New South Wales Rugby Football League season 1947

Infobox rugby league season
year = 1947
competition = New South Wales Rugby Football League


imagesize = 125px
caption =
teams = 10
premiers =
count = 10th
minor premiers =
mpcount = 3rd
matches = 95
points = 3238
attendance =
top points scorer = (142)
top try scorer = (28)
1947's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the fortieth season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney. The addition of two teams, Manly-Warringah and Parramatta, saw ten teams from across Sydney contest during the 1947 season, the first expansion of the League since Canterbury's introduction in 1935.

eason Summary

For the first time since NSWRFL season 1937, more than eight clubs competed in the Sydney premiership due to the admission of Manly-Warringah and Parramatta to the first grade competition.

Mid way through the season the Balmain Tigers looked out of touch winning only 6 of their first 12 games. Five consecutive wins to end the regular season left them in position to make a finals assault. Balmain's Bob Lulham's 28 try tally in 18 matches in 1947 remains that club's standing record for tries in a season and stands in second place behind Les Brennan's 1954 effort of 29 for the highest number of tries by a player in a debut 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
* Manly-Warringah admitted in 1947
* Newtown, formed on January 14 1908
* North Sydney, formed on February 7 1908
* Parramatta, formed in November 1946
* 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

Grand Final

The Tigers had strung together seven consecutive wins including a preliminary final victory over minor premiers Canterbury in their attempt at a second straight premiership. Canterbury exercised their "right of challenge" after losing the final and called for a Grand Final decider.

The formidable Canterbury front row of Roy Kirkaldy, Henry Porter and Eddie Burns were combining in their tenth season for close to 100 appearances as a scrum front trio. They led a punishing Berries defence and give their side a better than even chance of possession in the scrum contests.

Balmain's international star centre and Kangaroo captain Joe Jorgenson had played and coached on a country contract in Junee in 1947 but returned to the Tigers reserve-grade in time for the semi-finals. The Grand Final marked his sole first-grade appearance of the season. Balmain's Test five-eighth Pat Devery was the nominated match kicker but after several misses he passed over to Jorgenson who kicked three penalties to keep Balmain in the game and trailling 9-6 with ten minutes to go.

Then Jorgenson crashed over for a try under the posts and after receiving medical attention he converted his own goal to give the Tigers an 11-9 lead. A final 45 yard penalty goal then sealed the match for the Tigers at 13-9 with Jorgenson scoring all of Balmain's points and being chaired victorious from the field.

Balmain 13 (Tries: Jorgenson. Goals: Jorgenson 5 )

defeated

Canterbury-Bankstown 9 (Tries: Hasson. Goals: Johnson 2, Hasson)

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/1947.html Rugby League Tables - Season 1947] "The World of Rugby League"
* [http://www.rl1908.com/premiership.htm Premiership History and Statistics] "RL1908"
* [http://www2.hunterlink.net.au/~maajjs/aus/nsw/syd/res/syd1944a.htm#rfinals Finals lineups and results] "Hunterlink site"
* [http://www.tigers.org.au/Football_club/History_frame.html Balmain Official History] "Tigers History Site"
* Whiticker, Alan(2004) "Captaining the Kangaroos", New Holland, Sydney
* [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/1947/labor_daily_cup/index.php 1947 Labor Daily Cup at rleague.com]
* [http://rugbyleagueproject.com/competitions/NSWRL_1947.html 1947 NSWRFL season at rugbyleagueproject.com]