1940 NSWRFL season

The 1940 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the thirty-third season of Sydney’s top-level rugby league club 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’ victory over Canterbury-Bankstown in the final.[1]

1940 New South Wales Rugby Football League
Teams8
Premiers Eastern Suburbs (8th title)
Minor premiers Eastern Suburbs (9th title)
Matches played59
Points scored1738
Top points scorer(s) Tom Kirk (99)
Top try-scorer(s) Jack Lindwall (19)

Season summary

For this season St. George returned to Hurstville Oval as their home ground.

Teams
Balmain
33rd season
Ground: Leichhardt Oval
Coach: Bill Kelly
Captain: Sid Goodwin
Canterbury-Bankstown
6th season
Ground: Belmore Oval
Coach: Alan Brady
Captain: Alan Brady→Jack Bonnyman		 Eastern Suburbs
33rd season
Ground: Sydney Sports Ground
Coach: Dave Brown
Captain: Ray Stehr
Newtown
33rd season
Ground: Henson Park
Coach: Frank Burge
Captain: Percy Williams
North Sydney
33rd season
Ground: North Sydney Oval
Coach: Arthur Halloway
Captain: Roy Thompson		 South Sydney
33rd season
Ground: Sydney Sports Ground
Coach: Charlie Lynch
Captain: Fred Felsch		 St. George
20th season
Ground: Hurstville Oval
Captain-coach: Neville Smith		 Western Suburbs
33rd season
Ground: Pratten Park
Captain-Coach: Max Gray

Ladder
The geographical locations of the teams that contested the 1940 premiership across Sydney.
Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
1 Eastern Suburbs 14914250136+11419
2 Newtown 14905261200+6118
3 St. George 14725263203+6016
4 Canterbury-Bankstown 14806204195+916
5 Balmain 14716199162+3715
6 South Sydney 14707165259-9414
7 North Sydney 144010156243-878
8 Western Suburbs 143011159259-1006

Finals

In the two semi finals, minor premiers Eastern Suburbs defeated St. George whilst fourth-placed Canterbury-Bankstown beat second-placed Newtown. Eastern Suburbs then beat Canterbury-Bankstown in the Final to collect their eighth premiership.

Home Score Away Match Information
Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd
Semi Finals
Eastern Suburbs 10–3 St. George 17 August 1940 Sydney Cricket Ground Jack O'Brien 17,473
Newtown 11–19 Canterbury-Bankstown 24 August 1940 Sydney Cricket Ground Jack O'Brien 22,061
Final
Eastern Suburbs 24–14 Canterbury-Bankstown 31 August 1940 Sydney Cricket Ground Jack O'Brien 24,167

Premiership Final
Eastern Suburbs Position Canterbury-Bankstown
Doug BartlettFBLindsay Johnson
Rod O'LoanWGEdgar Newham
Stan CallaghanCEMerv Denton
Dick DunnCEBob Russell
Bill BrewWGJack Bonnyman (c)
Fred MayFETed Anderson
Sel LisleHBRoy McCarter
Ray Stehr (c)PRJim Gibbs
Noel HollingdaleHKRoy Kirkaldy
John ClarkePRJack Reilly
Harry PierceSRBob Allison
Sid PearceSRBob Farrar
Andrew NorvalLKGordon Clunas
Dave BrownCoachAlan Brady

Led by their standard-setting captain-coach Dave Brown, the Tricolours continued their strong season performance with a semi-final victory over St George to gain a Final berth.

Although Brown was ruled out on the morning of the decider with a leg injury, replacement Bill Brew slotted into the side and scored a try after backing up second rower Sid “Joe” Pearce who also scored the next try. The young Easts team, who averaged twenty years of age, overcame Canterbury by six tries to two.

Eastern Suburbs 24 (Tries: Pierce 2, O'Loan, Brew, Pearce, Clarke. Goals: Dunn 2 )

defeated

Canterbury-Bankstown 14 (Tries: Bonnyman, Denton. Goals: Johnson 4)

References
  1. Premiership Roll of Honour Archived 2007-04-28 at the Wayback Machine at rl1908.com
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