The 1935 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the twenty-eighth season of Sydney’s top-grade rugby league club competition, Australia’s first. The season culminated in Eastern Suburbs’ victory over South Sydney in the final.Premiership Roll of Honour at rl1908.com
Teams The addition of Canterbury-Bankstown meant that the League involved nine clubs for the first time since 1929. Balmain, formed on January 23, 1908, at Balmain Town Hall Canterbury-Bankstown, formed October 30, 1934. 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 University, formed in 1919 at Sydney University Western Suburbs, formed on February 4, 1908
Balmain 28th seasonGround: Leichhardt Oval Coach: George RobinsonCaptain: Joe BuschCanterbury-Bankstown 1st seasonGround: Pratten Park Coach: Tedda CourtneyCaptain: Jack Morrison & Tom CareyEastern Suburbs 28th seasonGround: Sports Ground Coach: Arthur HallowayCaptain: Dave BrownNewtown 28th seasonGround: Marrickville Oval Captain: Hans Mork & Arthur FolwellNorth Sydney 28th seasonGround: North Sydney Oval Coach: Frank Burge Captain: Stan Ridgway & Grantley BennettSt. George 15th seasonGround: Earl Park Coach: Albert JohnstonCaptain: Fred Gardner & Edward RootSouth Sydney 28th seasonGround: Sports Ground Coach: Dave WatsonCaptain: Percy WilliamsUniversity 16th season Coach: Robert WilliamsCaptain: Tom McInerneyWestern Suburbs 28th seasonGround: Pratten Park Captain-coach: Frank McMillan
Records set in 1935
The University club did not win a single match in 1935, continuing a losing streak that started in round 2, 1934 and which would run till round 14, 1936, and which marks the most consecutive losses in NSWRL/NRL premiership history at 42.Rugby League Tables – Most Consecutive Games Lost; AFl Tables
On 11 May at Earl Park, St. George defeated newcomers Canterbury 91–6, this remaining the biggest winning margin and most points scored by one team in the history of the NSWRFL/NSWRL/ARL/NRL, beating South Sydney’s 67–nil win over Western Suburbs in 1910.Rugby League Tables – Game Records; AFL Tables The following weekend on 18 May, Eastern Suburbs defeated the “Cantabs” (as Canterbury were initially known) 87–7, this remaining the second-highest score and winning margin in the history of the competition. The record in any grade occurred on 19 July 1913 when South Sydney reserves defeated Mosman by 102 points to 2.‘Rugby League: Second Grade‘; The Sunday Times, 20 July 1913, p. 13‘Records Made: St. George and Griffen’; Sydney Morning Herald, 13 May 1935, p. 17
In the second half of the Earl Park match, St. George scored fourteen tries and sixty-eight points, this being the most scored in one half of any match.See Middleton, David; Rugby League 1996; pp. 123, 125
Eastern Suburbs winger Rod O'Loan scored a club record of seven tries in a 61–5 win over University. This tally stands second (behind Frank Burge's eight tries in 1920) on the list of most individual tries in a premiership match. Dave Brown’s six tries in a 1935 game against Canterbury stands in equal third place in that same list, Easts winning the match 65–10.Rugby League Tables – Most Individual Tries in a Game; AFL Tables
The standing record for most tries in one season also comes from 1935, being 38 by Brown.
Dave Brown’s season tally of 244 points stood for 34 years as the record points scored in a season until topped by Eric Simms in 1969.
Ladder
TeamPldWDLBPFPAPDPts1 Easts1615012599157+442342 Souths1611052314222+92263 Wests1610062345243+102244 Norths169162248253-5235 Balmain168172320225+95216 St. George168082334162+172207 Newtown168082280248+32208 Canterbury1620142150660-51089 University1600162109529-4204
Finals In the two semi-finals played as a double-header at the Sydney Cricket Ground on the same day, the top two ranked teams Eastern Suburbs and South Sydney beat their lower-ranked opponents Western Suburbs and North Sydney. Eastern Suburbs and South Sydney won their respective matches and met each other in the Final.
Premiership Final Eastern SuburbsPositionSouth Sydney13. Tom DowlingFB32. Les McDonald9. Rod O’LoanWG15. Harry Thompson10. Ross McKinnonCE18. Harry Eyers12. Jack BeatonCE34. Eddie Finucane24. Fred TotteyWG54. George Shankland8. Ernie NormanFE12. Jack 'Paddy' Stewart7. Viv ThicknesseHB10. Percy Williams(c) Ray Stehr (c)PR6. Jack McCormack14. Tom McLachlanHK7. George Kilham3. Max NixonPR4. Eric Lewis4. Harry PierceSR Frank Curran5. Joe PearceSR2. Michael Williams6. Andy NorvalLK3. Eddie HinsonArthur Halloway CoachDave Watson Before a crowd of 22,106 and refereed by Tom McMahon, Easts led 9–nil at half-time and were never headed despite being without their record-breaking centre, Dave Brown.
Scorers Eastern Suburbs Tries: Rod O'Loan 2, Harry Pierce, Fred Tottey, Jack Beaton. Goals: Ross McKinnon 2
South Sydney Try: George Shankland
Source:
Player statistics The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 18.
Top 5 point scorers PointsPlayerTriesGoalsField Goals244 Dave Brown38650154 Syd Christensen12590125 Les Griffin7520118 Les Mead4530116 Percy Williams4520 Top 5 try scorers TriesPlayer38 Dave Brown25 Rod O'Loan17 Fred Tottey16 Sid Goodwin15 Alan Ridley
Top 5 goal scorers GoalsPlayer65 Dave Brown59 Syd Christensen53 Les Mead52 Percy Williams52 Les Griffin
References
External links Rugby League Tables - Notes Rugby League Tables - Season 1935