1922 NSWRFL season
The 1922 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the fifteenth season of Sydney’s top-grade rugby league club competition, Australia’s first. Nine teams from across the city contested the season which culminated in North Sydney’s victory over Glebe in the premiership final.[1]
| 1922 New South Wales Rugby Football League | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 9 |
| Premiers |  North Sydney (2nd title) |
| Minor premiers | North Sydney (2nd title) |
| Matches played | 72 |
| Points scored | 1841 |
| Top points scorer(s) | Harold Horder (151) |
| Top try-scorer(s) | Cecil Blinkhorn (20) |
Season summary
After the clubs had played each other twice, Norths and Glebe were tied atop the points table. Instead of the points differential rule being implemented a Grand Final was held to determine the premier.
St George had another disappointing season, winning only two games against University and conceding 316 points averaging 19.75 per game.
Teams
- Balmain, formed on January 23, 1908, at Balmain Town Hall
- Eastern Suburbs, formed on January 24, 1908, at Paddington Town Hall
- Glebe, formed on January 9, 1908
- 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
- University, formed in 1919 at Sydney University
Balmain Ground: Birchgrove Oval Captain-Coach: Charles Fraser |
Eastern Suburbs Ground: Sydney Sports Ground Coach:Ray Norman Captain: Harry Caples |
Glebe Ground: Wentworth Oval Captain(s): Frank Burge, Bill Benson |
Newtown Ground: Sydney Sports Ground Coach: Bill Farnsworth Captain: Felix Ryan |
North Sydney Ground: North Sydney Oval Coach: Chris McKivat Captain: Duncan Thompson |
St. George Ground: Hurstville Oval Captain: Albert Johnston Coach: Herb Gilbert |
South Sydney Ground: Sydney Cricket Ground Coach: Howard Hallett Captain: Alf Blair |
University Coach: Sandy Pearce[2] Captain: Jim Craig, Paddy Conaghan |
Western Suburbs Ground: Pratten Park Captain-Coach: Ted Brooks Co Captain: Dick Vest |
Ladder
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Sydney |
16 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 306 | 136 | +170 | 28 |
| 2 |  Glebe |
16 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 284 | 154 | +130 | 28 |
| 3 |  Eastern Suburbs |
16 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 217 | 177 | +40 | 24 |
| 4 |  South Sydney |
15 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 207 | 187 | +20 | 23 |
| 5 |  Balmain |
16 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 168 | 145 | +23 | 22 |
| 6 |  Western Suburbs |
16 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 164 | 201 | -37 | 16 |
| 7 |  Newtown |
16 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 169 | 200 | -31 | 15 |
| 8 |  Sydney University |
15 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 148 | 287 | -139 | 14 |
| 9 |  St George |
16 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 140 | 316 | -176 | 8 |
Final
As North Sydney and Glebe were tied on competition points a final was played at the Sydney Cricket Ground on 6 September, before a crowd of around 15,000. The match was officiated by Tom McMahon, the elder of the two pre-war referees of that name.
The game was not as even as the ladder at the end of regular season would have suggested. Norths completely got away to a 10-0 lead at half-time and went on to demolish Glebe 35-3, taking their second consecutive premiership crown. The legendary Harold Horder scored twenty individual points in the match.
North Sydney 35 (Tries: Rule 2, Blinkhorn 2, Horder 2, Peters. Goals: Horder 7 )
defeated
Glebe 3 (Try: E Summers)
References
- Premiership Roll of Honour Archived 2011-05-14 at the Wayback Machine at rl1908.com
- Sunday Times (Sydney)2 April 1922, page 3,'Sid Pearce to coach University'
External links
- Rugby League Tables - Notes AFL Tables
- Rugby League Tables - Season 1922 AFL Tables
- Premiership History and Statistics RL1908
- Results: 1921-30 at rabbitohs.com.au