New South Wales Rugby Football League season 1972
Encyclopedia
The 1972 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership
was the sixty-fifth season of Sydney
's professional rugby league football competition, Australia's first. Twelve teams, including six of 1908's foundation clubs and another six from across Sydney, competed for the J. J. Giltinan Shield during the season, which culminated in a grand final
match for the WD & HO Wills Cup between the Manly-Warringah and Eastern Suburbs clubs.
winner was Western Suburbs'
halfback Tommy Raudonikis
. Rugby League Week
awarded their player of the year award to Eastern Suburbs
' five-eighth John Ballesty
.
This season, for the first time since 1966, Souths would fail to reach the grand final.
Following the grand final, several players travelled to France to represent Australia in the 1972 Rugby League World Cup
.
After twenty-five years in the competition and five Grand Final
losses, Manly finally broke through to win the club's first NSWRFL premiership.
In a controversial match, the Sea-Eagles downed the Eastern Suburbs Roosters 19 to 14, thus shedding their 'bridesmaids' tag. The Roosters were highly critical of referee Keith Page after the match, claiming both of Manly's tries shouldn't have been awarded. To add to their rage, Easts crossed for 2 tries that were disallowed.
A dour first half saw the teams go to the break at 4-all, before a try by hooker Fred Jones put Manly ahead. Jones appeared to drop the ball as he attempted to ground it, but was awarded the try nonetheless. Midway through the second half, controversy flared again when Manly centre Ray Branighan appeared to stop over the Eastern Suburbs try line after accepting what looked like a forward pass
from prop Bill Hamilton. However, referee Page allowed it and the Manly fans began celebrating, knowing that at 19-4 their first premiership
victory was assured. Although Easts fought back and brought the score to 19-14, time was out for the Roosters.
Manly-Warringah 19 (Tries: Jones, Branighan. Goals: Eadie 6. Fld Goal: Fulton)
Eastern Suburbs 14 (Tries: Ballesty, Mullins. Goals: McKean 4 )
Man of the Match: Denis Ward (Manly).
New South Wales Rugby League premiership
The New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first rugby league football club competition established in Australia. Run by the New South Wales Rugby League from 1908 until 1994, the premiership was the state's and later the country's elite rugby league competition...
was the sixty-fifth season of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
's professional rugby league football competition, Australia's first. Twelve teams, including six of 1908's foundation clubs and another six from across Sydney, competed for the J. J. Giltinan Shield during the season, which culminated in a grand final
Grand Final
Grand Final is a predominantly Australian sport term used to describe a match that decides a league champion.It originated in Victoria and South Australia and has become specifically significant Australian culture...
match for the WD & HO Wills Cup between the Manly-Warringah and Eastern Suburbs clubs.
Season summary
The 1972 season's Rothmans MedalRothmans Medal
The Rothmans Medal was the premier individual award in both the New South Wales Rugby League and Brisbane Rugby League competitions, and later in the Australian Rugby League, which was given to the player voted by referees as the best and fairest in those competitions for that year.The award was...
winner was 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...
halfback Tommy Raudonikis
Tommy Raudonikis
Tommy Raudonikis OAM is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. He played over twenty-nine Tests and World Cup games as Australia representative halfback and captained his country in two Tests of the 1973 Kangarooo tour.-Early life and club playing career:Raudonikis is the son of a...
. Rugby League Week
Rugby League Week
Rugby League Week is the second highest selling Australian rugby league magazine, behind major competitor Big League...
awarded their player of the year award to 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...
' five-eighth John Ballesty
John Ballesty
John Patrick Ballesty in Strathfield, New South Wales is an Australian former national representative rugby union player who also played first-grade rugby league with the Eastern Suburbs club.-Rugby union:...
.
This season, for the first time since 1966, Souths would fail to reach the grand final.
Following the grand final, several players travelled to France to represent Australia in the 1972 Rugby League World Cup
1972 Rugby League World Cup
The sixth Rugby League World Cup was held in France in October and November of 1972. Australia started as the favourites to retain the trophy they had won just two years previously. New Zealand had beaten all three of the other nations in 1971 and France were expected to be tough opponents on their...
.
