1922 NSWRFL season

1922 New South Wales Rugby Football League
Teams 9
Premiers North Sydney (2nd title)
Minor premiers North Sydney (2nd title)
Matches played 72
Points scored 1841 (total)
25.569 (per match)
Top point scorer(s) Harold Horder (151)
Top try scorer(s) Cecil Blinkhorn (20)

The 1922 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the fifteenth season of Sydney's top-grade rugby league football club competition, Australia's first. Nine teams from across the city contested the season which culminated in North Sydney's victory over Glebe in the premiership final.[1]

Season summary

After 18 Rounds of competition Norths and Glebe were tied atop the Points Table. Instead of the points differential rule being implemented a Grand Final was held to determine the premier.

St George and University had very disappointing seasons winning only 2 games. St George conceded 316 points while University conceded 287, averaging 19.75 and 19.13 per game respectively.

Teams

Balmain
15th season
Ground: Birchgrove Oval
Captain/Coach: Charles Fraser
Eastern Suburbs
15th season
Ground: Sydney Sports Ground
Coach:Ray Norman
Captain: Harry Caples
Glebe
15th season
Ground: Wentworth Oval
Captain(s): Frank Burge, Bill Benson
Newtown
15th season
Ground: Sydney Sports Ground
Coach: Bill Farnsworth
Captain: Felix Ryan
North Sydney
15th season
Ground: North Sydney Oval
Coach: Chris McKivat
Captain: Duncan Thompson
St. George
2nd season
Ground: Hurstville Oval
Captain: Albert Johnston
Coach: Herb Gilbert
South Sydney
15th season
Ground: Sydney Cricket Ground
Coach: Howard Hallett
Captain: Alf Blair
University

3rd season
Coach: Sandy Pearce[2]
Captain: Jim Craig, Paddy Conaghan
Western Suburbs
15th season
Ground: Pratten Park
Captain-Coach: Ted Brooks
Co Captain: Dick Vest

Ladder

The geographical locations of the teams that contested the 1922 premiership across Sydney.
Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts
1 North Sydney 1612042306136+17028
2 Glebe 1612042284154+13028
3 Eastern Suburbs 169252217177+4024
4 South Sydney 159152207187+2023
5 Balmain 168262168145+2322
6 Western Suburbs 1660102164201-3716
7 Newtown 1651102169200-3115
8 University 1550102148287-13914
9 St George 1620142140316-1768

Final

Glebe Posit. North Sydney
Ron Stapleton FB Norm Procter
Charlie Ogle WG Harold Horder
Ed Summers CE Frank Rule
Tommy James CE Herman Peters
Jack Toohey WG Cec Blinkhorn
William Stirton FE Dallas Hodgins
Bill Benson HB Duncan Thompson (c)
Frank Burge (c) PR Reg Farnell
Bert Gray HK Clarrie Ives
Laidley Burge PR Jim Pye
Jack Redmond SR Jack Baker
Walter Haddock SR George Green
Tom McGrath LK Wally Hancock
Coach Chris McKivat

As North Sydney and Glebe were tied on competition points a final was played at the Sydney Cricket Ground on 6 September, before a crowd of around 15,000. The match was officiated by Tom McMahon, the elder of the two pre-war referees of that name.

The game was not as even as the ladder at the end of regular season would have suggested. Norths completely got away to a 10-0 lead at half-time and went on to demolish Glebe 35-3, taking their second consecutive premiership crown. The legendary Harold Horder scored twenty individual points in the match.

North Sydney 35 (Tries: Rule 2, Blinkhorn 2, Horder 2, Peters. Goals: Horder 7 )

defeated

Glebe 3 (Try: E Summers)


References

  1. Premiership Roll of Honour at rl1908.com
  2. Sunday Times (Sydney)2 April 1922, page 3,'Sid Pearce to coach University'