1981 NSWRFL season

Rugby league competition March 2024 1981 New South Wales Rugby Football League 12 16x16px Parramatta 1st 16x16px Eastern Suburbs 15th 138 4,160 1,312,977 16x16px Steve Rogers (194) 16x16px Terry Fahey (16) Eastern Suburbs 16 Kevin Hastings Rothmans Medal Balmain 3rd 1980 NSWRFL season 1980 1982 NSWRFL season 1982 The 1981 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 74th season of Sydney's professional rugby league football competition, Australia's first. Twelve clubs, including six of 1908's foundation teams and another six from around Sydney competed for the J J Giltinan Shield and Wills Cup during the season, which culminated in a grand final between the Parramatta and Newtown clubs. NSWRFL clubs also competed in the 1981 Tooth Cup and players from NSWRFL clubs were selected to represent the New South Wales team. Season summary In 1981 the "sin-bin" was introduced to rugby league in Australia, enabling referees to send players from the field for five or ten minute periods for minor or deliberate technical offences.Middleton David League of Legends: 100 Years of Rugby League in Australia National Museum of Australia 2008 31 http://www.nma.gov.au/shared/libraries/attachments/league_of_legends/rugby_league_a_work_in_progress/files/22453/F_RL_work_in_progress.pdf 978-1-876944-64-3 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110317093000/http://www.nma.gov.au/shared/libraries/attachments/league_of_legends/rugby_league_a_work_in_progress/files/22453/F_RL_work_in_progress.pdf 2011-03-17 Newtown hk Barry Jensen became the first player to be sent from the field in this manner. Midway through the season, players contracted to NSWRFL clubs were selected to represent the New South Wales team in two games against the Queensland team in 1981. After that the experimental 1981 State of Origin game was played, and for the second time in history NSWRFL clubs' players were able to represent Queensland. Twenty-two regular season rounds were played from March until August, resulting in a top five of Easts, Newtown, Parramatta, Cronulla and Manly who battled it out in the finals. Eastern Suburbs' halfback Kevin Hastings won the 1981 season's Rothmans Medal as well as Rugby League Week's Player of the Year award. The Dally M Award went to Cronulla-Sutherland centre, Steve Rogers. Teams This was to be the final year that the NSWRFL premiership was an all-Sydney competition, with the introduction of teams from Canberra and Illawarra in 1982 starting a new era of expansion which would see the League transform into a national, then international competition. Balmain100px|center 74th seasonGround: Leichhardt Oval Coach: Frank StantonCaptain: Allan McMahon→Neil WhittakerCanterbury100px|center 47th seasonGround: Belmore Oval Coach: Ted GlossopCaptain: Mark Hughes & Garry HughesCronulla100px|center 15th seasonGround: Endeavour Field Coach: Greg PierceCaptain: Steve RogersEastern Suburbs100px|center 74th seasonGround: Sydney Sports Ground Coach: Bob FultonCaptain: Royce AyliffeManly100px|center 35th seasonGround: Brookvale Oval Coach: Ray RitchieCaptain: Max