1913 NSWRFL season explained

1913 NSWRFL season
League:New South Wales Rugby Football League
Duration:3 May to 16 August
No Of Teams:8
Matches:56
Points:1344
Season Champs: Eastern Suburbs[1]
Season Champs Count:3rd
Season Champ Name:Premiers
League Leaders: Eastern Suburbs
League Leaders Count:2nd
League Leaders Name:Minor Premiers
Top Scorer: Harold Horder (65)
Top Try Scorer: Harold Horder (13)
Season2:Second Grade
No Of Teams2:14
Season Champs2: South Sydney
Season Champ Name2:Premiers
Second Place2:Grosvenor
Season3:Third Grade
No Of Teams3:21 (1 withdrew)
Season Champs3:South Sydney Federals
Season Champ Name3:Premiers
Second Place3:South Sydney Kinkora
Prevseason Link:1912 NSWRFL season
Prevseason Year:1912
Nextseason Link:1914 NSWRFL season
Nextseason Year:1914

The 1913 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the sixth season of Sydney's top-level rugby league club competition, Australia's first. Eight teams from across the city contested during the season.

Season summary

By the start of the 1913 season, the NSWRFL had secured the use of the Sydney Cricket Ground for its games.[2]

As occurred in the 1912 season, the minor premiers were deemed the overall premiers. Eastern Suburbs, who finished top of the table for the second time in as many years, claimed their third straight premiership as a result. The team's success could be attributed to the talent in the team at the time, with ten players having played for Australia and another three for New South Wales. Of the team's two losses, one came at the hands of runners-up Newtown midway through the season and the other in the final round to Glebe after the title had already been won.

This Eastern Suburbs side is still considered to be one of the greatest club teams ever assembled, with players including Dally Messenger, Wally Messenger, Sandy Pearce, Larry O'Malley, Les Cubitt, Dan Frawley and Arthur "Pony" Halloway. This season also saw the retirement from the League of future Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame inductee, Dally Messenger.

Teams

The teams remained unchanged from the previous season.

Ladder

width=20 abbr="PositionĂ—" width=175 Teamwidth=20 abbr="Played" Pldwidth=20 abbr="Won" Wwidth=20 abbr="Drawn" Dwidth=20 abbr="Lost" Lwidth=20 abbr="Points for" PFwidth=20 abbr="Points against" PAwidth=20 abbr="Points difference" PDwidth=20 abbr="Points" Pts
1 Eastern Suburbs141202227118+10924
2 Newtown141013203135+6821
3 South Sydney14905200132+6818
4 Glebe14806198161+3716
5 North Sydney14527199193+612
6 Balmain1441983135-529
7 Annandale143011119219-1006
8 Western Suburbs143011115251-1366

Records set in 1913

On 19 July, South Sydney's reserve grade team scored 102 points against Mosman, which remains the greatest number of points scored in any grade of NSWRFL/NSWRL/ARL/NRL rugby league. The Rabbitohs scored 49 points in the first half and 59 in the second, conceding only a solitary penalty goal.[3] [4]

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.rl1908.com/clubcomps/Honours.htm Premiership Roll of Honour
  2. Book: Cunneen , Chris . The best ever Australian Sports Writing. 2001. Black Inc.. Australia. 1-86395-266-7. 316. 19 February 2011.
  3. 'Rugby League: Second Grade'; The Sunday Times, 20 July 1913, p. 13
  4. 'Records Made: St. George and Griffen'; Sydney Morning Herald, 13 May 1935, p. 17