1941 NSWRFL season

1941 NSWRFL season
Teams	8
Premiers	St. George (1st title)
Minor premiers	Eastern Suburbs (10th title)
Matches played	59
Points scored	1933 (total) 32.763 (per match)
Top point scorer(s)	Neville Smith (84)
Top try scorer(s)	Percy Dermond (13) Sel Lisle (13)

The 1941 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the thirty-fourth season of Sydney's top-level rugby league football 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 St. George in the grand final.^[1] The 1941 season also saw the retirement from the League of future Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame inductee, Dave Brown.

Teams

• Balmain, formed on January 23, 1908 at Balmain Town Hall
• Canterbury-Bankstown
• 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

Balmain	Canterbury-Bankstown	Eastern Suburbs	Newtown
North Sydney	South Sydney	St. George	Western Suburbs

Ladder

The geographical locations of the teams that contested the 1941 premiership across Sydney.

	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
1	Eastern Suburbs	14	9	0	5	217	160	+57	18
2	Balmain	14	9	0	5	243	205	+38	18
3	Canterbury-Bankstown	14	9	0	5	205	182	+23	18
4	St. George	14	8	1	5	307	248	+59	17
5	Newtown	14	6	2	6	219	242	-23	14
6	Western Suburbs	14	6	0	8	247	226	+21	12
7	South Sydney	14	4	0	10	193	277	-84	8
8	North Sydney	14	3	1	10	171	262	-91	7

Finals

Eastern Suburbs and St. George won their respective semi finals, allowing them to meet in the Final.

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time	Venue	Referee	Crowd
Semi Finals
Eastern Suburbs	24 - 22	Canterbury-Bankstown	16 August 1941	Sydney Cricket Ground	Tom McMahon	21,000
Balmain	8 - 32	St. George	23 August 1941	Sydney Cricket Ground	Tom McMahon	26,790
Final
Eastern Suburbs	14 - 31	St. George	30 August 1941	Sydney Cricket Ground	Tom McMahon	39,957[2]

Premiership final

St George Dragons	Position	Eastern Suburbs Roosters
Jack Wedgwood	FB	Doug Bartlett
Owen Campbell	WG	Percy Dermond
Gordon Hart	CE	Dick Dunn
Jack Gilbert	CE	Dave Brown
Noel Jones	WG	Brian Walsh
Roy Hasson	FE	Fred May
Albert McAndrew	HB	Sel Lisle
Charlie Montgomery	PR	Jack Arnold
Herb Gilbert Jnr	HK	Noel Hollingdale
Lindsay Spencer	PR	Ray Stehr (Ca./Co.)
Neville Smith (Ca./Co.)	SR	Don Gulliver
Len Kelly (v.capt)	SR	Sid Pearce
Bill Tyquin	LK	Wal Bamford

In a tough encounter the Dragons won their first ever premiership in their 21st year in the competition. St George captain-coach Neville Smith was knocked out after a heavy tackle early in the match. Smith recovered and scored 13 points through one try and five goals.

Along with Smith, St George centre Gordon Hart also gave a sparkling display of free-running rugby league.[1]

In another incident Easts prop Jack Arnold and Saints lock Bill Tyquin were sent off after an almighty punch up. Tyquin, a Queensland representative who would later captain Australia, played only the 1941 war-time season in Sydney while he was stationed there on duty with the AIF.

It was to prove to be the final match in the stellar, record-setting career of Easts' Dave Brown who at 29 years of age announced his retirement at game's end.

St George 31 (Tries: Campbell 2, Hanson 2, Smith, Kelly, Hart, McAndrew. Goals: Smith 5)

defeated

Eastern Suburbs 14 (Tries: Dermond 2, Brown, Bamford. Goals: Brown 1)

References

1. ^ Premiership Roll of Honour at rl1908.com
2. ^ North, Sam (25 September 1992). "1941: The Saints surprised them then, too". The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia: Fairfax): p. 1. http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?docID=news920925_0065_6341. Retrieved 13 February 2011. 

• Rugby League Tables - Notes The World of Rugby League
• Rugby League Tables - Season 1941 The World of Rugby League
• Premiership History and Statistics RL1908
• Results: 1941-50 at rabbitohs.com.au
• 1941 Final at nrlstats.com
• 1941 Final at Dragons History site