The 1921 New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the fourteenth season of Australia’s first rugby league football club competition which was based in Sydney. Nine teams from across the city contested the season, with North Sydney being crowned premiers by virtue of finishing the season on top of the League.Premiership Roll of Honour at rl1908.com The 1921 season also saw the St George club enter the competition, replacing the Annandale club, who after eleven seasons, exited the League.
Season summary Because the 1921–22 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain departed in mid-July only one series of nine rounds was played, with the second series being devoted to the City Cup. The premiership was decided with no finals on a first-past-the-post basis.
Premiers North Sydney became the second team to go through a season undefeated - seven wins and an 8-8 draw with Easts in round 5. Their brilliant performance earned them their maiden premiership.
University became the third team to have gone through a season winless, as Annandale had done the previous season and in 1918. University’s season yielded eight losses from eight starts, conceding 295 points at an average of 36.88 per match.
The season saw an experiment with referees instead of halfbacks feeding the scrum. Although the experiment was very quickly viewed a dismal failure and abandoned, the amendment was sometimes advocated in later years after scrums became largely uncontested.Lester, Gary; Clouds of Dust, Buckets of Blood: the Story of the Western Suburbs Rugby League Magpies; p. 56.
Teams With the addition of St George in place of the recently departed Annandale club, the number of teams in the League remained at nine. Balmain, formed on January 23, 1908, at Balmain Town Hall Eastern Suburbs, formed on January 24, 1908, at Paddington Town Hall Glebe, formed on January 9, 1908 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
Balmain14th seasonGround: Birchgrove OvalCaptain-Coach: Charles FraserEastern Suburbs14th seasonGround: Sydney Cricket GroundCaptain-Coach: Sandy PearceCaptain: Harry CaplesGlebe14th seasonGround: Wentworth ParkCaptain: Frank BurgeNewtown14th seasonGround: Marrickville OvalCaptain: Alex BolewskiNorth Sydney14th seasonGround: North Sydney Oval Coach: Chris McKivatCaptain: Harold Horder/ Duncan ThompsonSt. George1st seasonGround: Hurstville OvalCaptain-Coach Herb GilbertSouth Sydney14th seasonGround: Sydney Sports GroundCoach: Howard HallettCaptains:Arthur Oxford, Ted McGrathUniversity2nd SeasonCoach: Bill KellyCaptain: Alan McLeodWestern Suburbs14th seasonGround: Pratten ParkCaptain-Coach: Viv Farnsworth
Ladder
TeamPldWDLBPFPAPDPts1 North Sydney8710117282+90172 Eastern Suburbs8611118767+120153 Glebe8602111571+44144 Balmain8503113571+64125 South Sydney84041141104+37106 Newtown8305177117-4087 St George8206187124-3768 Western Suburbs8206190155-6569 Sydney University8008182295-2132
References
External links Rugby League Tables - Notes The World of Rugby League Rugby League Tables - Season 1921 The World of Rugby League Premiership History and Statistics RL1908 Results: 1921-30 at rabbitohs.com.au