1952 NSWRFL season explained

Year:1952
Competition:New South Wales Rugby Football League
Teams:10
Count:4th
Mpcount:3rd
Matches:95
Points:3217
Top Point Scorer: Ron Rowles (178)
Top Try Scorer: Peter O'Brien (20)
Prevseason Link:1951 NSWRFL season
Prevseason Year:1951
Nextseason Link:1953 NSWRFL season
Nextseason Year:1953

The 1952 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the forty-fifth season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney. Ten teams from across Sydney contested for the J. J. Giltinan Shield during the season which culminated in a grand final between Western Suburbs and South Sydney.

Teams

The tail-end of the season was played without star players selected to go on the Australian national team’s 1952–1953 Kangaroo Tour.

Regular season

Team123456789101112131415161718F1F2F3F4GF
BalmainCBY
−1
STG
−11
WES
−9
SOU
−3
NEW
−1
EAS
−10
MAN
−10
PAR
+6
NOR
+7
CBY
+25
STG
+16
WES
−2
SOU
+2
NEW
+30
MAN
−2
PAR
−1
NOR
+8
EAS
+51
Canterbury-BankstownBAL
+1
NEW
+1
EAS
−5
MAN
−23
PAR
+8
NOR
−21
SOU
−22
STG
−17
WES
−2
BAL
−25
NEW
−11
EAS
+2
MAN
−8
PAR
+2
SOU
−12
STG
−6
WES
0
NOR
−34
Eastern SuburbsPAR
+10
NOR
+2
CBY
+5
STG
−4
WES
−3
BAL
+10
NEW
−1
SOU
−50
MAN
−4
PAR
−16
NOR
−24
CBY
−2
STG
−11
WES
−12
NEW
+20
SOU
−8
MAN
+1
BAL
−51
Manly-WarringahSOU
+3
PAR
+17
NOR
+3
CBY
+23
STG
+17
WES
−1
BAL
+10
NEW
+20
EAS
+4
SOU
−5
PAR
+6
NOR
−13
CBY
+8
STG
−3
BAL
+2
NEW
−8
EAS
−1
WES
−9
NOR
−28
NewtownNOR
−5
CBY
−1
STG
−16
WES
−1
BAL
+1
SOU
−4
EAS
+1
MAN
−20
PAR
+13
NOR
−4
CBY
+11
STG
−24
WES
−10
BAL
−30
EAS
−20
MAN
+8
PAR
+9
SOU
−39
North SydneyNEW
+5
EAS
−2
MAN
−3
PAR
+32
SOU
+3
CBY
+21
STG
+22
WES
−20
BAL
−7
NEW
+4
EAS
+24
MAN
+13
PAR
+22
SOU
−6
STG
−4
WES
+5
BAL
−8
CBY
+34
MAN
+28
XSTG
+12
SOU
−14
ParramattaEAS
−10
MAN
−17
SOU
−20
NOR
−32
CBY
−8
STG
−12
WES
−18
BAL
−6
NEW
−13
EAS
+16
MAN
−6
SOU
+6
NOR
−22
CBY
−2
WES
−4
BAL
+1
NEW
−9
STG
−26
South SydneyMAN
−3
WES
−2
PAR
+20
BAL
+3
NOR
−3
NEW
+4
CBY
+22
EAS
+50
STG
+2
MAN
+5
WES
+5
PAR
−6
BAL
−2
NOR
+6
CBY
+12
EAS
+8
STG
−5
NEW
+39
XWES
+8
XNOR
+14
WES
−10
St. GeorgeWES
−1
BAL
+11
NEW
+16
EAS
+4
MAN
−17
PAR
+12
NOR
−22
CBY
+17
SOU
−2
WES
+17
BAL
−16
NEW
+24
EAS
+11
MAN
+3
NOR
+4
CBY
+6
SOU
+5
PAR
+26
XXNOR
−12
Western SuburbsSTG
+1
SOU
+2
BAL
+9
NEW
+1
EAS
+3
MAN
+1
PAR
+18
NOR
+20
CBY
+2
STG
−17
SOU
−5
BAL
+2
NEW
+10
EAS
+12
PAR
+4
NOR
−5
CBY
0
MAN
+9
XSOU
−8
XXSOU
+10
Team123456789101112131415161718F1F2F3F4GF
Bold – Home game
X – Bye
Opponent for round listed above margin

Ladder

width=20 abbr="Position×" 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 Western Suburbs181413331264+6729
2 St. George181305375279+9626
3 South Sydney181206344189+15524
4 North Sydney181107384247+13722
5 Manly181107334261+7322
6 Balmain188010351256+9516
7 Newtown186012210341-13112
8 Eastern Suburbs186012259397-13812
9 Canterbury185112214386-17211
10 Parramatta183015241423-1826

