1989 NSWRL season

Rugby league competition September 2020 August 2017 1989 New South Wales Rugby League premiership 16 Canberra Raiders 16 Canberra 1st South Sydney Rabbitohs 16 South Sydney 17th 183 5,537 2,040,375 St. George Dragons 16 Ricky Walford (146)Balmain Tigers 16 Andy Currier (146) Canberra Raiders 16 Gary Belcher (17) Cronulla 16 Gavin Miller &Newcastle 16 Mark Sargent Rothmans Medal Illawarra 3rd 1988 NSWRL season 1988 1990 NSWRL season 1990 The 1989 NSWRL season was the 82nd season of professional rugby league football in Australia. Sixteen clubs competed for the New South Wales Rugby League's J.J. Giltinan Shield and Winfield Cup Premiership during the season, which culminated in a grand final between Balmain and Canberra. This season NSWRL teams also competed for the 1989 Panasonic Cup. This would be the last time a mid-season competition was played concurrent with the regular season. From 1990 it would become a pre-season competition. Season summary Twenty-two regular season rounds were played from March till August, resulting in a top five of South Sydney, Penrith, Balmain, Canberra and Cronulla (who finished equal with Brisbane but beat them in a play-off for fifth) to battle it out in the finals. This year Penrith forward Geoff Gerard set new record for most first-grade NSWRL premiership games at 320 before retiring at the end of the season. The 1989 season's Rothmans Medal was shared by Cronulla-Sutherland forward Gavin Miller and Newcastle front-rower Mark Sargent. Miller also won the Dally M Award and was named Rugby League Week's player of the year. The grand finals: Canberra 16 Canberra Raiders vs Newcastle 16 Balmain Tigers (Senior Grade) North Sydney 16 North Sydney Bears vs Parramatta 16 Parramatta Eels (Reserve Grade) South Sydney 16 South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Canberra 16 Canberra Raiders (Under-21s Grade) Brisbane 16 Brisbane Broncos vs Illawarra 16 Illawarra Steelers (Mid-week) The winners in all grades were: Canberra 16 Canberra Raiders (Senior Grade) North Sydney 16 North Sydney Bears (Reserve Grade) South Sydney 16 South Sydney Rabbitohs (Under-21s Grade) Brisbane 16 Brisbane Broncos (Mid-week) The State of Origin Series Queensland 16 Queensland vs New South Wales 16 New South Wales Teams The lineup of teams remained unchanged from the previous season, with sixteen clubs contesting the premiership, including five Sydney-based foundation teams, another six from Sydney, two from greater New South Wales, two from Queensland, and one from the Australian Capital Territory. Balmain100px|center 82nd seasonGround: Leichhardt Oval Coach: Warren RyanCaptain: Wayne PearceBrisbane100px|center 2nd seasonGround: Lang Park Coach: Wayne BennettCaptain: Wally LewisCanberra100px|center 8th seasonGround: Seiffert Oval Coach: Tim SheensCaptain: Mal MeningaCanterbury-Bankstown100px|center 55th seasonGround: Belmore Oval Coach: Phil GouldCaptain: Peter TunksCronulla-Sutherland100px|center 23rd seasonGround: Caltex Field Coach: Allan FitzgibbonCaptain: David HatchEastern Suburbs100px|center 82nd seasonGround: Sydney Football Stadium Coach: Russell FairfaxCaptain: Hugh McGahanGold Coast Giants100px|center 2nd seasonGround: Seagulls Stadium Coach: Bob McCarthyCaptain: Ron Gibbs → Billy Johnstone Illawarra100px|center 8th seasonGround: Wollongong Stadium Coach: Ron HilditchCaptain: Chris WalshManly-Warringah100px|center 43rd seasonGround: Brookvale Oval Coach: Alan ThompsonCaptain: Paul VautinNewcastle100px|center 2nd seasonGround: Newcastle ISC Coach: Allan McMahonCaptain: Sam StewartNorth Sydney100px|center 82nd seasonGround: North Sydney Oval Coach: Frank StantonCaptain: John Dorahy → Tony ReaParramatta100px|center 43rd seasonGround: Parramatta Stadium Coach: John MonieCaptain: Peter SterlingPenrith100px|center 23rd seasonGround: Penrith Stadium Coach: Ron WilleyCaptain: Royce SimmonsSouth Sydney100px|center 82nd seasonGround: Sydney Football Stadium Coach: George Piggins Captain: Mario FenechSt. George100px|center 70th seasonGround: Kogarah Oval Coach: Craig YoungCaptain: Brian JohnstonWestern Suburbs100px|center 82nd seasonGround: Orana Park Coach: John BaileyCaptain: Cameron Blair → Ellery Hanley Advertising 1989 was a watershed year for the New South Wales Rugby League's advertising commencing an association with Tina Turner that would last until 1995. In those years the NSWRL, its ad agency Hertz Walpole and promotions consultant Brian Walsh would fundamentally change the image and popular perception of the game in Australia. Agency copywriter Paul Knights inspired by the brutal simplicity of the game, saw a link to the lyrics in Tina Turner's 1987 hit What You Get Is What You See Clemes Michael D. New Zealand Case Studies in Strategic Marketing Thomson Learning Nelson 2002 186 978-0-86469-419-5 written by Terry Britten & Graham Lyle. Negotiations were assisted by the fact that her Australian manager Roger Davies was familiar with the game and the rights deal was easily done. There was initially no intention to film Tina performing the song but at the last minute an availability appeared in her schedule. The agency and a production crew were despatched to England along with the NSWRL's General Manager John Quayle bearing bags of balls, jumpers and branded goalpost pads. Leading players Cliff Lyons (Manly) and Gavin Miller (Cronulla) were both in England at the time playing for Leeds and Hull Kingston Rovers respectively and made themselves available for the film and promotional stills shoot with Tina. In the finished ad the Tina footage is interspersed with the usual big hits and crowd scenes plus shots of the star players of the time in pre-season training. Lyons appears in the commercial in a hammy locker room shot with Tina. Initial questions about the relevance of Tina to the Australian game were displaced when the up tempo, sexy ad appeared and the long running and successful association began. Regular season Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 F1 F2 F3 F4 GF Balmain TigersNOR+7NEW+2BRI+9PAR−2WES−2MAN+1PEN−20GCG+10CBY−6XSTG−10ILA+12SOU−2EAS+4CRO+22CAN+6NOR+32NEW−8BRI+18PAR+4WES+40MAN0PEN+27XPEN+12SOU+10XCAN−5* Brisbane BroncosPEN+20MAN+4BAL−9WES+2NEW+12PAR+4NOR+26ILA+8EAS+34XGCG+14STG−10CAN−21CRO+32CBY−14SOU−12PEN−10MAN−8BAL−18WES+12NEW+4PAR+8NOR+30CRO−24 Canberra RaidersCRO−18SOU−15EAS+1GCG+24CBY+30ILA+36STG+38MAN+2PAR+25XNEW−4PEN−10BRI+21WES−3NOR+9BAL−6CRO−6SOU−10EAS+4GCG+24CBY+4ILA+10STG+14XCRO+21PEN+9SOU+16BAL+5* Canterbury-Bankstown BulldogsGCG+6CRO+20ILA+12STG−8CAN−30EAS+24SOU−8NEW−8BAL+6XPEN−34PAR+14NOR0MAN−18BRI+14WES+20GCG+6CRO−15ILA+10STG−32CAN−4EAS−32SOU0 Cronulla-Sutherland SharksCAN+18CBY−20SOU−2EAS+4STG−1GCG+2ILA+20PEN+22NEW+26XPAR−10NOR+14WES+16BRI−32BAL−22MAN+5CAN+6CBY+15SOU+2EAS−18STG+14GCG−4ILA+32BRI+24CAN−21 Eastern Suburbs RoostersSOU+14STG+1CAN−1CRO−4ILA+42CBY−24GCG−14PAR−4BRI−34WES+2XMAN−10PEN−20BAL−4NEW−10NOR+6SOU−18STG+4CAN−4CRO+18ILA0CBY+32GCG+30 Gold Coast-Tweed GiantsCBY−6ILA+4XCAN−24SOU−15CRO−2EAS+14BAL−10PEN−23STG−4BRI−14WES0NEW+6NOR+2MAN+23PAR−14CBY−6ILA+2STG−32CAN−24SOU−11CRO+4EAS−30 Illawarra SteelersSTG−4GCG−4CBY−12SOU−8EAS−42CAN−36CRO−20BRI−8MAN+6NOR−12XBAL−12PAR−16PEN−1WES−2NEW−12STG+2GCG−2CBY−10SOU−12EAS0CAN−10CRO−32 Manly Warringah Sea EaglesPAR−2BRI−4NEW−14NOR+4PEN−10BAL−1WES+12CAN−2ILA−6XSOU−26EAS+10STG+14CBY+18GCG−23CRO−5PAR+22BRI+8NEW+10NOR−2PEN−18BAL0WES+6 