1945 NSWRFL season

1945 New South Wales Rugby Football League
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 NSWRFL season was the 38th New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership season, Sydney's top-level rugby league club competition, and 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]

Teams

Balmain, formed on January 23, 1908 at Balmain Town Hall
Canterbury-Bankstown
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


Balmain 38th season Ground: Leichhardt Oval Captain: Tom Bourke Coach: Norm Robinson	Canterbury-Bankstown 11th season Ground: Belmore Sports Ground Coach: Bill Kelly Captain: George Kilham	Eastern Suburbs 38th season Ground: Sydney Sports Ground Coach: Arthur Halloway Captain: Ray Stehr	Newtown 38th season Ground: Henson Park Coach: Arthur Folwell, Frank Farrell and Len Smith Captain: Frank Farrell
North Sydney 38th season Ground: North Sydney Oval Coach: Frank Burge Captain: Rex Harrison	South Sydney 38th season Ground: Sydney Sports Ground Coach: Eric Lewis^[2]	St. George 25th season Ground: Hurstville Oval Coach: Percy Williams & Harry Kadwell Captain: Jim Hale	Western Suburbs 38th season Ground: Pratten Park Coach: Frank McMillan Captain: Jack Walsh

Ladder

The geographical locations of the teams that contested the 1945 premiership across Sydney.

	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

Finals

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
Home	Score	Away	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

Premiership Final

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)

References

↑ "Premiership Roll of Honour". rl1908.com. Archived from the original on 2007-04-28.
↑ "Eric Lewis". yesterdayshero.com. SmartPack International Pty Ltd. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
↑ 1945 Grand Final at nrlstats.com
↑ SMH claim
↑ rl1908.com disputes this claim. "Dick Dunn: A True Rooster Booster". Archived from the original on 2011-05-14.

Rugby League Tables - Notes The World of Rugby League
Rugby League Tables - Season 1945 The World of Rugby League
"Premiership History and Statistics". rl1908.com. Archived from the original on 2009-02-08.
Finals lineups and results Hunterlink site
Sean Fagan interviews Dick Dunn. "Dick Dunn: A True Rooster Booster". rl1908.com. Archived from the original on 2011-05-14.
Sydney Morning Herald 30sept2004 SMH interviews Dick Dunn
Results: 1941-1950 at rabbitohs.com.au
1945 Labor Daily Cup at rleague.com
NSWRFL season 1945 at rugbyleagueproject.com

Footnotes

Sydney Roosters

Est. 1908 in Paddington, New South Wales

The Club	History Records Honours Seasons Players Representatives Coaches

Home grounds	Current Sydney Football Stadium Past Royal Agricultural Society Ground Sydney Sports Ground Sydney Cricket Ground Henson Park

Culture	Nick Politis Brian Canavan Eastern Suburbs Leagues Club Royal Agricultural Society Shield ANZAC Day Cup Foundation Cup Jack Gibson Cup Ron Coote Cup

Hall of Fame	Arthur Beetson Brad Fittler Dally Messenger Dave Brown Dick Dunn Jack Gibson Kevin Hastings Ray Stehr Ron Coote

League	Current NRL Past NSWRL ARL

Titles	Premierships – 13 1911 1912 1913 1923 1935 1936 1937 1940 1945 1974 1975 2002 2013 Minor Premierships – 19 1912 1913 1923 1931 1934 1935 1936 1937 1940 1941 1945 1974 1975 1980 1981 2004 2013 2014 2015

Seasons – 108	1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Other competitions	Current Auckland Nines National Youth Competition S. G. Ball Cup Harold Matthews Cup Past Amco Cup New South Wales Cup Jersey Flegg Cup

Affiliations	Sydney Roosters Juniors Wyong Roos

NRL seasons

NSWRL era	1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994

ARL / SL war	1995 1996 1997 (ARL / SL)

NRL era	1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

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