The 1910 NSWRFL season was the third season of the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership, Sydney’s top-level rugby league club competition, Australia’s first. Eight teams from across the city contested during the season for the premiership and the Royal Agricultural Society Challenge Shield. During the season, many of the league’s top players took part in matches of the 1910 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia.

Quick Facts League, Duration ...
1910 NSWRFL season
LeagueNew South Wales Rugby Football League
DurationApril 30 to September 17
Teams8
Matches played57
Points scored1576
Premiers Newtown[1] (1st title)
Minor Premiers Newtown
Top point-scorer(s) Dally Messenger (71)
Top try-scorer(s) Arthur McCabe (18)
Second Grade
Number of teams12
Premiers Eastern Suburbs
Runners-up Newtown
Third Grade
Number of teams16
PremiersSydney
Runners-upRozelle
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Season summary

On 23 July 1910 at the Sydney Showground the South Sydney club defeated Western Suburbs 67–0. This still stands as Souths’ highest ever score and biggest winning margin in a premiership game.[2] It was not beaten in the NSWRFL until 11 May 1935 when St. George defeated Canterbury-Bankstown 91–6, which remains the record score and margin as of 2022.[3]

During the season Annandale’s Ray, Roy, Rex and Bernard Norman became the first set of four brothers to play in the same NSWRFL side.[4]

The League's takings for all matches this year amounted to £13,512, an increase of over £6,000 on the previous season.[5] 1910 was the first season where the NSFWRFL had more people in attendance than Rugby Union.[6]

Teams

With the loss of Cumberland at the end of the 1908 season, the league remained with eight teams; a preferable outcome since no byes would be needed. However by the end of the 1909 season, interest for a local Newcastle competition as well as the difficulties of longer travel for the Newcastle side saw it pull out of the premiership. As a result, a team from Annandale joined the premiership to leave the competition with eight teams.[7] Also this season St. Luke's Park became the Western Suburbs club's home ground.

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Annandale
1st season
Ground: Wentworth Park
Coach:
Captain: George Wilcox
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Balmain
3rd season
Ground: Birchgrove Park
Coach: Robert Graves
Captain: Arthur Halloway
Thumb
Eastern Suburbs
3rd season
Ground: RAS Showground
Captain- Coach: Dally Messenger
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Glebe
3rd season
Ground: Wentworth Park
Coach:Chris McKivat
Captain: Alex Burdon
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Newtown
3rd season
Ground: Erskineville Metters Park
Captain-Coach: Charles 'Boxer' Russell
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North Sydney
3rd season
Ground: North Sydney Oval
Coach:
Captain: Tedda Courtney
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South Sydney
3rd season
Ground: RAS Showground
Captain-Coach: Arthur Hennessy
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Western Suburbs
3rd season
Ground: St. Luke's Park
Coach:
Captain: Percy Bolt

Ladder

Newtown finished on top of the League's ladder at the end of the regular season.

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The geographical locations of the teams that contested the 1910 premiership across Sydney.
More information Team, Pld ...
Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
1 Newtown 14111226092+16823
2 South Sydney 141103326109+21722
3 Eastern Suburbs 14923248116+13220
4 Balmain 14806153190-3716
5 Glebe 14608175194-1912
6 Annandale 14518145200-5511
7 North Sydney 143011146281-1356
8 Western Suburbs 141013115386-2712
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Ladder progression

  • Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 2.
  • Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round.
  • Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished in last place on the ladder in that round
More information Team ...
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
1 Newtown 24688101214151517192123
2 South Sydney 2466681012141618182022
3 Eastern Suburbs 244688810111214161820
4 Balmain 024668810121414161616
5 Glebe 0024668881012121212
6 Annandale 0000244467791111
7 North Sydney 22224444444446
8 Western Suburbs 00000022222222
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Final

Unlike the previous two seasons where a play-off system was used to decide the premier, there was only one game played in 1910. The top two teams, Newtown and South Sydney, played off in a memorable match in front of fifteen or sixteen thousand[8] people at the Sydney Showground on 17 September 1910. Leading 4-2 with reportedly only seconds to go, South Sydney seemed set to take out their third straight premiership. However, after Souths player Howard Hallett was forced to kick the ball clear from his own line, Newtown centre Albert Hawkes caught the ball on the full just metres away from halfway and the touch line. The rules at the time allowed Hawkes to claim a "fair mark" and Newtown to have a shot at goal. Newtown captain Charles "Boxer" Russell was successful in kicking the goal from a difficult position, allowing Newtown to tie the game and win the competition as they had been minor premiers.[9]

Newtown 4 (Goals: Charles Russell 2)

drew with

South Sydney Rabbitohs 4 (Goals: Jim Davis 2)

References

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