Newcastle KnightsWES+9BAL−2MAN+14PEN−9BRI−12NOR+12PAR+4CBY+8CRO−26XCAN+4SOU−8GCG−6STG−8EAS+10ILA+12WES−18BAL+8MAN−10PEN−1BRI−4NOR+13PAR+10 North Sydney BearsBAL−7PEN−20WES+24MAN−4PAR+16NEW−12BRI−26SOU−10STG+2ILA+12XCRO−14CBY0GCG−2CAN−9EAS−6BAL−32PEN−29WES−30MAN+2PAR−24NEW−13BRI−30 Parramatta EelsMAN+2WES+20PEN+2BAL+2NOR−16BRI−4NEW−4EAS+4CAN−25XCRO+10CBY−14ILA+16SOU−8STG+12GCG+14MAN−22WES−18PEN+7BAL−4NOR+24BRI−8NEW−10 Penrith PanthersBRI−20NOR+20PAR−2NEW+9MAN+10WES+26BAL+20CRO−22GCG+23XCBY+34CAN+10EAS+20ILA+1SOU+11STG−4BRI+10NOR+29PAR−7NEW+1MAN+18WES+37BAL−27XBAL−12CAN−9 South Sydney RabbitohsEAS−14CAN+15CRO+2ILA+8GCG+15STG+32CBY+8NOR+10WES+9XMAN+26NEW+8BAL+2PAR+8PEN−11BRI+12EAS+18CAN+10CRO−2ILA+12GCG+11STG+4CBY0XXBAL−10CAN−16 St. George DragonsILA+4EAS−1XCBY+8CRO+1SOU−32CAN−38WES−2NOR−2GCG+4BAL+10BRI+10MAN−14NEW+8PAR−12PEN+4ILA−2EAS−4GCG+32CBY+32CRO−14SOU−4CAN−14 Western Suburbs MagpiesNEW−9PAR−20NOR−24BRI−2BAL+2PEN−26MAN−12STG+2SOU−9EAS−2XGCG0CRO−16CAN+3ILA+2CBY−20NEW+18PAR+18NOR+30BRI−12BAL−40PEN−37MAN−6 Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 F1 F2 F3 F4 GF Bold – Home game X – Bye * – Extra time game Opponent for round listed above margin Ladder TeamPldWDLPFPAPDPts1 South Sydney Rabbitohs 16 South Sydney221813390207+183372 Old Penrith 16 Penrith221606438241+197323 Balmain 16 Balmain221417380236+144294 Canberra 16 Canberra (P)221408457287+170285 Brisbane 16 Brisbane221408398290+108286 Cronulla 16 Cronulla221408368281+87287 Newcastle Knights 16 Newcastle22110112812810228 Parramatta 16 Parramatta2211011346366-20229 Canterbury Bulldogs 16 Canterbury2210210280337-572210 St. George Dragons 16 St. George2210012330356-262011 Eastern Suburbs 16 Eastern Suburbs229112348346+21912 Manly 16 Manly229112334343-91913 Western Suburbs 16 Western Suburbs227114229389-1601514 16px Gold Coast227114223383-1601515 North Sydney Bears 16 North Sydney225116194406-2121116 Illawarra 16 Illawarra222119256503-2475 Ladder progression Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 5. 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. Underlined numbers indicate that the team had a bye during that round. Team12345678910111213141516171819202122231South Sydney 16 South Sydney Rabbitohs 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 16 18 20 22 24 24 26 28 30 30 32 34 36 372Old Penrith 16 Penrith Panthers 0 2 2 4 6 8 10 10 12 12 14 16 18 20 22 22 24 26 26 28 30 32 323Balmain 16 Balmain Tigers 2 4 6 6 6 8 8 10 10 10 10 12 12 14 16 18 20 20 22 24 26 27 294Canberra 16 Canberra Raiders 0 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 14 14 14 16 16 18 18 18 18 20 22 24 26 285Brisbane 16 Brisbane Broncos 2 4 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 16 18 18 18 20 20 20 20 20 20 22 24 26 286Cronulla 16 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 2 2 2 4 4 6 8 10 12 12 12 14 16 16 16 18 20 22 24 24 26 26 287Newcastle 16 Newcastle Knights 2 2 4 4 4 6 8 10 10 10 12 12 12 12 14 16 16 18 18 18 18 20 228Parramatta 16 Parramatta Eels 2 4 6 8 8 8 8 10 10 10 12 12 14 14 16 18 18 18 20 20 22 22 229Canterbury 16 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 2 4 6 6 6 8 8 8 10 10 10 12 13 13 15 17 19 19 21 21 21 21 2210St. George 16 St. George Dragons 2 2 2 4 6 6 6 6 6 8 10 12 12 14 14 16 16 16 18 20 20 20 2011Eastern Suburbs 16 Eastern Suburbs Roosters 2 4 4 4 6 6 6 6 6 8 8 8 8 8 8 10 10 12 12 14 15 17 1912Manly 16 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 0 0 0 2 2 2 4 4 4 4 4 6 8 10 10 10 12 14 16 16 16 17 1913Western Suburbs 16 Western Suburbs Magpies 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 4 4 4 4 5 5 7 9 9 11 13 15 15 15 15 151416px Gold Coast-Tweed