New South Wales Rugby Football League season 1975

Infobox rugby league season
year = 1975
competition = New South Wales Rugby Football League


imagesize = 125px
caption =
teams = 12
premiers =
count = 11th
minor premiers =
mpcount = 14th
matches = 140
points = 4444
attendance = 1528180
top points scorer = (242)
top try scorer = (16)
1975's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the sixty-eighth 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 Eastern Suburbs and St. George clubs. NSWRFL teams also competed for the 1975 Amco Cup.

eason summary

The season saw the introduction of differential penalties for scrum offences. Each side faced each other twice in twenty-two regular season rounds from March to August, resulting in a top five of Eastern Suburbs, Manly-Warringah, St. George, Canterbury-Bankstown and Western Suburbs who battled it out for the premiership over six finals matches. With three sides finishing in equal fifth place, two elimination finals playoffs also had to be played.

Western Suburbs had 1 point deducted for fielding an ineligible player in round 8. After losing two consecutive matches in rounds 2 and 3, defending premiers Eastern Suburbs posted 19 consecutive wins in 1975 to close out the regular season; a streak than ran from round 4 to round 22 and remains the record for the most consecutive wins in premiership history.

The 1975 season's Rothmans Medallist was Cronulla-Sutherland centre Steve Rogers. "Rugby League Week" gave their player of the year award to Manly-Warringah back Bob Fulton.

Teams

Grand Final

The star-studded Eastern Suburbs line up had lost only 2 matches in the 22-game regular season and were clear starting favourites. However, St. George looked a chance early on when utility back "Lord Ted" Goodwin put on a chip and chase. Goodwin collided with Eastern Suburbs' fullback Ian Schubert, came off second best and was out of touch for the remainder of the match. Things were also wrong with captain-coach Graeme Langlands who was struggling with his coordination following an ill-directed pain killing injection that numbed his right leg and severely affected his form.

At half-time, Eastern Suburbs were up 5–0. Just after the break the Roosters' prop Ian McKay crashed over from close range and the floodgates opened. Eastern Suburbs unleashed a torrent of tries with Johnny Mayes, Arthur Beetson, John Brass, Bruce Pickett and boom recruit Schubert all scoring.

Despite his numbed leg, Langlands returned in the second half hoping it would come good. It didn't and by game's end, St. George had been completely demoralised by Easts in a 38–0 record Grand Final defeat. Fellow Immortal and peer Australian Captain Arthur Beetson attempted in vain to console the forlorn Langlands at match end.

Another standing record set that day is the most tries scored in a Grand Final (8), a mark that matched South Sydney's achievement in the 1951 final.

Eastern Suburbs 38 (Tries: Brass 2, Mayes 2, McKay, Beetson, Pickett, Schubert. Goals: Peard 7.)

St George 0

References

* [http://www.stats.rleague.com/rl/seas/1975.html Rugby League Tables - Season 1975] "The World of Rugby League"
* [http://www.rabbitohs.com.au/The-Club/Tradition/Results---1971-1980.html Results: 1971-80 at rabbitohs.com.au]
* [http://www.rleague.com//db/year/1975/j_j_giltinan_shield_and_wd_ho_wills_cup/index.php 1975 J J Giltinan Shield and WD & HO Wills Cup at rleague.com]
* [http://rugbyleagueproject.com/competitions/NSWRL_1975.html NSWRFL season 1975 at rugbyleagueproject.com]