New South Wales Rugby Football League season 1979

Infobox rugby league season
year = 1979
competition = New South Wales Rugby Football League


imagesize = 125px
caption =
teams = 12
premiers =
count = 15th
minor premiers =
mpcount = 14th
matches = 138
points = 4375
attendance = 1500369
top points scorer = (253)
top try scorer = (16)
1979's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the seventy-second season of professional rugby league football in Australia. Twelve clubs, including six Sydney-based foundation teams and another six from Sydney competed for the J J Giltinan Shield and WD & HO Wills Cup during the season, which culminated in a grand final between the St. George and Canterbury-Bankstown clubs. NSWRFL teams also competed in the 1979 Amco Cup.

eason Summary

Twenty-two regular season rounds were played from March till August, resulting in a top five of St. George, Parramatta, Cronulla, Wests and Canterbury who battled it out in the finals.

Parramatta's Ray Price was the 1979 season's Rothmans Medallist, and also won "Rugby League Week's" player of the year award.

Teams

Grand Final

St. George finished 22 rounds as minor premiers with 17 wins and were straight into the Grand Final after defeating Parramatta in the major semi. Their Grand Final opponents Canterbury, qualified after defeating Wests, Cronulla and Parramatta.

The pre-game talk had been about the match-up of opposing half-backs Steve Morris and Steve Mortimer and the game didn't disappoint, beginning with a 40-metre flying break on a last tackle by Morris from deep in Dragons territory before he was cut down in a classic covering tackle by Mortimer.

The first half belonged to St. George with new fullback Brian Johnson scoring an easy opening try after taking a pass 10 metres out from the Canterbury line. Soon after, Rod Reddy, who was subduing his opponents with his experience and ruthlessness, put Morris into a gap. 'Slippery' kicked ahead and the race was on. Mortimer had a head start and got there first but Morris tackled him into touch.

Soon afterwards Canterbury put a bomb up and toward the St. George in-goal. Brian Johnson was on hand to field the ball and returned it with a 60-metre run ended by a copybook tackle from his opposing fullback Stan Cutler. However the defence was opening up and it wasn't long before the Dragons scored their second try, with winger Mitch Brennan venturing infield and finding a gap courtesy of centre Robert Finch who slipped a short ball to Brennan 30 metres out. The strapping winger made a powerful run to score. By now, Saints were carving Canterbury up with Morris, on his 20-metre line, putting Graeme Wynn into a gap. The lanky back rower ran 40 metres, leaving defenders in his wake. Next it was 'Rocket' Reddy's turn when Morris, Wynn and Reddy combined down the right flank and exposed the Bulldogs defence. 'Rocket' handled twice in scoring a try under the posts. At half time the score was St George 17 - Canterbury 2.

Canterbury fought back gamely after the break. Steve Gearin and then Peter Mortimer crossed, with two further tries being disallowed. The St. George defence rallied and held from that point until Stan Cutler scored a third try out wide late in the match. St. George's goal-kicking second rower George Grant was the difference on the day, kicking four to ensure a 17-13 victory. Grant had kicked brilliantly all season, scoring 211 points in 1979.

The Dave Brown Medal for the best player on field went to Steve Morris.

St. George 17 (Tries: Johnson, Brennan, Reddy. Goals: Grant 4.)

Canterbury 13 (Tries: Gearin, Mortimer, Cutler. Goals: Gearin 2.)

References

* [http://www.stats.rleague.com/rl/seas/1979.html Rugby League Tables - Season 1979] "The World of Rugby League"
* [http://www.rabbitohs.com.au/The-Club/Tradition/Results---1971-1980.html Results:1971-80 at rabbitohs.com.au]
* [http://www.rleague.com//db/year/1979/j_j_giltinan_shield_and_wd_ho_wills_cup/index.php 1979 J J Giltinan Shield and WD & HO Wills Cup at rleague.com]
* [http://rugbyleagueproject.com/competitions/NSWRL_1979.html NSWRFL season 1979 at rugbyleagueproject.com]
* [http://www.showroom.com.au/dragons/dragonshistory/history_stgeorge5c.htm#1979 1979 Grand Final at Dragons History site]