Giants 0 2 2 2 2 2 4 4 4 4 4 5 7 9 11 11 11 13 13 13 13 15 1515North Sydney 16 North Sydney Bears 0 0 2 2 4 4 4 4 6 8 8 8 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 11 11 11 1116Illawarra 16 Illawarra Steelers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 Finals Cronulla and Brisbane, having finished equal fifth, played off for a semi-final berth. Cronulla would secure fifth position via a dominant display in a midweek clash on neutral turf at the recently constructed Parramatta Stadium. Despite being on fourth place on the ladder, Canberra went on to win the competition, the first club to do so since the top five system's introduction. They won their last nine games of the season. Canberra's win also saw them become the first non-Sydney based club to win the premiership. HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd Playoff Brisbane 23 Brisbane14–38 Cronulla 23 Cronulla-Sutherland29 August 1989Parramatta StadiumMick Stone9,047 Qualifying Finals Canberra 23 Canberra31–10 Cronulla 23 Cronulla-Sutherland2 September 1989Sydney Football StadiumBill Harrigan18,186 Old Penrith 23 Penrith12–24 Balmain Tigers 23 Balmain3 September 1989Sydney Football StadiumMick Stone29,508 Semi-finals Old Penrith 23 Penrith18–27 Canberra Raiders 23 Canberra9 September 1989Sydney Football StadiumMick Stone20,314 South Sydney 23 South Sydney10–20 Balmain 23 Balmain10 September 1989Sydney Football StadiumBill Harrigan40,000 Preliminary final South Sydney 23 South Sydney16–32 Canberra Raiders 23 Canberra17 September 1989Sydney Football StadiumBill Harrigan31,469 Grand final Balmain 23 Balmain14–19 Canberra 23 Canberra24 September 1989Sydney Football StadiumBill Harrigan40,500 Chart 150 Qualifying final Major semi-final Grand final Elimination final Minor semi-final Preliminary final 2 Old Penrith 16 Penrith 12 3 Balmain 16 Balmain 24 4 Canberra 16 Canberra 31 5 Cronulla 16 Cronulla-Sutherland 10 1 South Sydney 16 South Sydney 10 Balmain 16 Balmain 20 Old Penrith 16 Penrith 18 Canberra 16 Canberra 27 South Sydney 16 South Sydney 16 Canberra 16 Canberra 32 Balmain 16 Balmain 14 Canberra 16 Canberra 19 Grand final BalmainPositionCanberra Garry Jack FB Gary Belcher 2. Steve O'Brien WG 2. Matthew Wood 3. Tim Brasher CE 3. Mal Meninga (c) 4. Andy Currier CE 4. Laurie Daley 5. James Grant WG 5. John Ferguson 6. Mick Neil FE 6. Chris O'Sullivan 7. Gary Freeman HB 7. Ricky Stuart 8. Steve Roach PR 8. Brent Todd 9. Benny Elias HK 9. Steve Walters 10. Steve Edmed PR 10. Glenn Lazarus 11. Paul Sironen SR 11. Dean Lance 12. Bruce McGuire SR 12. Gary Coyne 13. Wayne Pearce (c) LK 13. Bradley Clyde 14. Michael Pobjie Bench 15. Paul Martin 15. Shaun Edwards Bench 20. Steve Jackson 16. Kevin Hardwick Bench 22. Kevin Walters Warren Ryan Coach Tim Sheens For only the second time ever, the grand final was not an all-Sydney affair. A number of rugby league writers have referred to the 1989 grand final as the greatest ever;[Clarkson, The Greatest Games We Ever Played p133] Canberra, who were beaten grand finalists in 1987, had won five games straight in order to make the finals, and in the finals accounted for Cronulla, an emerging Penrith team, and minor premiers South Sydney to qualify for their second grand final, though any loss would have eliminated the side from contention. Canberra captain Mal Meninga had to overcome a broken arm from earlier in the season and played in a special cast. Also playing for the Raiders were future representative stars Laurie Daley, Bradley Clyde, Ricky Stuart, Steve Walters and his younger brother Kevin and Glenn Lazarus, as well as established stars Gary Belcher, Brent Todd and John "Chicka" Ferguson. Canberra