteen teams competed for the J J Giltinan Shield and Winfield Cup during the season, which culminated in a grand final between the Canterbury-Bankstown and St. George clubs. This season NSWRL teams also competed for the 1985 National Panasonic Cup.

Season summary

The regular season commenced in March with reigning premiers Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs winning 18–4 against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. Bulldogs forward Paul Langmack scored the first try of the season. ^[1] Parramatta played their round 2 match against the Canberra at Orana Park following the opening of a new A$1.25m grandstand. It was the first match played at the venue since 1983. ^[1] Parramatta hosted their remaining matches at Belmore Sports Ground with the new Parramatta Stadium to open in time for the 1986 season.

St. George would be undefeated through the opening eight rounds of the season, before losing to Balmain 24–19 at Kogarah Oval, the Tigers had been behind 13–0 after only 17 minutes of the match. ^[1]

In the second half of the season, the NSWRL experimented by fixturing 11 matches played at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Monday nights, with matches broadcast live by Network 10. The experiment was hailed as a success with average attendance over 10,000 fans and an average television audience of 750,000. ^[1]

Following the final round of the season, Penrith and Manly Warringah Sea Eagles finished level on 31 competition points to force a Tuesday night playoff for fifth place. The scores were tied at 6-all after 80 minutes forcing extra time. Manly led 7–6 early in the first half of extra time, but two goals by Penrith halfback Greg Alexander gave the Panthers a 10–7 victory. ^[1]

Penrith joined minor premiers St. George in the finals with Balmain, Canterbury and Parramatta the other finalists. ^[1]

Awards

• Rothmans Medal — Wayne Pearce (Balmain Tigers) ^[1]
• Dally M Medal — Greg Alexander (Penrith Panthers) ^[2]
• Rugby League Week Player of the Year — Ray Price (Parramatta Eels) ^[1]

Teams

The lineup of clubs remained unchanged from the previous year, with 13 clubs contesting the 1985 premiership, including five Sydney-based foundation teams, another six from Sydney, one from greater New South Wales and one from the Australian Capital Territory.

Balmain Tigers 78th season Ground: Leichhardt Oval Coach: Frank Stanton Captain: Wayne Pearce	Canberra Raiders 4th season Ground: Seiffert Oval Coach: Don Furner Captain: Dean Lance	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 51st season Ground: Belmore Sports Ground Coach: Warren Ryan Captain: Steve Mortimer	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 19th season Ground: Ronson Field Coach: Terry Fearnley Captain: David Hatch	Eastern Suburbs Roosters 78th season Ground: Sydney Sports Ground Coach: Arthur Beetson Captain: Ron Gibbs→John Tobin	Illawarra Steelers 4th season Ground: Wollongong Showground Coach: Brian Smith Captain: Brian Hetherington	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 39th season Ground: Brookvale Oval Coach: Bob Fulton Captain: Glenn Ryan→Paul Vautin
North Sydney Bears 78th season Ground: North Sydney Oval Coach: Greg Hawick→Brian Norton [3] Captain: W. Honeywood→Fred Teasdell→Mark Graham	Parramatta Eels 39th season Ground: Belmore Sports Ground Coach: John Monie Captain: Ray Price	Penrith Panthers 19th season Ground: Penrith Park Coach: Tim Sheens Captain: Royce Simmons	South Sydney Rabbitohs 78th season Ground: Redfern Oval Coach: Ron Willey Captain: David Boyle	St. George Dragons 65th season Ground: Kogarah Oval Coach: Roy Masters Captain: Craig Young	Western Suburbs Magpies 78th season Ground: Lidcombe Oval Coach: Ken Gentle Captain: Lee Crooks