Teams
 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... |
 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League's Telstra Premiership, the premier rugby league competition of Australasia... |
 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... |
 Parramatta Eels The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, with their First Grade side playing their first season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League... |
 Penrith Panthers The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan... Captain: Ron Lynch Ron Lynch (rugby league) Ron Lynch is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1960s and 70s. An Australian international and New South Wales interstate representative forward, he played club football in NSW for Forbes, Parramatta and Penrith.... |
 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... |
Ladder
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manly-Warringah Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League's Telstra Premiership, the premier rugby league competition of Australasia... |
22 | 18 | 1 | 3 | 460 | 255 | 37 |
| 2 |  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... |
22 | 17 | 1 | 4 | 514 | 297 | 35 |
| 3 |  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,... |
22 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 398 | 221 | 34 |
| 4 |  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... |
22 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 456 | 331 | 28 |
| 5 |  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... |
22 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 402 | 371 | 24 |
| 6 |  Canterbury-Bankstown |
22 | 12 | 0 | 10 | 382 | 373 | 24 |
| 7 |  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... |
22 | 8 | 1 | 13 | 367 | 398 | |
| 17 | ||||||||
| 8 |  Cronulla-Sutherland |
22 | 8 | 0 | 14 | 332 | 378 | |
| 16 | ||||||||
| 9 |  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... |
22 | 7 | 1 | 14 | 320 | 405 | |
| 15 | ||||||||
| 10 |  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... |
22 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 333 | 455 | |
| 13 | ||||||||
| 11 | Penrith Penrith Panthers The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan... |
22 | 5 | 1 | 16 | 278 | 490 | |
| 11 | ||||||||
| 12 |  ParramattaParramatta Eels The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club was formed in 1947, with their First Grade side playing their first season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League... |
22 | 4 | 2 | 16 | 317 | 585 | |
| 10 | ||||||||
Finals
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Crowd | |||||
| Semi Finals | ||||||||
| 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,... |
14-10 | 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... |
26 August 1972 | 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... |
Keith Page | 47,945 | ||
| Manly-Warringah Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League's Telstra Premiership, the premier rugby league competition of Australasia... |
32-8 | 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... |
2 September 1972 | 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... |
Keith Page | 43,695 | ||
| Preliminary Final | ||||||||
| 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... |
8-6 | 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,... |
9 September 1972 | 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... |
Keith Page | 41,313 | ||
| Grand Final | ||||||||
| Manly-Warringah Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles The Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. They compete in the National Rugby League's Telstra Premiership, the premier rugby league competition of Australasia... |
19-14 | 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... |
16 September 1972 | 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... |
Keith Page | 54,537 | ||
Grand final
| Manly-Warringah | Position | Eastern Suburbs |
|---|---|---|
| Graham Eadie Graham Eadie Graham "Wombat" Eadie , is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1970s and 80s who has been named amongst the nation's finest of the 20th century... |
FB | Allan McKean Allan McKean Allan McKean is an Australian former rugby league footballer. He played for the St George and Eastern Suburbs clubs. He made one national representative appearance for AustraliaMcKean for many years held the record of the most points for the... |
| Ken Irvine Ken Irvine Kenneth John Irvine was an Australian rugby league footballer of the 1950s, 60s and 70s. He holds the standing record for the most number of tries in a first-grade career – 212. No other player has yet managed 200 tries in their career, apart from Steve Menzies who has scored 216... |
WG | Jim Porter Jim Porter Jim Porter is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1970s. He played club football in the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership with the Eastern Suburbs Roosters and the Parramatta Eels, as well as representative football for the Australian national team... |
| Ray Branighan Ray Branighan Ray Branighan is an Australian former rugby league player, a star winger and Centre of the 1970s for the South Sydney Rabbitohs , the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and Australian national representative side.-Souths club career:... |
CE | Harry Cameron Harry Cameron (rugby league) Harry Cameron is an Australian former professional rugby league player for Eastern Suburbs in the New South Wales Rugby League competition and Wests Brisbane in the Brisbane Rugby League... |
