| 1969 New South Wales Rugby Football League | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 12 |
| Premiers |  Balmain (11th title) |
| Minor premiers |  South Sydney (15th title) |
| Matches played | 136 |
| Points scored | 4258 |
| Total attendance | 1788112 |
| Top points scorer | Eric Simms (265) |
| Wooden spoon | Cronulla-Sutherland (2nd spoon) |
| Rothmans Medal | Denis Pittard |
| Top try-scorer |  Ken Irvine (17) |
The1969New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 62nd season ofSydney's professionalrugby league football competition, Australia's first. Twelve teams, including six Sydney-based foundation teams and another six from the Sydney area competed for the J.J. Giltinan Shield and WD & HO Wills Cup during the season, which culminated in agrand final between Balmain and South Sydney.
South Sydney fullbackEric Simms' tally of 265 points for the season from 112 goals, 19 field-goals and one try topped the season point scoring record that had been set in the1935 season byDave Brown.
The 1969 season'sRothmans Medallist was South Sydney'sDenis Pittard.
The 1969 season also saw the retirement from the League of futureAustralian Rugby League Hall of Fame inductee,John Raper.
Balmain 62nd season | Canterbury-Bankstown 35th season | Cronulla-Sutherland 3rd season | Eastern Suburbs 62nd season |
Manly-Warringah 23rd season | Newtown 62nd season | North Sydney 62nd season | Parramatta 23rd season |
Penrith 3rd season | South Sydney 62nd season | St. George 49th season | Western Suburbs 62nd season |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | F1 | F2 | F3 | GF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balmain | SOU +9 | CRO +18 | EAS +14 | PEN +1 | MAN +5 | CBY −4 | NEW +15 | WES +9 | PAR +2 | STG +5 | NOR +8 | SOU −17 | CRO +3 | EAS +2 | PEN −4 | MAN −3 | CBY +24 | NEW +10 | WES −7 | PAR +5 | STG +9 | NOR +2 | X | SOU −1 | MAN +1 | SOU +9 |
| Canterbury-Bankstown | NEW +18 | WES −21 | PAR +16 | STG +10 | NOR +6 | BAL +4 | CRO +27 | EAS −5 | PEN −5 | MAN −8 | SOU −20 | NEW −8 | WES +5 | PAR −9 | STG +4 | NOR −1 | BAL −24 | CRO +11 | EAS −15 | PEN −2 | MAN +12 | SOU −28 | ||||
| Cronulla-Sutherland | NOR −11 | BAL −18 | SOU −39 | EAS −10 | PEN −20 | MAN −9 | CBY −27 | NEW +16 | WES −1 | PAR −7 | STG −4 | NOR +8 | BAL −3 | SOU −5 | EAS −5 | PEN +3 | MAN −7 | CBY −11 | NEW +11 | WES −10 | PAR +8 | STG −6 | ||||
| Eastern Suburbs | STG +13 | NOR −9 | BAL −14 | CRO +10 | SOU −4 | PEN +3 | MAN −7 | CBY +5 | NEW +7 | WES −11 | PAR −12 | STG −4 | NOR 0 | BAL −2 | CRO +5 | SOU −27 | PEN +1 | MAN −28 | CBY +15 | NEW −18 | WES −17 | PAR −8 | ||||
| Manly-Warringah | WES +11 | PAR +2 | STG −21 | NOR +18 | BAL −5 | CRO +9 | EAS +7 | PEN +1 | SOU −12 | CBY +8 | NEW −5 | WES +1 | PAR +16 | STG −1 | NOR −10 | BAL +3 | CRO +7 | EAS +28 | PEN +9 | SOU −4 | CBY −12 | NEW +7 | STG +9 | X | BAL −1 | |
| Newtown | CBY −18 | SOU −14 | WES −18 | PAR −25 | STG −3 | NOR −9 | BAL −15 | CRO −16 | EAS −7 | PEN 0 | MAN +5 | CBY +8 | SOU −20 | WES +6 | PAR −1 | STG −18 | NOR +6 | BAL −10 | CRO −11 | EAS +18 | PEN +7 | MAN −7 | ||||
| North Sydney | CRO +11 | EAS +9 | PEN +3 | MAN −18 | CBY −6 | NEW +9 | WES −3 | PAR +4 | STG −23 | SOU +9 | BAL −8 | CRO −8 | EAS 0 | PEN +29 | MAN +10 | CBY +1 | NEW −6 | WES −5 | PAR +3 | STG −8 | SOU −20 | BAL −2 | ||||
| Parramatta | PEN +11 | MAN −2 | CBY −16 | NEW +25 | WES +6 | SOU −27 | STG +1 | NOR −4 | BAL −2 | CRO +7 | EAS +12 | PEN −2 | MAN −16 | CBY +9 | NEW +1 | WES +6 | SOU +9 | STG −25 | NOR −3 | BAL −5 | CRO −8 | EAS +8 | ||||