Regular season

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	F1	F2	F3	F4	GF
Balmain Tigers	NOR +20	PEN +30	CRO +24	WES +40	CBY −2	MAN −4	EAS −4	X	STG +5	ILA +8	CAN +3	PAR +13	SOU +12	NOR +23	PEN +6	CRO −20	WES +6	CBY +6	MAN +8	EAS +1	X	STG −2	ILA +13	CAN +18	PAR −32	SOU +18	X	CBY −6*	PAR −28
Canberra Raiders	ILA +10	PAR −14	NOR +8	SOU +14	PEN −30	CRO −20	WES +32	CBY −24	MAN 0	EAS −2	BAL −3	STG +10	X	ILA +9	PAR −14	NOR +30	SOU +7	PEN −6	CRO −2	WES 0	CBY −12	MAN −15	EAS −18	BAL −18	STG −44	X
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	CRO +14	X	MAN −20	EAS 0	BAL +2	STG 0	ILA +6	CAN +24	PAR −20	NOR +8	SOU −15	PEN −11	WES +52	CRO +8	X	MAN +4	EAS +7	BAL −6	STG −10	ILA +20	CAN +12	PAR +15	NOR +18	SOU +18	PEN +14	WES +28	X	BAL +6*	STG −11	PAR +26	STG +1
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	CBY −14	EAS −20	BAL −24	STG −10	ILA +8	CAN +20	PAR −4	NOR +14	SOU −6	PEN −6	X	WES +18	MAN +15	CBY −8	EAS −7	BAL +20	STG −18	ILA +26	CAN +2	PAR +8	NOR +12	SOU −2	PEN −8	X	WES +26	MAN −6
Eastern Suburbs Roosters	SOU −18	CRO +20	WES +38	CBY 0	MAN −12	X	BAL +4	STG −4	ILA +2	CAN +2	PAR −26	NOR −4	PEN +20	SOU −8	CRO +7	WES 0	CBY −7	MAN −22	X	BAL −1	STG 0	ILA −10	CAN +18	PAR +2	NOR +16	PEN −32
Illawarra Steelers	CAN −10	NOR −5	SOU +13	PEN +6	CRO −8	WES −10	CBY −6	MAN −12	EAS −2	BAL −8	STG −8	X	PAR −20	CAN −9	NOR +18	SOU +4	PEN −26	CRO −26	WES −12	CBY −20	MAN −6	EAS +10	BAL −13	STG −12	X	PAR −2
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	PEN −12	WES +20	CBY +20	X	EAS +12	BAL +4	STG −4	ILA +12	CAN 0	PAR +4	NOR +14	SOU −8	CRO −15	PEN −12	WES +24	CBY −4	X	EAS +22	BAL −8	STG −17	ILA +6	CAN +15	PAR −12	NOR +18	SOU −26	CRO +6	PEN −3
North Sydney Bears	BAL −20	ILA +5	CAN −8	PAR −2	X	SOU +4	PEN −12	CRO −14	WES +2	CBY −8	MAN −14	EAS +4	STG −16	BAL −23	ILA −18	CAN −30	PAR −8	X	SOU +4	PEN 0	CRO −12	WES +16	CBY −18	MAN −18	EAS −16	STG −8
Parramatta Eels	STG −20	CAN +14	X	NOR +2	SOU +17	PEN −8	CRO +4	WES +6	CBY +20	MAN −4	EAS +26	BAL −13	ILA +20	STG +4	CAN +14	X	NOR +8	SOU −13	PEN +11	CRO −8	WES +38	CBY −15	MAN +12	EAS −2	BAL +32	ILA +2	X	PEN +32	BAL +28	CBY −26
Penrith Panthers	MAN +12	BAL −30	STG −3	ILA −6	CAN +30	PAR +8	NOR +12	SOU +5	X	CRO +6	WES −9	CBY +11	EAS −20	MAN +12	BAL −6	STG −10	ILA +26	CAN +6	PAR −11	NOR 0	SOU −4	X	CRO +8	WES +26	CBY −14	EAS +32	MAN +3	PAR −32
South Sydney Rabbitohs	EAS +18	STG −6	ILA −13	CAN −14	PAR −17	NOR −4	X	PEN −5	CRO +6	WES −8	CBY +15	MAN +8	BAL −12	EAS +8	STG −24	ILA −4	CAN −7	PAR +13	NOR −4	X	PEN +4	CRO +2	WES +8	CBY −18	MAN +26	BAL −18
St. George Dragons	PAR +20	SOU +6	PEN +3	CRO +10	WES +12	CBY 0	MAN +4	EAS +4	BAL −5	X	ILA +8	CAN −10	NOR +16	PAR −4	SOU +24	PEN +10	CRO +18	WES −3	CBY +10	MAN +17	EAS 0	BAL +2	X	ILA +12	CAN +44	NOR +8	X	X	CBY +11	X	CBY −1
Western Suburbs Magpies	X	MAN −20	EAS −38	BAL −40	STG −12	ILA +10	CAN −32	PAR −6	NOR −2	SOU +8	PEN +9	CRO −18	CBY −52	X	MAN −24	EAS 0	BAL −6	STG +3	ILA +12	CAN 0	PAR −38	NOR −16	SOU −8	PEN −26	CRO −26	CBY −28
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	F1	F2	F3	F4	GF

