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1980 NSWRFL season
Rugby league competition
Rugby league competition
| Field | Value | |
|---|---|---|
| year | 1980 | |
| competition | New South Wales Rugby Football League | |
| image | NSWRFL_Logo.png | |
| teams | 12 | |
| premiers | [[Image:Canterbury colours.svg | 16x16px]] Canterbury |
| count | 3rd | |
| minor premiers | [[Image:Eastern Suburbs colours.svg | 16x16px]] Eastern Suburbs |
| mpcount | 14th | |
| matches | 138 | |
| points | 4415 | |
| attendance | 1,498,634 | |
| top point scorer | [[Image:Canterbury colours.svg | 16x16px]] Steve Gearin (220) |
| top try scorer | [[Image:Western Suburbs colours.svg | 16x16px]] John Ribot (16) |
| [[Image:Balmain colours.svg | 16x16px]] Wayne Wigham (16) | |
| MVP | Geoff Bugden | |
| MVP_link | Rothmans Medal | |
| wooden_spoon | Penrith | |
| wooden_spoon_count | 2nd | |
| prevseason_link | 1979 NSWRFL season | |
| prevseason_year | 1979 | |
| nextseason_link | 1981 NSWRFL season | |
| nextseason_year | 1981 |
The 1980 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 73rd season of Sydney's professional rugby league football competition, Australia's first. Twelve clubs, including six of 1908's foundation teams and another six from around Sydney competed for the J.J. Giltinan Shield and WD & HO Wills Cup during the season, which culminated in a grand final between the Canterbury and Eastern Suburbs clubs. NSWRFL clubs also competed in the 1980 Tooth Cup and players from NSWRFL clubs were selected to represent the New South Wales team.
Season summary
Twenty-two regular season rounds were played from March till August, resulting in a top five of Easts, Canterbury, Wests, St. George and Souths who battled it out in the finals.
The 1980 season also saw the retirement from the League of future Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame inductee, Arthur Beetson.
Mid-way through the season, players contracted to NSWRFL clubs were selected to represent the New South Wales team in two games against the Queensland team in 1980. After that the experimental 1980 State of Origin game was played, and NSWRFL clubs' players represented Queensland for the first time.
The 1980 season's Rothmans Medallist was Newtown prop Geoff Bugden. The inaugural Dally M Award, named in honour of rugby league's first "Master" Dally Messenger, went to South Sydney's Robert Laurie. Rugby League Week gave its player of the year award to Eastern Suburbs' halfback Kevin Hastings.
The grand finals:
- Canterbury Bulldogs vs Eastern Suburbs Roosters (Senior Grade)
- Parramatta Eels vs Canterbury Bulldogs (Reserve Grade)
- South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Unknown Team (Under-21s Grade)
- Parramatta Eels vs Balmain Tigers (Mid-week)
The winners in all grades were:
- Canterbury Bulldogs (Senior Grade)
- Parramatta Eels (Reserve Grade)
- South Sydney Rabbitohs (Under-21s Grade)
- Parramatta Eels (Mid-week)
The State of Residence/State of Origin Series
- Queensland vs New South Wales
Teams
| Penrith[[File:Penrith Jersey 1980.png | 100px | center]] | South Sydney[[File:South Sydney Jersey 1980.png | 100px | center]] | St. George[[File:St George Jersey 1979.png | 100px | center]] | Western Suburbs[[File:Western Suburbs Jersey 1978.png | 100px | center]] |
|---|
Ladder
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [[Image:Eastern Suburbs colours.svg | 16x16px]] Eastern Suburbs | 22 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 339 | 249 | +90 |
| 2 | **[[Image:Canterbury colours.svg | 16x16px]] Canterbury (P)** | 22 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 361 | 334 | +27 |
| 3 | [[Image:Western Suburbs colours.svg | 16x16px]] Western Suburbs | 22 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 429 | 308 | +121 |
| 4 | [[Image:St. George colours.svg | 16x16px]] St. George | 22 | 13 | 2 | 7 | 367 | 321 | +46 |
| 5 | [[Image:South Sydney colours.svg | 16x16px]] South Sydney | 22 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 392 | 318 | +74 |
| 6 | [[Image:Parramatta colours.svg | 16x16px]] Parramatta | 22 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 420 | 317 | +103 |
| 7 | [[Image:Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg | 16x16px]] Manly | 22 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 335 | 354 | -19 |
| 8 | [[Image:Newtown colours.svg | 16x16px]] Newtown | 22 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 348 | 357 | -9 |
| 9 | [[Image:Cronulla colours.svg | 16x16px]] Cronulla | 22 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 350 | 346 | +4 |
| 10 | [[Image:Balmain colours.svg | 16x16px]] Balmain | 22 | 7 | 0 | 15 | 330 | 382 | -52 |
| 11 | [[Image:North Sydney colours.svg | 16x16px]] North Sydney | 22 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 282 | 405 | -123 |
| 12 | Penrith | 22 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 294 | 556 | -262 |
Finals
| Home | Score | Away | Match information | Date and time | Venue | Referee | Crowd | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying Finals | |||||||||
