1958 NSWRFL season

Rugby league competition March 2024 1958 New South Wales Rugby Football League 125px 10 16x16px St. George 5th 16x16px St. George 5th 95 3050 1030272 16x16px Harry Bath (225) 16x16px Eddie Lumsden (18) Parramatta 6th 1957 NSWRFL season 1957 1959 NSWRFL season 1959 The 1958 NSWRFL season was the 51st season of the New South Wales Rugby Football League, Australia's first rugby league football competition. Ten teams from across Sydney competed for the J. J. Giltinan Shield during the season, which culminated in a grand final between St. George and Western Suburbs. Season summary Having been wooden spooners in 1955, Wests embarked on a massive spending spree to recruit internationals Harry Wells, Kel O'Shea, Arthur Summons, Dick Poole, Darcy Henry and Ian Moir over a five-year period. The fruits of this labour began to show in 1958 when they finished in second place for the minor premiership and posed a challenge to St. George in the finals. Harry Bath was the competition's leading goal scorer in 1958, with his St George teammate Eddie Lumsden the leading try scorer. Bath shattered the Dragons club's point scoring record with 225 season points from three tries and 108 goals. Nineteen-year-old Reg Gasnier, later to be honoured as one of the Australian game's Immortals, made his Third Grade debut in 1958 and was immediately noticed, regularly scoring length-of-the-field tries. The 1958 season also saw the retirement from the League of future Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame inductee, Clive Churchill. Teams Balmain100px|center 51st seasonGround: Leichhardt Oval Coach: John O'Toole Captain: Bill Marsh Canterbury-Bankstown100px|center 24th seasonGround: Belmore Sports Ground Coach: Cec CooperCaptain: Ray Gartner Eastern Suburbs100px|center 51st seasonGround: Sydney Sports Ground Coach: Dave BrownCaptain: Terry Fearnley Manly-Warringah100px|center 12th seasonGround: Brookvale Oval Coach: Ken ArthursonCaptain: Ron Willey Newtown100px|center 51st seasonGround: Henson Park Coach: Dick PooleCaptain: Gordon Clifford North Sydney100px|center 51st seasonGround: North Sydney Oval Coach: Trevor AllenCaptain: Bob Honeysett Parramatta100px|center 12th seasonGround: Cumberland Oval Coach: Jack RaynerCaptain: Roy Fisher South Sydney100px|center 51st seasonGround: Redfern Oval Captain-Coach: Clive Churchill St. George100px|center 38th seasonGround: Jubilee Oval Captain-coach: Ken KearneyWestern Suburbs100px|center 51st seasonGround: Pratten Park Coach: Vic HeyCaptain: Harry Wells Ladder TeamPldWDLPFPAPDPts1 16x16px St. George181602480187+293322 16x16px Western Suburbs181206379263+116243 16x16px Manly181116291251+40234 16x16px Newtown181008297252+45205 16x16px Balmain181008254273−19206 16x16px North Sydney18909279322−43187 16x16px Eastern Suburbs188010244252−8168 16x16px South Sydney186012246391−145129 16x16px Canterbury184113207276−69910 16x16px Parramatta183015202412−2106 Finals The developing Western Suburbs side which would become such a force at the beginning of the 1960s, was already building around the class of internationals Keith "Yappy" Holman, Harry "Dealer" Wells, Kel "Twigs" O'Shea along with their hard men Neville "Boxhead" Charlton, Mark Patch and fiery nineteen-year-old Peter Dimond. With a simple game plan of "retaliate first", the Magpies' aggression in the semifinal stunned St George who were coming off a coasting run through the end of the season. In spite of having beaten Wests twice in the regular season, the Dragons were mauled by them 34–10 in the major-semi final with Dimond dominating his opposite five-eighth Peter Carroll and forcing the Dragons to a sudden death final against Balmain for the right to defend their title. The lessons from this loss sat heavily with St George – how an early forward onslaught designed to knock the spirit of the rival pack could determine the course of the entire game. For the next eight years, in all of their finals appearances, the Dragons would play a deliberate tactic of giving the opposition the ball in the first fifteen minutes and setting about demoralising them with brutal defence. HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd Playoff 23x23px Newtown4–15 23x23px Balmain19 August 1958Redfern Oval10,430 Semifinals 23x23px Manly-Warringah10–22 23x23px Balmain23 August 1958Sydney Cricket GroundDarcy Lawler27,985 23x23px St. George10–34 23x23px Western Suburbs30 August 1958Sydney Cricket GroundDarcy Lawler38,857 Preliminary Final 23x23px St. George26–21 23x23px Balmain6 