New South Wales Rugby Football League season 1935
Encyclopedia
The 1935 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the twenty-eighth season of Sydney's top-grade rugby league football club competition, Australia's first. With the inclusion of the Canterbury-Bankstown club this season, nine teams from across the city contested the premiership which lasted from April until September and culminated in Eastern suburbs' victory over South Sydney in the final.
Eastern Suburbs
began a winning streak that lasted almost three years. On 22 June 1935, South Sydney
beat Eastern Suburbs 18-11 at the Sydney Cricket Ground
. On 25 April 1938 they again beat them 21-14. Between those two dates Eastern Suburbs did not lose a premiership match. The University club did not win a single match in 1935, continuing a losing streak that started in round 2, 1934 and which would run till round 14, 1936 and which marked the most consecutive losses in NSWRL/NRL premiership history at 42.
The 5th round match between St. George
and Canterbury-Bankstown was played in part using a rubber ball; the idea was soon dropped as the ball was considered too lively. The match is also famous for the fact that St. George won 91-6. This scoreline still remains the highest margin of victory by any team as well as the most points scored by a team in a single match. The following week, Canterbury were on the receiving end of the second-highest winning margin in NSWRFL history when Eastern Suburbs defeated them 87-7. Dave Brown
's 45 points in this match remain the highest number of points scored by an individual in a game.
The jerseys of the 9 teams for the 1935 season are shown below.
winger Rod O'Loan scored a club record of seven tries in a 61-5 win over University. This tally stands second (behind Frank Burge
's eight tries in 1920
) on the list of most individual tries in a premiership match. Dave Brown
's six tries in a 1935 game against Canterbury stands in equal third place in that same list, Easts winning the match 65-10.
The standing record for most tries in one season also comes from 1935 being 38 by East's Dave Brown. Brown's 45 points in a 1935 match against Canterbury also stands as the record for most points in a match and the 15 goals he kicked in that match stands in equal first place as the most goals scored in a match. The other equal place holder is St George's Les Griffen who also kicked 15 goals in the Dragon's 1935 clash against Canterbury.
These records cited above are directly related to the introduction of Canterbury to the 1935 season who were under-prepared and suffered some large losses early in the season. Those same 1935 Canterbury losses stand in first and second place on the list of highest scores by a team in a premiership match - St George's 91-6 drubbing and East's 87-7 shellacking of the Berries, with the 85 and 80 point mismatches also standing in first & second place on the table of the biggest winning margins in premiership history.
Dave Brown
's season tally of 244 points stood for 34 years as the record points scored in a season until topped by Eric Simms in 1969
.
on the same day, the top two ranked teams Eastern Suburbs
and South Sydney
beat their lower-ranked opponents Western Suburbs
and North Sydney
. Eastern Suburbs and South Sydney won their respective matches and met each other in the Final.
Before a crowd of 22,106 and refereed by Tom McMahon, Easts
led 9-0 at half-time and were never headed despite being without their star centre, Dave Brown. It would be the Roosters' first premiership in twelve years and the beginning of a three-year golden period for the club.
Eastern Suburbs 19
Tries: Rod O'Loan 2, Harry Pierce, Fred Tottey, Jack Beaton. Goals: Ross McKinnon 2
South Sydney 3
Try: George Shankland
Season summary
The inclusion of the Canterbury-Bankstown club in the premiership this season saw the number of teams increase for the first time since University's introduction in 1920. This meant the number of regular season matches each club played increased in 1935 from 14 to 16.Eastern Suburbs
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
began a winning streak that lasted almost three years. On 22 June 1935, South Sydney
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...
beat Eastern Suburbs 18-11 at the Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
. On 25 April 1938 they again beat them 21-14. Between those two dates Eastern Suburbs did not lose a premiership match. The University club did not win a single match in 1935, continuing a losing streak that started in round 2, 1934 and which would run till round 14, 1936 and which marked the most consecutive losses in NSWRL/NRL premiership history at 42.
