1913 NSWRFL season

The 1913 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the sixth season of Sydney's top-level rugby league club competition, Australia's first. Eight teams from across the city contested during the season.

1913 NSWRFL season
LeagueNew South Wales Rugby Football League
Duration3 May to 16 August
Teams8
Matches played56
Points scored1344
Premiers Eastern Suburbs[1] (3rd title)
Minor Premiers Eastern Suburbs (2nd title)
Top point-scorer(s) Harold Horder (65)
Top try-scorer(s) Harold Horder (13)
Second Grade
Number of teams14
Premiers South Sydney
Runners-upGrosvenor
Third Grade
Number of teams21 (1 withdrew)
PremiersSouth Sydney Federals
Runners-upSouth Sydney Kinkora

Season summary

By the start of the 1913 season, the NSWRFL had secured the use of the Sydney Cricket Ground for its games.[2]

As occurred in the 1912 season, the minor premiers were deemed the overall premiers. Eastern Suburbs, who finished top of the table for the second time in as many years, claimed their third straight premiership as a result. The team's success could be attributed to the talent in the team at the time, with ten players having played for Australia and another three for New South Wales. Of the team's two losses, one came at the hands of runners-up Newtown midway through the season and the other in the final round to Glebe after the title had already been won.

This Eastern Suburbs side is still considered to be one of the greatest club teams ever assembled, with players including Dally Messenger, Wally Messenger, Sandy Pearce, Larry O'Malley, Les Cubitt, Dan Frawley and Arthur "Pony" Halloway. This season also saw the retirement from the League of future Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame inductee, Dally Messenger.

Teams
The geographical locations of the teams that contested the 1913 premiership across Sydney.

The teams remained unchanged from the previous season.

Annandale
4th season
Ground: Wentworth Park
Captain-Coach: Paddy McCue
Balmain
6th season
Ground: Birchgrove Oval
Coach: Robert Graves
Captain: Bill Noble		 Eastern Suburbs
6th season
Ground: Sydney Sports Ground
Captain-Coach: Dally Messenger		 Glebe
6th season
Ground: Wentworth Park
Captain-Coach: Chris McKivat
Newtown
6th season
Ground: Erskineville Oval
Captain-Coach: Charles "Boxer" Russell
North Sydney
6th season
Ground: North Sydney Oval
Coach:
Captain: Sid Deane & Jim Devereux		 South Sydney
6th season
Ground: Sydney Sports Ground
Coach: John Rosewell
Captain: Arthur Butler 		Western Suburbs
6th season
Ground: Pratten Park
Captain-Coach: Tedda Courtney , Jim Abercrombie

Ladder
The 1913 Eastern Suburbs DRLFC's premiership winning team with the Royal Agricultural Society Shield.
Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
1 Eastern Suburbs 141202227118+10924
2 Newtown 141013203135+6821
3 South Sydney 14905200132+6818
4 Glebe 14806198161+3716
5 North Sydney 14527199193+612
6 Balmain 1441983135-529
7 Annandale 143011119219-1006
8 Western Suburbs 143011115251-1366

Records set in 1913

On 19 July, South Sydney's reserve grade team scored 102 points against Mosman, which remains the greatest number of points scored in any grade of NSWRFL/NSWRL/ARL/NRL rugby league. The Rabbitohs scored 49 points in the first half and 59 in the second, conceding only a solitary penalty goal.[3][4]

References
  1. Premiership Roll of Honour Archived 14 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine at rl1908.com
  2. Cunneen, Chris (2001). The best ever Australian Sports Writing. Australia: Black Inc. p. 316. ISBN 1-86395-266-7. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  3. 'Rugby League: Second Grade'; The Sunday Times, 20 July 1913, p. 13
  4. 'Records Made: St. George and Griffen'; Sydney Morning Herald, 13 May 1935, p. 17
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