After an unprecedented period of stability, but waning crowds, expansion was on the mind of the BRL in the 1950s.

In 1951 Wynnum-Manly, from the east coast of Brisbane, were re-admitted to the competition. They had previously been dabbled with, firstly in 1914 and again in the early 1930s. This time they were here to stay and the Seagulls are still going strong today.

On the field the decade was split into two periods. Between 1951 and 1954 Souths and Wests took turns at winning titles. Between 1955 and 1958 Brothers and Valleys did the same. The Brothers side of the era was extraordinarily consistent – they missed only one grand final between 1952 and 1959, although they only had two titles to show for their efforts.

In 1950 Easts secured a remarkable premiership despite losing their first four matches and running dead last after the first round. They had even given up 50 points in a match to Souths and we know in the NSWRL/NRL no team has ever won after that humiliation. However, the Tigers recovered to finish the season in second place and upset a powerful Wests team the grand final by 14-10 in what was considered one of the hardest grand finals for many years. Key to the victory was their stalwart hooker Charlie Martin winning the scrums 30 to 11. Any chance of a Wests comeback was stalled when a player was sent off in a grand final for the second year in a row, this time Panthers second rower Eric Bishop for kicking.

The competition was certainly struggling at this time. Crowds were sometimes larger at the Sunday shift workers league (where players turned out for their employers) than the Saturday BRL. To be fair the Sunday league was free entry and there was always a bookie close by if you wanted a flutter. Later on the BRL moved some games to Sundays and players were banned from turning out for both competitions on the same day, to the point where players registered under assumed names and BRL spies frequented the shift workers games to catch offenders.

Also in 1950 Valleys handed a debut to young fullback Norm Pope, who would go on to rewrite points scoring records across the competition, however they also lost star Kangaroo Duncan Hall who took up an offer in North Queensland. Wests were buoyed be a new young star attacking centre, Alex Watson.

With Wynnum becoming the seventh side in 1951 it was the Souths Lions that won the title, on the back of international forwards Harold ‘Mick’ Crocker, Mick Veivers and the Tyquin brothers, Bill and Tom. They were helped when Easts required 20 minutes of extra time to get over Wests in the preliminary final and reach the decider. The exhausted Tigers were outmatched by the powerful Souths pack to lose a torrid encounter 20-10.

Wynnum won a couple of games in their first season, including one over the eventual premiers Souths, but at one point had to forfeit all three grades played on a Wednesday, as most of their players were out on the bay with their commercial fishing jobs.

The main excitement of the year was the visit to Brisbane of the legendary French rugby league side led by brilliant fullback Puig Aubert. The French lost 23-11 to Australia in the second Test held at the Gabba.

In 1952, the competition made its first tentative step towards expanding out of its traditional metropolitan base by admitting South Coast into the competition. The Gold Coast-based venture lasted only two seasons and it would be another 30 years before a concerted effort was made to create a truly state-wide competition.

Also in 1952 the BRL and QRL showed signs of working together. The BRL chairman AG Welch became chairman of the QRL and his replacement in Brisbane was Ron McAuliffe, who would go on to have a profound effect on rugby league in Queensland.

Western Suburbs and Brothers were the two standout teams for the year, with defending premiers Souths having a shocker, winning only four games all season. Easts were decimated by players moving to the country and only had three players back up from last year’s first grade team, but still managed third place.

Wests won the major semi-final over Brothers, with each team finishing the match with 11 men due to a combination of a send-off and three players hospitalised with head injuries. Brothers were already without Brian Davies away on the Kangaroo tour. He apparently lost his job as a plumber to take up his spot on the tour.

The grand final was a classic with Wests winning by a single point. Brothers led all the way but a penalty right in the front of the posts in the 77th minutes gave Wests the lead, which they clung to during a frenetic finale.

In 1953, after more than 30 years, a lasting peace finally broke out between the QRL and the BRL. The separate BRL was absorbed by the QRL with the Brisbane competition being run by the Brisbane division of the QRL. Ron McAuliffe became secretary of the QRL. The competition was re-modelled with three full home-and-away rounds.

The other interesting event in 1953 was an extensive tour by the American All Stars, a private venture using a mix of professional and college American football players.

On the field, Wests lost four players to retirement or the bush and dropped to sixth while grand finalists Brothers also missed the top four. Wynnum were continuing to struggle and set an unwanted record when they were defeated 89-13 by Valleys, with Norm Pope scoring 41 points on his own.