| Bob Fulton Bob Fulton Robert "Bob" Fulton AM is an Australian rugby league football identity. Fulton played, coached, selected for and has commentated on the game with great success at the highest levels and has been named amongst Australia's greatest rugby league players of the 20th century.As a player Fulton won... |
CE | Mark Harris |
| Max Brown | WG | Bill Mullins Bill Mullins William "Bill" Mullins was a rugby league footballer in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership, the major rugby league competition in Australia at the time.... |
| Ian Martin | FE | John Ballesty John Ballesty John Patrick Ballesty in Strathfield, New South Wales is an Australian former national representative rugby union player who also played first-grade rugby league with the Eastern Suburbs club.-Rugby union:... |
| Dennis Ward | HB | Kevin Junee Kevin Junee Kevin Junee is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1960s and 70s. An Australian international and New South Wales interstate representative back, he played club football in the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership for the Eastern Suburbs and Manly-Warringah clubs... |
| Bill Hamilton | PR | John Armstrong John Armstrong (rugby league) John Armstrong was a rugby league footballer in the New South Wales Rugby League Competition.After representing New South Wales at a junior level Armstrong began his senior career playing for the Western Suburbs club. Originally a wing–threequarter Armstrong developed into a tough,... |
| Fred Jones Fred Jones (rugby league) Fred Jones is an Australian former rugby league footballer of the 1960s and 70s. An Australian international and New South Wales interstate representative hooker, he played his club football for Manly-Warringah, with whom he won the 1972 and 1973 NSWRFL Premierships.A product of the South Coast,... (c) |
HK | Peter Moscatt |
| John O'Neill | PR | Arthur Beetson Arthur Beetson Arthur Henry "Artie" Beetson, OAM , was an Australian rugby league footballer and coach. He represented Australia and Queensland from 1964 to 1981. His position was at prop. Beetson became the first Indigenous Australian to captain his country in any sport. and is frequently cited as the best... |
| Allan Thomson | SR | Greg Bandiera |
| Terry Randall Terry Randall Terry "Igor" Randall is an Australian former rugby league footballer who played for the Manly-Warringah club in the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership. He also represented New South Wales and Australia... |
SR | John Quayle |
| Malcolm "Mal" Reilly Mal Reilly Malcolm J. Reilly is an English former rugby league footballer and coach. A Great Britain international representative , Reilly played club football for Castleford Tigers in England and Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in Australia... |
LK | Ron Coote Ron Coote Ron Coote AM is an Australian former representative rugby league player whose club career was played with the South Sydney and Eastern Suburbs, both of whom he won premierships with. He is considered one of the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century... (c) |
| Bench | Laurie Freier Laurie Freier Laurie Freier is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and coach. He played in Sydney's NSWRFL Premiership for the Eastern Suburbs and Manly-Warringah clubs during the 1970s, later coaching Easts as well as the Western Suburbs Magpies during the 1980s... |
|
| Ron Willey Ron Willey Ron Willey was an Australian rugby league footballer and coach. He was a representative for the Australian national side. Post-playing, Willey had a long and successful first grade and State representative coaching career.-Club career:... |
Coach | Don Furner Don Furner Don Furner is an Australian former rugby league footballer and coach. As a player he represented Queensland on nine occasions and also toured with the 1956–57 Kangaroos.... |
After twenty-five years in the competition and five Grand Final
Grand Final
Grand Final is a predominantly Australian sport term used to describe a match that decides a league champion.It originated in Victoria and South Australia and has become specifically significant Australian culture...
losses, Manly finally broke through to win the club's first NSWRFL premiership.
In a controversial match, the Sea-Eagles downed the Eastern Suburbs Roosters 19 to 14, thus shedding their 'bridesmaids' tag. The Roosters were highly critical of referee Keith Page after the match, claiming both of Manly's tries shouldn't have been awarded. To add to their rage, Easts crossed for 2 tries that were disallowed.
A dour first half saw the teams go to the break at 4-all, before a try by hooker Fred Jones put Manly ahead. Jones appeared to drop the ball as he attempted to ground it, but was awarded the try nonetheless. Midway through the second half, controversy flared again when Manly centre Ray Branighan appeared to stop over the Eastern Suburbs try line after accepting what looked like a forward pass
Forward pass
In several forms of football a forward pass is when the ball is thrown in the direction that the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line...
from prop Bill Hamilton. However, referee Page allowed it and the Manly fans began celebrating, knowing that at 19-4 their first premiership
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
victory was assured. Although Easts fought back and brought the score to 19-14, time was out for the Roosters.
Manly-Warringah 19 (Tries: Jones, Branighan. Goals: Eadie 6. Fld Goal: Fulton)
Eastern Suburbs 14 (Tries: Ballesty, Mullins. Goals: McKean 4 )
Man of the Match: Denis Ward (Manly).