KrilichNewtown100px|center 74th seasonGround: Henson Park Coach: Warren RyanCaptain: Tommy RaudonikisNorth Sydney100px|center 74th seasonGround:North Sydney Oval Coach: Ron WilleyCaptain: Mark GrahamParramatta100px|center 35th seasonGround: Cumberland Oval Coach: Jack GibsonCaptain: Steve EdgePenrith100px|center 15th seasonGround: Penrith Park Coach: Len StackerCaptain: Tim SheensSouth Sydney100px|center 74th seasonGround: Redfern Oval Coach: Bill AndersonCaptain: Nathan Gibbs→Mitch BrennanSt. George100px|center 61st seasonGround: Kogarah Oval Coach: Harry BathCaptain: Craig YoungWestern Suburbs100px|center 74th seasonGround: Lidcombe Oval Coach: Roy MastersCaptain: Warren Boland 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 GF Balmain TigersEAS+1MAN−7NEW−8CBY−39SOU−15CRO−6NOR+5STG−3PAR−19WES−7PEN+7XEAS−1MAN−7NEW−1CBY−11SOU+3CRO−3NOR−10STG0PAR−9WES+9PEN+19 Canterbury BulldogsSTG−26PAR−4WES+19BAL+39EAS−10MAN+11NEW−10PEN−10XCRO−7NOR+11SOU−3STG−6PAR−14WES−17BAL+11EAS−33MAN−7NEW+15PEN−4SOU+26CRO+18NOR−3 Cronulla SharksPEN−11NOR+18STG+6PAR+11WES+3BAL+6EAS−9MAN−5XCBY+7SOU0NEW−6PEN+9NOR+1STG+20PAR−15WES+1BAL+3EAS+2MAN−9NEW−14CBY−18SOU+2MAN−3 Eastern Suburbs RoostersBAL−1PEN+3MAN+6NEW+22CBY+10SOU−5CRO+9NOR+1XPAR+8WES+4STG+18BAL+1PEN+14MAN+10NEW−10CBY+33SOU−5CRO−2NOR+20STG+12PAR+14WES−2XPAR−4NEW−10 Manly Sea EaglesWES+12BAL+7EAS−6PEN−18NEW−12CBY−11SOU+8CRO+5NOR−19STG−18PAR+14XWES+28BAL+7EAS−10PEN−6NEW0CBY+7SOU+11CRO+9NOR+20STG+5PAR0CRO+3NEW−5 Newtown JetsPAR−24WES0BAL+8EAS−22MAN+12PEN+18CBY+10SOU+16XNOR−2STG+17CRO+6PAR+5WES−16BAL+1EAS+10MAN0PEN+10CBY−15SOU−3CRO+14NOR+4STG+9PAR−2MAN+5EAS+10PAR−9 North Sydney BearsSOU+15CRO−18PEN−10STG+29PAR+2WES−15BAL−5EAS−1MAN+19NEW+2CBY−11XSOU+5CRO−1PEN+21STG−7PAR−14WES−13BAL+10EAS−20MAN−20NEW−4CBY+3 Parramatta EelsNEW+24CBY+4SOU+34CRO−11NOR−2STG+9PEN+3WES−6BAL+19EAS−8MAN−14XNEW−5CBY+14SOU+11CRO+15NOR+14STG+12PEN+17WES+27BAL+9EAS−14MAN0NEW+2EAS+4XNEW+9 Penrith PanthersCRO+11EAS−3NOR+10MAN+18STG−8NEW−18PAR−3CBY+10WES−1SOU+19BAL−7XCRO−9EAS−14NOR−21MAN+6STG+15NEW−10PAR−17CBY+4WES−2SOU−6BAL−19 South Sydney RabbitohsNOR−15STG−9PAR−34WES−2BAL+15EAS+5MAN−8NEW−16XPEN−19CRO0CBY+3NOR−5STG+17PAR−11WES+6BAL−3EAS+5MAN−11NEW+3CBY−26PEN+6CRO−2 St. George DragonsCBY+26SOU+9CRO−6NOR−29PEN+8PAR−9WES−4BAL+3XMAN+18NEW−17EAS−18CBY+6SOU−17CRO−20NOR+7PEN−15PAR−12WES+17BAL0EAS−12MAN−5NEW−9 Western Suburbs MagpiesMAN−12NEW0CBY−19SOU+2CRO−3NOR+15STG+4PAR+6PEN+1BAL+7EAS−4XMAN−28NEW+16CBY+17SOU−6CRO−1NOR+13STG−17PAR−27PEN+2BAL−9EAS+2 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 GF Bold – Home game X – Bye Opponent for round listed above margin Ladder Pos PositionTeam Pld Games played W Won D Drawn L Lost PF Points for (total points scored) PA Points against (total points conceded) PD Points difference (points scored minus points conceded) Pts Competition points1 16x16px Eastern Suburbs221606385225+160322 16x16px Newtown221426326268+58303 16x16px Parramatta221417398246+152294 16x16px Cronulla221318339337+2275 16x16px Manly221228350317+33266 16x16px Western Suburbs2211110311352-41237 16x16px North Sydney229013322355-33188 16x16px St. George228113320399-79179 16x16px