1912 NSWRFL season

1912 NSWRFL season
Teams	8
Premiers	Eastern Suburbs[1] (2nd title)
Minor premiers	Eastern Suburbs (1st title)
Matches played	56
Points scored	1262 (total) 22.536 (per match)
Top point scorer(s)	Dally Messenger (80)
Top try scorer(s)	Roy Algie (12)

The 1912 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the fifth season of Sydney's rugby league football 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.

Season summary

From 1912 to 1925, the minor premiers were deemed to be the premiers automatically as well unless two clubs were on equal points at the end of the season in which case a final was held. This move by the New South Wales Rugby League may well have been in response to Eastern Suburbs' victory in the season before, where they overcame minor premiers Glebe in two successive finals to claim the premiership.

With four rounds remaining in the 1912 season, Eastern Suburbs and Glebe were clearly ahead of the rest of the teams and it looked unlikely that they would be caught. The two clubs were matched up against each other in Round 11 at the Sydney Sports Ground in what would ultimately decide the fate of the premiership, with Glebe just two points behind Eastern Suburbs on the ladder. In front of 25,000 people, the two clubs played out a closely fought match in muddy conditions. Dally Messenger was able to break a 4-4 deadlock late in the match by kicking a field goal after a scrum win close to the sideline and win the game 6-4 for Eastern Suburbs.

With a four point premiership lead and only three rounds to play, Eastern Suburbs, who had only lost one game before in the season to eventual third-placed Newtown, looked uncatchable. That turned out to be the case, with Eastern Suburbs winning their remaining three games to take away the premiership.

Also this season Pratten Park became the Western Suburbs club's homeground.

Teams

The teams remained unchanged from the 1911 season.

• Annandale
• Balmain, formed on January 23, 1908 at Balmain Town Hall
• Eastern Suburbs, formed on January 24, 1908 at Paddington Town Hall
• Glebe, formed on January 9, 1908
• Newtown, formed on January 14, 1908
• North Sydney, formed on February 7, 1908
• South Sydney, formed on January 17, 1908 at Redfern Town Hall
• Western Suburbs, formed on February 4, 1908

Annandale	Balmain	Eastern Suburbs	Glebe
Newtown	North Sydney	South Sydney	Western Suburbs

Ladder

The geographical locations of the teams that contested the 1912 premiership across Sydney.

	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
1	Eastern Suburbs	14	13	0	1	230	86	+144	26
2	Glebe	14	11	0	3	199	83	+116	22
3	Newtown	14	9	0	5	178	132	+46	18
4	South Sydney	14	8	0	6	207	137	+70	16
5	Balmain	14	6	0	8	138	168	-30	12
6	North Sydney	14	6	0	8	124	197	-73	12
7	Annandale	14	2	0	12	86	134	-48	4
8	Western Suburbs	14	1	0	13	100	325	-225	2

Premiers

Eastern Suburbs won the premiership when they beat Norths at North Sydney Oval 15-10 on August 17. The premiership squad was:

A Allen • Tom Bruce • JD Campbell• Harold Corbett • Barney Dalton • W Dalton • Dan Frawley • Mick Frawley• Eddie Griffiths • Arthur Halloway • Fred Kinghorn • Charlie Lees • Dally Messenger • Wally Messenger• Larry O'Malley • Sandy Pearce • W Smith • Eddie White • Percy White • Bob Williams

References

1. ^ Premiership Roll of Honour at rl1908.com

• Rugby League Tables - Notes The World of Rugby League
• Rugby League Tables - Season 1912 The World of Rugby League
• Premiership History and Statistics RL1908
• 1912 - Messenger Leads Easts To 2nd Title RL1908
• Results: 1911-20 at rabbitohs.com.au