- 1978 NSWRFL season
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1978 NSWRFL season Teams 12 Premiers Manly-Warringah (4th title) Minor premiers Western Suburbs (5th title) Matches played 140 Points scored 4375 (total)
31.25 (per match)Attendance 1,582,914 (total)
11,307 (per match)Top point scorer(s) Mick Cronin (282) Top try scorer(s) Larry Corowa (24) The 1978 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the seventy-first season of Sydney's professional rugby league football competition, Australia's first. Twelve clubs, including six of 1908's foundation teams and another six from around Sydney competed for the J J Giltinan Shield and WD & HO Wills Cup during the season, which culminated in a grand final between the Manly-Warringah and Cronulla-Sutherland clubs that was drawn and had to be re-played. NSWRFL teams also competed for the 1978 Amco Cup.
Contents
Season summary
This season video citing was introduced for incidents of foul play that are not detected on the field.[1] Twenty-two regular season rounds were played from March till August, resulting in a top five of Western Suburbs, Cronulla-Sutherland, Manly-Warringah, Parramatta and Canterbury-Bankstown who battled it out in the finals.
Mick Cronin set a new record for most points scored by an individual in Australian club rugby league history with his tally of 282 points from 25 games in 1978. This record would stand for another twenty years. He also broke Arthur Oxford's 1920 record for consecutive goals with 26 in a row.
The 1978 season's Rothmans Medallist was Parramatta centre Mick Cronin. Rugby League Week gave their player of the year award to Parramatta forward Geoff Gerard.
The 1978 season was also the last in the playing career of future Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame inductee, Ron Coote.
Teams
Balmain Tigers 71st season
Ground: Leichhardt Oval
Coach: Ron Willey
Captain: Trevor RyanCanterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 44th season
Ground: Belmore Sports Ground
Coach: Ted Glossop
Captain: George PeponisCronulla-Sutherland Sharks 12th season
Ground: Endeavour Field
Coach: Norm Provan
Captain: Greg PierceEastern Suburbs Roosters 71st season
Ground: Sydney Sports Ground
Captain-Coach: Arthur BeetsonManly-Warringah Sea Eagles 32nd season
Ground: Brookvale Oval
Coach: Frank Stanton
Captain: Terry RandallNewtown Jets 71st season
Ground: Henson Park
Coach: John Raper
Captain: Barry WoodNorth Sydney Bears 71st season
Ground: North Sydney Oval
Captain-Coach: Bill HamiltonParramatta Eels 32nd season
Ground: Cumberland Oval
Coach: Terry Fearnley
Captain: Ray PricePenrith Panthers 12th season
Ground: Penrith Park
Coach: Don Parish
Captain: Ken WilsonSouth Sydney Rabbitohs 71st season
Ground: Redfern Oval
Coach: Jack Gibson
Captain: Paul Sait→Darrell BamptonSt. George Dragons 58th season
Ground: Kogarah Oval
Coach: Harry Bath
Captain: Steve EdgeWestern Suburbs Magpies 71st season
Ground: Lidcombe Oval
Coach: Roy Masters
Captain: Tom RaudonikisLadder
Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts 1 Western Suburbs 22 16 1 5 426 288 +138 33 2 Cronulla-Sutherland 22 15 0 7 418 261 +157 30 3 Manly-Warringah 22 15 0 7 427 287 +140 30 4 Parramatta 22 14 0 8 525 306 +219 28 5 Canterbury-Bankstown 22 13 2 7 307 273 +34 28 6 Eastern Suburbs 22 13 0 9 377 280 +57 26 7 South Sydney 22 12 1 9 298 300 -2 25 8 St. George 22 10 1 11 367 354 +13 21 9 Balmain 22 9 1 12 337 344 -7 19 10 Penrith 22 4 2 16 206 463 -257 10 11 North Sydney 22 4 1 17 325 439 -114 9 12 Newtown Jets 22 2 1 19 199 577 -378 5 Finals
Manly had finished the regular season in the relatively strong position of equal second with Cronulla, three points behind minor premiers Wests. However after Cronulla beat Manly 17-12 in the preliminary final, every game from that point was a sudden-death fixture for the Sea-Eagles.
The second week of finals saw Manly come from 13-3 behind Parramatta to draw 13-all in the semi-final requiring a mid-week replay. Again in that match Parramatta led (11-2 this time), before Manly stormed home with three late tries in ten minutes to win 17-11.
Manly then had to back up a few days later to play a fresh Wests side in the Preliminary Final. Thus far the Magpies had only played one final to Manly's three. Wests had two tries disallowed by referee Greg Hartley. Manly coach Frank Stanton somehow coaxed a courageous effort out of his exhausted players and on field, five-eighth Alan Thompson was inspirational as they triumphed 14-7 and reached the Grand Final.