Ladder progression

width=20 abbr="Position" width=250 Teamwidth=20 abbr="Round 1" 1width=20 abbr="Round 2" 2width=20 abbr="Round 3" 3width=20 abbr="Round 4" 4width=20 abbr="Round 5" 5width=20 abbr="Round 6" 6width=20 abbr="Round 7" 7width=20 abbr="Round 8" 8width=20 abbr="Round 9" 9width=20 abbr="Round 10" 10width=20 abbr="Round 11" 11width=20 abbr="Round 12" 12width=20 abbr="Round 13" 13width=20 abbr="Round 14" 14width=20 abbr="Round 15" 15width=20 abbr="Round 16" 16width=20 abbr="Round 17" 17width=20 abbr="Round 18" 18
12 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 18 18 20 22 24 26 26 27 29
20 2 4 6 6 8 8 10 10 12 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26
30 0 2 4 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 16 16 18 20 22 22 24
42 2 2 4 6 8 10 10 10 12 14 16 18 18 18 20 20 22
52 4 6 8 10 10 12 14 16 16 18 18 20 20 22 22 22 22
60 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 6 8 8 10 12 12 12 14 16
70 0 0 0 2 2 4 4 6 6 8 8 8 8 8 10 12 12
82 4 6 6 6 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 10 10 12 12
92 4 4 4 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 8 8 10 10 10 11 11
100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 4 4 4 4 6 6 6

Finals

The 1952 season saw North Sydney reach the finals for the first time since 1943.[1] Their win over St. George in their semi-final would prove North Sydney’s last victory in a first grade semi-final until their 1991 major preliminary semi-final against Manly-Warringah.[2]

HomeScoreAwayMatch Information
width=17%Date and Timewidth=17%Venuewidth=11%Refereewidth=7%Crowd
Playoff
align=left North Sydney36–8align=left Manly-Warringah27 August 1952Sydney Cricket Ground8,770
Semifinals
align=left Western Suburbs10–18align=left South Sydney30 August 1952Sydney Cricket GroundJack O'Brien34,181
align=left St. George9–21align=left North Sydney6 September 1952Sydney Cricket GroundGeorge Bishop41,976
Preliminary Final
align=left South Sydney26–12align=left North Sydney13 September 1952Sydney Cricket GroundJack O'Brien44,166
Final
align=left Western Suburbs22–12align=left South Sydney20 September 1952Sydney Cricket GroundGeorge Bishop41,060

Grand Final

Western SuburbsPositionSouth Sydney
13. Don Murdoch
WG12. John Graves
CE10. Malcolm Spencer
9. Cliff Smailes
8. Norm Spillane
HB7. Ken Brogan
  1. Denis Donoghue
2. Ernie Hammerton
3. Bryan Orrock
SR5. Ken Macreadie
4. Jack Rayner (Ca./Co.)
8. Peter McLean (c) 6. Ray Neilson
Coach
The rl1908 reference[3] transcribes Sean Fagan’s 2002 interview with Souths captain-coach Jack Rayner fuelling the suggestion that dubious refereeing decisions cost the Rabbitohs the 1952 title and prevented Souths from stringing together all six premierships of 1950 to 1955. However, it cannot be argued that the Western Suburbs club were themselves a force of the 1950s, and their 1952 achievement was undeniably remarkable, as they played the whole second half of the season and the finals without their stars Frank Stanmore, Keith Holman and Arthur Collinson, who had all left with the touring Kangaroos to England and France.

Wests finished as minor premiers due in great part to their undefeated nine-game streak in the first full round of the 1952 season. In the final they met Souths who were seeking their third premiership in a row.

The controversy centered on a disallowed Rabbitohs try early in the game. Souths’ Frank Threlfo made a break and slipped the ball to Ken Macreadie who was in under the posts. Referee George Bishop ruled the pass forward and disallowed the try. In the interview Rayner also comments on the lopsided penalty count.[3]

However the record-books show that Wests scored six tries to two, winning the match 22–12 and the club’s fourth premiership. Wests’ Hec Farrell and Souths’ Bryan Orrock were sent-off for fighting and went before the judiciary charged with kicking.[4] Wests' coach Tom McMahon became the first coach to win a premiership in his debut coaching season.

Ironically, ten years later Wests would again threaten to break a string of premiership wins – the 1962 and 1963 Magpie sides both came close to ceasing St. George's long run – but again several refereeing controversies would affect the outcome. Both the 1962 and 1963 Grand Finals have been said to have been decided by questionable calls from referee Darcy Lawler and on those occasion Wests would be on the wrong end of disputed rulings.

Western Suburbs 22 (Tries: Schofield 2, Fitzgerald, Dines, Bain, McLean. Goals: Bain 2.)

South Sydney 12 (Tries: Smailes, Macreadie. Goals: Graves 3.)

Player statistics

The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 18.Top 5 point scorers

width=50 Pointswidth=200 Playerwidth=30 Trieswidth=30 Goalswidth=30 Field Goals
178 Ron Rowles8770
153 Johnny Graves13570
131 George Bain3610
106 Gordon Clifford0530
97 Noel Pidding5410
Top 5 try scorers
width=50 Trieswidth=200 Player
18 Peter O'Brien
16 John McClean
14 Bill Callinan
14 Tommy Ryan
13 Johnny Graves
Top 5 goal scorers
width=50 Goalswidth=200 Player
77 Ron Rowles
61 George Bain
57 Johnny Graves
53 Gordon Clifford
48 Joe Jorgenson

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: North may pay record bonus . . Australia . 1952-09-08 . 2009-12-05.
  2. Middleton, David; Rugby League 1991–92, pp. 97, 126
  3. https://web.archive.org/web/20060511184559/http://www.rl1908.com/Legends/rayner.htm rl1908.com Rayner Interview
  4. News: Two R.L. men cautioned . . 8 . 1952-09-23 . 2009-11-20.