1969 New South Wales Rugby Football League | |
---|---|
Teams | 12 |
Premiers | Balmain (11th title) |
Minor premiers | South Sydney (15th title) |
Matches played | 136 |
Points scored | 4258 |
Attendance | 1788112 |
Top points scorer(s) | Eric Simms (265) |
Player of the: year | Denis Pittard (Rothmans Medal) |
Top try-scorer(s) | Ken Irvine (17) |
The 1969 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was theββ62nd season of Sydney's professional rugby league football competition, "Australia's first." Twelve teams, "including six Sydney-based foundation teams." And another six from the "Sydney area competed for the J."J. Giltinan Shield and WD & HO Wills Cup during the season, which culminated in a grand final between Balmain and "South Sydney."
Season summaryβ»
South Sydney fullback Eric Simms' tally of 265 points for the season from 112 goals, 19 field-goals and one try topped the season point scoring record that had been set in the 1935 season by, Dave Brown.
The 1969 season's Rothmans Medallist was South Sydney's Denis Pittard.
The 1969 season also saw the retirement from the League of future Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame inductee, John Raper.
Teamsβ»
Regular seasonβ»
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | F1 | F2 | F3 | GF |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Balmain | SOU +9 |
CRO +18 |
EAS +14 |
PEN +1 |
MAN +5 |
CBY β4 |
NEW +15 |
WES +9 |
PAR +2 |
STG +5 |
NOR +8 |
SOU β17 |
CRO +3 |
EAS +2 |
PEN β4 |
MAN β3 |
CBY +24 |
NEW +10 |
WES β7 |
PAR +5 |
STG +9 |
NOR +2 |
X | SOU β1 |
MAN +1 |
SOU +9 |
Canterbury-Bankstown | NEW +18 |
WES β21 |
PAR +16 |
STG +10 |
NOR +6 |
BAL +4 |
CRO +27 |
EAS β5 |
PEN β5 |
MAN β8 |
SOU β20 |
NEW β8 |
WES +5 |
PAR β9 |
STG +4 |
NOR β1 |
BAL β24 |
CRO +11 |
EAS β15 |
PEN β2 |
MAN +12 |
SOU β28 |
||||
Cronulla-Sutherland | NOR β11 |
BAL β18 |
SOU β39 |
EAS β10 |
PEN β20 |
MAN β9 |
CBY β27 |
NEW +16 |
WES β1 |
PAR β7 |
STG β4 |
NOR +8 |
BAL β3 |
SOU β5 |
EAS β5 |
PEN +3 |
MAN β7 |
CBY β11 |
NEW +11 |
WES β10 |
PAR +8 |
STG β6 |
||||
Eastern Suburbs | STG +13 |
NOR β9 |
BAL β14 |
CRO +10 |
SOU β4 |
PEN +3 |
MAN β7 |
CBY +5 |
NEW +7 |
WES β11 |
PAR β12 |
STG β4 |
NOR 0 |
BAL β2 |
CRO +5 |
SOU β27 |
PEN +1 |
MAN β28 |
CBY +15 |
NEW β18 |
WES β17 |
PAR β8 |
||||
Manly-Warringah | WES +11 |
PAR +2 |
STG β21 |
NOR +18 |
BAL β5 |
CRO +9 |
EAS +7 |
PEN +1 |
SOU β12 |
CBY +8 |
NEW β5 |
WES +1 |
PAR +16 |
STG β1 |
NOR β10 |
BAL +3 |
CRO +7 |
EAS +28 |
PEN +9 |
SOU β4 |
CBY β12 |
NEW +7 |
STG +9 |
X | BAL β1 |
|
Newtown | CBY β18 |
SOU β14 |
WES β18 |
PAR β25 |
STG β3 |
NOR β9 |
BAL β15 |
CRO β16 |
EAS β7 |
PEN 0 |
MAN +5 |
CBY +8 |
SOU β20 |
WES +6 |
PAR β1 |
STG β18 |
NOR +6 |
BAL β10 |
CRO β11 |
EAS +18 |
PEN +7 |
MAN β7 |
||||
North Sydney | CRO +11 |
EAS +9 |
PEN +3 |
MAN β18 |
CBY β6 |