South Sydney228113322423-1011710 16x16px Canterbury228014340344-41611 Old Penrith 16 Penrith228014305350-451612 16x16px Balmain226115293395-10213 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. Team12345678910111213141516171819202122231Eastern Suburbs 16 Eastern Suburbs Roosters 0 2 4 6 8 8 10 12 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 24 26 26 26 28 30 32 322Newtown 16 Newtown Jets 0 1 3 3 5 7 9 11 11 11 13 15 17 17 19 21 22 24 24 24 26 28 303Parramatta 16 Parramatta Eels 2 4 6 6 6 8 10 10 12 12 12 12 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 28 294Cronulla 16 Cronulla Sharks 0 2 4 6 8 10 10 10 10 12 13 13 15 17 19 19 21 23 25 25 25 25 275Manly 16 Manly Sea Eagles 2 4 4 4 4 4 6 8 8 8 10 10 12 14 14 14 15 17 19 21 23 25 266Western Suburbs 16 Western Suburbs Magpies 0 1 1 3 3 5 7 9 11 13 13 13 13 15 17 17 17 19 19 19 21 21 237North Sydney 16 North Sydney Bears 2 2 2 4 6 6 6 6 8 10 10 10 12 12 14 14 14 14 16 16 16 16 188St. George 16 St. George Dragons 2 4 4 4 6 6 6 8 8 10 10 10 12 12 12 14 14 14 16 17 17 17 179South Sydney 16 South Sydney Rabbitohs 0 0 0 0 2 4 4 4 4 4 5 7 7 9 9 11 11 13 13 15 15 17 1710Canterbury 16 Canterbury Bulldogs 0 0 2 4 4 6 6 6 6 6 8 8 8 8 8 10 10 10 12 12 14 16 1611Old Penrith 16 Penrith Panthers 2 2 4 6 6 6 6 8 8 10 10 10 10 10 10 12 14 14 14 16 16 16 1612Balmain 16 Balmain Tigers 2 2 2 2 2 2 4 4 4 4 6 6 6 6 6 6 8 8 8 9 9 11 13 Finals The elimination semi-final between Newtown and Manly will always be remembered for the notorious all-in brawl, with the main combatants Newtown's Steve Bowden and Manly hardman Mark Broadhurst. Bowden was marched for the incident and was unable to take part in the preliminary final against Eastern Suburbs or the grand final against Parramatta.1981 NSWRFL Semi-final – Manly vs Newtown fight HomeScoreAwayMatch informationDate and timeVenueRefereeCrowd Qualifying Finals 23x23px Newtown8–10 23x23px Parramatta5 September 1981Sydney Cricket GroundJohn Gocher17,265 23x23px Cronulla11–14 23x23px Manly6 September 1981Sydney Cricket GroundGreg Hartley21,635 Semi-finals 23x23px Eastern Suburbs8–12 23x23px Parramatta12 September 1981Sydney Cricket GroundGreg Hartley27,600 23x23px Newtown20–15 23x23px Manly13 September 1981Sydney Cricket GroundJohn Gocher22,440 Preliminary final 23x23px Eastern Suburbs5–15 23x23px Newtown19 September 1981Sydney Cricket GroundGreg Hartley25,243 Chart 150 Qualifying final Major semi-final Grand final Elimination final Minor semi-final Preliminary final 2 Newtown 16 Newtown 8 3 Parramatta 16 Parramatta 10 4 Cronulla 16 Cronulla 11 5 Manly 16 Manly 14 1 Eastern Suburbs 16 Eastern Suburbs 8 Parramatta 16 Parramatta 12 Newtown 16 Newtown 20 Manly 16 Manly 15 Eastern Suburbs 16 Eastern Suburbs 5 Newtown 16 Newtown 15 Parramatta 16 Parramatta 20 Newtown 16 Newtown 11 Grand final ParramattaPositionNewtown Steve McKenzie FB Phil Sigsworth 2. Graeme Atkins WG 2. John Ferguson 3. Mick Cronin CE 3. Mick Ryan 4. Steve Ella CE 4. Brian Hetherington 5. Eric Grothe WG 5. Ray Blacklock 6. Brett Kenny FE 6. Paul Morris 7. Peter Sterling HB 7. Tommy Raudonikis (c) 13. Bob O'Reilly