1927 NSWRFL season

1927 NSWRFL season
Teams	9
Premiers	South Sydney[1] (7th title)
Minor premiers	South Sydney (7th title)
Matches played	75
Points scored	2183 (total) 29.107 (per match)
Top point scorer(s)	Alf Blair (94)
Top try scorer(s)	Benny Wearing (19)

The 1927 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the twentieth season of Sydney's top-level rugby league football 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.

Season summary

The 1927 season saw a new record for length of a player's suspension. Balmain's Bill Maizey was suspended for 12 months for punching Easts player George Clamback.

The 1924 season was also the last in the NSWRFL for future Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame inductee, Frank Burge.

Teams

• Balmain, formed on 23 January 1908 at Balmain Town Hall
• Eastern Suburbs, formed on 24 January 1908 at Paddington Town Hall
• Glebe, formed on 9 January 1908
• Newtown, formed on 14 January 1908
• North Sydney, formed on 7 February 1908
• South Sydney, formed on 17 January 1908 at Redfern Town Hall
• St. George, formed on 8 November 1920 at Kogarah School of Arts
• Western Suburbs, formed on 4 February 1908
• University, formed in 1919 at Sydney University

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

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	16	14	0	2	2	402	162	+240	32
2	St. George	16	12	1	3	2	284	141	+143	29
3	Western Suburbs	16	9	0	7	2	222	182	+40	22
4	Eastern Suburbs	16	8	2	6	2	215	216	-1	22
5	Newtown	16	8	0	8	2	189	259	-70	20
6	North Sydney	16	6	1	9	2	174	256	-82	17
7	Balmain	16	5	2	9	2	210	238	-28	16
8	Glebe	16	4	0	12	2	176	297	-121	12
9	University	16	3	0	13	2	199	320	-121	10

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

Final

South Sydney	Position	St George
Harry Kadwell	FB	Jack McCormack
Benny Wearing	WG	Stan Brain
Vic Lawrence	CE	George Carstairs
Sid Harris	CE	Lennie Guest
Harry Finch	WG	Frank Saunders
Alf Blair (Ca./Co.)	FE	Arnold Traynor
Michael O'Connor	HB	Bill Benson
David Watson	PR	Clarrie Tye
Alby Carr	HK	Arthur Justice
Chas Fennell	PR	Tom Killiby
George Treweek	SR	Bill Hardman
Edward Root	SR	Frank Burge (Ca./Co.)
Harry Cavanagh	LK	Aub 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. Souths

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 at rl1908.com

• Rugby League Tables - Notes The World of Rugby League
• Rugby League Tables - Season 1927 The World of Rugby League
• Premiership History and Statistics RL1908
• Results: 1921-30 at rabbitohs.com.au