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1957 NSWRFL season

Rugby league competition

Field	Value
year	1957
competition	New South Wales Rugby Football League
imagesize	125px
teams	10
premiers	[[Image:St. George colours.svg	16x16px]] St. George
count	4th
minor premiers	[[Image:St. George colours.svg	16x16px]] St. George
mpcount	4th
matches	94
points	3103
attendance	1089273
top point scorer	[[Image:Western Suburbs colours.svg	16x16px]] Darcy Russell (169)
top try scorer	[[Image:St. George colours.svg	16x16px]] Tommy Ryan (26)
wooden_spoon	Parramatta
wooden_spoon_count	5th
prevseason_link	1956 NSWRFL season
prevseason_year	1956
nextseason_link	1958 NSWRFL season
nextseason_year	1958

1957's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 50th season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney. Ten teams from across the city competed for the J. J. Giltinan Shield during the season, which culminated in a grand final between St. George and Manly-Warringah.

Season summary

Teams

North Sydney[[Image:North Sydney Jersey 1954.png	100px	center]]	Parramatta[[Image:Parramatta Jersey 1953.png	100px	center]]	South Sydney[[Image:South Sydney Jersey 1930.png	100px	center]]	St. George[[Image:St George Jersey 1948.png	100px	center]]	Western Suburbs[[Image:Western Suburbs Jersey 1953.png	100px	center]]

Regular season

Team	1	2
Balmain	**STG
−6**	MAN
−15	**PAR
+24**	**CBY
+2**	SOU
+27	WES
+14	**NOR
−10**	EAS
+14	**NEW
+3**	**STG
−6**	**MAN
+16**	PAR
+6	CBY
−4	**SOU
−2**	**WES
−13**	NOR
−7	**EAS
+29**	NEW
−1
Canterbury-Bankstown	**NOR
+3**	EAS
−4	**NEW
−15**	BAL
−2	**MAN
0**	PAR
−4	STG
−37	SOU
−13	**WES
−1**	NOR
−8	**EAS
−12**	NEW
−8	**BAL
+4**	MAN
−10	**PAR
+7**	**STG
−9**	**SOU
−14**	WES
−34
Eastern Suburbs	PAR
+5	**CBY
+4**	**SOU
+5**	WES
−11	**NOR
−8**	**STG
−21**	NEW
−19	**BAL
−14**	MAN
−27	**PAR
+7**	CBY
+12	SOU
−2	**WES
+4**	NOR
+3	**STG
+9**	**NEW
+19**	BAL
−29	**MAN
−7**
Manly-Warringah	NEW
+11	**BAL
+15**	STG
−23	PAR
+7	CBY
0	**SOU
−13**	**WES
+6**	NOR
+21	**EAS
+27**	**NEW
+9**	BAL
−16	STG
−3	**PAR
+21**	**CBY
+10**	SOU
−9	WES
+5	**NOR
−2**	EAS
+7	X	STG
−14	**SOU
+4**	STG
−22
Newtown	**MAN
−11**	PAR
+35	CBY
+15	**SOU
+6**	**WES
+8**	NOR
−10	**EAS
+19**	**STG
−3**	BAL
−3	MAN
−9	**PAR
−14**	**CBY
+8**	SOU
+24	WES
−8	**NOR
+6**	EAS
−19	STG
−6	**BAL
+1**
North Sydney	CBY
−3	**SOU
+8**	**WES
0**	**STG
−12**	EAS
+8	**NEW
+10**	BAL
+10	**MAN
−21**	**PAR
+15**	**CBY
+8**	SOU
−1	WES
−6	STG
−30	**EAS
−3**	NEW
−6	**BAL
+7**	MAN
+2	PAR
+28
Parramatta	**EAS
−5**	**NEW
−35**	BAL
−24	**MAN
−7**	STG
−39	**CBY
+4**	SOU
−40	**WES
−7**	NOR
−15	EAS
−7	NEW
+14	**BAL
−6**	MAN
−21	**STG
−23**	CBY
−7	**SOU
−36**	WES
−20	**NOR
−28**
South Sydney	WES
−40	NOR
−8	EAS
−5	NEW
−6	**BAL
−27**	MAN
+13	**PAR
+40**	**CBY
+13**	**STG
+22**	**WES
+6**	**NOR
+1**	**EAS
+2**	**NEW
−24**	BAL
+2	**MAN
+9**	PAR
+36	CBY
+14	**STG
−8**	**WES
+13**	X	MAN
−4
St. George	BAL
+6	WES
−18	**MAN
+23**	NOR
+12	**PAR
+39**	EAS
+21	**CBY
+37**	NEW
+3	SOU
−22	BAL
+6	**WES
+8**	**MAN
+3**	**NOR
+30**	PAR
+23	EAS
−9	CBY
+9	**NEW
+6**	SOU
+8	X	**MAN
+14**	X	**MAN
+22**
Western Suburbs	**SOU
+40**	**STG
+18**	NOR
0	**EAS
+11**	NEW
−8	**BAL
−14**	MAN
−6	PAR
+7	CBY
+1	SOU
−6	STG
−8	**NOR
+6**	EAS
−4	**NEW
+8**	BAL
+13	**MAN
−5**	**PAR
+20**	**CBY
+34**	SOU
−13

