Sydney Cricket Ground - Rugby League Football

Rugby League Football

Rugby league football was first played at the SCG on 22 June 1911 between Australia and New Zealand.

Between 1913 and 1987, the New South Wales Rugby Football League Grand Final was always played at the SCG, unless circumstances dictated otherwise. The ground was first used by the NSWRFL in 1913, and has hosted over 1,100 first grade games – more than any other ground. The SCG is often used for special rugby league heritage matches, both NRL and Internationals matches. When the ground was first used for rugby league fixtures in 1913, the Trust only gave players access to dressing sheds in the Sheridan Stand and did not allow use of the rooms in the Member's Stand. This rule was relaxed in 1918.

In 1920 England toured Australia for the first time since World War I and huge crowds attended their games. The first match of the tour was at the SCG against Metropolis in front of nearly 68,000 spectators. Australia won the first Test in Brisbane and in the second Test at the SCG on 3 July. The Australians sealed the series scoring five tries to win 21–8 and secure the Rugby League Ashes for the first time at home. It would be the last time Australia won The Ashes.

The attendance record for a rugby league match in Australia was broken in 1932 when 70,204 people saw Australia play England in the first test of the 1932 Ashes series at the Cricket Ground. It was the first Test and it was in this game that the Australians first wore the green jersey with a double gold ‘V', which they have been wearing ever since. The British side boasted one of the great rugby league back lines consisting of captain Jim Sullivan (fullback), Alf Ellaby and Stan Smith (wings), and Artie Atkinson and Stan Brogden in the centres. The gates of the SCG had to be closed to prevent another 15,000 people from entering. Australia lost the game 8–6. The second game was the famous ‘Battle of Brisbane' Test, which Australia won. In the third Test back at the SCG Australia lead 11–3 until late in the game. Incredibly, GB scored three quick tries to snatch the game (18–13) and the series. The attendance of the first test stood as the highest recorded crowd for an international rugby league match until 73,631 fans attended the 1992 World Cup Final between Australia and Great Britain at the famous Wembley Stadium in London, England.

The next English tour was by Great Britain was in 1946, knows as The "Indomitables" tour. The first test played on 17 June was an 8 – 8 draw, the opening try of the series was scored by the legendary Frank Whitcombe for the tourists, in front of a crowd of 64,527. Great Britain went on to win The Ashes. In 1950 Australia had not won a series against the team Lions for 30 years but this time there was a big change. Britain had won the first Test and Australia the second, which made the third SCG Test the decider. Unfortunately, the tour coincided with a record amount of rain and by the time the teams arrived the SCG was a mud heap. Forty tonnes of soil were brought in and spread over the surface to try and dry it out. Tied 2–2 at half time, Australia scored the only try of the match late in the second half when winger Ron Roberts crossed in the corner to seal the win. At the end of the game the crowd of over 47,000 jumped the fence and invaded the field and congregated in front of the Members Stand cheering and calling for Aussie captain Clive Churchill.

The 1963 rugby league Grand Final was won by the St. George Dragons 8-3 in front of 69,860 fans in atrocious conditions. It was the Dragons eighth consecutive premiership and their third consecutive Grand Final win against the Western Suburbs Magpies. The match's only try, scored by Dragons winger Johnny King, was clouded in controversy after he appeared to be tackled when a defender knocked him flat on the ground, only to get up and carry the ball to the try line under howls of protest from Wests players who believe that the referee had called King to play the ball. That try became the centre of furore when rumors spread that match referee Darcy Lawler had bet on St. George to win (Wests captain Arthur Summons later claimed one of his players announced to his team mates before the game that any who had bet on the Magpies to win had better lay off their bets as referee Lawler had backed St. George). After the match, photographer John O'Gready took the iconic rugby league photograph, "The Gladiators", depicting Arthur Summons supporting St. George captain Norm Provan. The photo of Summons and Provan was later used as the basis for the Winfield Cup trophy, and continues to be used to this day with the National Rugby League's Telstra Premiership Trophy.

On 18 September 1965, the largest ever official crowd at the SCG, 78,056, saw St George defeat the South Sydney Rabbitohs 12–8 in the NSWRFL Grand Final. Gates were ordered to be closed two hours before the game began, but contemporary accounts indicate that many more - perhaps thousands - gained other means of access and sat on grandstand roofs or went into the Sydney Showground (Moore Park) and viewed the match from the stairways of the main pavilion. Estimates from people there that day put the crowd as high as 90,000. This was also the largest rugby league crowd in Australia until Game 2 of the 1994 State of Origin series when 87,161 attended the game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The SCG hosted the 1968 Rugby League World Cup Final, won 20-2 by the Johnny Raper led Australians over France in front of 54,290. The Australian team that day, coached by Harry Bath, boasted legends of the Australian game in Raper (Lock), Eric Simms (Fullback), Graeme Langlands and Johnny Greaves (centres), Bob Fulton (Five-eight), Billy Smith (halfback), Arthur Beetson (prop) and Dick Thornett and Ron Coote (second-row).

One of the most courageous efforts at the SCG was John Sattler's performance in the 1970 grand final between South Sydney and the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. In the first ten minutes of the game, South's captain Sattler had his jaw broken by a punch from Manly forward John Bucknall in an off-the-ball incident. Sattler went down but pulled himself up on team mate Michael Cleary, asking the winger to help him so that the other players would not know he was hurt. In an act of supreme courage Sattler played on, refusing treatment at half time and please from team mates not to take the field again, to lead Souths to a famous 23–12 win. It was not until well after the game that he went to hospital. The Australian side to tour Britain was selected that night and, but for his injury, Sattler would have been picked as captain.

