1945 NSWRFL season
| 1945 New South Wales Rugby Football League | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 8 |
| Premiers |  Eastern Suburbs (9th title) |
| Minor premiers | Eastern Suburbs (11th title) |
| Matches played | 60 |
| Points scored | 1941 (total) 32.35 (per match) |
| Top point scorer(s) | Dick Dunn (150) |
| Top try scorer(s) |  Chicka Cahill (13) Jack Snare (13) |
The 1945 NSWRFL season was the 38th New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership season, Sydney's top-level rugby league club competition, and Australia's first. Eight teams from across the city contested during the season which culminated in Eastern Suburbs' victory over Balmain in the grand final.[1]
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
 38th season Ground: Leichhardt Oval Captain: Tom Bourke Coach: Norm Robinson |
 11th season Ground: Belmore Sports Ground Coach: Bill Kelly Captain: George Kilham |
Eastern Suburbs 38th season Ground: Sydney Sports Ground Coach: Arthur Halloway Captain: Ray Stehr |
 38th season Ground: Henson Park Coach: Arthur Folwell, Frank Farrell and Len Smith Captain: Frank Farrell |
 38th season Ground: North Sydney Oval Coach: Frank Burge Captain: Rex Harrison |
South Sydney 38th season Ground: Sydney Sports Ground Coach: Eric Lewis[2] |
St. George 25th season Ground: Hurstville Oval Coach: Percy Williams & Harry Kadwell Captain: Jim Hale |
Western Suburbs 38th season Ground: Pratten Park Coach: Frank McMillan Captain: Jack Walsh |
Ladder
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eastern Suburbs |
14 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 276 | 190 | +86 | 22 |
| 2 | Newtown |
14 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 326 | 177 | +149 | 21 |
| 3 | Western Suburbs |
14 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 238 | 192 | +46 | 17 |
| 4 |  Balmain |
14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 252 | 202 | +50 | 16 |
| 5 |  North Sydney |
14 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 188 | 175 | +13 | 16 |
| 6 |  Canterbury |
14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 217 | 285 | -68 | 9 |
| 7 |  St. George |
14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 183 | 253 | -70 | 9 |
| 8 |  South Sydney |
14 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 144 | 350 | -206 | 2 |
Finals
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Crowd | |||||
| Playoff | ||||||||
| Balmain |
9 - 5 | North Sydney |
16 August 1945 | Sydney Cricket Ground | 17,207 | |||
| Semi Finals | ||||||||
| Eastern Suburbs |
28 - 13 | Western Suburbs |
18 August 1945 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Tom McMahon | 34,916 | ||
| Newtown |
9 - 13 | Balmain |
25 August 1945 | Sydney Cricket Ground | George Bishop | 35,151 | ||
| Final | ||||||||
| Eastern Suburbs |
22 - 18 | Balmain |
1 September 1945[3] | Sydney Cricket Ground | Jack O'Brien | 44,585 | ||
Premiership Final
Balmain led by 10-5 at half time and the match was evenly balanced throughout the second half. With three minutes to go Roosters trailed 17-18. The Roosters were awarded a penalty on half way and Dick Dunn convinced his reluctant captain Ray Stehr that he could make the distance. Dunn successfully kicked the goal from the then unorthodox upright position.
Dunn received Joe Jorgenson's kick from the restart and booted the ball into touch five metres from the Balmain line. Roosters' hooker George Watt won the scrum against the feed and Easts' classy halves pairing of Sel Lisle and Wally O'Connell put on a move that saw Dunn score in the corner.
Dunn scored 19 of the Rooster's 22 points that day carrying with him for luck the sock of his 14-month-old daughter in his shorts pocket throughout the match.[4][5]
Eastern Suburbs 22 (Tries: Dunn 3, J Arnold. Goals: Dunn 5)
defeated
Balmain 18 (Tries: Ponchard 2, Dawes, Nielsen. Goals: Jorgenson 3)
References
- Rugby League Tables - Notes The World of Rugby League
- Rugby League Tables - Season 1945 The World of Rugby League
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Finals lineups and results Hunterlink site
- Sean Fagan interviews Dick Dunn. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Sydney Morning Herald 30sept2004 SMH interviews Dick Dunn
- Results: 1941-1950 at rabbitohs.com.au
- 1945 Labor Daily Cup at rleague.com
- NSWRFL season 1945 at rugbyleagueproject.com