Bold – Home game

X – Bye

Opponent for round listed above margin

Ladder

Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
1	[[Image:St. George colours.svg	16x16px]] St. George	18	15	0	3	417	232	+185
2	[[Image:Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg	16x16px]] Manly	18	11	1	6	282	209	+73
3	[[Image:South Sydney colours.svg	16x16px]] South Sydney	18	11	0	7	354	314	+40
4	[[Image:Western Suburbs colours.svg	16x16px]] Western Suburbs	18	10	1	7	358	251	+107
5	[[Image:North Sydney colours.svg	16x16px]] North Sydney	18	9	1	8	292	278	+14
6	[[Image:Balmain colours.svg	16x16px]] Balmain	18	9	0	9	352	281	+71
7	[[Image:Newtown colours.svg	16x16px]] Newtown	18	9	0	9	267	228	+39
8	[[Image:Eastern Suburbs colours.svg	16x16px]] Eastern Suburbs	18	9	0	9	277	347	-70
9	[[Image:Canterbury colours.svg	16x16px]] Canterbury	18	3	1	14	182	339	-157
10	[[Image:Parramatta colours.svg	16x16px]] Parramatta	18	2	0	16	189	491	-302

Ladder progression

Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 4.
Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round.
Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished last place on the ladder in that round.

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
1	St. George	2	2	4	6	8	10	12	14	14	16	18	20	22	24	24	26	28
2	Manly-Warringah	2	4	4	6	7	7	9	11	13	15	15	15	17	19	19	21	21
3	South Sydney	0	0	0	0	0	2	4	6	8	10	12	14	14	16	18	20	22
4	Western Suburbs	2	4	5	7	7	7	7	9	11	11	11	13	13	15	17	17	19
5	North Sydney	0	2	3	3	5	7	9	9	11	13	13	13	13	13	13	15	17
6	Balmain	0	0	2	4	6	8	8	10	12	12	14	16	16	16	16	16	18
7	Newtown	0	2	4	6	8	8	10	10	10	10	10	12	14	14	16	16	16
8	Eastern Suburbs	2	4	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	8	10	10	12	14	16	18	18
9	Canterbury-Bankstown	2	2	2	2	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	5	5	7	7	7
10	Parramatta	0	0	0	0	0	2	2	2	2	2	4	4	4	4	4	4	4

