1932 NSWRFL season

1932 New South Wales Rugby Football League
Teams	8
Premiers	South Sydney (11th title)
Minor premiers	South Sydney (9th title)
Matches played	60
Points scored	1810 (total) 30.167 (per match)
Top point scorer(s)	Les Mead (104 points)
Top try scorer(s)	Alan Ridley (18 tries)

The 1932 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the twenty-fifth season Sydney's top-level rugby league football competition, Australia's first. During the season, which lasted from April until September, eight teams from across the city contested the premiership, culminating in South Sydney's victory over Western Suburbs in the final.^[1][2]

Teams

• Balmain, formed on January 23, 1908 at Balmain Town Hall
• Eastern Suburbs, formed on January 24, 1908 at Paddington Town Hall
• Newtown, formed on January 14, 1908
• North Sydney, formed on February 7, 1908
• South Sydney, formed on January 17, 1908 at Redfern Town Hall
• St. George, formed on November 8, 1920 at Kogarah School of Arts
• Western Suburbs, formed on February 4, 1908
• University, formed in 1919 at Sydney University

Balmain	Eastern Suburbs	Newtown	North Sydney
St. George Ground: Earl Park	South Sydney	University	Western Suburbs

Ladder

The geographical locations of the teams that contested the 1932 premiership across Sydney.

	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
1	South Sydney	14	13	0	1	292	130	+162	26
2	Western Suburbs	14	11	0	3	321	156	+165	22
3	Eastern Suburbs	14	9	0	5	253	133	+120	18
4	Balmain	14	7	1	6	204	227	-23	15
5	Newtown	14	7	0	7	201	251	-50	14
6	St. George	14	4	1	9	140	203	-63	9
7	University	14	2	0	12	134	275	-141	4
8	North Sydney	14	2	0	12	147	317	-170	4

Finals

In the two semi finals, the top two ranked teams South Sydney and Western Suburbs beat their lower-ranked opponents Eastern Suburbs and Balmain, respectively. The two winners then played in a final in which favourites and minor premiers South Sydney were beaten by Western Suburbs. However the finals system set in place then forced the final to be replayed, in what was known as the "Right of Challenge". This system ensured that in the event that the minor premiers lost in either the first or second round of the finals, then they would be given a second chance no matter what in what would later become the final premiership decider.

	Semi-finals				Final
	3 September 1932 - Sports Ground
	South Sydney	26
	Eastern Suburbs	8
					17 September 1932 - Sports Ground
					South Sydney	8
					Western Suburbs	23
	10 September 1932 - Sports Ground[3]
	Western Suburbs	15
	Balmain	7

Grand Final

In the replay, South Sydney beat Western Suburbs 19-12 to take away their seventh premiership in eight years.

The match was played Saturday 24 September 1932 at the Sydney Sports Ground and refereed by Lal Deane before a crowd of 16,925. It was a titanic battle in which Souths led 9-2 at half-time before Wests fought back to level at 12-12. Minutes from full-time a towering penalty goal by Benny Wearing edged Souths ahead 14-12 before they closed out the game with a converted try by Eric Lewis.

The Whiticker/Collis reference quotes a rather prosaic Labor Daily ^[4] in praise of both sides: "The ebb and flow of the grand final thrilled thousands who saw a great battle. A battle of the gladiators, fighting till their lungs seemed only fit to burst, while over 16,000 people hearts beating wildly to the thump of running feet, looked on gasping, cheering and rising from their seats in sheer delight".

South Sydney 19 (Tries: J Why, A Black, E Lewis. Goals: Benny Wearing 4, Percy Williams)

Western Suburbs 12 (Tries: A Ridley, H Rankine. Goals Les Mead )

References

• Whiticker, Alan & Collis, Ian (2006) The History of Rugby League Clubs, New Holland, Sydney
• Rugby League Tables - Notes The World of Rugby League
• Rugby League Tables - Season 1932 The World of Rugby League
• Premiership History and Statistics RL1908
• Collis, Ian; Whiticker, Alan (2007). 100 Years of Rugby League. Chatswood, NSW: New Holland. pp. page 124. ISBN 978-1-74110-463-9.  Cite uses deprecated parameters (help)