1951 NSWRFL season

The 1951 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the forty-fourth season of Sydney’s top-level rugby league competition, Australia’s first. Ten teams from across the city competed for the newly created J. J. Giltinan Shield during the season which culminated in a grand final between South Sydney and Manly-Warringah.

1951 New South Wales Rugby Football League
Teams10
Premiers South Sydney (13th title)
Minor premiers South Sydney (12th title)
Matches played94
Points scored3400
Top points scorer(s) Ron Rowles (220)
Top try-scorer(s) Johnny Graves (28)

Season summary

South Sydney ascended to the minor premiership with relative ease in 1951, losing only one match during the season to finish the regular season ahead by a record eleven-point margin.

Teams
Balmain

44th season
Ground: Leichhardt Oval
Coach: Jim Duckworth
Captain: Stan Ponchard

Canterbury-Bankstown

17th season
Ground: Belmore Sports Ground
Coach: Vic Bulgin→Alby Why
Captain: Vic Bulgin

 Eastern Suburbs

44th season
Ground: Sydney Sports Ground
Coach: Ernie Norman
Captain: Alan Cook

Manly-Warringah

5th season
Ground: Brookvale Oval
Coach: Wally O'Connell
Captain: Kevin Schubert

 Newtown

44th season
Ground: Erskineville Oval
Captain-coach: Frank Farrell

North Sydney

44th season
Ground: North Sydney Oval
Coach: Laurie Doran
Captain: Bob Sullivan

Parramatta

5th season
Ground: Cumberland Oval
Coach: Vic Hey
Captain: Don Graham

South Sydney

44th season
Ground: Redfern Oval
Captain-coach: Jack Rayner

 St. George

31st season
Ground: Kogarah Jubilee Oval
Captain-coach: Johnny Hawke

 Western Suburbs

44th season
Ground: Pratten Park
Coach: Jeff Smith
Captain: Peter McLean

Ladder
Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
1 South Sydney 181611428237+19133
2 Manly-Warringah 181107424262+16222
3 St. George 181017374251+12321
4 Western Suburbs 181008360333+2720
5 Eastern Suburbs 18909304340-3618
6 Parramatta 18909309410-10118
7 Canterbury-Bankstown 187011266362-9614
8 Newtown 186012261341-8012
9 Balmain 186012283365-8212
10 North Sydney 185013220328-10810

Finals

Odds-on favourites to retain the premiership, Souths reserved their worst performance of the year for the semifinal against St. George being trounced 35–8. This loss meant that a grand final would be necessary to determine the season's premiers.[1] The next week, the Dragons were beaten by a gutsy Manly side in a preliminary final, 18–8. The infant Manly club thus qualified for its first grand final only five seasons after having entered the League in 1947.

Home Score Away Match Information
Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd
Semifinals
South Sydney 8–35 St. George 1 September 1951 Sydney Cricket Ground Aub Oxford 39,735
Manly-Warringah 37–9 Western Suburbs 8 September 1951 Sydney Cricket Ground George Bishop 29,444
Preliminary Final
Manly-Warringah 18–8 St. George 15 September 1951 Sydney Cricket Ground George Bishop 41,845
Final
South Sydney 42–14 Manly-Warringah 23 September 1951 Sydney Sports Ground Jack O'Brien 28,505

Grand Final
South Sydney Position Manly-Warringah
13. Clive ChurchillFB
  1. Ron Beaumont
12. John GravesWG2. Ron Rowles
11. Kevin WoolfeCE5. Gordon Willoughby
10. Milton AtkinsonCE4. Warren Simmons
34. Harry WellsWG16. Jack Lumsden
28. Norm SpillaneFE17. Jim Sullivan
58. Ray MasonHB7. Ken Arthurson
  1. Denis Donoghue
 PR12. Roy Bull
2. Ernie HammertonHK13. Kevin Schubert (c)
3. Bryan OrrockPR11. Fred Brown
5. Bernie PurcellSR10. Jack Hubbard
4. Jack Rayner (Ca./Co.)SR9. Sandy Herbert
6. Les CowieLK8. George Hunter
CoachWally O'Connell

Manly were without former Test star and captain-coach Wally O'Connell who had a fractured bone in his wrist.[2] The Sea Eagles were instead captained by hooker Kevin Schubert. Gordon Willoughby played out the match with his leg heavily strapped rather than leave his side further depleted but Manly’s hopes of upsetting the defending premiers were shattered in a spectacular display of attacking rugby league by Souths.

Manly's Ron Rowles and Gordon Willoughby trying to stop Souths Winger Johnny Graves from scoring the first of his four tries.

The smallest crowd for a final since 1944 was on hand at the Sports Ground to witness a one-sided game which Souths won 42–14. A highlight of the record win was Test winger John Graves’ four tries in the match – the only time this has been achieved in grand final history. Souths 42 points remains the highest score made in a Grand Final.

Souths scored first through Bernie Purcell and led 15–4 at the break. They then piled on twenty-seven points in the second-half. Tries to Clive Churchill, Ray Mason, Jack Rayner and Chick Cowie added to Graves' record haul. The Rabbitohs pack, led by front rower Denis Donoghue, dominated Manly’s forwards with Ernie Hammerton giving his team a feast of possession. Bernie Purcell landed seven goals from nine attempts and was also dynamic in attack, being chosen by The Sunday Herald judge, Frank McMillan as the man-of-the-match, for which he received a £10 reward.[3]

Other records set that day include the most combined points scored in a grand final (56 total); the most tries scored by one team in a grand final (8), (a mark later matched by Eastern Suburbs in 1975 Grand Final, and Manly Warringah Sea Eagles in the 2008 NRL Grand Final), the most goals scored in grand final by the winning team (9) and the most total combined goals scored in a Grand Final (13).

Manly 1951 Grand Finalists. Back Row - Sandy Herbert, Gordon Willoughby, Roy Bull, Jack Hubbard, Fred Brown, Warren Simmons. Front Row - Ron Beaumont, Ken Arthurson, Jim Sullivan, Kevin Schubert (c), George Hunter, Ron Rowles, Jack Lumsden. Ball Boy W. Sullivan

South Sydney Rabbitohs 42
Tries: Graves (4), Churchill, Mason, Rayner, Cowie
Goals: Purcell (7), Hammerton, Donoghue.

Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 14
Tries: Lumsden (2)
Goals: Rowles (4)

Player statistics

The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 18.

References
  1. Goodman, Tom (1951-09-01). "Grand Final for Sunday". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australia. p. 9. Retrieved 2009-12-05.
  2. "O'Connell to miss Grand Final, but Churchill can play". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1951-09-18. p. 10. Retrieved 2009-11-20.
  3. "South's record margin League finale". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1951-09-24. p. 6. Retrieved 2009-11-20.
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