In an even competition it was Souths who emerged victorious for the second time in three seasons, defeating Easts in the grand final 21 points to four. In what was described as a “grim, vicious match” in front of a record 10,000 fans the score was only five to four with 20 minutes to go, but Souths’ forward superiority through Tyquin, Veivers and Crocker told in the end.

(Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)

South Coast dropped out of the competition in 1954 in a season that belonged to Wests. Duncan Hall had joined the club from Toowoomba and with Alex Watson Wests had two members of the Australian side that year as 47,800 spectators crowded into the Gabba to watch the Brisbane Test match against England. Alex Watson scored a hat trick in the Panthers’ semi-final win over Norths. He then scored another two in the grand final and was the outstanding player on the field before retiring in the 50th minute with a broken collarbone, as Wests thumped Brothers 35-18.

In 1954 the QRL secured a lease over Lang Park and commenced developing their very own ground. Another notable event was Brothers’ winger Don Alroe scoring a record eight tries in a match against Souths. Souths went from first to last after losing their long-term coach Gordon Macrae and forward leader Mick Crocker, who joined Parramatta.

Valleys went through the 1955 season undefeated, after signing international centre Ken McCaffery from Toowoomba. There was a sensation in their major semi-final defeat of defending premiers Wests, with Valleys fullback Norm Pope allegedly taking out Wests’ champion centre Alex Watson high and late, breaking Watson’s jaw and knocking out two of his teeth. Pope was not even penalised. In contrast a week later Wests hooker Johnny Flynn was sent off in their preliminary final defeat to Brothers for using offensive language and copped a six-game suspension.

Valleys defeated the Brethren in the grand final 17-7 despite the efforts of player of the season Brian Davies, who had returned from Ipswich. Late Valleys call-up Mick Mulgrew scored two tries including one 75-metre solo effort to turn the match. It marked another grand final for Brothers coach Bob Bax. Bax took the club to six consecutive grand finals and two premierships between 1954 and 1959, before moving to Norths.

Bax’s Brothers team went one better in 1956, winning the grand final over Wests. Wynnum enjoyed their best year, making the finals for the first time since entering the competition in 1951. Brothers reached the grand final courtesy of a hugely controversial win over Wests. Wests were trailing by eight points with 17 minutes to go when champion centre Alex Watson was sent off for backchat. When captain Duncan Hall disputed the decision he was marched as well. In retaliation, Hall took the rest of the team with him and the referee called the game off, awarding the win to Brothers.

At the judiciary both players received suspensions, but they were both overturned by the QRL. The referees responded by going on strike for the next weekend and the preliminary final between Wests and Valleys was delayed. Wests eventually won the preliminary final held mid-week to have another crack at Brothers. With only a three-day turnaround, Wests had nothing left in the tank and Brothers controlled the grand final to win 17-10.

The other event in 1956 went without much fanfare, but was to have a profound effect on the BRL competition. Down south NSW legalised gaming machines for registered clubs and the gambling money started to flow.

Valleys and Brothers dominated the 1957 season with the Diehards taking out the grand final in a thriller in front of a record crowd for the BRL of more than 16,000. Brothers dominated the match but Valleys only trailed 17-13 with five minutes left before their winger Mick Beirne dashed 60 metres to score under the posts.

The 1958 season was a defining year for rugby league in Queensland. After playing mostly out of the Gabba, the Brisbane Exhibition Ground and other suburban venues, the QRL finished its development of Lang Park (now Suncorp Stadium) as its new and permanent home. That year a record crowd of around 20,000 attended the first ever grand final held at the ground.

Brothers gained revenge against Valleys for their shock loss in the previous season. This was despite Wests comfortably winning the minor premiership, driven by their new young half Barry Muir. Brothers were led by Brian Davies, who had become the first Queenslander to captain Australia in over 20 years (captain-coach actually). The Brothers pack, dubbed the ‘Terrible Six’, destroyed Wests in the preliminary final and then repeated the dose against Valleys in the decider, winning 22-7. At the end of the season captain Davies was lured to Canterbury-Bankstown for six seasons.

By the end of the decade the BRL competition was as strong as it had ever been. The next decade would be dominated by one team and one man: Brisbane Norths and their coach, Bob Bax.

