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1913 NSWRFL season
1913 NSWRFL season
League	New South Wales Rugby Football League
Duration	3 May to 16 August
Teams	8
Matches played	56
Points scored	1344
Premiers	Eastern Suburbs (3rd title)
Minor Premiers	Eastern Suburbs (2nd title)
Top point-scorer(s)	Harold Horder (65)
Top try-scorer(s)	Harold Horder (13)
Second Grade
Number of teams	14
Premiers	South Sydney
Runners-up	Grosvenor
Third Grade
Number of teams	21 (1 withdrew)
Premiers	South Sydney Federals
Runners-up	South Sydney Kinkora
	← 1912 1914 →

The 1913 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the sixth season of Sydney's top-level rugby league club competition, Australia's first. Eight teams from across the city contested during the season.

Season summary

By the start of the 1913 season, the NSWRFL had secured the use of the Sydney Cricket Ground for its games.^[2]

As occurred in the 1912 season, the minor premiers were deemed the overall premiers. Eastern Suburbs, who finished top of the table for the second time in as many years, claimed their third straight premiership as a result. The team's success could be attributed to the talent in the team at the time, with ten players having played for Australia and another three for New South Wales. Of the team's two losses, one came at the hands of runners-up Newtown midway through the season and the other in the final round to Glebe after the title had already been won.

This Eastern Suburbs side is still considered to be one of the greatest club teams ever assembled, with players including Dally Messenger, Wally Messenger, Sandy Pearce, Larry O'Malley, Les Cubitt, Dan Frawley and Arthur "Pony" Halloway. This season also saw the retirement from the League of future Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame inductee, Dally Messenger.

Teams

The teams remained unchanged from the previous season.

Annandale
Balmain, formed on 23 January 1908 at Balmain Town Hall
Eastern Suburbs, formed on 24 January 1908 at Paddington Town Hall
Glebe, formed on 9 January 1908
Newtown, formed on 14 January 1908
North Sydney, formed on February 7, 1908, at the North Sydney School of Arts in Mount Street
South Sydney, formed on 17 January 1908 at Redfern Town Hall
Western Suburbs, formed on 4 February 1908


Annandale 4th season Ground: Wentworth Park Captain-Coach: Paddy McCue	Balmain 6th season Ground: Birchgrove Oval Coach: Robert Graves Captain: Bill Noble	Eastern Suburbs 6th season Ground: Sydney Sports Ground Captain-Coach: Dally Messenger	Glebe 6th season Ground: Wentworth Park Captain-Coach: Chris McKivat
Newtown 6th season Ground: Erskineville Oval Captain-Coach: Charles "Boxer" Russell	North Sydney 6th season Ground: North Sydney Oval Coach: Captain: Sid Deane & Jim Devereux	South Sydney 6th season Ground: Sydney Sports Ground Coach: John Rosewell Captain: Arthur Butler	Western Suburbs 6th season Ground: Pratten Park Captain-Coach: Tedda Courtney, Jim Abercrombie

Ladder

	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
1	Eastern Suburbs	14	12	0	2	227	118	+109	24
2	Newtown	14	10	1	3	203	135	+68	21
3	South Sydney	14	9	0	5	200	132	+68	18
4	Glebe	14	8	0	6	198	161	+37	16
5	North Sydney	14	5	2	7	199	193	+6	12
6	Balmain	14	4	1	9	83	135	-52	9
7	Annandale	14	3	0	11	119	219	-100	6
8	Western Suburbs	14	3	0	11	115	251	-136	6

Records set in 1913

On 19 July, South Sydney's reserve grade team scored 102 points against Mosman, which remains the greatest number of points scored in any grade of NSWRFL/NSWRL/ARL/NRL rugby league. The Rabbitohs scored 49 points in the first half and 59 in the second, conceding only a solitary penalty goal.^[3]^[4]

References

^ Premiership Roll of Honour Archived 14 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine at rl1908.com
^ Cunneen, Chris (2001). The best ever Australian Sports Writing. Australia: Black Inc. p. 316. ISBN 1-86395-266-7. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
^ 'Rugby League: Second Grade'; The Sunday Times, 20 July 1913, p. 13
^ 'Records Made: St. George and Griffen'; Sydney Morning Herald, 13 May 1935, p. 17