1959 NSWRFL season

1959 NSWRFL season
Teams	10
Premiers	St. George (6th title)
Minor premiers	St. George (6th title)
Matches played	94
Points scored	3107 (total) 33.053 (per match)
Attendance	896,911 (total) 9,542 (per match)
Top try scorer(s)	Ken Irvine (19)

1959's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the fifty-second 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.

Season summary

The St. George team went through the 1959 season undefeated^[1] - a feat achieved by only five teams prior to 1959 but by none since. The club won 19 of their 20 matches and had a draw against Balmain. In this time they were able to score more than 40 points on six occasions. After eighteen premiership rounds St. George had scored an average of over 30 points per match and conceded an average of 10 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

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

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	18	11	0	7	283	239	+44	22
4	Newtown	18	10	0	8	254	296	-42	20
5	North Sydney	18	9	0	9	371	282	+89	18
6	South Sydney	18	9	0	9	257	276	-19	18
7	Balmain	18	6	1	11	308	336	-28	13
8	Eastern Suburbs	18	6	0	12	211	314	-103	12
9	Canterbury	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	15 August 1959	Sydney Cricket Ground	Darcy Lawler	49,457

Grand Final

St. George	Position	Manly-Warringah
Brian Graham	FB	Ron Willey (c)
Eddie Lumsden	WG	Len Wadling
Johnny Raper	CE	Kevin Mosman
Geoff Weekes	CE	William Lloyd
Brian Messiter	WG	George Hugo
Brian Clay	FE	Alf Madden
Bob Bugden	HB	Peter Burke
Harry Bath	PR	Roy Bull
Ken Kearney (Ca./Co.)	HK	George Lenon
Billy Wilson	PR	Bill Delamare
Monty Porter	SR	Peter Diversi
Norm Provan	SR	Rex Mossop
Peter Provan	LK	Jim Peebles
	Coach	Ken Arthurson

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

1. ^ Clarkson, Alan (1986-09-26). "The best Grand Finals I've seen". The Sydney Morning Herald (Fairfax Media): pp. 77. http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?page=1&sy=smh&Page=1&docID=news860926_0120_2297. Retrieved 2010-09-14. 
2. ^ "Sydney Rugby". The Age: pp. 20. 1959-08-17. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-aUUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Tq8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4016,2669106. Retrieved 2009-11-20. 

• 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