Home Score Away Match Information Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd Qualifying Finals Cronulla-Sutherland 17-12 Manly-Warringah 26 August 1978 Sydney Cricket Ground Jack Danzey 17,718 Parramatta 22-15 Canterbury-Bankstown 27 August 1978 Sydney Cricket Ground Greg Hartley 24,967 Semi Finals Western Suburbs 10-14 Cronulla-Sutherland 2 September 1978 Sydney Cricket Ground Jack Danzey 22,789 Manly-Warringah 13-13 Parramatta 3 September 1978 Sydney Cricket Ground Greg Hartley 30,850 Manly-Warringah 17-11 Parramatta 6 September 1978 Sydney Cricket Ground Greg Hartley 42,678 Preliminary Final Western Suburbs 7-14 Manly-Warringah 9 September 1978 Sydney Cricket Ground Greg Hartley 27,345 Grand Final Cronulla-Sutherland 11-11 Manly-Warringah 16 September 1978 Sydney Cricket Ground Greg Hartley 51,510 Grand Final re-play Cronulla-Sutherland 0-16 Manly-Warringah 19 September 1978 Sydney Cricket Ground Greg Hartley 33,552 Grand Final
Manly-Warringah Position Cronulla-Sutherland Graham Eadie FB Mick Mullane Tom Mooney WG Rick Bourke Russell Gartner CE Steve Rogers (c) Stephen Knight CE Dave Chamberlin Simon Booth WG Steve Edmonds Alan Thompson FE Barry Andrews Steve Martin HB Steve Hansard Ian Thomson PR Paul Khan Max Krilich (c) HK John McMartin John Harvey PR Gary Stares Bruce Walker SR Steve Kneen Terry Randall SR Eric Archer Ian Martin LK John Glossop Reserve Rowland Beckett Frank Stanton Coach Norm Provan In the Grand Final, Cronulla went to a 9-4 lead in the second half before Manly came back to hit the front 11-9. A Steve Rogers penalty squared it at 11-all but he then missed a desperate late field-goal attempt and at full time the scores remained locked. For the second consecutive season the weary Grand Finalists were required to play a mid-week rematch three days later.
Manly 11 (Tries: Mooney. Goals: Eadie.)
Cronulla 11 (Tries: Edmonds. Goals: Rogers 4.)
Grand Final Replay
Manly-Warringah Position Cronulla-Sutherland Graham Eadie FB Rick Bourke Tom Mooney WG Chris Gardner Stephen Knight CE Steve Rogers (c) Russell Gartner CE Dave Chamberlin Simon Booth WG Steve Edmonds Alan Thompson FE Martin Raftery Steve Martin HB Steve Hansard Ian Thomson PR Paul Khan Max Krilich (c) HK Rowland Beckett John Harvey PR Peter Ryan Bruce Walker SR Steve Kneen Terry Randall SR Eric Archer Ian Martin LK John Glossop Ray Branighan Reserve Wayne Springall Reserve Frank Stanton Coach Norm Provan The Tuesday rematch in front of 33,500 was Manly's sixth game in twenty-four days. It was the second Grand Final in a row to end up going into a mid-week replay with the 1977 Grand Final also needing a re-match to decide the Premiers.
In the first half Cronulla had no answer to Graham Eadie's blind-side bursts. His display completely routed the hapless Sharks and Manly went to the break holding a 15-0 lead.
The only points in the second half came from a field goal by Eadie.
In the replay, as throughout their extraordinary finals campaign, Manly were inspired by the leadership of captain Max Krilich and coach Frank Stanton, their iron-man Terry Randall, their cool five eighth Alan Thompson and classy fullback Graham Eadie.
As of the 2007 NRL season no player since Eadie has scored the combination of a try, a goal and a field-goal in a Grand Final.
The refereeing of Greg "Hollywood" Hartley in the replay attracted criticism from coaches Roy Masters, Jack Gibson and Terry Fearnley, all of whom appealed to the NSWRFL to prohibit Hartley from refereeing their clubs' matches the following season.[2]
Manly-Warringah 16 (Tries: Gartner 2, Eadie. Goals: Eadie 3. Field Goal: Eadie.)
Cronulla-Sutherland 0
Man-of-the-match: Graham Eadie
References
- ^ Middleton, David (2008). League of Legends: 100 Years of Rugby League in Australia. National Museum of Australia. pp. 31. ISBN 978-1-876944-64-3. http://www.nma.gov.au/shared/libraries/attachments/league_of_legends/rugby_league_a_work_in_progress/files/22453/F_RL_work_in_progress.pdf.
- ^ 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 1978 The World of Rugby League
- Results: 1971-80 at rabbitohs.com.au
- 1978 J J Giltinan Shield and WD & HO Wills Cup at rleague.com
- NSWRFL season 1978 at rugbyleagueproject.com
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