1922 NSWRFL season
Rugby league competition
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The 1922 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the fifteenth season of Sydneyâs top-grade rugby league club competition, Australiaâs first. Nine teams from across the city contested the season which culminated in North Sydneyâs 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 | Harold Horder (151) |
| Wooden spoon | St George (1st spoon) |
| Top try-scorer | 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.
This was North Sydneyâs second premiership, their last before becoming the Bears in 1959, and last before being excluded from the competition after the 1999 NRL season. There have been ongoing efforts to resurrect the Bears
North Sydney 35 (Tries: Rule 2, Blinkhorn 2, Horder 2, Peters. Goals: Horder 7 )
defeated
Glebe 3 (Try: E Summers)
