1917 NSWRFL season

Rugby league competition March 2024 1917 New South Wales Rugby Football League 8 16x16px Balmain 3rd 16x16px Balmain 3rd North Sydney 2nd 56 1280 16x16px Charles Fraser (67) 16x16px Harold Horder (17) 1916 NSWRFL season 1916 1918 NSWRFL season 1918 The 1917 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the tenth season of Sydney's professional rugby league football club competition, Australia's first. Eight teams from across the city contested during the season and Balmain finished on top of the ladder to claim the premiership.Premiership Roll of Honour https://web.archive.org/web/20110514030740/http://rl1908.com/clubcomps/Honours.htm 2011-05-14 at rl1908.com Season summary After nine seasons with only nineteen wins and two draws from 115 matches,http://stats.rleague.com/rl/teams/wests/wests_ss.html Western Suburbs: Season Summary 2014-07-13 2014-07-14 https://web.archive.org/web/20140714132203/http://stats.rleague.com/rl/teams/wests/wests_ss.html dead Western Suburbs finally made a significant impact on the league, finishing a respectable third behind the traditionally strong sides of Balmain and South Sydney. Their advance was almost entirely due to centre Herb Gilbert, who moved from Easts, Hull F.C. and South Sydney to add skill and knowledge to team crying out for guidance, besides scoring nine of the team's thirty-four tries.Lester, Gary; Clouds of Dust, Buckets of Blood: the Story of the Western Suburbs Rugby League Magpies; p. 46. 0949853526 Balmain ultimately won their third consecutive premiership finishing eight points ahead of second placed South Sydney. The Balmain side only failed to win one of their games during the season against Newtown in round 8. In fourteen games Balmain’s secure defence allowed a mere 61 points and just nine tries to be scored against them, a statistic indicating their dominance and rivalled since only by St. George in 1963.http://afltables.com/rl/teams/all/overall_sr.html AFL Tables – Rugby League Season Records Annandale managed to avoid bottom spot thanks to Glebe surrendering their two points to them following a 31–5 win for Glebe in round 8. The points were moved over to Annandale due to Glebe fielding Dan “Laddo” Davies – an ineligible player under the residential criteria of the time. As well as losing Davies, fourteen of Glebe’s first grade players were suspended for a year after the players boycotted a match against Balmain. The NSWRFL changed the venue of the game from the Sydney Cricket Ground to Birchgrove Oval in Balmain, drastically reducing spectator numbers and, in doing so, cutting Glebe's share of the big gate takings expected at the SCG. A team consisting of lower grade players was fielded and Glebe lost heavily, 40–9. The NSWRFL suspended all the footballers who refused to play, including Frank, Laidley and Albert Burge. Balmain also won the three round City Cup played in the late season. Members of the Balmain premiership winning side included Bob Craig, Bill Schultz and E. Burnicle. Teams The teams remained unchanged from the previous season. Annandale Balmain, formed on 23 January 1908 at Balmain Town Hall Eastern Suburbs, formed on 24 January 1908 at Paddington Town Hall Glebe, formed on 9 January 1908 Newtown, formed on 14 January 1908 North Sydney, formed on 7 February 1908 South Sydney, formed on 17 January 1908 at Redfern Town Hall Western Suburbs, formed on 4 February 1908 100px|centerAnnandale8th seasonGround: Wentworth ParkCoach: Captain: Walter Haddock100px|centerBalmain10th seasonGround: Birchgrove OvalCoach-Captain: Arthur Halloway 100px|centerEastern Suburbs10th seasonGround: Sydney Sports GroundCoach: Captain: Sandy Pearce100px|centerGlebe10th seasonGround: Wentworth ParkCoaches: Chris McKivat & Alex Burdon Captain: Frank Burge100px|centerNewtown10th seasonGround: Erskineville Oval Coach: Captain: Felix Ryan 100px|centerNorth Sydney10th seasonGround: North Sydney Oval Coach: Captain: Sid Deane100px|centerSouth Sydney10th seasonGround: RAS Showground, S.C.G.Coach: Captain: Roy Almond100px|centerWestern Suburbs10th seasonGround: St Luke's OvalCoach: Captain: Herb Gilbert Ladder 230px|thumb|right|The geographical locations of the teams that contested the 1917 premiership across Sydney. TeamPldWDLPFPAPDPts116x16px Balmain14130126961+20826216x16px South Sydney14905236143+9318316x16px Western Suburbs14716162160+215416x16px Newtown14716114123-915516x16px Glebe14806207165+4214616x16px Eastern Suburbs14707131145-1414716x16px Annandale14121171214-1434816x16px North Sydney14201290269-1794 Glebe were stripped of two competition points due to fielding an ineligible player in one game. References External links Rugby League Tables - Notes AFL Tables Rugby League Tables - Season 1917 AFL Tables Premiership History and Statistics RL1908 1917 - Third Title In A Row For Balmain RL1908 Collis Ian Whiticker, Alan 100 Years of Rugby League New Holland 2007 Chatswood, NSW vol.1, page 63 978-1-74110-463-9 true Results: 1911-20 at rabbitohs.com.au Category:New South Wales Rugby League premiership Nswrfl Season