1920 NSWRFL season
{{Short description|Rugby league competition}}
{{Use Australian English|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox rugby league season
| year = 1920
| competition = New South Wales Rugby Football League
| image =
| imagesize =
| caption =
| teams = 9
| count = 5th
| minor premiers = 16x16px Balmain
| mpcount = 5th
| matches = 60
| points = 1981
| attendance =
| top point scorer = 16x16px Frank Burge (110)
| top try scorer = 16x16px Gordon Wright (18)
| wooden_spoon = Annandale
| wooden_spoon_count = 3rd
| prevseason_link = 1919 NSWRFL season
| prevseason_year = 1919
| nextseason_link = 1921 NSWRFL season
| nextseason_year = 1921
}}
The 1920 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the thirteenth season of Sydney's professional rugby league football club competition, Australia's first. The introduction of a Sydney University side saw nine teams from across the city contest during the season. Balmain were crowned premiers by virtue of finishing the season on top of the League.[http://www.rl1908.com/clubcomps/Honours.htm Premiership Roll of Honour] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514030740/http://rl1908.com/clubcomps/Honours.htm |date=2011-05-14 }} at rl1908.com
Season summary
Due to the 1920 Great Britain Lions tour, from rounds 5 to 8, several players in the NSWRFL were selected to play matches for Metropolis (Sydney), New South Wales and Australia.
In a round 7 game between Glebe and University Frank Burge scored eight tries which remains the standing record for the most tries by an individual in a NSWRL/NRL premiership match. Arthur Oxford set the pace in goal kicking, scoring 29 goals in three games. He also took the record of most goals in succession (23) which would stand until 1978.
The NSWRFL ran the City Cup competition for the second half of the season.
The Balmain Tigers again dominated the season, while University's first year was a disappointment: the Students conceded a whopping 118 tries in thirteen games for a record “tries against” average of 9.08 per match that has not been beaten since.[http://afltables.com/rl/teams/all/overall_sr.html Rugby League Tables: Season Records] Balmain played consistently and defensively throughout the season except for a slip-up 13–30 loss to Eastern Suburbs in Round 10. Holding a seven-point lead on the premiership ladder with three rounds left to play secured their fifth premiership in six years. The final three rounds were left unplayed and no Finals were contested.
Teams
With the addition of Sydney University's team, the League was again at nine sides. At the end of the season however, Annandale exited the League after eleven seasons,{{cite web|title=History of the Premiership |url=http://www.centenaryofrugbyleague.com.au/site/about/history/history-of-the-premiership.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080209104018/http://www.centenaryofrugbyleague.com.au/site/about/history/history-of-the-premiership.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 February 2008 |work=centenaryofrugbyleague.com.au |publisher=Australian Rugby League |accessdate=21 October 2013 }} having won only fifteen and drawn four of 126 games since 1912.{{Cite web |url=http://stats.rleague.com/rl/teams/annandale/annandale_ss.html |title=Annandale - Season Summary |access-date=2014-07-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120603153948/http://stats.rleague.com/rl/teams/annandale/annandale_ss.html |archive-date=2012-06-03 |url-status=dead }}
- 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
- University, formed in 1919 at Sydney University
Ladder
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" | |||||||||
| width=20 abbr="Position×" |
!width=175 |Team !width=20 abbr="Played" |Pld !width=20 abbr="Won" |W !width=20 abbr="Drawn" |D !width=20 abbr="Lost" |L !width=20 abbr="Bye" |B !width=20 abbr="Points for" |PF !width=20 abbr="Points against" |PA !width=20 abbr="Points difference" |PD !width=20 abbr="Points" |Pts | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background: #ccffcc;"
|1 | style="text-align:left;"|16x16px Balmain
|13 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 287 | 114 | +173 | 27 |
| 2 | style="text-align:left;"|16x16px South Sydney
|13 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 258 | 149 | +109 | 20 |
| 3 | style="text-align:left;"|16x16px Glebe
|13 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 268 | 166 | +102 | 20 |
| 4 | style="text-align:left;"|16x16px Western Suburbs
|14 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 309 | 141 | +168 | 19 |
| 5 | style="text-align:left;"|16x16px North Sydney
|13 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 237 | 151 | +86 | 18 |
| 6 | style="text-align:left;"|16x16px Eastern Suburbs
|14 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 254 | 175 | +79 | 18 |
| 7 | style="text-align:left;"|16x16px Newtown
|14 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 208 | 203 | +5 | 18 |
| 8 | style="text-align:left;"|16x16px Sydney University
|13 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 101 | 498| | ||
| 397 | 6 | ||||||||
| 9 | style="text-align:left;"|16x16px Annandale
|13 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 59 | 384| | ||
| 325 | 4 |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20130807205808/http://stats.rleague.com/rl/snotes.html Rugby League Tables - Notes] The World of Rugby League
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20141008072907/http://stats.rleague.com/rl/seas/1920.html Rugby League Tables - Season 1920] The World of Rugby League
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20090208150918/http://rl1908.com/premiership.htm Premiership History and Statistics] RL1908
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20080724072932/http://www.rabbitohs.com.au/The-Club/Tradition/Results---1911-1920.html Results: 1911-20] at rabbitohs.com.au
{{National Rugby League seasons}}