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

Ladder

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	B	PF	PA	PD	Pts	Qualification
1	St. George Dragons	24	18	2	4	2	470	264	+206	42	Advance to finals series
2	Balmain Tigers	24	18	0	6	2	494	304	+190	40
3	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (P)	24	16	2	6	2	435	267	+168	38
4	Parramatta Eels	24	16	0	8	2	458	311	+147	36
5	Penrith Panthers	24	13	1	10	2	460	379	+81	31	Advance to playoff match
6	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	24	13	1	10	2	404	345	+59	31
7	Eastern Suburbs Roosters	24	10	3	11	2	374	389	−15	27
8	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	24	11	0	13	2	440	404	+36	26
9	South Sydney Rabbitohs	24	10	0	14	2	373	419	−46	24
10	Canberra Raiders	24	8	2	14	2	432	534	−102	22
11	North Sydney Bears	24	6	1	17	2	281	491	−210	17
12	Western Suburbs Magpies	24	5	2	17	2	311	661	−350	16
13	Illawarra Steelers	24	5	0	19	2	303	467	−164	14

Source: RLP
(P) Premiers

Ladder progression

• Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 5.
• Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round.
• Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished last place on the ladder in that round.
• Underlined numbers indicate that the team had a bye during that round.

	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26
1	St. George Dragons	2	4	6	8	10	11	13	15	15	17	19	19	21	21	23	25	27	27	29	31	32	34	36	38	40	42
2	Balmain Tigers	2	4	6	8	8	8	8	10	12	14	16	18	20	22	24	24	26	28	30	32	34	34	36	38	38	40
3	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	2	4	4	5	7	8	10	12	12	14	14	14	16	18	20	22	24	24	24	26	28	30	32	34	36	38
4	Parramatta Eels	0	2	4	6	8	8	10	12	14	14	16	16	18	20	22	24	26	26	28	28	30	30	32	32	34	36
5	Penrith Panthers	2	2	2	2	4	6	8	10	12	14	14	16	16	18	18	18	20	22	22	23	23	25	27	29	29	31
6	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	0	2	4	6	8	10	10	12	13	15	17	17	17	17	19	19	21	23	23	23	25	27	27	29	29	31
7	Eastern Suburbs Roosters	0	2	4	5	5	7	9	9	11	13	13	13	15	15	17	18	18	18	20	20	21	21	23	25	27	27
8	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	0	0	0	0	2	4	4	6	6	6	8	10	12	12	12	14	14	16	18	20	22	22	22	24	26	26
9	South Sydney Rabbitohs	2	2	2	2	2	2	4	4	6	6	8	10	10	12	12	12	12	14	14	16	18	20	22	22	24	24
10	Canberra Raiders	2	2	4	6	6	6	8	8	9	9	9	11	13	15	15	17	19	19	19	20	20	20	20	20	20	22
11	North Sydney Bears	0	2	2	2	4	6	6	6	8	8	8	10	10	10	10	10	10	12	14	15	15	17	17	17	17	17
12	Western Suburbs Magpies	2	2	2	2	2	4	4	4	4	6	8	8	8	10	10	11	11	13	15	16	16	16	16	16	16	16
13	Illawarra Steelers	0	0	2	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	6	6	6	8	10	10	10	10	10	10	12	12	12	14	14

