New South Wales Rugby Football League season 1980

Infobox rugby league season
year = 1980
competition = New South Wales Rugby Football League


imagesize = 125px
caption =
teams = 12
premiers =
count = 3rd
minor premiers =
mpcount = 15th
matches = 138
points = 4415
attendance = 1498634
top points scorer = (220)
top try scorer = (16)The 1980 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the seventy-third season of professional rugby league football in Australia. Twelve clubs, including six Sydney-based foundation teams and another six from Sydney competed for the J J Giltinan Shield and WD & HO Wills Cup during the season, which culminated in a grand final between the Canterbury-Bankstown and Eastern Suburbs clubs. NSWRFL teams also competed in the 1980 Tooth Cup.

eason summary

Twenty-two regular season rounds were played from March till August, resulting in a top five of Easts, Canterbury, Wests, St. George and Souths who battled it out in the finals.

The 1980 season's Rothmans Medallist was Newtown prop Geoff Budgen and the Dally M Award went to South Sydney's Robert Laurie. "Rugby League Week" gave its player of the year award to Eastern Suburbs' halfback Kevin Hastings.

Teams

Grand final

Canterbury's loss of long serving fullback Stan Cutler with a broken leg suffered in the major semi-final, and the Roosters' form in the preliminary final resulted in Easts being warm favourites. But the Bulldogs, boasting two sets of brothers in the Hughes and Mortimers came ready to play expansive football. Canterbury's Chris Anderson scored the first try of the match after a questionable pass in the lead up, so the Bullogs led 7-4 at half time.

After the break Steve Gearin edged the Bulldogs clear with three successive penalaty goals. The final Canterbury try by Gearin has been ranked amongst the best of all-time. Five minutes from full-time Greg Brentnall raced downfield and put up a high kick. Gearin followed through at speed and amazingly caught the ball on the full to secure a Bulldogs victory.

It was the last Grand Final to be played on a Saturday afternoon with the deciders since then being played on a Sunday.

Referee: G. Hartley

Canterbury-Bankstown 18 (Tries: Anderson, Gearin. Goals: Gearin 6 from 6)

Eastern Suburbs 4 (Goals: Wright 2)

ee also

*1980 State of Origin

References

* [http://www.stats.rleague.com/rl/seas/1980.html Rugby League Tables - Season 1980] "The World of Rugby League"
* [http://www.rabbitohs.com.au/The-Club/Tradition/Results---1971-1980.html at rabbitohs.com.au]
* [http://www.rleague.com//db/year/1980/j_j_giltinan_shield_and_wd_ho_wills_cup/index.php 1980 J J Giltinan Shield and WD & HO Wills Cup at rleague.com]
* [http://rugbyleagueproject.com/competitions/NSWRL_1980.html MSWRFL season 1980 at rugbyleagueproject.com]