September 1958Sydney Cricket GroundDarcy Lawler39,132 Grand Final 23x23px Western Suburbs9–20 23x23px St. George13 September 1958Sydney Cricket GroundDarcy Lawler62,283 Grand Final St. GeorgePositionWestern Suburbs Brian Graham FB Darcy Russell 2. Eddie Lumsden WG 2. Bernard Kelly 19. Ray Smith CE 3. Harry Wells (c) 4. Geoff Weekes CE 6. Darcy Henry 17. Brian Messiter WG 5. Don Malone 8. Brian Clay FE 4. Peter Dimond 7. Bob Bugden HB 7. Keith Holman 13. Billy Wilson PR 13. Mark Patch 12. Ken Kearney (Ca./Co.) HK 12. Bede Goff 10. Harry Bath PR 11. Neville Charlton 24. Monty Porter SR 10. Bill Carson 9. Norm Provan SR 9. Jack Bowman 8. Peter Provan LK 8. Doug Jones Coach Vic Hey In an effort to negate Peter Dimond, Saints dropped Peter Carroll for the Grand Final, selecting lock and hard hitting defender, Brian Clay at five-eighth. From the kick-off, the record crowd saw a furious St George team lay into Wests. High tackles and punches were the order of the day and referee Darcy Lawler penalised the Dragons seventeen times to Wests seven. Wests were unable to counter the onslaught which saw a ruthless Dragon defence advancing upon them at every opportunity although the score remained close for most of the match. Eventually with the Magpies subdued, Norm Provan and Bob Bugden cut loose, with Provan scoring two tries and Bugden snatching an intercept try near the end. Saints won the fight, and the match. For eighty minutes Clay was all over Dimond who ended the match dazed and bleeding. The Sydney Morning Herald described the match as the most “savage” game of the season. St George 20 (Tries: N. Provan 2, Bugden, Lumsden. Goals: Bath 4.) Wests 9 (Tries: Russell. Goals: Russell 3 ) Player statistics The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 18. Top 5 point scorers PointsPlayerTriesGoalsField Goals205St. George Harry Bath3980176Western Suburbs Darcy Russell2850146North Sydney Brian Carlson10580144Manly Ron Willey4660124Newtown Gordon Clifford0620 Top 5 try scorers TriesPlayer16Eastern Suburbs Brian Allsop15St. George Eddie Lumsden13St. George Jack Fifield13Western Suburbs Peter Dimond12Western Suburbs Darcy Henry12Newtown Kevin Considine Top 5 goal scorers GoalsPlayer98St. George Harry Bath85Western Suburbs Darcy Russell66Manly Ron Willey62Newtown Gordon Clifford58North Sydney Brian Carlson Great Britain Lions Tour 1958 Great Britain Lions tour From May until August, the Great Britain Lions toured Australia and New Zealand. In Australia they played the three Test Ashes series against Australia as well as games against various sides including Sydney Firsts, New South Wales and a Sydney Representative Colts side that featured a young Reg Gasnier. The team was coached by Jim Brough and was captained was Alan Prescott. Note: Other than the Ashes Tests, only games in NSW listed Game Date Result Venue Attendance1 18 May Great Britain 16 Great Britain def. Illawarra 16 Southern Districts 36–18 Wollongong Showground, Wollongong 2 21 May Great Britain 16 Great Britain drew with Canberra 16 Western Districts 24–24 Wade Park, Orange 3 24 May Great Britain 16 Great Britain def. Newcastle1908 16 Newcastle 35–16 Newcastle Sportsground, Newcastle 21,1264 28 May Great Britain 16 Great Britain def. Balmain 16 Northern NSW 27–17 Scully Park, Tamworth 5 31 May Great Britain 16 Great Britain def. City 16 Sydney 20–15 Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney 48,6926 4 June Great Britain 16 Great Britain def. Western Suburbs 16 Riverina 29–10 Leeton 6,0007 7 June Great Britain 16 Great Britain def. NSW 16 New South Wales 19–10 Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney 52,9638 14 June AUS def. GBR 25–8 Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney 68,77715 5 July GBR def. AUS 25–18 Brisbane Exhibition Ground, Brisbane 33,56317 13 July Great Britain 16 Great Britain def. Balmain 16 NSW North Coast 56–15 Oakes Oval, Oakes Oval, Lismore 5,54118 19 July GBR def. AUS 28–26 Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney 68,720?? 14 August City 16 Representative Colts vs Great Britain 16 Great Britain Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney ?? 17 August Coalfields vs Great Britain 16 Great Britain Maitland Showground, Maitland References External links 1958 Season Rugby League Tables Writer, Larry (1995) Never Before, Never Again, Pan MacMillan, Sydney Results:1951-60 at rabbitohs.com.au 1958 J J Giltinan Shield at rleague.com NSWRFL season 1958 at rugbyleagueproject.org 1958 Final at Dragons History site NSW 1958