1929 NSWRFL season

Rugby league competition

1929 New South Wales Rugby Football League

Teams| 9
Premiers|  South Sydney (9th title)
Minor premiers|  South Sydney (8th title)
Matches played| 75
Points scored| 1942
Top points scorer(s)|  Jim Craig (86)
Top try-scorer(s)|  Alan Brady (11)

← 1928

1930 →

The 1929 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 22nd season of Sydney's top-level rugby league football competition, Australia's first. During the season, which lasted from April until September, nine teams from across Sydney contested the premiership, culminating in a South Sydney's win over Newtown in the final.[1]

## Season summary[edit]

Half of the 1929 season was played without several of the League's top players who were selected to embark on the 1929–30 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain. South Sydney won their ninth premiership and fifth in succession, defeating Newtown in the Final.

### Teams[edit]

At the end of 1929 Glebe exited the League[2] because of a lack of a home ground, poor results and primarily because the area they represented was no longer big enough to support a club.

* Balmain, formed on January 23, 1908, at Balmain Town Hall
* Eastern Suburbs, formed on January 24, 1908, at Paddington Town Hall
* Glebe, formed on January 9, 1908
* Newtown, formed on January 8, 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
* University, formed in 1919 at Sydney University

|  |

|
|

Balmain
22nd season
Ground: Birchgrove Oval
Captain-Coach: Reg Latta | Eastern Suburbs
22nd season
Ground: RAS Showground
Coach: George Boddington
Captain: Arthur Oxford | Glebe
22nd season
Ground: Wentworth Park
Coach: Chris McKivat
Captain: Jack McMahon
Newtown
22nd season
Ground: Marrickville Oval
Coach: Jack Chaseling[3]
Captain(s): Tom Ellis, Fred Lind | North Sydney
22nd season
Ground: North Sydney Oval
Coach: Leo O'Connor
Captain: Les Carroll | St. George
9th season
Ground: Earl Park
Coach: Frank Burge
Captain: Arthur Justice
South Sydney
22nd season
Ground: Sydney Sports Ground
Coach: Charlie Lynch
Captain: Alf Blair | University
10th season
Coach:Billy Kelly
Captain: Sammy Ogg | Western Suburbs
22nd season
Ground: Pratten Park
Captain-Coach: Jim Craig

### Ladder[edit]

| Team  | Pld  | W  | D  | L  | B  | PF  | PA  | PD  | Pts

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1 |  South Sydney | 16 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 296 | 104 | +192 | 31
2 |  St. George | 16 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 180 | 147 | +33 | 27
3 |  Western Suburbs | 16 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 258 | 153 | +105 | 26
4 |  Newtown | 16 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 188 | 169 | +19 | 24
5 |  North Sydney | 16 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 194 | 211 | -17 | 19
6 |  Balmain | 16 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 213 | 259 | -46 | 17
7 |  Eastern Suburbs | 16 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 203 | 269 | -66 | 14
8 |  Glebe | 16 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 166 | 261 | -95 | 13
9 |  Sydney University | 16 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 157 | 282 | -125 | 9

## Finals[edit]

Home  | Score  | Away  | Match Information

|
|
|

Date and Time  | Venue  | Referee  | Crowd
Minor Semi-Final
Newtown | 8–7  |  St. George | 7 September 1929  | Earl Park |  | 7,000
Major Semi-Final
South Sydney | 22–10  |  Western Suburbs | 7 September 1929  | Sydney Sports Ground | Lal Deane  | 14,774
Final
South Sydney | 30–10  |  Newtown | 14 September 1929  | Sydney Sports Ground | Lal Deane  | 16,360

### Premiership final[edit]

South Sydney  | Position  | Newtown

|
|

Albert Spillane | FB | Jim Gilmour
Benny Wearing | WG | George Casey
Oscar Quinlivan | CE | Carl Mork
Harry Eyres | CE | Charlie Hill
Reg Williams | WG | Jack Kessey (c)
Jack Jones | FE | Vince Hughes
Alf Blair (c) | HB | Hans Mork
Frank O'Connor | PR | Charlie Pendergast
Alf O'Connor | HK | Tom Leamy
Carl Eggen | PR | Ben Edwards
Alf Binder | SR | Dave Waters
David Watson | SR | Jack Davies
Jack Why | LK | T Walsh
Charlie Lynch | Coach |

South Sydney took their fifth successive title outgunning Newtown 30–10 after leading 18–2 at half-time.

The Whiticker/Collis reference quotes Sydney's Labor Daily[4] in praise of Souths' win: "Newtown faced inevitable defeat, and while the margin was large, it hardly demonstrated South Sydney's superiority. They were on top from the start and gave a scintillating display both in combination and individual effort. Alf Blair played probably the greatest game in his long career".

Brothers Alf and Frank O'Connor both scored tries for the winning Rabbitohs. The next time two brothers would each score a try in a premiership decider was when Brett and Glenn Stewart scored for Manly-Warringah in their 2011 NRL Grand Final win over New Zealand.

South Sydney 30 (Tries: Alf Blair 3, Reg Williams 3, Frank O'Connor, Alf O'Connor. Goals: Alf Blair 2, Reg Williams)

defeated

Newtown 10 (Tries: Ben Edwards 2. Goals: George Casey 2)

Alf O'Connor

## References[edit]

1. ^ Premiership Roll of Honour Archived 2010-10-11 at the Wayback Machine at rl1908.com
2. ^ "History of the Premiership". centenaryofrugbyleague.com.au. Australian Rugby League. Archived from the original on 9 February 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
3. ^ History Of NSW Rugby League Finals. Stephen Hadden (ISBN 978 0 646 05098 0)
4. ^ "Whiticker & Collis p 35"

## External links[edit]

* Whiticker, Alan & Collis, Ian (2006) The History of Rugby League Clubs, New Holland, Sydney
* Rugby League Tables - Season 1929 AFL Tables
* Results: 1921-30 at rabbitohs.com.au

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South Sydney Rabbitohs

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Related articles|

* The Burrow
* Reggie the Rabbit

South Sydney were excluded from the National Rugby League for the 2000 and 2001 seasons

* v
* t
* e

South Sydney squad - 1929 NSWRFL Premiers (9th title)

* 1\. Albert Spillane
* 2\. Benny Wearing
* 3\. Oscar Quinlivan
* 4\. Harry Eyres
* 5\. Reg Williams
* 6\. Jack Jones
* 7\. Alf Blair (c)

* 8\. Frank O'Connor
* 9\. Alf O'Connor
* 10\. Carl Eggen
* 11\. Alf Binder
* 12\. David Watson
* 13\. Jack Why

* Coach: Charlie Lynch

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