| Penrith | PAR −11 | STG −24 | NOR −3 | BAL −1 | CRO +20 | EAS −3 | SOU −1 | MAN −1 | CBY +5 | NEW 0 | WES +6 | PAR +2 | STG −1 | NOR −29 | BAL +4 | CRO −3 | EAS −1 | SOU −22 | MAN −9 | CBY +2 | NEW −7 | WES −10 | ||||
| South Sydney | BAL −9 | NEW +14 | CRO +39 | WES +10 | EAS +4 | PAR +27 | PEN +1 | STG −4 | MAN +12 | NOR −9 | CBY +20 | BAL +17 | NEW +20 | CRO +5 | WES +7 | EAS +27 | PAR −9 | PEN +22 | STG +21 | MAN +4 | NOR +20 | CBY +28 | X | BAL +1 | X | BAL −9 |
| St. George | EAS −13 | PEN +24 | MAN +21 | CBY −10 | NEW +3 | WES −2 | PAR −1 | SOU +4 | NOR +23 | BAL −5 | CRO +4 | EAS +4 | PEN +1 | MAN +1 | CBY −4 | NEW +18 | WES +11 | PAR +25 | SOU −21 | NOR +8 | BAL −9 | CRO +6 | MAN −9 | |||
| Western Suburbs | MAN −11 | CBY +21 | NEW +18 | SOU −10 | PAR −6 | STG +2 | NOR +3 | BAL −9 | CRO +1 | EAS +11 | PEN −6 | MAN −1 | CBY −5 | NEW −6 | SOU −7 | PAR −6 | STG −11 | NOR +5 | BAL +7 | CRO +10 | EAS +17 | PEN +10 | ||||
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | F1 | F2 | F3 | GF |
Bold – Home game
X – Bye
Opponent for round listed above margin
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Sydney | 22 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 489 | 222 | +267 | 36 |
| 2 | Balmain | 22 | 17 | 0 | 5 | 410 | 304 | +106 | 34 |
| 3 |  St. George | 22 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 411 | 323 | +88 | 28 |
| 4 |  Manly | 22 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 355 | 298 | +57 | 28 |
| 5 |  Western Suburbs | 22 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 315 | 288 | +27 | 22 |
| 6 |  Parramatta | 22 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 323 | 338 | -15 | 22 |
| 7 | North Sydney | 22 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 343 | 362 | -19 | 21 |
| 8 |  Canterbury | 22 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 316 | 349 | -33 | 20 |
| 9 |  Eastern Suburbs | 22 | 8 | 1 | 13 | 307 | 409 | -102 | 17 |
| 10 |  Penrith | 22 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 311 | 398 | -87 | 13 |
| 11 |  Newtown | 22 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 279 | 421 | -142 | 13 |
| 12 |  Cronulla | 22 | 5 | 0 | 17 | 301 | 448 | -147 | 10 |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Sydney | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 34 | 36 |
| 2 | Balmain | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 34 |
| 3 | St. George | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 28 |
| 4 | Manly-Warringah | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 28 |
| 5 | Western Suburbs | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 |
| 6 | Parramatta | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 22 |
| 7 | North Sydney | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
| 8 | Canterbury-Bankstown | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 |
| 9 | Eastern Suburbs | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| 10 | Penrith | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| 11 | Newtown | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 13 |
| 12 | Cronulla-Sutherland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
In the preliminary final,Balmain trailed 12-14 againstManly-Warringah until late in the match when winger George Ruebner charged for the corner post to snatch a win in dramatic fashion.
