1969 NSWRFL season

1969 NSWRFL season
Teams	12
Premiers	Balmain (11th title)
Minor premiers	South Sydney (15th title)
Matches played	136
Points scored	4258 (total) 31.309 (per match)
Attendance	1,788,112 (total) 13,148 (per match)
Top point scorer(s)	Eric Simms (265)
Top try scorer(s)	Ken Irvine (17)

The 1969 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the sixty-second season of Sydney's professional rugby league football competition, Australia's first. Twelve teams, including six Sydney-based foundation teams and another six from the Sydney area competed for the J J Giltinan Shield and WD & HO Wills Cup during the season, which culminated in a grand final between Balmain and South Sydney.

Season summary

South Sydney fullback Eric Simms' tally of 265 points for the season from 112 goals, 19 field-goals and one try topped the season point scoring record that had been set in the 1935 season by Dave Brown.

The 1969 season's Rothmans Medallist was South Sydney's Denis Pittard.

The 1969 season also saw the retirement from the League of future Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame inductee, John Raper.

Teams

Balmain	Canterbury-Bankstown	Cronulla-Sutherland	Eastern Suburbs
Manly-Warringah	Newtown	North Sydney Coach: Roy Francis	Parramatta
Penrith	South Sydney	St. George	Western Suburbs

Ladder

	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
1	South Sydney	22	18	0	4	489	222	+267	36
2	Balmain	22	17	0	5	410	304	+106	34
3	St. George	22	14	0	8	411	323	+88	28
4	Manly-Warringah	22	14	0	8	355	298	+57	28
5	Western Suburbs	22	11	0	11	315	288	+27	22
6	Parramatta	22	11	0	11	323	338	-15	22
7	North Sydney	22	10	1	11	343	362	-19	21
8	Canterbury-Bankstown	22	10	0	12	316	349	-33	20
9	Eastern Suburbs	22	8	1	13	307	409	-102	17
10	Penrith	22	6	1	15	311	398	-87	13
11	Newtown	22	6	1	15	279	421	-142	13
12	Cronulla-Sutherland	22	5	0	17	301	448	-147	10

Finals

In the Preliminary Final, Balmain trailed 12-14 against Manly-Warringah until late in the match when winger George Ruebner charged for the corner post to snatch a win in dramatic fashion.

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time	Venue	Referee	Crowd
Semi Finals
Manly-Warringah	19-10	St. George	30 August 1969	Sydney Cricket Ground	Keith Page	40,977
South Sydney	14-13	Balmain	6 September 1969	Sydney Cricket Ground	Keith Page	44,159
Preliminary Final
Balmain	15-14	Manly-Warringah	13 September 1969	Sydney Cricket Ground	Keith Page	41,410
Grand Final
South Sydney	2-11	Balmain	20 September 1969	Sydney Cricket Ground	Keith Page	58,825

Grand Final

Balmain Tigers	Position	South Sydney Rabbitohs
Robert Smithies	FB	Eric Simms
George Reubner	WG	Michael Cleary
Allan Fitzgibbon	CE	Bob Honan
Terry Parker	CE	Kerry Burke
Len Killeen	WG	Brian James
Keith Outten	FE	Denis Pittard
Dave Bolton	HB	Bob Grant
Garry Leo	PR	John Sattler (c)
Peter Boulton	HK	Elwyn Walters
Barry McTaggart	PR	John O'Neill
John Spencer	SR	Bob McCarthy
Joseph Walsh	SR	Bob Moses
Peter Provan (c)	LK	Ron Coote
Sid Williams	Reserve	Paul Sait
Leo Nosworthy	Coach	Clive Churchill

Balmain were not given a chance of winning the Premiership after the retirement of Keith Barnes. Souths had won the last two premierships, beaten the Tigers in the Major Semi-Final to advance to the Grand Final and boasted eleven internationals in their side.

However as a result their favouritism Souths were over confident and showed insufficient respect to the young Tigers who had shown early season form in beating them in round 1 and to their rookie coach Leo Nosworthy who presented a well-prepared and determined Balmain team.

The Tigers led 6-0 at halftime after two penalty goals by Len Killeen and a Dave Bolton field-goal. Souths refusal to kick on the last tackle played into Balmain's hands as novice replacement hooker Peter Boulton managed to consistently regain possession from the scrums. Balmain backed up with a robust defensive line and kept South pinned in their own half.

After the break a Bob McCarthy fumble after a mix up with Paul Sait saw Bolton swoop on the ball deep in Souths territory. From the ruck Terry Parker slipped a beautiful pass to replacement winger Sid Williams who juggled but held the ball to cross the line for the only try of the match. With a 9-0 lead early in the second half and a penalty count that continued to mount in their favour, Balmain took control of the game and appeared to begin a ploy of feigning injury whenever Souths looked to build rhythm, stopping the Rabbitohs' flow of play.^[1] Hence the match is still referred to today as "the lay-down grand final".^[2]

Souths' protests proved pointless and Balmain secured and held an 11-2 lead to win their first premiership since 1947 and to give a fairy-tale career farewell for their captain and 159-game veteran Peter Provan.

Balmain 11 (Tries: Williams. Goals: Killeen 2. Field Goal: D Bolton 2)

South Sydney 2 (Goals: Simms 1.)

References

1. ^ Sean Fagan (3 October 2010). "In league, we leave the dead where they fall". The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia: Fairfax Media). http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-match-preview/in-league-we-leave-the-dead-where-they-fall-20101002-161uz.html. Retrieved 3 October 2010. 
2. ^ Coady, Ben (2009-09-28). "Grand final dramas". WA Today (Australia: Fairfax Digital). http://blogs.watoday.com.au/executive-style/sportandstyle/bencoady/2009/09/28/grandfinaldra.html. Retrieved 2010-01-15. 

• Rugby League Tables - Season 1969 The World of Rugby League
• 1969 Grand Final at eraofthebiff.com
• Results:1961-70 at rabbitohs.com.au
• 1969 J J Giltinan Shield and WD & HO Wills Cup at rleague.com
• NSWRFL season 1969 at rugbyleagueproject.com