1927 NSWRFL season

The 1927 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the twentieth season of Sydney's top-level rugby league club competition, Australia's first. Nine teams from across the city contested during the season, which culminated in South Sydney's victory over St. George in the premiership final.

1927 New South Wales Rugby Football League
Teams9
Premiers South Sydney[1] (7th title)
Minor premiers South Sydney (7th title)
Matches played75
Points scored2183
Top points scorer(s) Alf Blair (94)
Top try-scorer(s) Benny Wearing (19)

Season summary

The 1927 season saw a new record for length of a player's suspension. Balmain's Bill Maizey was suspended for twelve months for punching Easts player George Clamback. The season was also the last as a player in the NSWRFL for future Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame inductee, Frank Burge, who had returned as captain-coach of St. George after three seasons out of the NSWRFL.

Teams

Balmain
20th season
Ground: Birchgrove Oval
Coach: Alf Fraser
Captain: Norm Robinson
Eastern Suburbs
20th season
Ground: RAS Showground
Coach:
Captain: Arthur Oxford
Glebe
20th season
Ground: Wentworth Park
Captain: Tom McGrath
Newtown
20th season
Ground: Marrickville Oval
Coach: Albert "Ricketty" Johnston
Captain(s): Charles Kell, Tom Ellis
North Sydney
20th season
Ground: North Sydney Oval
Coach:
Captain: Leo O'Connor
St. George
7th season
Ground: Earl Park
Captain-Coach: Frank Burge
South Sydney
20th season
Ground: Sydney Cricket Ground
Captain-coach: Alf Blair
University
8th season
Coach:
Captain: Frank O'Rourke, Sammy Ogg
Western Suburbs
20th season
Ground: Pratten Park
Coach: Clarrie Prentice
Captain: Frank McMillan

Ladder

The geographical locations of the teams that contested the 1927 premiership across Sydney.
Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts
1 South Sydney 1614022402162+24032
2 St. George 1612132284141+14329
3 Western Suburbs 169072222182+4022
4 Eastern Suburbs 168262215216-122
5 Newtown 168082189259-7020
6 North Sydney 166192174256-8217
7 Balmain 165292210238-2816
8 Glebe 1640122176297-12112
9 Sydney University 1630132199320-12110

Finals

All four finalists had been decided before the end of the final round and by coincidence faced each other in the penultimate round. 1926 wooden spooners St. George had a massive turnaround in 1927, with a chance to become minor premiers in the final round when they played South Sydney who were just one point ahead of them on the ladder. However looking for their third successive title, South Sydney prevailed 22-9 in front of a large crowd of 26,649 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, and as a result took the minor premiership. On the same day, Western Suburbs and Eastern Suburbs played each other for third spot, with Western Suburbs winning 8-6.

In the semi-finals, both South Sydney and St. George overcame their opponents and were able to set up a rematch of their Round 18 game just two weeks earlier.

 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
10 September 1927 - Earl Park
 
 
St. George 26
 
17 September 1927 - Royal Agricultural Society Showground
 
Eastern Suburbs 11
 
South Sydney 20
 
10 September 1927 - Royal Agricultural Society Showground
 
St. George 11
 
South Sydney 38
 
 
Western Suburbs 6
 

Final

South Sydney Position St. George
Harry KadwellFBJack McCormack
Benny WearingWGStan Brain
Vic LawrenceCEGeorge Carstairs
Sid HarrisCELennie Guest
Harry FinchWGFrank Saunders
Alf Blair (Ca./Co.)FEArnold Traynor
Michael O'ConnorHBBill Benson
David WatsonPRClarrie Tye
Alby CarrHKArthur Justice
Chas FennellPRTom Killiby
George TreweekSRBill Hardman
Edward RootSRFrank Burge (Ca./Co.)
Harry CavanoughLKAub Kelly

Playing on a quagmire at the Royal Agricultural Society Grounds in front of a modest crowd of 12,124 St. George contested their first ever premiership decider in their seventh year in the top league. They confronted the might of South Sydney who were reigning premiers in the two prior years and minor premiers at the end of the 1927 regular season.

The two teams had already met earlier in the season at the Sydney Cricket Ground when Souths defeated Saints 17–14 in front of a massive crowd of 31,500. With heavy rain falling throughout the match, refereed by former Rabbitoh and international Webby Neill Souths took a 13–6 lead to the half time break. The Rabbitohs won the decider scoring four tries to three to take their third successive premiership and becoming the third club to do so.[2]

South Sydney 20 (Tries: Carr, Root, Wearing, Finch. Goals: Blair 2, Kadwell 2)

defeated

St George 11 (Tries: Justice, Carstairs, Saunders. Goal: Saunders )

References

  1. Premiership Roll of Honour Archived 11 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine at rl1908.com
  2. Corbett, Claude (18 September 1927). "South Sydney Premiers - Third Successive Year". The Sun (Sydney). Sydney: National Library of Australia. p. 8. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
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