1945 NSWRFL season

1945 New South Wales Rugby Football League
Teams	8
Premiers	Eastern Suburbs (9th title)
Minor premiers	Eastern Suburbs (11th title)
Matches played	60
Points scored	1941
Top points scorer(s)	Dick Dunn (150)
Top try-scorer(s)	Chicka Cahill (13)

The 1945 NSWRFL season was the thirty-eighth New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership season, Sydney’s top-level rugby league club competition, and Australia’s first. Eight teams from across the city contested during the season which culminated in Eastern Suburbs' victory over Balmain in the grand final.[1]

Teams

• Balmain, formed on January 23, 1908, at Balmain Town Hall
• Canterbury-Bankstown
• Eastern Suburbs, formed on January 24, 1908, at Paddington Town Hall
• Newtown, formed on January 14, 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

Balmain 38th season Ground: Leichhardt Oval Captain: Tom Bourke Coach: Norm Robinson	Canterbury-Bankstown 11th season Ground: Belmore Sports Ground Coach: Bill Kelly Captain: George Kilham	Eastern Suburbs 38th season Ground: Sydney Sports Ground Coach: Arthur Halloway Captain: Ray Stehr	Newtown 38th season Ground: Henson Park Coach: Arthur Folwell, Frank Farrell and Len Smith Captain: Frank Farrell
North Sydney 38th season Ground: North Sydney Oval Coach: Frank Burge Captain: Rex Harrison	South Sydney 38th season Ground: Sydney Sports Ground Coach: Eric Lewis[2] Captain: Eddie Hinson	St. George 25th season Ground: Hurstville Oval Coach: Percy Williams & Harry Kadwell Captain: Jim Hale	Western Suburbs 38th season Ground: Pratten Park Coach: Frank McMillan Captain: Jack Walsh

Ladder

The geographical locations of the teams that contested the 1945 premiership across Sydney.

	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
1	Eastern Suburbs	14	11	0	3	276	190	+86	22
2	Newtown	14	10	1	3	326	177	+149	21
3	Western Suburbs	14	8	1	5	238	192	+46	17
4	Balmain	14	6	4	4	252	202	+50	16
5	North Sydney	14	8	0	6	188	175	+13	16
6	Canterbury	14	4	1	9	217	285	-68	9
7	St. George	14	4	1	9	183	253	-70	9
8	South Sydney	14	1	0	13	144	350	-206	2

Finals

Home	Score	Away	Match Information
			Date and Time	Venue	Referee	Crowd
Playoff
Balmain	9–5	North Sydney	16 August 1945	Sydney Cricket Ground		17,207
Semifinals
Eastern Suburbs	28–13	Western Suburbs	18 August 1945	Sydney Cricket Ground	Tom McMahon	34,916
Newtown	9–13	Balmain	25 August 1945	Sydney Cricket Ground	George Bishop	35,151
Final
Eastern Suburbs	22–18	Balmain	1 September 1945[3]	Sydney Cricket Ground	Jack O'Brien	44,585

Premiership final

Eastern Suburbs	Position	Balmain
40. Ray Pratt	FB	Dave Parkinson
9. Lionel Cooper	WG	12. Robert Nielson
10. Paul Tierney	CE	3.Joe Jorgenson
11. Johnny Hunter	CE	4. Tom Bourke (c)
35. Ken Foster	WG	31. Robert Paterson
8. Wally O'Connell	FE	8. Harry Leo
7. Sel Lisle	HB	7. Stan Ponchard
1. Ray Stehr (c)	PR	10. Jack Spencer
15. George Watt	HK	9. Ted Dawes
14. Jack Arnold	PR	23. Hilton Kidd
5. Bert Rollason	SR	11. Jim Metcalf
4. Sid Hobson	SR	24. Sid Ryan
6. Dick Dunn	LK	13. Jack Hampstead
Arthur Halloway	Coach	Norm Robinson

Balmain led 10–5 at half time and the match was evenly balanced throughout the second half. With three minutes to go the Tricolours trailed 17—18. The Roosters were awarded a penalty on half way and Dick Dunn convinced his reluctant captain Ray Stehr that he could make the distance. Dunn successfully kicked the goal from the then unorthodox upright position.

Dunn received Joe Jorgenson’s kick from the restart and booted the ball into touch five metres from the Balmain line. Tricolours’ hooker George Watt won the scrum against the feed and Easts’ classy halves pairing of Sel Lisle and Wally O'Connell put on a move that saw Dunn score in the corner.

Dunn scored 19 of the Tricolours’ 22 points that day carrying with him for luck the sock of his fourteen-month-old daughter in his shorts pocket throughout the match.[4][5]

Eastern Suburbs 22 (Tries: Dunn 3, J Arnold. Goals: Dunn 5)

defeated

Balmain 18 (Tries: Ponchard 2, Dawes, Nielsen. Goals: Jorgenson 3)

Player statistics

The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 14.

Top 5 point scorers Points Player Tries Goals Field Goals 118 Dick Dunn 8 47 0 103 Joe Jorgenson 5 44 0 98 Tom Kirk 0 49 0 50 Doug Deitz 0 25 0 41 George Endycott 1 19 0 Top 5 try scorers Tries Player 12 Charles Cahill 12 Athol Stewart 11 Sid Goodwin 11 Jack Snare 9 Harry Leo

Top 5 goal scorers Goals Player 49 Tom Kirk 47 Dick Dunn 44 Joe Jorgenson 25 Doug Deitz 19 George Endycott

References

1. "Premiership Roll of Honour". rl1908.com. Archived from the original on 2007-04-28.
2. "Eric Lewis". yesterdayshero.com. SmartPack International Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
3. 1945 Grand Final Archived 2012-03-04 at the Wayback Machine at nrlstats.com
4. SMH claim
5. rl1908.com disputes this claim. "Dick Dunn: A True Rooster Booster". Archived from the original on 2011-05-14.

External links

• Rugby League Tables - Notes AFL Tables
• Rugby League Tables - Season 1945 AFL Tables
• "Premiership History and Statistics". rl1908.com. Archived from the original on 2009-02-08.
• Finals lineups and results Hunterlink site
• Sean Fagan interviews Dick Dunn. "Dick Dunn: A True Rooster Booster". rl1908.com. Archived from the original on 2011-05-14.
• Sydney Morning Herald 30sept2004 SMH interviews Dick Dunn
• Results: 1941-1950 at rabbitohs.com.au
• 1945 Labor Daily Cup at rleague.com
• NSWRFL season 1945 at rugbyleagueproject.org