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Crowd | |||||
| Semi-finals | ||||||||
| Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 19–10 | St. George Dragons | 30 August 1969 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Keith Page | 40,977 | ||
| South Sydney Rabbitohs | 14–13 | Balmain Tigers | 6 September 1969 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Keith Page | 44,159 | ||
| Preliminary Final | ||||||||
| Balmain Tigers | 15–14 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 13 September 1969 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Keith Page | 41,410 | ||
| Grand Final | ||||||||
| South Sydney Rabbitohs | 2–11 | Balmain Tigers | 20 September 1969 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Keith Page | 58,825 | ||
| South Sydney | Position | Balmain |
|---|---|---|
| FB | ||
| 2.Michael Cleary | WG | 2.George Ruebner |
| 3.Bob Honan | CE | 3.Allan Fitzgibbon |
| 4.Kerry Burke | CE | 4.Terry Parker |
| 5.Brian James | WG | 5.Len Killeen |
| 6.Denis Pittard | FE | 6.Keith Outten |
| 7.Bob Grant | HB | 7.Dave Bolton |
| 13.John Sattler (c) | PR | 13.Garry Leo |
| 12.Elwyn Walters | HK | 12.Peter Boulton |
| 11.John O'Neill | PR | 11.Barry McTaggart |
| 10.Bob McCarthy | SR | 10.John Spencer |
| 9.Bob Moses | SR | 9.Joe Walsh |
| 8.Ron Coote | LK | 8.Peter Provan (c) |
| 17.Paul Sait | Reserve | 14.Sid Williams |
| Clive Churchill | Coach | Leo Nosworthy |
Balmain were not given a chance of winning the Premiership after the retirement ofKeith Barnes. Souths had won the last two premierships, beaten the Tigers in the major semi-final to advance to the Grand Final and boasted eleven internationals in their side.
However, as a result their favouritism Souths were overconfident and showed insufficient respect to the young Tigers, who had shown early-season form in beating them in round 1, and to their rookie coach Leo Nosworthy, who presented a well-prepared and determined Balmain team.
The Tigers led 6–0 at halftime after two penalty goals by Len Killeen and a Dave Bolton field-goal. Souths refusal to kick on the last tackle played into Balmain's hands as novice replacement hooker Peter Boulton managed to consistently regain possession from the scrums. Balmain backed up with a robust defensive line and kept South pinned in their own half.
After the break a Bob McCarthy fumble after a mix up with Paul Sait saw Bolton swoop on the ball deep in Souths territory. From the ruckTerry Parker slipped a beautiful pass to replacement wingerSid Williams who juggled but held the ball to cross the line for the only try of the match. With a 9–0 lead early in the second half and a penalty count that continued to mount in their favour, Balmain took control of the game and appeared to begin a ploy of feigning injury whenever Souths looked to build rhythm, stopping the Rabbitohs' flow of play.[1] Hence the match is still referred to today as "the lay-down grand final".[2]
Souths' protests proved pointless as referee Keith Page (in his first Grand Final) was powerless to stop the Tigers tactics under the rules of the day, and Balmain secured and held an 11–2 lead to win their first premiership since 1947 and to give a fairy-tale career farewell for their captain and 159-game veteran Peter Provan.
This was the 11th and most recent premiership for the Tigers as just Balmain, and in 1999, the club formed a 50/50 joint venture with theWestern Suburbs Magpies to become theWests Tigers. The joint venture that continues to this day
Balmain 11 (Tries: Williams. Goals: Killeen 2. Field Goal: D Bolton 2)
South Sydney 2 (Goals: Simms 1.)
The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 22.
Top 5 point scorers
Top 5 try scorers
| Top 5 goal scorers
|