Finals

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time	Venue	Referee	Crowd
Playoff
Penrith Panthers	10–7	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	3 September 1985	Sydney Cricket Ground	Mick Stone	16,428
Qualifying Finals
Parramatta Eels	38–6	Penrith Panthers	7 September 1985	Sydney Cricket Ground	Kevin Roberts	18,939
Balmain Tigers	8–14	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	8 September 1985	Sydney Cricket Ground	Mick Stone	25,194
Semi-finals
Balmain Tigers	4–32	Parramatta Eels	14 September 1985	Sydney Cricket Ground	Kevin Roberts	25,423
St. George Dragons	17–6	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	15 September 1985	Sydney Cricket Ground	Mick Stone	39,013
Preliminary final
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	26–0	Parramatta Eels	22 September 1985	Sydney Cricket Ground	Kevin Roberts	34,915
Grand Final
St. George Dragons	6–7	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	29 September 1985	Sydney Cricket Ground	Kevin Roberts	44,569

Chart

	Qualifying final					Major semi-final					Preliminary final					Grand final
						1	St. George	17								St. George		6
							Canterbury	6								Canterbury		7
	2	Balmain	8								Canterbury		26
	3	Canterbury	14			Minor semi-final					Parramatta		0
						Balmain		4
	4	Parramatta	38			Parramatta		32
	5	Penrith	6

Grand Final

1985 (1985) NSWRL Grand Final
Cover of Big League match programme
St George Dragons Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 6 7
1 2 Total STG 0 6 6 CBY 6 1 7
Date	29 September 1985
Stadium	Sydney Cricket Ground
Location	Sydney
Man of the Match	Steve Mortimer (CBY)
Referee	Kevin Roberts
Attendance	44,569
Broadcast partners
Broadcasters	ABC, Network 10 [4]
Commentators	Jim Maxwell, Paul Vautin Debbie Spillane (sideline) (ABC) Ray Warren, Bill Anderson Graeme Hughes (sideline) (Network 10)

Teams

Aiming for back-to-back premierships, Canterbury-Bankstown's team featured 12 players who had played in the 1984 Grand Final, including replacements Mark Bugden and Greg Mullane. Michael Hagan replaced an injured Terry Lamb at five-eighth. The three Mortimer brothers and Steve Folkes also played in the 1979, 1980, 1984 and 1985 matches. St. George captain Craig Young, Steve Morris and Graeme Wynn had all played in the Dragons' 1979 premiership victory. ^[5]

Team details

St. George		Position	Canterbury
Name	Number		Number	Name
Glenn Burgess	1	FB	1	Michael Potter
Denis Kinchela	2	WG	2	Matthew Callinan
Michael O'Connor	3	CE	3	Andrew Farrar
Michael Beattie	4	CE	4	Chris Mortimer
Steve Morris	5	WG	5	Peter Mortimer
Steve Linnane	6	FE	14	Michael Hagan
Perry Haddock	7	HB	7	Steve Mortimer (c)
Pat Jarvis	13	PR	13	Peter Tunks
Phil Ritchie	12	HK	12	Billy Johnstone
Craig Young (c)	11	PF	11	Peter Kelly
Billy Noke	10	SR	10	Steve Folkes
Graeme Wynn	9	SR	9	Brian Battese
Graeme O'Grady	8	LK	8	Paul Langmack
Chris Guider	38	Replacement	15	David Gillespie
Stephen Funnell	23	Replacement	17	Mark Bugden
Chris Johns	17	Replacement	16	Greg Mullane
Alan Neil	20	Replacement
Roy Masters		Coach		Warren Ryan
[6] [5]

Match details

The two teams had played twice during the regular season, playing out a 10-all draw at the Belmore Sports Ground in April, with St. George taking the return match 16–6 at the Sydney Cricket Ground in June. The teams met again in the major semi final, with the Dragons taking a 17–6 win to progress through the Grand Final. Canterbury then thrashed Parramatta 26–0 in the preliminary final to earn another grand final berth. ^[5]

The match was played in sunny, albeit breezy conditions at the Sydney Cricket Ground before a crowd of 44,569. ^[7]

St. George centre and goalkicker Michael O'Connor was injured in the first few minutes of the match and was in the hands of medical staff for a number of minutes before returning to his position. Canterbury's Steve Folkes was also struggling with a rib injury following the early exchanges. ^[5] The Dragons had a few half-chances in the first ten minutes, but were unable to capitalise on the opportunities to score, ^[5] while Canterbury centre Andrew Farrar was seen heading to the sidelines for treatment.