The 5th round match between St. George
St. George Dragons
The St George Dragons was an Australian Rugby league football club in St George, Sydney, New South Wales that played in Australia's top-level Rugby league competition from New South Wales Rugby Football League in 1921 until 1998; in 1999 they formed a joint venture with the Illawarra Steelers,...
and Canterbury-Bankstown was played in part using a rubber ball; the idea was soon dropped as the ball was considered too lively. The match is also famous for the fact that St. George won 91-6. This scoreline still remains the highest margin of victory by any team as well as the most points scored by a team in a single match. The following week, Canterbury were on the receiving end of the second-highest winning margin in NSWRFL history when Eastern Suburbs defeated them 87-7. Dave Brown
Dave Brown (rugby league footballer Easts)
David Michael Brown born Kogarah, New South Wales, died on 23 February 1974 in Sydney) was one of Australia's greatest rugby league footballers....
's 45 points in this match remain the highest number of points scored by an individual in a game.
Teams
- BalmainBalmain TigersThe Balmain Tigers are a rugby league football club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in the history of the premiership, with eleven titles...
, formed on January 23, 1908 at Balmain Town Hall - Canterbury-Bankstown, formed October 30, 1934.
- Eastern SuburbsSydney RoostersThe Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
, formed on January 24, 1908 at Paddington Town Hall - NewtownNewtown JetsThe Newtown Jets are an Australian rugby league football club based in Newtown, a suburb of Sydney's inner west. They currently compete in the NSWRL Premier League competition, having left the top grade after the 1983 NSWRFL season...
, formed on January 14, 1908 - North SydneyNorth Sydney BearsThe North Sydney Bears are an Australian rugby league football club based in North Sydney, New South Wales. They currently compete in the New South Wales Cup, having exited the National Rugby League following the 1999 NRL season after 92 years of top-grade competition. The Bears are based on...
, formed on February 7, 1908 - South SydneySouth Sydney RabbitohsThe South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...
, formed on January 17, 1908 at Redfern Town Hall - St. GeorgeSt. George DragonsThe St George Dragons was an Australian Rugby league football club in St George, Sydney, New South Wales that played in Australia's top-level Rugby league competition from New South Wales Rugby Football League in 1921 until 1998; in 1999 they formed a joint venture with the Illawarra Steelers,...
, formed on November 8, 1920 at Kogarah School of Arts - University, formed in 1919 at Sydney University
- Western SuburbsWestern Suburbs MagpiesThe Western Suburbs Magpies are an Australian rugby league football club based in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 1908, Wests, as they are commonly referred to, were one of the nine foundation clubs of the first New South Wales Rugby League competition in Australia...
, formed on February 4, 1908
The jerseys of the 9 teams for the 1935 season are shown below.
 Balmain Tigers The Balmain Tigers are a rugby league football club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in the history of the premiership, with eleven titles... |
 |
 Sydney Roosters The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League... |
 Newtown Jets The Newtown Jets are an Australian rugby league football club based in Newtown, a suburb of Sydney's inner west. They currently compete in the NSWRL Premier League competition, having left the top grade after the 1983 NSWRFL season... |
 North Sydney Bears The North Sydney Bears are an Australian rugby league football club based in North Sydney, New South Wales. They currently compete in the New South Wales Cup, having exited the National Rugby League following the 1999 NRL season after 92 years of top-grade competition. The Bears are based on... |
 South Sydney Rabbitohs The South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital... |
 St. George Dragons The St George Dragons was an Australian Rugby league football club in St George, Sydney, New South Wales that played in Australia's top-level Rugby league competition from New South Wales Rugby Football League in 1921 until 1998; in 1999 they formed a joint venture with the Illawarra Steelers,... |
 |
 Western Suburbs Magpies The Western Suburbs Magpies are an Australian rugby league football club based in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 1908, Wests, as they are commonly referred to, were one of the nine foundation clubs of the first New South Wales Rugby League competition in Australia... |
Records set in 1935
Eastern SuburbsSydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
winger Rod O'Loan scored a club record of seven tries in a 61-5 win over University. This tally stands second (behind Frank Burge
Frank Burge
Frank 'Chunky' Burge was one of the greatest forwards in the history of rugby league in Australia. Later he was one of the game's finest coaches....
's eight tries in 1920
New South Wales Rugby Football League season 1920
The 1920 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the thirteenth season of Sydney's professional rugby league football club competition, Australia's first. The introduction of a Sydney University side saw nine teams from across the city contest during he season. Balmain were crowned...