Finals

Home	Score	Away	Match Information	Date and Time	Venue	Referee	Crowd
Semifinals
[[Image:South Sydney colours.svg	23x23px]] South Sydney	26–13	[[Image:Western Suburbs colours.svg	23x23px]] Western Suburbs	31 August 1957	Sydney Cricket Ground	Darcy Lawler	46,957
[[Image:St. George colours.svg	23x23px]] St. George	21–7	[[Image:Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg	23x23px]] Manly-Warringah	7 September 1957	Sydney Cricket Ground	Darcy Lawler	39,845
Preliminary Final
[[Image:Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg	23x23px]] Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	15–11	[[Image:South Sydney colours.svg	23x23px]] South Sydney	14 September 1957	Sydney Cricket Ground	Darcy Lawler	39,065
Grand Final
[[Image:St. George colours.svg	23x23px]] St. George	31–9	[[Image:Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg	23x23px]] Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	21 September 1957	Sydney Cricket Ground	Darcy Lawler	54,399

Grand Final

St. George	Position	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
26. Brian Graham	FB
11. Tommy Ryan	WG	2. Ray Ritchie
41. Ray Smith	CE	4. Ray Quinnell
23. Jack Fifield	CE	17. Bill Lloyd
25. Eddie Lumsden	WG	5. George Hugo
8. Peter Carroll	FE	33. Kevin Diett
7. Bob Bugden	HB	7. Peter Burke
	PR	13. Roy Bull
2. Ken Kearney (Ca./Co.)	HK	12. George Lenon
14. Bryan Orrock	PR	11. Denis Meaney
3. Harry Bath	SR	10. Doug Daley
5. Norm Provan	SR	9. Rex Mossop
6. Brian Clay	LK	8. George Hunter (c)
	Coach	Ken Arthurson

Under 27 year-old coach Ken Arthurson, Manly were playing in their second grand final. The match began with Saints pounding the (then called) 'Seagulls' with some heavy tackling. Brian Clay in particular targeted Manly's Rex Mossop, often trapping the dual international forward with the ball. “Poppa” Clay had a fearsome reputation in defence and at one point he knocked the Manly captain George Hunter senseless.

Manly were up to the task in the first half with the score locked at 4–4 for 30 minutes. Straight after half time, the flood gates opened following a magnificent run up the centre by second-row forward Norm Provan. He palmed off Manly defenders, ran deep into their territory, high stepped past fullback Ron Willey and slipped the ball to Poppa Clay who scored under the posts.

A second Dragon try followed within three minutes and the game began to slip away from the Manly side. The Larry Writer reference quotes Manly coach Arthurson: "The sheer physical strength of the St. George team is in itself a formidable thing to overcome. Our fellows tried everything, but St. George had so much more to give. Those big fellows are so clever."

Harry Bath kicked eight goals from eight attempts establishing a standing record for the most goals in a grand final and the most points scored in a grand final (16). His fellow ball playing forward and tactician Ken Kearney had returned for this, the first of five successful seasons as coach (four as captain-coach).

St. George 31 (Tries: Clay 2, Ryan, Fifield, Lumsden. Goals: Bath 8.)

Manly 9 (Tries: Burke. Goals: Willey 3.)

Player statistics

The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 18. Top 5 point scorers

Points	Player	Tries
Darcy Russell	3	78
Ron Willey	4	65
Alan Arkey	0	70
Fred Dunn	1	56
Doug Fleming	2	52

Top 5 try scorers

Tries	Player	24	18	18	15	15	15
Tommy Ryan
Eric Sladden
Des Horne
Eddie Lumsden
Ian Moir
Laurie McMahon

Top 5 goal scorers

Goals	Player	78	70	65	56	52
Darcy Russell
Alan Arkey
Ron Willey
Fred Dunn
Doug Fleming

References

Rugby League Tables - Season 1957 The World of Rugby League
Writer, Larry (1995) Never Before, Never Again, Pan MacMillan, Sydney

Footnotes

References

''Never Before, Never Again'' p 39

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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