Teams

Balmain 53rd season Ground: Leichhardt Oval Coach: John O'Toole Captain: Keith Barnes	Canterbury-Bankstown 26th season Ground: Belmore Sports Ground Coach: Eddie Burns Captain: Brian Davies	Eastern Suburbs 53rd season Ground: Sydney Sports Ground Coach: Dick Dunn Captain: Jack Gibson	Manly-Warringah 14th season Ground: Brookvale Oval Coach: Ken Arthurson Captain: Ron Willey	Newtown 53rd season Ground: Henson Park Coach: Charles Cahill Captain: Bobby Whitton
North Sydney 53rd season Ground: North Sydney Oval Captain-coach: Greg Hawick	Parramatta 14th season Ground: Cumberland Oval Coach: Jack Rayner Captain: Ron Boden	South Sydney 53rd season Ground: Redfern Oval Coach: Denis Donoghue Captain: Bernie Purcell	St. George 40th season Ground: Kogarah Oval Captain-coach: Ken Kearney	Western Suburbs 53rd season Ground: Pratten Park Coach: Dudley Beger Captain: Dick Poole

Ladder

More information Team, Pld ...

	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
1	St. George	18	14	0	4	456	176	+280	28
2	Western Suburbs	18	11	0	7	350	298	+52	22
3	Eastern Suburbs	18	11	0	7	264	221	+43	22
4	Balmain	18	11	0	7	286	254	+32	22
5	Canterbury-Bankstown	18	11	0	7	249	285	-36	22
6	Manly-Warringah	18	10	0	8	231	217	+14	20
7	North Sydney	18	8	0	10	317	357	-40	16
8	South Sydney	18	6	0	12	211	256	-45	12
9	Newtown	18	6	0	12	251	313	-62	12
10	Parramatta	18	2	0	16	215	453	-238	4

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Ladder progression

• Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 4.
• Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round.
• Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished last place on the ladder in that round.

More information Team ...

	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
1	St. George	2	2	4	6	8	10	12	14	14	16	18	18	18	20	22	24	26	28
2	Western Suburbs	2	4	6	8	8	10	10	10	10	12	12	12	14	16	18	20	20	22
3	Eastern Suburbs	0	0	2	2	4	4	6	8	10	12	14	14	16	18	20	20	20	22
4	Balmain	2	2	2	4	6	8	8	8	10	10	12	14	14	16	18	20	22	22
5	Canterbury-Bankstown	2	2	2	2	2	4	6	8	8	10	12	14	16	16	16	18	20	22
6	Manly-Warringah	2	4	6	8	10	10	12	12	14	14	14	16	18	18	18	20	20	20
7	North Sydney	0	2	2	2	2	2	4	6	6	6	6	8	10	12	12	12	14	16
8	South Sydney	0	2	2	4	4	4	4	6	8	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	12	12
9	Newtown	0	2	4	4	6	8	8	8	10	10	10	12	12	12	12	12	12	12
10	Parramatta	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2	2	2	4	4	4	4

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Grand Final

St. George had lost to Eastern Suburbs late in the regular season and expected them to be a finals force. But due to the playoffs for the minor premiership placements the Roosters were playing their sixth match in four weeks, including an extra-time tussle in the minor semi against Canterbury.

For the first grand final in four the defending premiers left their strongarm tactics in the locker room and let their skilled backline excel. Five minutes into the game Bob Bugden toed a loose ball through and fell on it to open the scoring. At 23 minutes the second try was set up by Brian Clay who beat his opposite Billy McNamara and passed to Reg Gasnier who dazzled the opposition with a change of pace that left them flatfooted.

Prop Kevin Ryan may have been in his rookie St. George season but he had already represented for Australia at rugby union and for Queensland in boxing. He had fit into the tough St. George pack with ease and featured on Grand Final day in setting up firstly fellow newcomer Johnny King for a first half try, then Gasnier after the break for his second before being sent off at the 60 minute mark, along with Easts forward Brian Wright, for fighting.

Norm Provan and Dave Brown also scored in the second half and two minutes before the bell an interplay between Provan and Brian Graham resulted in King getting his second try. Only a few weeks earlier Johnny King had been the third grade fullback, having been declined a contract offer early in the season from South Sydney.

Although they were on the wrong side of a 17-6 penalty caning, St. George scored seven tries to nil, walloping Eastern Suburbs 31-6.

Ken Kearney became the oldest player to appear in a grand final (36 years 123 days) and also equalled Jack Rayner's record of five grand finals won as captain.

St. George 31 (Tries: Gasnier 2, King 2, Bugden, Brown, Provan. Goals: Graham 5.)

Eastern Suburbs 6 (Goals: Landers 3.)