The 1937 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 30th season of the Sydney, New South Wales-based top-grade rugby league club competition, Australia's first. Nine teams from across the city contested the premiership during the season, which lasted from April until June, with Eastern Suburbs being crowned champions.[1]

1937 New South Wales Rugby Football League
Teams9
Premiers Eastern Suburbs (7th title)
Minor premiers Eastern Suburbs (8th title)
Matches played36
Points scored1088
Top points scorer(s) Jack Beaton (56)
Top try-scorer(s) Fred Tottey (10)

Season summary

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The 1937 season only lasted eight rounds due to the Kangaroo tour, and used a “first past the post” system to determine the premiers. There were no Finals. The second half of what would normally have been the NSWRFL season was taken up with a City Cup competition.

Eastern Suburbs won their seventh Premiership going through the season undefeated – a feat achieved by teams in only five other seasons before or since. Having won only two matches in four seasons and only fifteen (plus two draws) in the nine seasons since 1929, the University club withdrew voluntarily from the premiership at the end of the season.

Teams

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1937 proved University’s final NSWRFL season.[2] After being allowed one more season to prove themselves, the Students did not win a match in any grade, scoring only 41 points in first grade, 39 in reserves, and 21 in third grade – in which University veterans were allowed to play the second half of the last match as a farewell.[3]

Balmain
 

30th season
Ground: Leichhardt Oval
Coach: Harold Matthews
Captain(s): Jim Duckworth, Jack Redman

Canterbury-Bankstown
 

3rd season
Ground: Belmore Oval
Coach: George Mason
Captain: Alan Brady

Eastern Suburbs
 

30th season
Ground: Sydney Cricket Ground
Coach: Arthur Halloway
Captain: Viv Thicknesse

Newtown
 

30th season
Ground:Henson Park
Coach: Bill Kelly
Captain: Herb Narvo

North Sydney
 

30th season
Ground: North Sydney Oval
Captain-Coach: Laurie Ward

South Sydney
 

30th season
Ground: Sydney Sports Ground
Coach: Charlie Lynch
Captain: Eric Lewis

St. George
 

17th season
Ground: Earl Park
Coach: Peter Burge / Norm Pope
Captain: Norm Pope & Percy Fairall

University
 

18th season
Coach: Bob "Botsy" Williams
Captain: Tom Carey

Western Suburbs
 

30th season
Ground: Pratten Park
Coach: Jerry Brien
Captain: Cliff Pearce

Ladder

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The geographical locations of the teams that contested the 1937 premiership across Sydney.
Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts
1   Eastern Suburbs 8 6 2 0 1 187 56 +131 16
2   South Sydney 8 5 1 2 1 164 58 +106 13
3   St. George 8 5 1 2 1 151 92 +59 13
4   Newtown 8 4 0 4 1 144 126 +18 10
5   Canterbury 8 4 0 4 1 98 91 +7 10
6   Balmain 8 4 0 4 1 115 136 -21 10
7   North Sydney 8 3 0 5 1 84 94 -10 8
8   Western Suburbs 8 3 0 5 1 104 126 -22 8
9   Sydney University 8 0 0 8 1 41 309 -268 2

References

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  1. ^ Premiership Roll of Honour Archived 2007-04-28 at the Wayback Machine at rl1908.com
  2. ^ "History of the Premiership". centenaryofrugbyleague.com.au. Australian Rugby League. Archived from the original on 9 February 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  3. ^ Lester, Gary; From Berries to Bulldogs: Fifty Years of Canterbury-Bankstown RLFC, p. 25 ISBN 0949853062
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