| [[Image:Canterbury colours.svg | 23x23px]] Canterbury | 22–17 | [[Image:Western Suburbs colours.svg | 23x23px]] Western Suburbs | 6 September 1980 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Greg Hartley | 21,948 | |
| [[Image:St. George colours.svg | 23x23px]] St. George | 16–5 | [[Image:South Sydney colours.svg | 23x23px]] South Sydney | 7 September 1980 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Jack Danzey | 33,552 | |
| Semi-finals | |||||||||
| [[Image:Eastern Suburbs colours.svg | 23x23px]] Eastern Suburbs | 7–13 | [[Image:Canterbury colours.svg | 23x23px]] Canterbury | 13 September 1980 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Greg Hartley | 28,883 | |
| [[Image:Western Suburbs colours.svg | 23x23px]] Western Suburbs | 13–7 | [[Image:St. George colours.svg | 23x23px]] St. George | 14 September 1980 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Jack Danzey | 28,451 | |
| Preliminary final | |||||||||
| [[Image:Eastern Suburbs colours.svg | 23x23px]] Eastern Suburbs | 41–5 | [[Image:Western Suburbs colours.svg | 23x23px]] Western Suburbs | 20 September 1980 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Greg Hartley | 28,596 | |
| Grand final | |||||||||
| [[Image:Canterbury colours.svg | 23x23px]] Canterbury | 18–4 | [[Image:Eastern Suburbs colours.svg | 23x23px]] Eastern Suburbs | 27 September 1980 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Greg Hartley | 52,881 |
Chart
| team-width=150
| RD1-seed1=2 | RD1-team1= Canterbury | RD1-score1=22 | RD1-seed2=3 | RD1-team2= Western Suburbs | RD1-score2=17
| RD1-seed3=4 | RD1-team3= St. George | RD1-score3=16 | RD1-seed4=5 | RD1-team4= South Sydney | RD1-score4=5
| RD2-seed1=1 | RD2-team1= Eastern Suburbs | RD2-score1=7 | RD2-seed2= | RD2-team2= Canterbury | RD2-score2=13
| RD2-seed3= | RD2-team3= Western Suburbs | RD2-score3=13 | RD2-seed4= | RD2-team4= St. George | RD2-score4=7
| RD3-seed1= | RD3-team1= Eastern Suburbs | RD3-score1=41 | RD3-seed2= | RD3-team2= Western Suburbs | RD3-score2=5
| RD4-seed1= | RD4-team1= Canterbury | RD4-score1=18 | RD4-seed2= | RD4-team2= Eastern Suburbs | RD4-score2=4
Grand Final
Canterbury Eastern Suburbs
Teams
This was the last match for Eastern Suburbs forward John Lang who retired from rugby league after making his first grade rugby league debut with the Easts Tigers in 1969. The 1980 season was the only season he played in the NSWRFL premiership.
Match details
Canterbury's loss of long serving fullback Stan Cutler with a broken leg suffered in the major semi-final, and the Roosters' form in the preliminary final resulted in Easts being warm favourites. But the Bulldogs, boasting two sets of brothers in the Hughes and Mortimers came ready to play expansive football. The Roosters began well and Noel Cleal was a constant threat but Canterbury's forwards led by Robinson and Coveney began to get on top. Canterbury's Chris Anderson scored the first try of the match after receiving a blatantly forward pass from Chris Mortimer in the lead up. The Roosters hit back and only desperate cover defence from Steve Mortimer on Easts' winger Steve McFarlane prevented a Roosters try. Ken Wright kicked two penalty goals for the tricolours, resulting in a 7–4 lead to the Bulldogs at half time.
After the break Steve Gearin edged the Bulldogs clear with three successive goals after aggressive play from the Roosters – led by John Tobin's focus on the Hughes brothers – was penalised by referee Greg Hartley. The final Canterbury try by Gearin has been ranked amongst the best of all time. Five minutes from full-time Greg Brentnall raced downfield and put up a high kick. Gearin followed through at speed and outjumped opposing winger David Michael, catching the ball on the full to score and secure a Bulldogs victory.
It was Canterbury's third premiership and had come after a wait of 38 years. It was the last Grand final to be played on a Saturday afternoon with the deciders since then being played on a Sunday.
Scoreboard
Anderson Gearin Gearin (6/6)
Wright (2/2)
Player statistics
The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 22. Top 5 point scorers
| Points | Player | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | 197 | 188 | 176 | 166 | 160 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ken Wilson | 5 | 90 | 2 | ||||||
| Steve Gearin | 12 | 76 | 0 | ||||||
| Mick Cronin | 6 | 79 | 0 | ||||||
| Graham Eadie | 2 | 80 | 0 | ||||||
| Ron Giteau | 8 | 68 | 0 |
Top 5 try scorers
| Tries | Player | 16 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Wigham | ||||||
| John Ribot | ||||||
| Steve Gearin | ||||||
| Neville Glover | ||||||
| Marvin Hicks |
Top 5 goal scorers
| Goals | Player | 90 | 80 | 79 | 78 | 76 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ken Wilson | ||||||
| Graham Eadie | ||||||
| Mick Cronin | ||||||
| Wayne Miranda | ||||||
| Steve Gearin |
References
References
- "NSWRFL 1980 – Grand Final".
- (2022). "The Great Grand Finals – Rugby League's Greatest Contests". New Holland.
- Haddan p217
- Haddan pp214-217
- (1 October 2008). "Greats to get man-of-match awards". The Daily Telegraph (Sydney).
- (2 October 2015). "NRL grand final: Betting tips, history and facts on the Clive Churchill Medal".
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