A team of the era (1950 to 1958) (finals appearances, grand finals, premierships)

Fullback
• Norm Pope (Valleys) (one Tests, Queensland – ten games) – 21, six, two. Three tries and 72 goals in finals. Captain 1955-1962. One try and seven goals in 1956 minor semi-final and six goals in the grand final. The greatest points scorer in BRL history and the highest ever in the Bulimba Cup. From Greg Mallory’s book Voices of Brisbane Rugby League on Pope’s tackling style: “When you come to Norm Pope, be prepared to duck”.

Three quarters
• Merv “Morrie” Lyons (Brothers) (Brisbane rep) – 11, four, one. Eight tries in finals.
• Alex Watson (Wests) (24 Tests, Queensland – 19 games) – 16, four, two. Six tries and nine goals in finals. Three tries and three goals in 1954 major semi-final, then two tries and four goals in grand final. Captain 1957. Played in the first two World Cups. Scored a 40-metre try in a 1956 Test against NZ to win first Test series at home against the Kiwis since 1909.
• Col McAllister (Wests) – ten, four, three. Five tries in finals. Captain 1950 and 1952.
• Frank Melit (Brothers) (Brisbane rep) – nine, four, two. Ten tries in finals. Two tries in each of the 1956 grand final, 1957 major semi-final and 1958 preliminary final.

Halves
• Vince “Bluey” Hore (Brothers) – 14, five, two. Five tries in finals. Peter Gallagher described Vince Hore as “an incredible player”.
• Mick McNamara (Brothers) – 18, seven, two. Three tries in finals. In Greg Mallory’s Voices of Brisbane Rugby League Peter Gallagher calls McNamara “a wonderful footballer” and describes how “he was picked for Brisbane sides but he wouldn’t turn up, as he had no interest in playing for anyone else but Brothers”.

Forwards
• Peter “Pedro” Gallagher (Brothers) (ARL Hall of Fame, 17 Tests, Queensland – 12 games) – 17, six, two. Two tries in finals. Captain 1964-1967. Went on two Kangaroo tours and captained Australia in one Test.
• Phil Coman (Brothers) (Brisbane rep) – 15, six, two. One try in finals. Hooker.
• Duncan Hall (Valleys, Wests) (ARL and Queensland teams of the century, ARL Hall of Fame, 23 Tests, Queensland 19 games) – nine, two, one. One try in finals. Captain 1954-1955.
• Brian Davies (Brothers) (ARL Hall of Fame, Queensland Team of the Century, 33 Tests, Queensland 31 games) – 13, four, two. Four tries and 46 goals in finals. Captain 1955-1958. BRL Best and Fairest 1955-1958. Two-time Kangaroo tourist and Australian captain-coach 1958.
• Jack Veivers (Souths) (Queensland – four games) – 11, three, three. Four tries in finals. BRL Best and Fairest 1953.
• Harold “Mick” Crocker (Souths) (17 Tests, Queensland 17 games, NSW three games) – 11, three, three. Two tries in finals. Captain 1951, 1953. 1952-53 Kangaroo Tourist and played in the first ever World Cup.

Reserves
• Mick Mulgrew (Valleys) (five games for Brisbane) –  11, four, two. Three-quarter. Five tries in finals. Two tries in the 1955 grand final.
• Ken McCrohon (Wests, Redcliffe) (one Test, Queensland – seven games) –  11, two, one. Fullback. Four tries and 19 goals in finals. Man of the match 1954 grand final. Captain 1961. Courtesy of an interview in the Courier Mail on his Test career: “We won the Test but I was dropped to reserve back for the second game. Cyril Connell played five-eighth and came in at halftime with a big gash in a calf. His sock was drenched with blood and the coach told me to get ready. But Cyril wanted to go back on and the doctor said it would need stitches and he didn’t have any anaesthetic. Cyril asked for something to bite on while the doctor stitched him up and then handed him a beer bottle. Luckily Cyril had no teeth and he chewed hard on the bottle. He went back on, Australia won 8-2 and I became a one-Test wonder.”
• Brian O’Connor (Brothers) – Eight, three, one. Forward. Seven tries in finals. Courier Mail Best and Fairest 1954. Four tries in 1958 minor semi-final, two in the preliminary final and one in the grand final.
• Mick Shannon (Brothers) (Queensland five games) – 12, five, two. Fullback. Five goals in finals.

Other notables: Ken McCaffery (eight Tests, Queensland 16 games).