The 1970 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 63rd season of Sydney's professional rugby league football competition, Australia's first. Twelve teams, including six foundation clubs and another six admitted post 1908, competed for the J. J. Giltinan Shield during the season which culminated in a grand final match for the WD & HO Wills Cup between the Manly-Warringah and South Sydney clubs.
Season summary Following the previous season's "lay-down" or "stop-start" grand final, rugby league's rules were changed for this season so that rather than stopping the game to call a doctor onto the field when a player goes down injured, the ball is given to a team-mate to play so that no advantage can be gained from feigning injury. Head-high tackles were also outlawed at the commencement of the 1971 season. Each side met all others twice in twenty-two regular season rounds before the top four finishers, Souths, Manly, St. George and Canterbury, fought out four finals for a place in the grand final.
The 1970 season's Rothmans Medallist was Eastern Suburbs' halfback Kevin Junee. Rugby League Week awarded their player of the year award to Cronulla-Sutherland's halfback Tommy Bishop.
Teams Balmain 63rd seasonGround: Leichhardt Oval Coach: Leo NosworthyCaptain: Keith Outten Canterbury-Bankstown 36th seasonGround: Belmore Sports Ground Coach: Kevin RyanCaptain: Ron RaperCronulla-Sutherland Sharks 4th seasonGround: Endeavour Field Captain-coach: Tommy BishopEastern Suburbs 63rd seasonGround: Sydney Sports Ground Coach: Don Furner Captain: John BrassManly-Warringah 24th seasonGround: Brookvale Oval Coach: Ron WilleyCaptain: John McDonaldNewtown 63rd seasonGround: Henson Park Coach: Harry Bath Captain: Oscar Danielson North Sydney 63rd seasonGround: North Sydney Oval Coach: Roy FrancisCaptain: Ken Irvine Parramatta 24th seasonGround: Cumberland Oval Captain-coach: Ron LynchPenrith 4th seasonGround: Penrith Stadium Captain-coach: Bob BolandSouth Sydney 63rd seasonGround: Redfern Oval Coach: Clive ChurchillCaptain: John SattlerSt. George 50th seasonGround: Jubilee Oval Coach: Jack Gibson Captain: Graeme Langlands Western Suburbs 63rd seasonGround: Lidcombe Oval Coach: Ron Watson Captain: Roy Ferguson
Ladder TeamPldWDLPFPAPDPts1 South Sydney221714479273+206352 Manly221615422285+137333 St. George221507408329+79304 Canterbury221408308269+39285 Eastern Suburbs221309386320+66266 Balmain221219380347+33257 Cronulla229013374335+39188 Newtown229013345409-64189 North Sydney227114332435-1031510 Penrith227114292406-1141511 Western Suburbs226115329403-741312 Parramatta224018240484-2448
Finals HomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDate and TimeVenueRefereeCrowd Semi-finals St. George12–7 Canterbury-Bankstown29 August 1970Sydney Cricket GroundKeith Page40,083 South Sydney22–15 Manly-Warringah5 September 1970Sydney Cricket GroundDon Lancashire40,211 Preliminary Final Manly-Warringah15–6 St. George12 September 1970Sydney Cricket GroundDon Lancashire43,147 Grand Final South Sydney23–12 Manly-Warringah19 September 1970Sydney Cricket GroundDon Lancashire53,241
Grand Final South SydneyPositionManly-Warringah Eric Simms FB Bob Batty 2. Michael Cleary WG 2. Derek Moritz 3. Arthur Branighan CE 3. Bob Fulton 4. Paul Sait CE 4. Alec Tennant 5. Ray Branighan WG 5. John McDonald (c) 6. Denis Pittard FE 6. Ian Martin 7. Bob Grant HB 7. Ed Whiley 13. John Sattler (c) PR 13. Bill Hamilton 12. Elwyn Walters HK 12. Fred Jones 11. John O'Neill PR 11. John Bucknall 10. Bob McCarthy SR 36. Lindsay Drake 9. Gary Stevens SR 9. John Morgan8. Ron Coote LK 8. Rob Cameron Bob Honan Reserve 16. Allan Thomson Clive Churchill Coach Ron Willey Having lost the previous Grand Final to Balmain, Souths was desperate to win this year. After four minutes the Rabbitohs had scored. Approximately five minutes later Souths captain John Sattler collapsed, having been punched in an off-the-ball incident by Manly forward John Bucknall. He suffered a double fracture to his jaw but pleaded to teammate Mike Cleary, "Hold me up so they don't know I'm hurt". He was helped up and continued to play in the game. At half-time Souths was leading 12–6 when his teammates learnt about his injury.
During the interval Sattler refused treatment and insisted he continue playing. He also told the side, "the next bloke who tries to cut me out of the play is in trouble", to prevent his teammates trying to protect him from further injury. The Souths forward pack returned to the fray and completely dominated the play with its backline hardly called upon. Bucknall had been replaced by Allan Thomson in the 35th minute after a sustained punitive attention from the Rabbitohs pack saw him suffer a shoulder injury in a heavy tackle.
South Sydney halfback Bob Grant opened the scoring in the fourth minute, crossing untouched while his opposite number Eddie Whiley was off the field having an injury treated. Rabbitohs winger Ray Branighan also crossed untouched six minutes from full-time. By game's end South Sydney had scored three tries to nil in a 23–12 victory. Sattler later went to hospital to receive treatment but only after receiving the J. J. Giltinan Shield and making an acceptance speech.
Eric Simms' record of four field-goals that day stands as the most ever kicked in a Grand Final.
South Sydney 23 (Tries: Grant 2, R Branighan. Goals: Simms 3. Field Goals: Simms 4)
defeated
Manly-Warringah 12 (Goals: Batty 4. Field Goals: Fulton 2)
Player statistics The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 22.
Top 5 point scorers PointsPlayerTriesGoalsField Goals217 Eric Simms39014202 George Taylforth4950179 Allan McKean7781153 Peter Inskip1723150 Bob Batty2666 Top 5 try scorers TriesPlayer16 Ken Irvine15 Bob McCarthy13 Kevin Junee13 Brian Moore12 Don Rogers
Top 5 goal scorers GoalsPlayer95 George Taylforth90 Eric Simms78 Allan McKean72 Peter Inskip66 Bob Batty
References
External links Rugby League Tables – Season 1970 The World of Rugby League 1970 Grand Final at eraofthebiff.com Results:1961-70 at rabbitohs.com.au 1970 J J Giltinan Shield and WD & HO Wills Cup at rleague.com NSWRFL season 1970 at rugbyleagueproject.com