The 1961 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 54th season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney. Ten teams from across the city competed for the J J Giltinan Shield and WD & HO Wills Cup during the season, which culminated in a grand final between St. George and Western Suburbs.
Season summary Ten Sydney-based clubs participated in the competition with each team meeting all others twice in eighteen regular premiership rounds to reach a top four who battled out four finals.
In round 1, Sydney's Nine Network made the first live telecast of an Australian rugby league match between Balmain and North Sydney from North Sydney Oval on 15 April. The second half of the match was beamed live with former international Ray Stehr the first commentator. There were only two cameras to capture the action, one positioned on each 25-yard line and cameramen frantically switched lenses depending on where play was located.Big League, July 13, 2006 p.7
St. George won their eighth premiership, defeating Western Suburbs in the Grand Final. The Magpies again won the NSWRFL Club Championship this season.
Also this season the Jersey Flegg Championship was introduced.
The 1961 season also saw the retirement from the League of future Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame inductee, Keith Holman.
Teams Balmain 54th seasonGround: Leichhardt Oval Coach: Harry Bath Captain: Keith Barnes Canterbury-Bankstown 27th seasonGround: Belmore Sports Ground Coach: Eddie BurnsCaptain: Ray Gartner Eastern Suburbs 54th seasonGround: Sydney Sports Ground Coach: Dick DunnCaptain: Terry Fearnley Manly-Warringah 15th seasonGround: Brookvale Oval Coach: Ken Arthurson Captain: Rex MossopNewtown 54th seasonGround: Henson Park Coach: Charles Cahill Captain: Tony Brown North Sydney 54th seasonGround: North Sydney Oval Coach: Bob Sullivan Captain: Brian Carlson Parramatta 15th seasonGround: Cumberland Oval Captain-Coach: Ron Boden South Sydney 54th seasonGround: Redfern Oval Coach: Denis Donoghue Captain: Darrel Chapman St. George 41st seasonGround: Jubilee Oval Coach: Ken KearneyCaptains: Brian Clay / Billy WilsonWestern Suburbs 54th seasonGround: Pratten Park Coach: Jack FitzgeraldCaptain: Neville Charlton
Regular season
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 F1 F2 F3 GF BalmainNOR+2STG−11PAR−3EAS−24MAN−22WES−23NEW−20CBY+4SOU+22NOR+14STG−6PAR+3EAS+5MAN−9WES+2NEW+22CBY+3SOU+30MAN+5XWES−2 Canterbury-BankstownMAN−6WES−22NEW+5PAR+14SOU−9NOR−14STG−19BAL−4EAS+3MAN+11WES−18NEW−14PAR+3SOU−11NOR+3STG−6BAL−3EAS0 Eastern SuburbsSOU+14NOR+13STG−6BAL+24PAR+8MAN−3WES−7NEW+2CBY−3SOU+5NOR+21STG+7BAL−5PAR−4MAN−4WES−1NEW+18CBY0 Manly-WarringahCBY+6SOU−3NOR−8STG+3BAL+22EAS+3PAR+28WES−22NEW−3CBY−11SOU−2NOR+20STG−9BAL+9EAS+4PAR+35WES−11NEW+24BAL−5 NewtownWES−10PAR−33CBY−5SOU+1NOR−8STG−12BAL+20EAS−2MAN+3WES−28PAR+1CBY+14SOU−3NOR−18STG−56BAL−22EAS−18MAN−24 North SydneyBAL−2EAS−13MAN+8WES−3NEW+8CBY+14SOU+5PAR+12STG−2BAL−14EAS−21MAN−20WES+3NEW+18CBY−3SOU+2PAR+3STG−20 ParramattaSTG−10NEW+33BAL+3CBY−14EAS−8SOU−11MAN−28NOR−12WES−27STG−20NEW−1BAL−3CBY−3EAS+4SOU−7MAN−35NOR−3WES−20 South SydneyEAS−14MAN+3WES−8NEW−1CBY+9PAR+11NOR−5STG−12BAL−22EAS−5MAN+2WES−14NEW+3CBY+11PAR+7NOR−2STG−21BAL−30 St. GeorgePAR+10BAL+11EAS+6MAN−3WES+3NEW+12CBY+19SOU+12NOR+2PAR+20BAL+6EAS−7MAN+9WES−3NEW+56CBY+6SOU+21NOR+20XWES+5XWES+22 Western SuburbsNEW+10CBY+22SOU+8NOR+3STG−3BAL+23EAS+7MAN+22PAR+27NEW+28CBY+18SOU+14NOR−3STG+3BAL−2EAS+1MAN+11PAR+20XSTG−5BAL+2STG−22 Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 F1 F2 F3 GF
Bold – Home game X – Bye Opponent for round listed above margin
Ladder TeamPldWDLPFPAPDPts1 Western Suburbs181503390181+209302 St. George181503367167+200303 Manly181008294209+85204 Balmain181008281292-11205 Eastern Suburbs18918290211+79196 North Sydney18909273298-25187 South Sydney187011237325-88148 Canterbury186111197284-87139 Newtown185013236436-2001010 Parramatta183015203365-1626
Ladder progression
Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 4. Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round. Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished last place on the ladder in that round.
