1981 NSWRFL season

1981 NSWRFL season
Teams	12
Premiers	Parramatta (1st title)
Minor premiers	Eastern Suburbs (16th title)
Matches played	138
Points scored	4160 (total) 30.145 (per match)
Attendance	1,312,977 (total) 9,514 (per match)
Top point scorer(s)	Steve Rogers (194)
Top try scorer(s)	Terry Fahey (16)

The 1981 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the seventy-fourth 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 Parramatta and Newtown clubs. NSWRFL teams also competed for the 1981 Tooth Cup.

Season summary

In 1981 the "sin-bin" was introduced to rugby league in Australia, enabling referees to send players from the field for five or ten minute periods for minor or deliberate technical offences.^[1] Newtown Jets hooker Barry Jensen became the first player to be sent from the field in this manner.

Twenty-two regular season rounds were played from March until August, resulting in a top five of Easts, Newtown, Parramatta, Cronulla and Manly who battled it out in the finals.

Eastern Suburbs' halfback Kevin Hastings won the 1981 season's Rothmans Medal as well as Rugby League Week's Player of the Year award. The Dally M Award went to Cronulla-Sutherland centre, Steve Rogers.

Teams

This was to be the final year that the NSWRFL premiership was an all-Sydney competition, with the introduction of teams from Canberra and Illawarra in 1982 starting a new era of expansion which would see the League transform into a national, then international competition.

Balmain Tigers 74th season Ground: Leichhardt Oval Coach: Frank Stanton Captain: Allan McMahon→	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 47th season Ground: Belmore Oval Coach: Ted Glossop Captain: Mark Hughes & Garry Hughes	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 15th season Ground: Endeavour Field Coach: Greg Pierce Captain: Steve Rogers	Eastern Suburbs Roosters 74th season Ground: Sydney Sports Ground Coach: Bob Fulton Captain: Royce Ayliffe
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 35th season Ground: Brookvale Oval Coach: Ray Ritchie Captain: Max Krilich	Newtown Jets 74th season Ground: Henson Park Coach: Warren Ryan Captain: Tommy Raudonikis	North Sydney Bears 74th season Ground:North Sydney Oval Coach: Ron Willey Captain: Mark Graham	Parramatta Eels 35th season Ground: Cumberland Oval Coach: Jack Gibson Captain: Steve Edge
Penrith Panthers 15th season Ground: Penrith Park Coach: Len Stacker Captain: Tim Sheens	South Sydney Rabbitohs 74th season Ground: Redfern Oval Coach: Bill Anderson Captain: Nathan Gibbs→Mitch Brennan	St. George Dragons 61st season Ground: Kogarah Oval Coach: Harry Bath Captain: Craig Young	Western Suburbs Magpies 74th season Ground: Lidcombe Oval Coach: Roy Masters Captain: Warren Boland

Ladder

	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
1	Eastern Suburbs	22	16	0	6	385	225	+160	32
2	Newtown	22	14	2	6	326	268	+58	30
3	Parramatta	22	14	1	7	398	246	+152	29
4	Cronulla-Sutherland	22	13	1	8	339	337	+2	27
5	Manly-Warringah	22	12	2	8	350	317	+33	26
6	Western Suburbs	22	11	1	10	311	352	-41	23
7	North Sydney	22	9	0	13	322	355	-33	18
8	St. George	22	8	1	13	320	399	-79	17
9	South Sydney	22	8	1	13	322	423	-101	17
10	Canterbury-Bankstown	22	8	0	14	340	344	-4	16
11	Penrith	22	8	0	14	305	350	-45	16
12	Balmain	22	6	1	15	293	395	-102	13

Finals

The elimination semi-final between Newtown and Manly-Warringah will always be remembered for the notorious all-in brawl, with the main combatants Newtown's Steve Bowden and Manly hardman Mark Broadhurst. Bowden was marched for the incident and was unable to take part in the Preliminary Final against Eastern Suburbs or the Grand Final against Parramatta.

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time	Venue	Referee	Crowd
Qualifying Finals
Newtown	8-10	Parramatta	5 September 1981	Sydney Cricket Ground	John Gocher	17,265
Cronulla-Sutherland	11-14	Manly-Warringah	6 September 1981	Sydney Cricket Ground	Greg Hartley	21,635
Semi Finals
Eastern Suburbs	8-12	Parramatta	12 September 1981	Sydney Cricket Ground	Greg Hartley	27,600
Newtown	20-15	Manly-Warringah	13 September 1981	Sydney Cricket Ground	John Gocher	22,440
Preliminary Final
Eastern Suburbs	5-15	Newtown	19 September 1981	Sydney Cricket Ground	Greg Hartley	25,243

Grand Final

Newtown	Position	Parramatta
Phil Sigsworth	FB	Steve McKenzie
John Ferguson	WG	Graeme Atkins
Mick Ryan	CE	Mick Cronin
Brian Hetherington	CE	Steve Ella
Ray Blacklock	WG	Eric Grothe
Paul Morris	FE	Brett Kenny
Tommy Raudonikis (c)	HB	Peter Sterling
Steve Blythe	PR	Ron Hilditch
Barry Jensen	HK	Steve Edge (c)
Craig Ellis	PR	Bob O'Reilly
Michael Pitman	SR	John Muggleton
Phil Gould	SR	Kevin Stevens
Graeme O'Grady	LK	Ray Price
Geoff Bugden	Reserve	Steve Sharp
Jim Walters	Reserve	Paul Taylor
Ken Wilson	Reserve
Shane McKellar	Reserve
Warren Ryan	Coach	Jack Gibson

Newtown had reached their first grand final in twenty-six years. Parramatta lead 7-6 at half-time, but the Jets looked set to spring a major upset when tough half back Tommy Raudonikis crashed over to score early in the second-half. Then the Eels' brilliant backline exploded into action. The combination of Brett Kenny, Mick Cronin, Peter Sterling, Eric Grothe and Steve Ella dominated and would go on to feature in five grand finals and four premierships by the end of 1986.

Steve Edge became the first player to ever captain two different sides to premiership victory having captained the St George Dragons to a win over Parramatta in season 1977.

Master coach Jack Gibson had just six words for a packed Parramatta Leagues Club auditorium, who had just witnessed the Eels' first ever premiership since their 1947 entry to the competition. "Ding, dong, the witch is dead," he said before the thunderous chants of the success-starved blue and gold army of fans.

Parramatta 20 (Tries: Kenny 2, Atkins, Ella. Goals: Cronin 4.)

Newtown 11 (Tries: Hetherington, Raudonikis, O'Grady. Goal: Morris.)

References

1. ^ 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. 

• Rugby League Tables - Season 1981 The World of Rugby League
• 1981 Grand Final at eraofthebiff.com
• Results:1981-90 at rabbitohs.com.au
• 1981 J J Giltinan Shield and WD & HO Wills Cup at rleague.com
• NSWRFL season 1981 at rugbyleagueproject.com