were coached by Tim Sheens. Their opponents Balmain, beaten grand finalists in 1988, boasted a Test-strength pack including Steve "Blocker" Roach, Paul Sironen, Ben Elias, Bruce McGuire, and inspirational captain Wayne "Junior" Pearce, as well as a backline that included Garry Jack, goalkicking English import Andy Currier, New Zealand halfback Gary Freeman, former Wallaby rugby union winger James Grant, and schoolboy sensation Tim Brasher, were favourites to win. The Tigers were again coached by former Canterbury-Bankstown dual premiership winning coach Warren Ryan. The pre-match entertainment was provided by Marc Hunter, Debra Byrne, Michael Edward Stevens, boy soprano Ben Hawks & John Williamson. MacDonald John Shut your Eyes, plug your Ears, and cringe The Sydney Morning Herald Australia 75 Fairfax 25 September 1992 http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?docID=news920925_0125_0102 13 February 2011 Balmain led 12–2 at half time, having scored two tries against the run of play. The first came after an intercept by winger James Grant, snatching an offload from Raiders prop Brent Todd. The second was a great team effort with Paul Sironen steaming over under the posts after lead-up work from Andy Currier and Grant, all starting from a kick ahead by Currier after he had received a perfect offload from Steve Roach. Canberra had looked marginally the better side in the first half and coach Tim Sheens spoke effectively to his players at the break, stressing that they could be considered unlucky to be trailing. Fifteen minutes into the second half referee Bill Harrigan controversially ruled against Balmain second-rower Bruce McGuire for using offside Raider Steve Walters as a shepherd.http://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/raiders/1989-canberra-v-balmain-nrl-grand-final-how-a-penalty-changed-the-game/news-story/fb6a9fd6fd2b22946db7b21b7dae000c The pain of a grand final penalty news.com.au 19 April 2018 From the ensuing penalty the Raiders kicked for touch and "Chicka" Ferguson set up the Raiders' first try when he escaped an attempted tackle by Currier, passed to Belcher, who also beat Currier to score. The gap was narrowed to 12–8. Twice in the last twenty minutes Balmain nearly wrapped up the match. Michael Neil was ankle-tapped five metres from the line in a desperate dive by Mal Meninga. Then the Tigers' captain Wayne Pearce lost the ball with the line wide open and centre Tim Brasher unmarked. Warren Ryan's decisions with fifteen minutes left to replace the enforcer Roach with defender Kevin Hardwick may have been the turning point in the game. Ryan effectively set out to defend a six-point lead, a tactic which ultimately backfired. Benny Elias' field goal attempt hit the cross bar, after he'd earlier had one charged down by Meninga. However, with 90 seconds to go and it seemingly all over for the Raiders, the evergreen Ferguson scored the try of his life. Chris O'Sullivan sent up a searching bomb, Laurie Daley was there to palm the ball to Ferguson who stepped back inside past three converging defenders to score close to the posts, enabling an easy conversion for Meninga to level. The best ever Australian Sports Writing Keneally Thomas Thomas Keneally 2001 Black Inc. Australia 1-86395-266-7 350–253 https://books.google.com/books?id=66OBschGE_YC 19 February 2011 With Canberra's confidence mounting, the game became the first grand final since 1977 to go into same-day extra time. At this point the Sironen/Roach replacements became crucial with neither able to resume the field for the extra period. Garry Jack knocked on two minutes into extra time and from the scrum Canberra's