The 1941 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the thirty-fourth season of Sydney’s top-level rugby league competition, Australia’s first. Eight teams from across the city contested the premiership during the season, which lasted from April until August, culminating in Eastern Suburbs’ loss to St. George in the grand final.Premiership Roll of Honour at rl1908.com
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 34th seasonGround: Leichhardt Oval Coach: Bill KellyCaptain: Sid GoodwinCanterbury-Bankstown 7th seasonGround: Belmore Sports Ground Captain-coach: Ron Bailey Eastern Suburbs 34th seasonGround: Sydney Sports Ground Captain-coach: Ray StehrNewtown 34th seasonGround: Henson Park Captain-Coach: Percy WilliamsNorth Sydney 34th seasonGround: North Sydney Oval Coach: Arthur HallowayCaptain: Rex Harrison South Sydney 34th seasonGround: Sydney Sports Ground Coach: Jim TaitCaptain: Bob BanhamSt. George 21st seasonGround; Hurstville Oval Captain-coach: Neville SmithWestern Suburbs 34th seasonGround: Pratten Park Captain-Coach: Les Mead
Ladder
TeamPldWDLPFPAPDPts1 Eastern Suburbs14905217160+57182 Balmain14905243205+38183 Canterbury14905205182+23184 St. George14815307248+59175 Newtown14626219242-23146 Western Suburbs14608247226+21127 South Sydney144010193277-8488 North Sydney143110171262-917 As three clubs were equal on points at the end of the home-and-away season, no club had the right of challenge in the finals.
Finals Eastern Suburbs and St. George won their respective semi finals, allowing them to meet in the final. HomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDate and TimeVenueRefereeCrowd Semifinals Eastern Suburbs24–22 Canterbury-Bankstown16 August 1941Sydney Cricket GroundTom McMahon21,000 Balmain8–32 St. George23 August 1941Sydney Cricket GroundTom McMahon26,790 Final Eastern Suburbs14–31 St. George30 August 1941Sydney Cricket GroundTom McMahon39,957
Premiership final Eastern SuburbsPositionSt. George 13. Doug Bartlett FB 13. Jack Wedgwood 44. Percy Dermond WG 9. Owen Campbell 10. Dick Dunn CE 8. Gordon Hart 14. Dave Brown CE49. Jack Gilbert21. Brian Walsh WG 12. Noel Jones 8. Fred MayFE 20. Roy Hasson 7. Sel Lisle HB 7. Albert McAndrew 3. Jack Arnold PR 3. Charlie Montgomery 2. Noel Hollingdale HK Herb Gilbert Jnr Ray Stehr (Ca./Co.) PR 2. Lindsay Spencer 30. Don Gulliver SR 5. Neville Smith (Ca./Co.) 5. Sid Pearce SR 6. Len Kelly (v.capt) 27. Wal Bamford LK 23. Bill Tyquin Reserve 47. Bill Collier Reserve 58. Jim Hale In a tough encounter the Dragons won their first ever premiership in their twenty-first season in the competition. St. George captain-coach Neville Smith was knocked out after a heavy tackle early in the match. Smith recovered and scored 13 points through one try and five goals.
Along with Smith, St. George centre Gordon Hart also gave a sparkling display of free-running rugby league. Recently enlisted in the AIF, Hart had been given permission to leave barracks to participate in the finals.‘Just one member of historic Saints side present and accounted for’
In another incident Easts’ prop Jack Arnold and Saints’ lock Bill Tyquin were sent off after an almighty punch up. Tyquin, a Queensland representative who would later captain Australia, played only the 1941 war-time season in Sydney while he was stationed there on duty with the AIF.
It was to prove to be the final match in the record-setting career of Easts’ Dave Brown who at twenty-nine years of age announced his retirement at game’s end.
St. George 31 (Tries: Campbell 2, Hanson 2, Smith, Kelly, Hart. Goals: Smith 5)
defeated
Eastern Suburbs 14 (Tries: Dermond 2, Brown, Bamford. Goals: Brown 1)
Player statistics The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 14.
Top 5 point scorers PointsPlayerTriesGoalsField Goals68 Lin Johnson034062 N. Parkinson622058 Ray Pratt029057 Neville Smith718054 Fred Felsch2240 Top 5 try scorers TriesPlayer13 Sel Lisle12 Arthur Patton11 William Ryan10 Sid Goodwin10 Jack Lindwall10 Bruce Ryan10 Bruce Brown
Top 5 goal scorers GoalsPlayer34 Lin Johnson29 Ray Pratt26 Percy Williams24 Fred Felsch22 N. Parkinson
References
External links Rugby League Tables - Notes AFL Tables Rugby League Tables - Season 1941 AFL Tables Premiership History and Statistics RL1908 Results: 1941-50 at rabbitohs.com.au 1941 Final at nrlstats.com 1941 Final at Dragons History site