| 1945 NSWRFL season | |
| Teams | 8 |
| Premiers | Eastern Suburbs (9th title) |
| Minor premiers | Eastern Suburbs (11th title) |
| Matches played | 60 |
| Points scored | 1941 (total) 32.35 (per match) |
| Top point scorer(s) | Dick Dunn (150) |
| Top try scorer(s) | Chicka Cahill (13) Jack Snare (13) |
The 1945 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the thirty-eighth season of Sydney's top-level rugby league club competition, Australia's first. Eight teams from across the city contested during the season which culminated in Eastern Suburbs' victory over Balmain in the grand final.[1]
Contents |
| Balmain | Canterbury-Bankstown | Eastern Suburbs | Newtown |
| North Sydney | South Sydney Coach: Eric Lewis[2] |
St. George | Western Suburbs |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eastern Suburbs | 14 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 276 | 190 | +86 | 22 |
| 2 | Newtown | 14 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 326 | 177 | +149 | 21 |
| 3 | Western Suburbs | 14 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 238 | 192 | +46 | 17 |
| 4 | Balmain | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 252 | 202 | +50 | 16 |
| 5 | North Sydney | 14 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 188 | 175 | +13 | 16 |
| 6 | Canterbury | 14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 217 | 285 | -68 | 9 |
| 7 | St. George | 14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 183 | 253 | -70 | 9 |
| 8 | South Sydney | 14 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 144 | 350 | -206 | 2 |
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Crowd | |||||
| Playoff | ||||||||
| Balmain | 9 - 5 | North Sydney | 16 August 1945 | Sydney Cricket Ground | 17,207 | |||
| Semi Finals | ||||||||
| Eastern Suburbs | 28 - 13 | Western Suburbs | 18 August 1945 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Tom McMahon | 34,916 | ||
| Newtown | 9 - 13 | Balmain | 25 August 1945 | Sydney Cricket Ground | George Bishop | 35,151 | ||
| Final | ||||||||
| Eastern Suburbs | 22 - 18 | Balmain | 1 September 1945[3] | Sydney Cricket Ground | Jack O'Brien | 44,585 | ||
| Eastern Suburbs | Position | Balmain |
|---|---|---|
| Ray Pratt | FB | Dave Parkinson |
| Lionel Cooper | WG | Robert Nielson |
| Paul Tierney | CE | Joe Jorgenson |
| Johnny Hunter | CE | Tom Bourke (c) |
| Ken Foster | WG | Robert Paterson |
| Wally O'Connell | FE | Harry Leo |
| Sel Lisle | HB | Stan Ponchard |
| Ray Stehr (c) | PR | Jack Spencer |
| George Watt | HK | Ernie Dawes |
| Jack Arnold | PR | Hilton Kidd |
| Bert Rollason | SR | Jim Metcalf |
| Sid Hobson | SR | Sid Ryan |
| Dick Dunn | LK | Jack Hampstead |
| Arthur Halloway | Coach | Norm Robinson |
Balmain led by 10-5 at half time and the match was evenly balanced throughout the second half. With three minutes to go Roosters trailed 17-18. The Roosters were awarded a penalty on half way and Dick Dunn convinced his reluctant captain Ray Stehr that he could make the distance. Dunn successfully kicked the goal from the then unorthodox upright position.
Dunn received Joe Jorgenson's kick from the restart and booted the ball into touch five metres from the Balmain line. Roosters' hooker George Watt won the scrum against the feed and Easts' classy halves pairing of Sel Lisle and Wally O'Connell put on a move that saw Dunn score in the corner.
Dunn scored 19 of the Rooster's 22 points that day carrying with him for luck the sock of his 14-month old daughter in his shorts pocket throughout the match.[4][5]
Eastern Suburbs 22 (Tries: Dunn 3, J Arnold. Goals: Dunn 5)
defeated
Balmain 18 (Tries: Ponchard 2, Dawes, Nielsen. Goals: Jorgenson 3)
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