five-eighth Chris O'Sullivan kicked a field goal. Minutes from the finish, Raiders replacement Steve Jackson received the ball fifteen metres from the line and made for the tryline, beating two men and then carrying a further three with him. As he was being brought down he reached out to place the ball one-handed on the line. It was Canberra's first ever premiership; the first grand final won by an out-of-Sydney club; and the first team to win from 4th position. Canberra's nineteen-year-old lock Bradley Clyde was a deserved Clive Churchill Medal winner as the man of the match, though most agreed that a number of Raiders could have won the medal, including fullback Gary Belcher. Such was the drama of the match that an account of it was written by Thomas Keneally entitled "A movie script that came to life".Headon David Up From the Ashes: The Phoenix of a Rugby League Literature Football Studies Volume 2, Issue 2 Football Studies Group October 1999 http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/FootballStudies/1999/FS0202i.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20100810033028/http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/FootballStudies/1999/FS0202i.pdf dead 2010-08-10 This memorable match is now commemorated each year with the 1989 League Legends Cup. #f1f5fc 24 September 1989 Balmain Tigers Balmain 16 14 – 19 1st: 12 - 22nd: 2 - 12e.t. 1: 0 - 1e.t. 2: 0 - 4Report Canberra 16 Canberra Raiders Tries:James Grant 1Paul Sironen 1Goals:Andy Currier 3/4Field Goals:Ben Elias 0/2 Tries:Gary Belcher 1John Ferguson 1Steve Jackson 1Goals:Mal Meninga 3/6Field Goals:Chris O'Sullivan 1/1Ricky Stuart 0/2 Sydney Football Stadium Bill Harrigan 40,500 Clive Churchill Medal Bradley ClydeD'Souza Miguel Grand Final History http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/league/2009-grand-final/grandFinal_History.swf https://web.archive.org/web/20140819082626/http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/league/2009-grand-final/grandFinal_History.swf dead 19 August 2014 wwos.ninemsn.com.au Australian Associated Press 8 September 2013 World Club Challenge 1989 World Club Challenge On 4 October, Canberra played British champions Widnes in the 1989 World Club Challenge at Old Trafford, Manchester. The Raiders lost 18 to 30 in front of 30,768 people. Player statistics The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 22. Top 5 point scorers PointsPlayerTriesGoalsField goals146St. George Ricky Walford13470120Balmain Andy Currier9420117Old Penrith Neil Baker6437110Canberra Laurie Daley14270101Cronulla Alan Wilson10301 Top 5 try scorers TriesPlayer15Old Penrith Greg Alexander14Canberra Laurie Daley13Canberra Gary Belcher13St. George Ricky Walford12South Sydney Phil Blake12Old Penrith Alan McIndoe12Old Penrith Andrew Simons12Cronulla Andrew Ettingshausen Top 5 goal scorers GoalsPlayer47St. George Ricky Walford43Old Penrith Neil Baker42Balmain Andy Currier40South Sydney Mark Ellison40Brisbane Terry Matterson40Parramatta Andrew Leeds References Clarkson, Alan (1997). The Greatest Games We Ever Played (Essay Collection, ed Geoff Prenter). Sydney: Ironbark Publishing. Rugby League Tables - Season 1989 Rugby League Tables. Footnotes External links Article on the 1989 grand final at rleague.com 1989 grand final at eraofthebiff.com 1989 grand final highlights 1989 Winfield Cup TVC 1989 J J Giltinan Shield and Winfield Cup at rleague.com, https://web.archive.org/web/20081204204353/http://www.rleague.com//db/year/1989/j_j_giltinan_shield_and_winfield_cup/index.php NSWRL season 1989 at rugbyleagueproject.com Results:1981-90 at rabbitohs.com.au NSWRL season Category:New South Wales Rugby League premiership