New South Wales Rugby Football League season 1945

Infobox rugby league season
year = 1945
competition = New South Wales Rugby Football League


imagesize = 125px
caption =
teams = 8
premiers =
count = 9th
minor premiers =
mpcount = 11th
matches = 60
points = 1941
attendance =
top points scorer = (150)
top try scorer = (13)
1945's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the thirty-eighth season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney. Eight teams from across Sydney contested during the season.

Teams

* Balmain, formed on January 23 1908 at Balmain Town Hall
* Canterbury-Bankstown
* Eastern Suburbs, formed on January 24 1908 at Paddington Town Hall
* Newtown, formed on January 14 1908
* North Sydney, formed on February 7 1908
* South Sydney, formed on January 17 1908 at Redfern Town Hall
* St. George, formed on November 8 1920 at Kogarah School of Arts
* Western Suburbs, formed on February 4 1908

Premiership Final

Balmain led by 10-5 at half time and the match was evenly balanced throughout the second half. With three minutes to go Roosters trailed 17-18. The Roosters were awarded a penalty on half way and Dick Dunn convinced his reluctant captain Ray Stehr that he could make the distance. Dunn successfully kicked the goal from the then unorthodox upright position.

Dunn received Joe Jorgenson's kick from the restart and booted the ball into touch five metres from the Balmain line. Roosters' hooker George Watt won the scrum against the feed and Easts' classy halves pairing of Sel Lisle and Wally O'Connell put on a move that saw Dunn score in the corner.

Dunn scored 19 of the Rooster's 22 points that day carrying with him for luck the sock of his 14-month old daughter in his shorts pocket throughout the match. [ [http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/09/29/1096401652973.html SMH claim] ] . [ [http://www.rl1908.com/Legends/dunn.htm rl1908.com disputes this claim] ] .

Eastern Suburbs 22 (Tries: Dunn 3, J Arnold. Goals: Dunn 5)

defeated

Balmain 18 (Tries: Ponchard 2, Dawes, Nielsen. Goals: Jorgenson 3)

References

* [http://www.stats.rleague.com/rl/snotes.html Rugby League Tables - Notes] "The World of Rugby League"
* [http://www.stats.rleague.com/rl/seas/1945.html Rugby League Tables - Season 1945] "The World of Rugby League"
* [http://www.rl1908.com/premiership.htm Premiership History and Statistics] "rl1908.com"
* [http://www2.hunterlink.net.au/~maajjs/aus/nsw/syd/res/syd1945a.htm#rfinals Finals lineups and results] "Hunterlink site"
* [http://www.rl1908.com/Legends/dunn.htm rl1908.com interview ] "Sean Fagan interviews Dick Dunn"
* [http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/09/29/1096401652973.html Sydney Morning Herald 30sept2004] "SMH interviews Dick Dunn"
* [http://www.rabbitohs.com.au/The-Club/Tradition/Results---1941-1950.html Results: 1941-1950 at rabbitohs.com.au]
* [http://www.rleague.com//db/year/1945/labor_daily_cup/index.php 1945 Labor Daily Cup at rleague.com]
* [http://rugbyleagueproject.com/competitions/NSWRL_1945.html NSWRFL season 1945 at rugbyleagueproject.com]

Footnotes