1950 NSWRFL season
The 1950 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the forty-third season of Sydney’s top-level rugby league competition, Australia’s first. Ten teams from across the city contested the premiership during the season which culminated in a grand final between South Sydney and Western Suburbs.
| 1950 New South Wales Rugby Football League | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 10 |
| Premiers |  South Sydney (12th title) |
| Minor premiers | South Sydney (11th title) |
| Matches played | 93 |
| Points scored | 2901 |
| Top points scorer(s) |  Bill Keato (180) |
| Top try-scorer(s) |  Jack Troy (16) |
Teams
 43rd season Ground: Leichhardt Oval Coach: Athol Smith Captain: Fred de Belin |
 16th season Ground: Belmore Sports Ground Coach: Alby Why Captain: Eddie Burns |
Eastern Suburbs 43rd season Ground: Sports Ground Coach: Ernie Norman Captain: Ferris Ashton |
Manly-Warringah 4th season Ground: Brookvale Oval Coach: Wally O'Connell Captain: Perce Pritchard |
 43rd season Ground: Erskineville Oval Captain - Coach: Frank Farrell |
 43rd season Ground: North Sydney Oval Coach: Frank Hyde Captain: Martin Gallagher |
Parramatta 4th season Ground: Cumberland Oval Coach: Vic Hey Captain: Bob Hobbs |
South Sydney 43rd season Ground: Redfern Oval Captain-Coach: Jack Rayner |
| St. George 30th season Ground: Jubilee Oval Coach: Jim Duckworth Captain: Johnny Hawke |
Western Suburbs 43rd season Ground: Pratten Park Coach: Jeff Smith Captain: Frank Stanmore |
Ladder
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Sydney |
18 | 14 | 0 | 4 | 323 | 228 | +95 | 28 |
| 2 |  Balmain |
18 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 255 | 208 | +47 | 26 |
| 3 | Newtown |
18 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 347 | 269 | +78 | 24 |
| 4 | Western Suburbs |
18 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 307 | 259 | +48 | 22 |
| 5 |  St. George |
18 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 336 | 261 | +75 | 21 |
| 6 |  Canterbury-Bankstown |
18 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 296 | 277 | +19 | 18 |
| 7 |  Eastern Suburbs |
18 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 237 | 345 | -108 | 14 |
| 8 |  Manly-Warringah |
18 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 231 | 293 | -62 | 12 |
| 9 |  Parramatta |
18 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 203 | 296 | -93 | 9 |
| 10 |  North Sydney |
18 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 258 | 357 | -99 | 6 |
Finals
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Crowd | |||||
| Semi Finals | ||||||||
| South Sydney |
30–4 | Newtown |
2 September 1950 | Sydney Cricket Ground | George Bishop | 33,514 | ||
| Balmain |
10–28 | Western Suburbs |
9 September 1950 | Sydney Sports Ground | Tom McMahon | 33,542 | ||
| Final | ||||||||
| South Sydney |
21–15 | Western Suburbs |
16 September 1950 | Sydney Sports Ground | Tom McMahon | 32,373 | ||
Final
In a close and physical encounter South Sydney held a 17–11 six point lead at half time. The second half was tryless, but South Sydney kept ahead on penalty goals throughout.
Souths’ captain Jack Rayner led the team in fine style to their first title in eighteen years while the club’s internationals all stood up and were counted. Forward Bernie Purcell kicked five long-range penalty goals in succession; fullback Clive Churchill ran Wests’ heavyweight forwards off their legs and winger Johnny Graves scored two great tries.
South Sydney Rabbitohs 21 (Tries: Graves 2, Smailes. Goals: Purcell 5, Graves 1.)
Western Suburbs Magpies 15 (Tries: Holman. Goals: Keato 6.)