) on the list of most individual tries in a premiership match. Dave Brown
Dave Brown (rugby league footballer Easts)
David Michael Brown born Kogarah, New South Wales, died on 23 February 1974 in Sydney) was one of Australia's greatest rugby league footballers....
's six tries in a 1935 game against Canterbury stands in equal third place in that same list, Easts winning the match 65-10.
The standing record for most tries in one season also comes from 1935 being 38 by East's Dave Brown. Brown's 45 points in a 1935 match against Canterbury also stands as the record for most points in a match and the 15 goals he kicked in that match stands in equal first place as the most goals scored in a match. The other equal place holder is St George's Les Griffen who also kicked 15 goals in the Dragon's 1935 clash against Canterbury.
These records cited above are directly related to the introduction of Canterbury to the 1935 season who were under-prepared and suffered some large losses early in the season. Those same 1935 Canterbury losses stand in first and second place on the list of highest scores by a team in a premiership match - St George's 91-6 drubbing and East's 87-7 shellacking of the Berries, with the 85 and 80 point mismatches also standing in first & second place on the table of the biggest winning margins in premiership history.
Dave Brown
Dave Brown (rugby league footballer Easts)
David Michael Brown born Kogarah, New South Wales, died on 23 February 1974 in Sydney) was one of Australia's greatest rugby league footballers....
's season tally of 244 points stood for 34 years as the record points scored in a season until topped by Eric Simms in 1969
New South Wales Rugby Football League season 1969
The 1969 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the sixty-second season of Sydney's professional rugby league football competition, Australia's first...
.
Ladder
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Eastern SuburbsSydney Roosters The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League... |
16 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 599 | 157 | 34 | |
| 2 |  South SydneySouth Sydney Rabbitohs The South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital... |
16 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 314 | 222 | 26 | |
| 3 |  Western SuburbsWestern Suburbs Magpies The Western Suburbs Magpies are an Australian rugby league football club based in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 1908, Wests, as they are commonly referred to, were one of the nine foundation clubs of the first New South Wales Rugby League competition in Australia... |
16 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 345 | 243 | 24 | |
| 4 |  North SydneyNorth Sydney Bears The North Sydney Bears are an Australian rugby league football club based in North Sydney, New South Wales. They currently compete in the New South Wales Cup, having exited the National Rugby League following the 1999 NRL season after 92 years of top-grade competition. The Bears are based on... |
16 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 248 | 253 | ||
| 23 | ||||||||||
| 5 |  BalmainBalmain Tigers The Balmain Tigers are a rugby league football club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in the history of the premiership, with eleven titles... |
16 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 320 | 225 | 21 | |
| 6 |  St. GeorgeSt. George Dragons The St George Dragons was an Australian Rugby league football club in St George, Sydney, New South Wales that played in Australia's top-level Rugby league competition from New South Wales Rugby Football League in 1921 until 1998; in 1999 they formed a joint venture with the Illawarra Steelers,... |
16 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 334 | 162 | 20 | |
| 7 |  NewtownNewtown Jets The Newtown Jets are an Australian rugby league football club based in Newtown, a suburb of Sydney's inner west. They currently compete in the NSWRL Premier League competition, having left the top grade after the 1983 NSWRFL season... |
16 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 280 | 248 | 20 | |
| 8 |  Canterbury-Bankstown |
16 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 150 | 660 | ||
| 8 | ||||||||||
| 9 |  University |
16 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 109 | 529 | ||
| 4 |
Finals
In the two semi-finals played as a double-header at the Sydney Cricket GroundSydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
on the same day, the top two ranked teams Eastern Suburbs
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
and South Sydney
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...
beat their lower-ranked opponents Western Suburbs
Western Suburbs Magpies
The Western Suburbs Magpies are an Australian rugby league football club based in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 1908, Wests, as they are commonly referred to, were one of the nine foundation clubs of the first New South Wales Rugby League competition in Australia...
and North Sydney
North Sydney Bears
The North Sydney Bears are an Australian rugby league football club based in North Sydney, New South Wales. They currently compete in the New South Wales Cup, having exited the National Rugby League following the 1999 NRL season after 92 years of top-grade competition. The Bears are based on...
. Eastern Suburbs and South Sydney won their respective matches and met each other in the Final.