Team1234567891011121314151617181 Western Suburbs 2 4 6 8 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 22 24 24 26 28 302 St. George 2 4 6 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 20 22 22 24 26 28 303 Manly-Warringah 2 2 2 4 6 8 10 10 10 10 10 12 12 14 16 18 18 204 Balmain 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 4 6 8 8 10 12 12 14 16 18 205 Eastern Suburbs 2 4 4 6 8 8 8 10 10 12 14 16 16 16 16 16 18 196 North Sydney 0 0 2 2 4 6 8 10 10 10 10 10 12 14 14 16 18 187 South Sydney 0 2 2 2 4 6 6 6 6 6 8 8 10 12 14 14 14 148 Canterbury-Bankstown 0 0 2 4 4 4 4 4 6 8 8 8 10 10 12 12 12 139 Newtown 0 0 0 2 2 2 4 4 6 6 8 10 10 10 10 10 10 1010 Parramatta 0 2 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 6 6 6 6 6
Finals HomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDate and TimeVenueRefereeCrowd Semifinals Manly-Warringah 5–10 Balmain27 August 1961Sydney Sports GroundDarcy Lawler20,842 Western Suburbs4–9 St. George2 September 1961Sydney Cricket GroundDarcy Lawler47,964 Preliminary Final Western Suburbs7–5 Balmain9 September 1961Sydney Cricket GroundDarcy Lawler40,726 Grand Final St. George22–0 Western Suburbs16 September 1961Sydney Cricket GroundDarcy Lawler61,196
Grand Final St. GeorgePositionWestern Suburbs Brian Graham FB 2. Don Parish 2. Johnny King WG 15. Dave Barsley 3. Reg Gasniee CE 20. Bill Brown 4. Dave Brown CE 4. Billy Martin 5. Eddie Lumsden WG 5. Peter Dimond 6. Brian Clay FE 6. Keith Holman 7. Bob Bugden HB 7. Arthur Summons 24. Kevin Brown PR 13. Neville Charlton (c) 12. Peter Armstrong HK 14. Noel Kelly 11. Billy Wilson (c) PR 27. Mark Patch 13. Kevin Ryan SR 12. Bill Carson 9. Norm Provan SR 9. John Hayes 8. Johnny Raper LK 8. Kel O'Shea Ken Kearney Coach Jack Fitzgerald Wests beat St George for the minor premiership on for-and-against and they were both ten points clear of their nearest rivals. If the Dragons run was to be stopped, this was the chance in legendary half Keith Holman's last match.
With misty rain on the day of the decider, Wests were knuckling down for another tight forward struggle as had been the case the major semi final also played in the wet. However, Saints stunned the Magpies as they ignored the conditions and threw the ball around.
The Dragons backline ran riot. Eddie Lumsden had a tremendous match, scoring three tries while Johnny King also scored another. Brian Clay, the best player on the field, cut loose against the veteran Holman who was playing in the unaccustomed five-eighth role. In every attacking raid there was an abundance of St George players backing up as the Wests' defence became more and more compressed.
St George scored three tries in a window of fifteen minutes to lead 15-0 at the 26-minute mark. The first was scored after nine minutes when Norm Provan from dummy-half passed to Johnny Raper who sent Clay away to the corner. Close to the sideline and fifteen metres before the try line, Clay called Lumsden inside him and snapped a reverse flick pass into the winger's hands enabling him to score untouched.
At the 21-minute mark from a St George scrum win Raper took the ball and ran toward King, he drew three defenders then lofted the ball to King who scored in the corner. Five minutes later a classic backline got the ball through the hands to Dave Brown who drew Barnsley in leaving Lumsden unmarked for his second try.
They took a 17-nil lead to the half-time break and the match appeared theirs. Fifteen minutes into the second half Lumsden scored again. St George then proceeded to lock up the game and Wests could not overcome the tough Dragons defence.
St George won their sixth Grand Final in a row, stunning Western Suburbs by 22-0. This victory enabled them to beat the previous record of Grand Final wins in a row, held by the South Sydney Rabbitohs. It was Bob Bugden's last match for the Dragons. He had featured in all six wins.
St. George 22 (Tries: Lumsden 3, King. Goals: Graham 5.)
Western Suburbs 0
Player statistics The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 18.
Top 5 point scorers PointsPlayerTriesGoalsField Goals164 Bob Landers14610137 Brian Graham1670122 Ron Willey4550105 Brian Carlson348094 Keith Barnes0470 Top 5 try scorers TriesPlayer19 Johnny King17 Brian Allsop17 Ken Irvine17 Dudley Towers15 Peter Dimond
Top 5 goal scorers GoalsPlayer67 Brian Graham61 Bob Landers55 Ron Willey48 Brian Carlson47 Keith Barnes
Footnotes
External links Rugby League Tables - Season 1961 The World of Rugby League Writer, Larry (1995) Never Before, Never Again, Pan MacMillan, Sydney Big League, News Magazines for the National Rugby League June 13, 2006 Results:1961-70 at rabbitohs.com.au 1961 J J Giltinan Shield and WD HO Wills Cup at rleague.com NSWRFL season 1961 at rugbyleagueproject.org St. George 1961 season at showroom.com.au