As the first half progressed with each team cancelling the other out, it would be Canterbury's tactical kicking game that continually put St. George fullback Glenn Burgess under the test of the high-ball in his in-goal area, which under the rules of the time, resulted in a line drop-out with the Bulldogs regaining possession. ^{[8] [5]}

Midway through the half, a penalty was awarded to Canterbury against St. George captain Craig Young for punching Farrar in a tackle. Opting to take a shot at opening the scoring, Farrar's kick from 39 metres from the posts on a slight angle missed. ^[5]

The turning point of the first half came in the 27th minute of the match. After felling St George's Graeme Wynn as a scrum broke up, Canterbury prop forward Peter Kelly was surprising awarded a penalty by referee Kevin Roberts for a different infraction by the Dragons. Gifted field position, Canterbury went on the attack and shortly thereafter Kelly used the blindside to send winger Peter Mortimer over out wide on the Bulldogs right flank to open the scoring with a try. ^[8] Farrar slotted the conversion attempt for a 6–0 lead, which held to half time after O'Connor missed a penalty goal attempt four minutes from the break. ^[5]

After a quiet first half, Bulldogs halfback and skipper Steve Mortimer seized control of the match in the second half, as coach Warren Ryan sent on David Gillespie and Mark Bugden to replace Peter Tunks and Billy Johnstone. Winger Matthew Callinan won a contest against Burgess for a high-ball close to the Dragons line and crossed the tryline, only for referee Roberts to deny the try when he ruled Callinan was offside. ^[5]

In the 57th minute Steve Morris produced a twisting run that beat three defenders only to loose the ball in a tackle just short of the Bulldogs line. ^[8] The Dragons had another great opportunity to level the scores with just over 10 minutes remaining when Bulldogs fullback Michael Potter was forced into touch close to his own line. The pressure was relieved though when a kick from O'Connor bounced harmlessly into touch in goal. ^[8]

From there Canterbury went forward set up for a field goal to clinch the match, which Farrar (despite missing an attempt earlier in the second half) ^[5] had no trouble in kicking in the 72nd minute to take the score to 7–0. ^[8] A last light of hope appeared for the Dragons when Morris found some space out wide to kick ahead for himself in a bit of individual brilliance to score, with O'Connor adding the two points to cut the lead to a single point with five minutes remaining. In the end though, a well-drilled and clinical approach from Canterbury shut out the Dragons with their defensive pressure. The Bulldogs able to smother the Dragons attack in the umbrella defensive structure. ^[9]

Described as a "dour match which featured heavy defence," ^[10] Canterbury coach Ryan said that his team maintained "cruel, ruthless control" over the contest. ^[10] Although Ryan had led the Bulldogs to consecutive premierships, there was ongoing speculation that he would not be at the club the following season due to a rift with club management. ^[11] Dragons coach Roy Masters, also embroiled in a bitter feud with Ryan, ^[10] conceded that "the bottom line is they were too good. Their kicking game was excellent and they certainly had a lot of possession. When we did get the ball, we were too weary from so much tackling to be able to make any impression." ^[12]

Scoreboard

1985 NSWRL Winfield Cup Grand Final

Sunday, 29 September 15:00 AEST (UTC+10)

St. George	6 – 7	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Tries:1 Morris  74' Goals:1 O'Connor  75'(1/2) Field goals:0 Linnane (0/1)	1st: 0-6 2nd: 6-1 [5] [6]	Tries:1 P Mortimer  29' Goals:1 Farrar  30'(1/2) Field goals:1 Farrar  72'(1/2) S Mortimer (0/1)

Sydney Cricket Ground Attendance: 44,569 Referee: Kevin Roberts Player of the Match: Steve Mortimer [13] [14]