Premiership Final
| South Sydney | Position | Eastern Suburbs |
|---|---|---|
| Les McDonald | FB | Tom Dowling Tom Dowling (rugby league) Tom Dowling is a former rugby league footballer. He played in the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership for the Eastern Suburbs club.... |
| Harry Thompson | WG | Rod O’Loan |
| Harry Eyers | CE | Ross McKinnon Ross McKinnon Ross McKinnon was an Australian rugby league footballer and coach. He played for the University, Eastern Suburbs, New South Wales and for the Australian national side.... |
| Eddie Finucane | CE | Jack Beaton Jack Beaton John Beaton was an Australian rugby league player, a national representative of the 1930s whose club career was played with Sydney's Eastern Suburbs club. He has been named amongst the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century.... |
| George Shankland | WG | Fred Tottey Fred Tottey Fred Tottey was a rugby league footballer who played in Australia's leading competition the New South Wales Rugby Football League.Tottey, a winger, played 80 matches for Eastern Suburbs between 1930 and 1937 before joining the English club Halifax for the 1938 season.A member of great Eastern... |
| "Paddy" Stewart | FE | Ernie Norman Ernie Norman Ernie Norman was an Australian rugby league player - a state and national representative Centre or Five-eighth. His club career was with the Eastern Suburbs club in the New South Wales Rugby League competition.... |
| Percy Williams | HB | Viv Thicknesse Viv Thicknesse Viv Thicknesse was an Australian rugby league footballer, a national and state representative whose club career was spent with the champion Eastern Suburbs sides of the 1930s... |
| Jack McCormack | PR | Ray Stehr Ray Stehr Raymond Ernest Stehr was an Australian rugby league footballer, a state and national representative player whose club career was played at Sydney's Eastern Suburbs club. He has been named as one of the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century.-Early life:Stehr was born in the country New... (c) |
| George Kilham | HK | Tom McLachlan Tom McLachlan Tom ‘Tommy’ McLachlan was a rugby league footballer in the New South Wales Rugby League .A South Sydney junior, McLachlan made his 1st grade debut for that club in 1931. In 1934 Tommy McLachlan joined the Eastern Suburbs club where he remained until his retirement at the end of the 1937 Season... |
| Eric Lewis Eric Lewis (rugby league) Eric Lewis was an Australian rugby league footballer of the 1930s. A New South Wales interstate and Australian international representative forward, he played club football in the NSWRFL for South Sydney, winning the 1932 Premiership with them.... |
PR | Max Nixon |
| Frank Curran Frank Curran (rugby league) Frank Curran was an Australian rugby league footballer of the 1930s. An Australian international representative, he played club football for South Sydney in the NSWRFL Premiership as well as in country New South Wales.... |
SR | Harry Pierce Harry Pierce Henry "Harry" Pierce was a rugby league footballer in Australia's leading competition the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership. He played for both the St George Dragons and the Eastern Suburbs clubs.... |
| Michael Williams | SR | Joe Pearce Joe Pearce Sid 'Joe' Pearce was an Australian rugby league footballer of the 1930s and 40s. An Australian international and New South Wales representative second-row forward, he played his club football for Eastern Suburbs with whom he won the NSWRFL Premiership in 1935, '36, 37 'and '40... |
| Eddie Hinson | LK | Andy Norval Andy Norval Andy Norval was an Australian rugby league player, a national and state representative lock-forward whose club career was with Sydney's Eastern Suburbs club.... |
| Coach | Arthur Halloway Arthur Halloway Arthur 'Pony' Halloway , was a pioneering Australian rugby league footballer and coach. Born in Sydney, New South Wales he played for the Glebe Dirty Reds , Balmain Tigers and Eastern Suburbs , in the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership.He was a Half-back for the Australian national... |
Before a crowd of 22,106 and refereed by Tom McMahon, Easts
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
led 9-0 at half-time and were never headed despite being without their star centre, Dave Brown. It would be the Roosters' first premiership in twelve years and the beginning of a three-year golden period for the club.
Eastern Suburbs 19
Tries: Rod O'Loan 2, Harry Pierce, Fred Tottey, Jack Beaton. Goals: Ross McKinnon 2
South Sydney 3
Try: George Shankland