The Cricket Ground hosted what many consider to be the toughest Grand Final of all in 1973 when defending premiers Manly-Warringah faced the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, who were playing in their first ever Grand Final after joining the competition in 1967. The Sharks were Captain-coached by Great Britain halfback Tommy Bishop and had a forward pack led by his tough St Helens and GB team mate Cliff Watson and 1973 Rothmans Medallist Ken Maddison, along with goal kicking 18 year old whiz-kid centre Steve Rogers. Manly were coached by Ron Willey and captained by tough hooker Freddy Jones, and could boast internationals Ken Irvine, Ray Branighan, Bob Fulton, John O'Neill, British lock Malcolm Reilly, as well as tough tackling second-row forward Terry Randall and 19 year old fullkack Graham Eadie. From the opening kick off the game descended into a series of high or late tackles and several all-in brawls, though surprisingly referee Keith Page didn't send any player off, despite threatening to do so and repeatedly handing out cautions, including twice to all 26 players on the field. In the opening minute of the game, Mal Reilly was felled in back play by a Cronulla forward well after he kicked the ball and, after writhing on the ground in agony with a badly bruised hip, left the field for a pain killing injection. When he returned he created mayhem with strong-arm tactics, although he was clearly out of sorts football wise and was replaced after just 25 minutes by John Bucknell. In the end, the difference between the two teams was Manly's international centre Bob Fulton who scored two tries in leading Manly to a 10-7 win. The game was described by Sunday Telegraph writer Ian Heads as "A Grand Final as tough and dirty as any bar-room brawl".

In 1975, in one of the most memorable grand finals ever, the Arthur Beetson captained, Jack Gibson coached Eastern Suburbs Roosters, defeated St. George 38–0 to win the premiership. That Roosters team is considered one of the best sides ever assembled and the eight tries to nil scoreline remained a record winning margin in a grand final until the 2008 NRL Grand Final played between Manly Warringah and the Melbourne Storm, Manly winning by the tune of 40–0. However, the game was famous for reasons other than the scoreline. St George's Captain-coach Graeme Langlands played with a misdirected pain killing injection that made his right leg go numb and prevented him from playing anywhere near his best. Easts were without two of their stars, rookie fullback Russell Fairfax and centre Mark Harris, and coach Jack Gibson gambled on an unknown player to help fill the void – John Rheinberger – who played in his first only first grade game in the Grand Final. Leading by only 5–0 at half-time, the Roosters scored an avalanche of tries after the interval to humiliate the Dragons. Earlier in the same season, the Roosters recorded the longest winning streak of any first grade rugby league football club – 19 matches. It was the Eastern Suburbs Roosters' eleventh premiership victory and their second in succession.

In 1981, another memorable and emotional rugby league grand final was played at the SCG. Since joining the Sydney Premiership in 1947, the Parramatta Eels had not won a grand final. In 1976 and 1977 it had suffered consecutive losses, first to Manly-Warringah (who also joined the league in 1947) and then St George in the first replayed grand final. In 1981, the Eels 'dream team' (another team coached by Jack Gibson), comprising internationals Ray Price, Mick Cronin, Ron Hilditch and Bob "The Bear" O'Reilly, as well as budding stars Peter Sterling, Brett Kenny, Steve Ella, Eric Grothe and John Muggleton, outscored the Tommy Raudonikis captained Newtown four tries to three to win 20–11 and secure their first premiership. Playing second-row for Newtown that day was future dual Grand Final winning, and NSW State of Origin coach Phil Gould. Financial pressures at the Newtown club would result in the Jets competing in the New South Wales Rugby League first grade competition for only two seasons following their 1981 grand final appearance.

The 1986 NSWRL Grand Final at the SCG between the John Monie coached Parramatta and defending premiers Canterbury-Bankstown, coached by Warren Ryan, and played in front of one of the smallest Grand Final crowds in years (45,843), would go down as the lowest scoring and only try-less Grand Final in NSWRL history. Parramatta won their 4th premiership in six years with a tough 4-2 win thanks to two Mick Cronin goals to send captain Ray Price, and Cronin, into rugby league retirement on the winning note they deserved after stellar careers for Parramatta, NSW and Australia. Cronin retired from the game having scored 1,971 points in the Sydney premiership (75 tries, 865 goals and 2 field goals, all for Parramatta), at the time the record number of points scored in a career.

The last ever rugby league Grand Final played at the Cricket Ground was the 1987 decider between the Bob Fulton coached Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and the Canberra Raiders, who had joined the premiership in 1982. In front of 50,201 fans on an unseasonably warm day in Sydney, the Sea Eagles ran out 18-8 winners, scoring two tries to one with dual rugby international Michael O'Connor scoring 14 of Manly's points with a try and a perfect 5/5 goal kicking. Manly Five-eighth Cliff Lyons won the Clive Churchill Medal as the man of the match.

The ground lost the Grand Final and numerous games to the Sydney Football Stadium in 1988. Even so the ground continues to host occasional National Rugby League matches. and the 2008 Centenary ANZAC Test between Australia and New Zealand, in what was the first test held at the famous old ground since the Wally Lewis captained Australians had defeated the Kiwis 29-12 on 19 July 1986.