Other matches

St. George had teams in each of the three grand finals, winning the Under-23s decider 24–20 against Parramatta, and the reserve grade grand final 22–16 against the Canberra Raiders. ^[5] The reserve grade premiership was won in the final seconds when Dragons fullback Alan Neil scored a try to break a 16-all deadlock. ^{[15] [16]}

Hooker Chris Guider became the first and only player to play in all three grand finals on the same day, starting in the Under-23s match before being used as a replacement in the reserve grade and first grade matches. ^{[17] [18] [19]}

Player statistics

The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 26.

Top 5 point scorers Points Player Tries Goals Field goals 194 Dean Carney 11 75 0 192 Ross Conlon 4 88 0 184 Greg Alexander 13 65 2 178 Michael O'Connor 6 76 2 178 Mick Cronin 4 81 0 Top 5 try scorers Tries Player 16 Steve Linnane 14 Steve Ella 13 Greg Alexander 12 John Davidson 11 Ben Gonzales 11 Wayne Challis 11 Dean Carney 11 Les Biles 11 Craig Bellamy

Top 5 goal scorers Goals Player 88 Ross Conlon 81 Mick Cronin 77 Ron Giteau 76 Michael O'Connor 75 Dean Carney

References

1. Peters, Peter (29 September 1985). "What a year". Big League . 66 (32 (Grand Final)). Randwick, New South Wales: Mordey Enterprises Pty Ltd: 5–11.
2. Mordey, Bill, ed. (29 September 1985). "Alexander's Big Night". Big League . 66 (32 (Grand Final)). Randwick, New South Wales: Mordey Enterprises Pty Ltd: 13.
3. "History". northsydneybears.com.au. North Sydney Bears. Archived from the original on 17 July 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
4. Buzo, Alex (30 September 1985). "Big hits from the Rexicon are missing". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales. p. 47.
5. Hauser, Liam (2022). The Great Grand Finals – Rugby League's Greatest Contests (2022 ed.). Wahroonga, Australia: New Holland. pp. 129–132. ISBN   9781760794736.
6. "NSWRFL 1985 – Grand Final". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
7. D'Souza, Miguel. "Grand Final History". wwos.ninemsn.com.au. AAP. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
8. Neeson, Graham (30 September 1985). "Grafting Canterbury squashes St George". Canberra Times. Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. p. 28. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
9. Fishman, Roland (30 September 1985). "Defence turned out the best form of attack". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales. p. 48.
10. "Victory... but all is not well in Canterbury camp". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales. 30 September 1985. p. 1.
11. Clarkson, Alan (30 September 1985). "The bitter-sweet Bulldogs". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales. p. 21.
12. Clarkson, Alan (30 September 1985). "'They were too good,' says Masters". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales. p. 22.
13. Dampney, James (1 October 2008). "Greats to get man-of-match awards". The Daily Telegraph (Sydney). Retrieved 3 January 2008.
14. Campton, Nick (2 October 2015). "NRL grand final: Betting tips, history and facts on the Clive Churchill Medal". news.com.au. Retrieved 26 June 2025.
15. "Neil does it with 10 seconds left". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales. 30 September 1985. p. 47.
16. "Raiders' reserves lose on the siren". Canberra Times. Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. 30 September 1985. p. 1. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
17. Roy Masters (20 December 2008). "Scientology's little big man keen to 'assist' Dragons". smh.com.au. Sydney, New South Wales: Fairfax Media. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
18. Collison, John (16 July 2019). "The NRL statistics you haven't heard of before". The Roar. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
19. Walter, Brad (30 September 2012). "Grand final Sin Bin: Will ARLC keep faith with pre-match shows?". smh.com.au. Retrieved 18 July 2025.

External links

• 1985 NSWRL Grand Final replay at NRL.com
• 1985 season Rugby League Tables
• Results:1981-90 at rabbitohs.com.au
• 1985 J J Giltinan Shield and Winfield Cup ^{[ dead link ]} at rleague.com
• NSWRL season 1985 at rugbyleagueproject.org