1970 New South Wales Rugby Football League
Teams12
Premiers South Sydney (19th title)
Minor premiers South Sydney (16th title)
Matches played136
Points scored4407
Attendance1630630
Top points scorer(s) Eric Simms (241)
Player of the year Kevin Junee (Rothmans Medal)
Top try-scorer(s) Ken Irvine (16)

The 1970 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 63rd season of Sydney's professional rugby league football competition, Australia's first. Twelve teams, including six foundation clubs and another six admitted post 1908, competed for the J. J. Giltinan Shield during the season which culminated in a grand final match for the WD & HO Wills Cup between the Manly-Warringah and South Sydney clubs.

Season summary

Following the previous season's "lay-down" or "stop-start" grand final, rugby league's rules were changed for this season so that rather than stopping the game to call a doctor onto the field when a player goes down injured, the ball is given to a team-mate to play so that no advantage can be gained from feigning injury.[1] Head-high tackles were also outlawed at the commencement of the 1971 season. Each side met all others twice in twenty-two regular season rounds before the top four finishers, Souths, Manly, St. George and Canterbury, fought out four finals for a place in the grand final.

The 1970 season's Rothmans Medallist was Eastern Suburbs' halfback Kevin Junee. Rugby League Week awarded their player of the year award to Cronulla-Sutherland's halfback Tommy Bishop.

Teams

Balmain

63rd season
Ground: Leichhardt Oval
Coach: Leo Nosworthy
Captain: Keith Outten

Canterbury-Bankstown

36th season
Ground: Belmore Sports Ground
Coach: Kevin Ryan
Captain: Ron Raper

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

4th season
Ground: Endeavour Field
Captain-coach: Tommy Bishop

Eastern Suburbs

63rd season
Ground: Sydney Sports Ground
Coach: Don Furner
Captain: John Brass

Manly-Warringah

24th season
Ground: Brookvale Oval
Coach: Ron Willey
Captain: John McDonald

Newtown

63rd season
Ground: Henson Park
Coach: Harry Bath
Captain: Oscar Danielson

North Sydney

63rd season
Ground: North Sydney Oval
Coach: Roy Francis
Captain: Ken Irvine

Parramatta

24th season
Ground: Cumberland Oval
Captain-coach: Ron Lynch

Penrith

4th season
Ground: Penrith Stadium
Captain-coach: Bob Boland

South Sydney

63rd season
Ground: Redfern Oval
Coach: Clive Churchill
Captain: John Sattler

St. George

50th season
Ground: Jubilee Oval
Coach: Jack Gibson
Captain: Graeme Langlands

Western Suburbs

63rd season
Ground: Lidcombe Oval
Coach: Ron Watson
Captain: Roy Ferguson

Ladder

Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
1 South Sydney 221714479273+20635
2 Manly-Warringah 221615422285+13733
3 St. George 221507408329+7930
4 Canterbury-Bankstown 221408308269+3928
5 Eastern Suburbs 221309386320+6626
6 Balmain 221219380347+3325
7 Cronulla-Sutherland 229013374335+3918
8 Newtown 229013345409-6418
9 North Sydney 227114332435-10315
10 Penrith 227114292406-11415
11 Western Suburbs 226115329403-7413
12 Parramatta 224018240484-2448

Finals

Home Score Away Match Information
Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd
Semi-finals
St. George 12–7 Canterbury-Bankstown 29 August 1970 Sydney Cricket Ground Keith Page 40,083
South Sydney 22–15 Manly-Warringah 5 September 1970 Sydney Cricket Ground Don Lancashire 40,211
Preliminary Final
Manly-Warringah 15–6 St. George 12 September 1970 Sydney Cricket Ground Don Lancashire 43,147
Grand Final
South Sydney 23–12[2] Manly-Warringah 19 September 1970 Sydney Cricket Ground Don Lancashire 53,241

Grand Final

South Sydney Position Manly-Warringah
  1. Eric Simms
FB
  1. Bob Batty
2. Michael ClearyWG2. Derek Moritz
3. Arthur BranighanCE3. Bob Fulton
4. Paul SaitCE4. Alec Tennant
5. Ray BranighanWG5. John McDonald (c)
6. Denis PittardFE6. Ian Martin
7. Bob GrantHB7. Ed Whiley
13. John Sattler (c)PR13. Bill Hamilton
12. Elwyn WaltersHK12. Fred Jones
11. John O'NeillPR11. John Bucknall
10. Bob McCarthySR36. Lindsay Drake
9. Gary StevensSR9. John Morgan
8. Ron CooteLK8. Rob Cameron
Bob HonanReserve16. Allan Thomson
Clive ChurchillCoachRon Willey

Having lost the previous Grand Final to Balmain, Souths was desperate to win this year. After four minutes the Rabbitohs had scored. Approximately five minutes later Souths captain John Sattler collapsed, having been punched in an off-the-ball incident by Manly forward John Bucknall.[3] He suffered a double fracture to his jaw but pleaded to team mate Mike Cleary, "Hold me up so they don't know I'm hurt". He was helped up and continued to play in the game. At half-time Souths was leading 12–6 when his teammates learnt about his injury.

During the interval Sattler refused treatment and insisted he continue playing. He also told the side, "the next bloke who tries to cut me out of the play is in trouble", to prevent his team mates trying to protect him from further injury. The Souths forward pack returned to the fray and completely dominated the play with its backline hardly called upon. Bucknall had been replaced by Allan Thomson in the 35th minute after a sustained punitive attention from the Rabbitohs pack saw him suffer a shoulder injury in a heavy tackle.

South Sydney halfback Bob Grant opened the scoring in the fourth minute, crossing untouched while his opposite number Eddie Whiley was off the field having an injury treated. Rabbitohs winger Ray Branighan also crossed untouched six minutes from full-time. By game's end South Sydney had scored three tries to nil in a 23–12 victory. Sattler later went to hospital to receive treatment but only after receiving the J. J. Giltinan Shield and making an acceptance speech.

Eric Simms' record of four field-goals that day stands as the most ever kicked in a Grand Final.

South Sydney 23 (Tries: Grant 2, R Branighan. Goals: Simms 3. Field Goals: Simms 4)

defeated

Manly-Warringah 12 (Goals: Batty 4. Field Goals: Fulton 2)

Player statistics

The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 22.

References

  1. Sean Fagan (3 October 2010). "In league, we leave the dead where they fall". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australia: Fairfax Media. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
  2. "Sydney Cricket Ground Magic Moments". sydneycricketground.com.au. Sydney Cricket & Sports Ground Trust. Archived from the original on 2007-08-16. Retrieved 2009-09-02.
  3. Roberts, Michael (2008). Great Australian Sporting Moments. Australia: The Miegunyah Press. ISBN 978-0-522-85547-0. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
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