Monday Milestone: 1950s Rugby League – Fairytales
This Week in History:
1955, August 27
South Sydney win their ninth straight match, to advance to the preliminary final against St George in the 1955 finals series.
It’s the sort of story that gives all rugby league fans hope…
In recent history, rugby league fans have watched the 2005 Wests Tigers come from nowhere on a dream run to the title. In 2009, the Parramatta Eels were only stopped by a team outside the salary cap in the grand final. But neither of them were quite like South Sydney in the 1950s.
By 1955, South Sydney had already been the most dominant club all decade. With Clive Churchill, a future Immortal at fullback, they had already captured every premiership of the 1950s (with the exception of the controversial ’52 Grand Final when the refereeing was questionable).
But this year was something different. By mid-June, the boys from Redfern had been in trouble. They’d won just three of the first ten, and were third last. Things looked bleak, and most clubs would be discouraged.
But the 1955 South Sydney side was something else. They simply seized the opportunity to begin one of the most incredible fairy tale runs in rugby league history.
Led by the Little Master, probably the last time South Sydney before Greg Inglis had such a talented custodian in the red and green, Churchill had spearheaded this incredible run, which had taken the reigning premier from the doghouse to the penthouse.
But in the second last match of the season, as South Sydney had snuck up to fourth, Churchill had broken his arm against Manly-Warringah, with scores level in the closing moments, yet remarkably, simply wrapped the arm in cardboard, to keep it steady, and slotted a sideline conversion as South Sydney record a 9-7 victory, their seventh in a row.
Which brings us to this week, the first week of the finals. Once again against, Manly, the boys from the beaches had led all day. But in a remarkable come from behind effort, five-eighth Dale Puren had scored, and with a successful conversion, South Sydney had just won, 14-12. Incredible. Murmurs of a fairy tale were brewing.
Against St George the following week, South Sydney would again come from behind with a try to captain coach Jack Rayner to bewilder the red and white. South Sydney would win 18-14, and remarkable charge on to the Grand Final with their tenth consecutive victory.
But Newtown stood in the way in the Grand Final. Keen to avenge losing the previous year, the Bluebags, led 11-7 with ten minutes remaining. But it was a position South Sydney were all too familiar with. Up against it, it happened in slow motion…
Rayner gets boot to a ball and toes it through. Newtown lock Peter Ryan fumbles. A footrace ensues. Halfback Col Donohue is too fast. He scores. He scores!! Next to the posts! The conversion is a formality and South Sydney, have somehow defeated Newtown 12-11 for their sixteenth premiership.
What an incredible run.
South Sydney had won eleven matches in a row, to snatch the premiership. A loss in any of these would have ended the season prematurely. Instead the 1955 South Sydney side today, demonstrated that no matter how badly a team is travelling, every rugby league fan should always have hope.
Milestone Five: Notable 1950s rugby league moments
5. Clive Churchill controversially leaves South Sydney to go and coach Norths in Brisbane.
4. 1951 – Puig Aubert plays in 25 of 29 matches on the 1951 Australiasian Tour with the dominant France, scores a record 221 points.
3. 1952 – Controverisal refereeing gives Western Suburbs the premiership over South Sydney. Had the decision been reversed, Souths may have won six consecutive premierships.
2. 1955- Clive Churchill converts from the sideline with a broken arm to give South Sydney another victory against Manly. His arm was allegedly wrapped up in cardboard.
1. 1959 – St George become the most recent side to go through an entire season undefeated en route to their fourth consecutive premiership.
