1936 NSWRFL season

1936 NSWRFL season
Teams 9
Premiers Eastern Suburbs (6th title)
Minor premiers Eastern Suburbs (7th title)
Matches played 63
Points scored 1956 (total)
31.048 (per match)
Top point scorer(s) Syd Christensen (123)
Top try scorer(s) Fred Tottey (25)

The 1936 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the twenty-ninth season of Sydney's top-level rugby league football club competition, Australia's first. Nine teams from across the city contested the premiership during the season, which lasted from April until September, and culminated in Eastern suburbs' victory over Balmain in the final.[1]

Contents

Season summary

In round 14 of the University club ended a losing streak which had begun round 2, 1934 and marked the most consecutive losses in NSWRL/NRL premiership history at 42. Eastern Suburbs went through 1936 undefeated - a feat achieved by teams in only five other seasons before or since.

Teams

Balmain Canterbury-Bankstown Eastern Suburbs
Newtown North Sydney South Sydney
St. George University Western Suburbs

Ladder

Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts
1 Eastern Suburbs 13 11 2 0 2 335 145 +190 28
2 Balmain 13 9 0 4 2 268 161 +107 22
3 Canterbury 14 9 2 3 1 345 243 +102 22
4 North Sydney 13 7 1 5 2 210 161 +49 19
5 Newtown 14 7 0 7 1 203 226 -23 16
6 Western Suburbs 13 5 1 7 2 199 203 -4 15
7 South Sydney 13 5 0 8 2 187 185 +2 14
8 St. George 13 3 0 10 2 141 228 -87 10
9 University 14 1 0 13 1 99 414 -315 4

Finals

In the two semi finals, the top two ranked teams Eastern Suburbs and Balmain beat their lower-ranked opponents North Sydney and Canterbury-Bankstown. Both Eastern Suburbs and Balmain then played off for the premiership in the Final.

  Semi-finals Final
September 1936 - Sports Ground
  Balmain 16  
  North Sydney 3  
 
12 September 1936 - Sports Ground
      Eastern Suburbs 32
    Balmain 12
September 1936 - Sports Ground
  Eastern Suburbs 25
  Canterbury-Bankstown 13  

Premiership Final

Balmain Tigers Position Eastern Suburbs Roosters
Frank Johnston FB Tom Dowling
Sid Goodwin WG Rod O'Loan
Gus Reeves CE Dave Brown (c)
Eddie Lochart CE Jack Lynch
Jack Redman WG Fred Tottey
Sid Christensen (c) FE Ernie Norman
Tom Grahame HB Viv Thicknesse
Dave Manning PR Jack Coote
Bill Alexander HK Tom McLachlan
Frank Griffiths PR Ray Stehr
Bill Johnson SR Harry Pierce
Edmond Beaver SR Joe Pearce
Roy Palmer LK Andy Norval
Joe Busch Coach Arthur Halloway

In front of a crowd of 14,395 at the Sydney Cricket Ground Easts were vying for back-to-back premierships and took on Balmain.

The match, officiated by referee Lal Deane was tight in the first half with a scoreline favouring Easts 8-6 at the break. In the second half Easts ran away with the game, scoring eight tries all up to Balmain's two.

The game marked the end of sterling career for Tiger's champion and former international Joe "Chimpy" Busch, and was a suitable farewell for the Roosters' captain and star, Dave Brown, who headed to the English club Warrington for the 1937 and 1938 seasons.

Eastern Suburbs 32 (Tries: Fred Tottey 2, Rod O’Loan, Dave Brown, Ray Stehr, Ernie Norman, Jack Lynch, Andy Norval. Goals: Jack Lynch 2, Dave Brown 2 )

defeated

Balmain 12 (Tries: Frank Griffiths, Sid Goodwin. Goals: Sid Christensen 2, Bill Johnson)


References