1959 NSWRFL season
1959's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 52nd season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney. Ten teams from across the city competed for the J. J. Giltinan Shield during the season, which culminated in a grand final between St. George and Manly-Warringah.
| 1959 New South Wales Rugby Football League | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 10 |
| Premiers |  St. George (6th title) |
| Minor premiers | St. George (6th title) |
| Matches played | 94 |
| Points scored | 3107 |
| Attendance | 896911 |
| Top points scorer(s) |  Darcy Russell (206) |
| Top try-scorer(s) |  Ken Irvine (19) |
Season summary
The St. George team went through the 1959 season undefeated[1] – a feat achieved by five teams prior to 1959 but by none since. The club won nineteen of their twenty matches and played a draw against Balmain. They were able to score more than forty points on six occasions. After eighteen premiership rounds St. George had scored an average of over thirty points per match and conceded an average of ten points.
Future Immortals Reg Gasnier and Johnny Raper both debuted for St. George in first grade in 1959 and both made the Australian side, aged just 19. Seven St. George players made that year's Kangaroo Tour.
The 1959 season also saw the retirement from the League of future Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame inductee, Harry Bath.
Teams
 52nd season Ground: Leichhardt Oval Coach: John O'Toole Captain: Keith Barnes |
 25th season Ground: Belmore Oval Coach: Cec Cooper Captain: Brian Davies |
Eastern Suburbs 52nd season Ground: Sydney Sports Ground Coach: Dave Brown Captain: Terry Fearnley |
Manly-Warringah season Ground: Brookvale Oval Coach: Ken Arthurson Captain: Ron Willey |
 52nd season Ground: Henson Park Coach: Charles Cahill Captain: Tony Brown |
 52nd season Ground: North Sydney Oval Coach: Ross McKinnon Captain: Bob Honeysett |
Parramatta season Ground: Cumberland Oval Coach: Jack Rayner Captain: Roy Fisher |
South Sydney 52nd season Ground: Redfern Oval Coach: Denis Donoghue Captain: Bernie Purcell |
| St. George 39th season Ground: Kogarah Oval Captain-coach: Ken Kearney |
Western Suburbs 52nd season Ground: Pratten Park Coach: Vic Hey Captain: Dick Poole |
Ladder
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. George |
18 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 550 | 190 | +360 | 35 |
| 2 | Western Suburbs |
18 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 405 | 273 | +132 | 27 |
| 3 |  Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
18 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 283 | 239 | +44 | 22 |
| 4 |  Newtown |
18 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 254 | 296 | -42 | 20 |
| 5 | North Sydney Bears |
18 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 371 | 282 | +89 | 18 |
| 6 |  South Sydney Rabbitohs |
18 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 257 | 276 | -19 | 18 |
| 7 |  Balmain Tigers |
18 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 308 | 336 | -28 | 13 |
| 8 |  Eastern Suburbs |
18 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 211 | 314 | -103 | 12 |
| 9 |  Canterbury-Bankstown |
18 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 194 | 378 | -184 | 11 |
| 10 |  Parramatta |
18 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 150 | 399 | -249 | 4 |
Finals
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Crowd | |||||
| Semi Finals | ||||||||
| Manly-Warringah |
17–0 | Newtown |
25 July 1959 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Darcy Lawler | 8,967 | ||
| St. George |
35–25 | Western Suburbs |
1 August 1959 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Darcy Lawler | 42,347 | ||
| Preliminary Final | ||||||||
| Western Suburbs |
13–14 | Manly-Warringah |
8 August 1959 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Darcy Lawler | 28,385 | ||
| Grand Final | ||||||||
| St. George |
20–0[2] | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
15 August 1959 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Darcy Lawler | 49,457 | ||
Grand Final
In the lead up to the Grand Final, rumours were circulating that Manly-Warringah's Rex Mossop was carrying a broken cheekbone. From the kick off, Saints' forwards took turns at testing Mossop's injury with Harry Bath giving him particular attention. For most of the match the Manly forward copped a hammering until in frustration, Mossop retaliated by standing on Bath's head. A brawl broke out between the two and the referee Lawler sent both off.
In the meantime, St. George's forwards were steamrolling Manly-Warringah and the red and white backs were cutting loose. Winger Eddie Lumsden had a magnificent match, scoring a hat trick of tries. Lumsden beat Ron Willey cold for his first try and then was on the end of later backline passing bursts for two more.
As the Manly-Warringah pack tired in the second half, experienced St. George second rower Norm Provan began to easily break their defence out wide, linking with his backs and being rewarded himself with a try. Reserve grade centre Geoff Weekes had been promoted when Gasnier and Johnny Riley were both injured in the major semi final. He scored a try as did St. George's steady and safe custodian Brian Graham.
St. George outclassed Manly-Warringah 20–0 in a ruthless display of speed and strength. The match was future Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame inductee Harry Bath's last game.
St. George 20 (Tries: Lumsden 3, Graham, Weekes, N Provan. Goals: Bath 1.)
Manly-Warringah 0
References
- Clarkson, Alan (1986-09-26). "The best Grand Finals I've seen". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. p. 77. Retrieved 2010-09-14.
- "Sydney Rugby". The Age. 1959-08-17. p. 20. Retrieved 2009-11-20.
External links
- Rugby League Tables - Season 1959 The World of Rugby League
- Writer, Larry (1995) Never Before, Never Again, Pan MacMillan, Sydney
- Results: 1951-60 at rabbitohs.com.au
- 1959 J J Giltinan Shield at rleague.com
- NSWRFL season 1959 at rugbyleagueproject.com
- 1959 Final at Dragons History site