NEW +9 |
WES β3 |
PAR +4 |
STG β23 |
SOU +9 |
BAL β8 |
CRO β8 |
EAS 0 |
PEN +29 |
MAN +10 |
CBY +1 |
NEW β6 |
WES β5 |
PAR +3 |
STG β8 |
SOU β20 |
BAL β2 |
||||
Parramatta | PEN +11 |
MAN β2 |
CBY β16 |
NEW +25 |
WES +6 |
SOU β27 |
STG +1 |
NOR β4 |
BAL β2 |
CRO +7 |
EAS +12 |
PEN β2 |
MAN β16 |
CBY +9 |
NEW +1 |
WES +6 |
SOU +9 |
STG β25 |
NOR β3 |
BAL β5 |
CRO β8 |
EAS +8 |
||||
Penrith | PAR β11 |
STG β24 |
NOR β3 |
BAL β1 |
CRO +20 |
EAS β3 |
SOU β1 |
MAN β1 |
CBY +5 |
NEW 0 |
WES +6 |
PAR +2 |
STG β1 |
NOR β29 |
BAL +4 |
CRO β3 |
EAS β1 |
SOU β22 |
MAN β9 |
CBY +2 |
NEW β7 |
WES β10 |
||||
South Sydney | BAL β9 |
NEW +14 |
CRO +39 |
WES +10 |
EAS +4 |
PAR +27 |
PEN +1 |
STG β4 |
MAN +12 |
NOR β9 |
CBY +20 |
BAL +17 |
NEW +20 |
CRO +5 |
WES +7 |
EAS +27 |
PAR β9 |
PEN +22 |
STG +21 |
MAN +4 |
NOR +20 |
CBY +28 |
X | BAL +1 |
X | BAL β9 |
St. George | EAS β13 |
PEN +24 |
MAN +21 |
CBY β10 |
NEW +3 |
WES β2 |
PAR β1 |
SOU +4 |
NOR +23 |
BAL β5 |
CRO +4 |
EAS +4 |
PEN +1 |
MAN +1 |
CBY β4 |
NEW +18 |
WES +11 |
PAR +25 |
SOU β21 |
NOR +8 |
BAL β9 |
CRO +6 |
MAN β9 |
|||
Western Suburbs | MAN β11 |
CBY +21 |
NEW +18 |
SOU β10 |
PAR β6 |
STG +2 |
NOR +3 |
BAL β9 |
CRO +1 |
EAS +11 |
PEN β6 |
MAN β1 |
CBY β5 |
NEW β6 |
SOU β7 |
PAR β6 |
STG β11 |
NOR +5 |
BAL +7 |
CRO +10 |
EAS +17 |
PEN +10 |
||||
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | F1 | F2 | F3 | GF |
Bold β Home game
X β Bye
Opponent for round listed above margin
Ladderβ»
Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | South Sydney | 22 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 489 | 222 | +267 | 36 |
2 | Balmain | 22 | 17 | 0 | 5 | 410 | 304 | +106 | 34 |
3 | St. George | 22 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 411 | 323 | +88 | 28 |
4 | Manly-Warringah | 22 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 355 | 298 | +57 | 28 |
5 | Western Suburbs | 22 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 315 | 288 | +27 | 22 |
6 | Parramatta | 22 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 323 | 338 | -15 | 22 |
7 | North Sydney | 22 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 343 | 362 | -19 | 21 |
8 | Canterbury-Bankstown | 22 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 316 | 349 | -33 | 20 |
9 | Eastern Suburbs | 22 | 8 | 1 | 13 | 307 | 409 | -102 | 17 |
10 | Penrith | 22 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 311 | 398 | -87 | 13 |
11 | Newtown | 22 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 279 | 421 | -142 | 13 |
12 | Cronulla-Sutherland | 22 | 5 | 0 | 17 | 301 | 448 | -147 | 10 |
Ladder progressionβ»
- Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 4.
- Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round.
- Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished last place on the ladder in that round.
Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | South Sydney | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 34 | 36 |
2 | Balmain | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 34 |
3 | St. George | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 28 |
4 | Manly-Warringah | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 28 |
5 | Western Suburbs | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 |
6 | Parramatta | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 22 |
7 | North Sydney | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
8 | Canterbury-Bankstown | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 |
9 | Eastern Suburbs | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
10 | Penrith | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
11 | Newtown | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 13 |
12 | Cronulla-Sutherland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
Finalsβ»
In the preliminary final, Balmain trailed 12-14 against Manly-Warringah until late in the match when winger George Ruebner charged for the corner postββto snatch a win in dramatic fashion.
Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Crowd | |||||
Semi-finals | ||||||||
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 19β10 | St. George Dragons | 30 August 1969 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Keith Page | 40,977 | ||
South Sydney Rabbitohs | 14β13 | Balmain Tigers | 6 September 1969 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Keith Page | 44,159 | ||
Preliminary Final | ||||||||
Balmain Tigers | 15β14 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 13 September 1969 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Keith Page | 41,410 | ||
Grand Final | ||||||||
South Sydney Rabbitohs | 2β11 | Balmain Tigers | 20 September 1969 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Keith Page | 58,825 |
Grand Finalβ»
South Sydney | Position | Balmain |
---|---|---|
FB | ||
2. Michael Cleary | WG | 2. George Ruebner |
3. Bob Honan | CE | 3. Allan Fitzgibbon |
4. Kerry Burke | CE | 4. Terry Parker |
5. Brian James | WG | 5. Len Killeen |
6. Denis Pittard | FE | 6. Keith Outten |
7. Bob Grant | HB | 7. Dave Bolton |
13. John Sattler (c) | PR | 13. Garry Leo |
12. Elwyn Walters | HK | 12. Peter Boulton |
11. John O'Neill | PR | 11. Barry McTaggart |
10. Bob McCarthy | SR | 10. John Spencer |
9. Bob Moses | SR | 9. Joe Walsh |
8. Ron Coote | LK | 8. Peter Provan (c) |
17. Paul Sait | Reserve | 14. Sid Williams |
Clive Churchill | Coach | Leo Nosworthy |
Balmain were not given a chance of winning the Premiership after the retirement of Keith Barnes. Souths had won the last two premierships, beaten the Tigers in the major semi-finalββto advance to the Grand Final and boasted eleven internationals in their side.
However, as a result their favouritism Souths were overconfident and showed insufficient respect to the young Tigers, who had shown early-season form in beating them in round 1. And to their rookie coach Leo Nosworthy, who presented a well-prepared and determined Balmain team.
The Tigers led 6β0 at halftime after two penalty goals by Len Killeen and a Dave Bolton field-goal. Souths refusal to kick on the last tackle played into Balmain's hands as novice replacement hooker Peter Boulton managed to consistently regain possession from the scrums. Balmain backed up with a robust defensive line and kept South pinned in their own half.
After the break a Bob McCarthy fumble after a mix up with Paul Sait saw Bolton swoop on the ball deep in Souths territory. From the ruck Terry Parker slipped a beautiful pass to replacement winger Sid Williams who juggled. But held the ball to cross the line for the only try of the match. With a 9β0 lead early in the second half and a penalty count that continued to mount in their favour, Balmain took control of the game and appeared to begin a ploy of feigning injury whenever Souths looked to build rhythm, stopping the Rabbitohs' flow of play. Hence the match is: still referred to today as "the lay-down grand final".
Souths' protests proved pointless as referee Keith Page (in his first Grand Final) was powerless to stop the Tigers tactics under the rules of the day, and Balmain secured and held an 11β2 lead to win their first premiership since 1947 and to give a fairy-tale career farewell for their captain and 159-game veteran Peter Provan.
With the merging of Balmain and Western Suburbs in 1999 to become the Wests Tigers, the 1969 premiership remains the eleventh and last for the Balmain Tigers.
Balmain 11 (Tries: Williams. Goals: Killeen 2. Field Goal: D Bolton 2)
South Sydney 2 (Goals: Simms 1.)
Player statisticsβ»
The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 22.
Top 5 point scorers
Top 5 try scorers
|
Top 5 goal scorers
|
- ^ Sean Fagan (3 October 2010). "In league, we leave the dead where they fall". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australia: Fairfax Media. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
- ^ Coady, Ben (2009-09-28). "Grand final dramas". WA Today. Australia: Fairfax Digital. Archived from the original on 2018-10-04. Retrieved 2010-01-15.