PR 13. Craig Ellis 12. Steve Edge (c) HK 12. Barry Jensen 11. Ron Hilditch PR 11. Steve Blyth 10. Kevin Stevens SR 10. Phil Gould 9. John Muggleton SR 9. Mick Pitman 8. Ray Price LK 8. Graeme O'Grady 14. Steve Sharp Reserve 14. Ken Wilson 18. Paul Taylor Reserve 15. Jim Walters Reserve 20. Shane McKellar Reserve 26. Geoff Bugden Jack Gibson Coach Warren Ryan Newtown had reached their first grand final in twenty-six years. Parramatta led 7–6 at half-time, but the Jets looked set to spring a major upset when tough half back Tommy Raudonikis crashed over to score early in the second-half. Then the Eels' brilliant backline exploded into action. The combination of Brett Kenny, Mick Cronin, Peter Sterling, Eric Grothe and Steve Ella dominated and would go on to feature in five grand finals and four premierships by the end of 1986. Steve Edge became the first player to captain two different sides to premiership victory having captained St. George to a win over the Eels in season 1977. Master coach Jack Gibson had just six words for a packed Parramatta Leagues Club auditorium, who had just witnessed the Eels' first ever premiership since their 1947 entry to the competition. "Ding, dong, the witch is dead," he said before the thunderous chants of the success-starved blue and gold army of fans. Match details #f1f5fc 27 September 1981 Newtown Jets Newtown 16 11 – 20 1st: 6 - 72nd: 5 - 13Report Parramatta 16 Parramatta Eels Tries:Graeme O'Grady 1Brian Hetherington 1Tommy Raudonikis 1Goals:Paul Morris 1/3 Tries:Brett Kenny 2Graeme Atkins 1Steve Ella 1Goals:Mick Cronin 4/6 Sydney Cricket Ground Greg Hartley 57,333 Bob O'ReillyAwarded retrospectively in 2008. Cumberland Oval In the resultant celebrations at Parramatta with a large group of supporters having gathered at the Eels homeground of Cumberland Oval, subsequently lit a fire that burned the grandstand to the ground. In late 1984 a construction contract was signed by the NSW Government, with the new Parramatta Stadium being opened on 5 March 1986 by Queen Elizabeth II. Parramatta Stadium itself was knocked down along with the adjacent public pools, in 2017. The new stadium, the Western Sydney Stadium was opened on 14 April 2019. Player statistics The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 22. Top 5 point scorers PointsPlayerTriesGoalsField Goals183Cronulla Steve Rogers13720183Canterbury Steve Gearin13720164Parramatta Mick Cronin6730142South Sydney Mark Ross8590138Eastern Suburbs Ron Giteau5611 Top 5 try scorers TriesPlayer15Eastern Suburbs Terry Fahey13Parramatta Steve Ella13Cronulla Steve Rogers13Manly John Gibbs13Canterbury Steve Gearin Top 5 goal scorers GoalsPlayer73Parramatta Mick Cronin72Cronulla Steve Rogers72Canterbury Steve Gearin61Eastern Suburbs Ron Giteau59South Sydney Mark Ross Notes References External links Rugby League Tables – Season 1981 1981 Grand final at eraofthebiff.com Results:1981-90 at rabbitohs.com.au 1981 J J Giltinan Shield and WD & HO Wills Cup at rleague.comJanuary 2025 medicmedic NSWRFL season 1981 at rugbyleagueproject.com Category:New South Wales Rugby League premiership NSWRFL season