1953 NSWRFL season

Rugby league competition March 2024 1953 New South Wales Rugby Football League 10 16x16px South Sydney 14th 16x16px South Sydney 13th 93 3241 16x16px Ron Rowles (152) 16x16px Ian Moir (23) 16x16px Western Suburbs 9th 1952 NSWRFL season 1952 1954 NSWRFL season 1954 The 1953 New South Wales Rugby Football League season was the forty-sixth season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney. Ten teams from across the city competed for the J. J. Giltinan Shield during the season, which culminated in a final between South Sydney and St. George. Teams Balmain100px|center 46th seasonGround: Leichhardt Oval Coach: Arthur PattonCaptain: Bob LulhamCanterbury-Bankstown100px|center 19th seasonGround: Belmore Oval Coach: Jack HampsteadCaptain: Cec CooperEastern Suburbs100px|center 46th seasonGround: Sydney Sports Ground Captain-Coach: Col DonohoeManly-Warringah100px|center 7th seasonGround: Brookvale Oval Captain-Coach: Roy BullNewtown100px|center 46th seasonGround: Erskineville Oval Captain-Coach: Frank JohnsonNorth Sydney100px|center 46th seasonGround: North Sydney Oval Coach: Ross McKinnonCaptain: Lloyd HudsonParramatta100px|center 7th seasonGround: Cumberland Oval Coach: Vic HeyCaptain: Ian JohnstonSouth Sydney100px|center 46th seasonGround: Redfern Oval Captain-coach: Jack RaynerSt. George100px|center 33rd seasonGround: Jubilee Oval Coach: Norm TippingCaptain: Ken KearneyWestern Suburbs100px|center 46th seasonGround: Pratten Park Captain-Coach: Peter McLean Ladder TeamPldWDLPFPAPDPts1 16x16px South Sydney181116384278+106232 16x16px St. George181107313289+24223 16x16px North Sydney181017421283+138214 16x16px Eastern Suburbs181017330310+20215 16x16px Newtown18927292268+24206 16x16px Canterbury18927252291-39207 16x16px Parramatta18819271291-20178 16x16px Balmain187011313377-64149 16x16px Manly186012294393-991210 16x16px Western Suburbs185013287377-9010 Finals HomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDate and TimeVenueRefereeCrowd Semifinals 23x23px South Sydney5–4 23x23px North Sydney29 August 1953Sydney Cricket GroundJack O'Brien30,392 23x23px St. George25–7 23x23px Eastern Suburbs5 September 1953Sydney Cricket GroundDarcy Lawler37,753 Final 23x23px South Sydney31–12 23x23px St. George12 September 1953Sydney Cricket GroundDarcy Lawler44,581 Chart Semi-finals Final Grand final yes 1 South Sydney 13 Souths 5 3 North Sydney 12 Norths 4 2 St George 13 St George 25 4 Easts 13 Easts 7 South Sydney 13 Souths 31 St George 12 St George 12 MP South Sydney 13 Souths X South Sydney 12 Souths X Final South SydneyPositionSt. George 13. Clive Churchill FB 3. Noel Pidding 12. Ian Moir WG 15. Kevin Hole 18. Martin Gallagher CE 5. Tommy Ryan 14. Kevin Woolfe CE 44. Merv Lees 11. Frank Threlfo WG 2. Ross Kite 21. John Dougherty FE 4. Allan Staunton 22. Greg Hawick HB 20. Peter Bracken Denis Donoghue PR 39. Kevin Brown 2. Ernie Hammerton HK 12. Ken Kearney (c) 5. Jim Richards PR 11. Bob Bower 41. Bob Moon SR 10. Barry Passfield 4. Jack Rayner (Ca./Co.) SR 9. Norm Provan 6. Les Cowie LK 8. Billy Wilson Coach Norm Tipping To win the 1953 premiership St George would need to beat minor premiers Souths in both a final and a Grand final, emulating the feats of the Dragons of 1949 from which team only Noel Pidding was still playing. A crowd of 44,581 were at the Sydney Cricket Ground to see the first phase of this attempt. Souths opened the scoring with a penalty goal in the ninth minute kicked by Clive Churchill from 40 yards. The Dragons threatened Souths' line continuously in the next stanza but bombed three tries and then lost some momentum in the 14 minutes before half-time during the absence of centre Merv Lees while he was off the field having stitches to his lip after driving a tooth through it. Souths scored 13 points in this period. Ian Moir capitalised on a spillage of the ball by Pidding behind his own line after a heavy tackle, Churchill then featured when he firstly sent Threlfo in and then set up Moir for his second try. The score at half time was 15–0. Early in the second half Pidding kicked a penalty and a few minutes later Wilson and Gallagher were sent off for fighting. With Wilson gone Rabbitoh hard-men Rayner and Donoghue then took control and four Souths tries flowed to Woolfe, Dougherty, Hammerton and Moir’s third. Two late Dragons’ tries to Brown and Lees made no difference and South Sydney powered to their fourteenth premiership. South Sydney Rabbitohs 31 Tries: Moir (3), Woolfe, Threlfo, Dougherty, Hammerton Goals: Dougherty (4), Churchill (1) St George Dragons 12 Tries: Lees, Brown Goals: Pidding (3) Player statistics The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 18. Top 5 point scorers PointsPlayerTriesGoalsField Goals152Manly Ron Rowles8640114Parramatta Bob Hobbs254099St. George Noel Pidding345091North Sydney Norm Stewart144088Newtown Gordon Clifford0440 Top 5 try scorers TriesPlayer20South Sydney Ian Moir18North Sydney Horrie Toole18Newtown Ray Preston14Canterbury Barry Stenhouse13North Sydney Peter O'Brien Top 5 goal scorers GoalsPlayer64Manly Ron Rowles54Parramatta Bob Hobbs45St. George Noel Pidding44North Sydney Norm Stewart44Newtown Gordon Clifford References External links http://www.stats.rleague.com/rl/seas/1953.html Rugby League Tables – Season 1953 rleague.com https://web.archive.org/web/20141008072515/http://stats.rleague.com/rl/seas/1953.html 8 October 2014 The World of Rugby League Haddan, Steve [2007] The finals – 100 Years of National Rugby League Finals, Steve Haddan Publishing, Brisbane http://www.rabbitohs.com.au/The-Club/Tradition/Results---1951-1960.html Results: 1951-60 rabbitohs.com.au https://web.archive.org/web/20120319201723/http://www.rabbitohs.com.au/The-Club/Tradition/Results---1951-1960.html 19 March 2012 http://www.rleague.com//db/year/1953/j_j_giltinan_shield/index.php J J Giltinan Shield rleague.com https://web.archive.org/web/20120603123825/http://www.rleague.com//db/year/1953/j_j_giltinan_shield/index.php 3 June 2012 https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/seasons/nswrfl-1953/summary.html NSWRFL season 1953 rugbyleagueproject.org live https://web.archive.org/web/20081023235917/http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/competitions/NSWRL_1953.html 23 October 2008 Category:New South Wales Rugby League premiership Nswrfl Season