1931 NSWRFL season

1931 NSWRFL season
Teams	8
Premiers	South Sydney[1] (10th title)
Minor premiers	Eastern Suburbs (4th title)
Matches played	60
Points scored	1681 (total) 28.017 (per match)
Top point scorer(s)	Jack Lynch (124)
Top try scorer(s)	Jack Lynch (16)

The 1931 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the twenty-fourth season of Sydney's top-level rugby league football club competition, Australia's first. During the season, which lasted from April until September, eight teams from across the city contested the premiership which culminated in a grand final between minor premiers Eastern Suburbs and South Sydney.^[2]

Season summary

The NSWRFL banned radio broadcasting of its matches in 1931 on the grounds that it was affecting the gates. After a year of broadcasts from nearby rooftops and ladders outside the grounds the League rescinded their ban.

Teams

• Balmain, formed on January 23, 1908 at Balmain Town Hall
• Eastern Suburbs, formed on January 24, 1908 at Paddington Town Hall
• Newtown, formed on January 14, 1908
• North Sydney, formed on February 7, 1908
• South Sydney, formed on January 17, 1908 at Redfern Town Hall
• St. George, formed on November 8, 1920 at Kogarah School of Arts
• Western Suburbs, formed on February 4, 1908
• University, formed in 1919 at Sydney University

Balmain	Eastern Suburbs	Newtown	North Sydney
St. George	South Sydney	University	Western Suburbs

Ladder

The geographical locations of the teams that contested the 1931 premiership across Sydney.

	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
1	Eastern Suburbs	14	12	0	2	339	121	+218	24
2	South Sydney	14	9	0	5	250	176	+74	18
3	Western Suburbs	14	9	0	5	220	227	-7	18
4	St. George	14	8	0	6	178	183	-5	16
5	North Sydney	14	6	0	8	143	198	-55	12
6	Newtown	14	5	0	9	205	194	+11	10
7	Balmain	14	5	0	9	133	205	-72	10
8	University	14	2	0	12	135	299	-164	4

Finals

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time	Venue	Referee	Crowd
Semi Finals
South Sydney	16 - 5	St. George	21 August 1931	Sydney Sports Ground	McGrath	17,561
Eastern Suburbs	8 - 10	Western Suburbs	29 August 1931	Sydney Sports Ground	Webby Neill	20,387
Preliminary Final
South Sydney	17 - 3	Western Suburbs	5 September 1931	Sydney Sports Ground	Lal Dean	22,767
Grand Final
Eastern Suburbs	7 - 12	South Sydney	12 September 1931	Sydney Sports Ground	Lal Dean	27,104

Grand Final

Eastern Suburbs started the match as short-priced favourites, and ran with the breeze from the western end after their captain Pope won the toss. With hooker Dick Brown dominating the scrums, Eastern Suburbs attacked early. The first points came at the twenty-minute mark when Lynch kicked a goal after O’Connor was penalised in front of the posts. He missed another attempt two minutes later but Easts went further ahead when Lynch kicked another goal, from a drop kick. Benny Wearing had his chance for South Sydney but was pulled down from behind by Dave Brown two yards from the line. At halftime Eastern Suburbs led 4-0.

Five-minutes after the break South Sydney seized control of the match. They attacked desperately as Treweeke, Curran and then Root hurled themselves at the Eastern Suburbs line. A scrum followed and with an overlap out wide Wearing crossed unopposed in the corner. The winger then converted his own try to give South Sydney a 6-5 lead. Eastern Suburbs then hit back with a remarkable try. Billy Hong gathered in his own twenty-five yard area, stepped through the defence to halfway, passed to Tottey who beat Morrison in a race for the ball. Dave Brown missed the goal, Eastern Suburbs led 7-5. South Sydney fullback Spillane then landed a goal from two yards on his own side of halfway to level the score at 7-all.

Hong then went off after twisting an ankle, Eastern Suburbs struggled to contend with the extra man in South Sydney’s backline. Chances followed for both sides – South Sydney's winger, Why, was thrown out at the corner post, Morrisson lost possession close to the line and Brown missed with a penalty.

With only minutes left and scores locked at 7-all, South Sydney five-eighth Harry Eyres seized possession inside Eastern Suburbs quarter, stood still for a split second, then with an electrifying burst of speed exploded through the converging defence. He beat the ineffective tackle of Hong (who had come back onto the field) and with the referee accidentally getting in the way of Brown coming over in cover defence for Eastern Suburbs, Eyres crossed for the match winning try. Hong then collapsed and had to be carried from the field as Williams was converting the try.^[3]

It was widely claimed as one of the most thrilling Grand Finals in the short history of the game in Sydney.

South Sydney 12
Tries: Wearing, Eyres. Goals: Wearing, Williams, Spillane

Eastern Suburbs 7
Tries: Tottey. Goals: Lynch (2)

References

• Rugby League Tables - Notes The World of Rugby League
• Rugby League Tables - Season 1931 The World of Rugby League
• Premiership History and Statistics RL1908
• History of the New South Wales Rugby League Finals, by Steve Haddan
• The Rugby League News
• Results: 1931-40 at rabbitohs.com.au