In Local Hero, the 1988 biography of Wayne Pearce, the then-Balmain captain recounted how every new Tigers player was told the story of how Souths had reneged on a supposed agreement with Balmain to boycott the premiership final of September 18, 1909.
Eight decades on, Balmain’s games against Souths were still seen as opportunities to get back at them for the “injustice” of 1909.
In 2009, Ben Elias told the Sydney Morning Herald that Souths 1909 premiership “should be taken away. People take gold medals away from Olympians who cheat – I would say this is on par. It’s clearly stated in the records they both agreed not to turn up – one team did and they won the premiership.”
As I discovered after including a precis of the incident in an article about the early history of premiership deciders, it still elicits passionate disputation. 112 years later!
I’m confident in saying two things at the outset.
First, it was a farce, to which Balmain, Souths and the game’s administration all contributed. But the biggest contributor was rugby league’s parlous financial state.
Second, the events leading to the farce of September 18, 1909 are far more interesting than a 112-year-old chip on Balmain shoulders.
Many rugby league supporters know some version of the story – and there are multiple versions. Most of the disputed details concern the role of Souths: what, if anything, did they agree with Balmain beforehand, and, regardless, should they have withdrawn in solidarity, rather than perpetrating a ridiculous charade, when it became apparent Balmain wouldn’t play?
I’ll get to that, but to understand what happened we have to go back 12 months earlier to where it all began.
The New South Wales Rugby Football League’s (NSWRFL) first season in 1908 was a partial success. The recruitment of the immensely popular rugby union star Dally Messenger provided some initial impetus and many reviews of the fledgling code in the popular press were positive.
In late 1908, The Sportsman wrote: “They play that kind of football that delights the public taste, having a clever lot of backs behind a rattling set of forwards. The success of the league now largely depends on the ability of our representatives to win matches in the north of England.”
Trouble was, not enough of the public turned up and JJ Giltinan’s Kangaroo tour of 1908-09 was a financial disaster. The NSWRFL lost £500 in 1908, while Giltinan was bankrupted after the tour of England lost £418. Ten of the 34 pioneering Kangaroos accepted contracts with English clubs just to raise funds for the tour.
When Giltinan and the Kangaroos returned home in May 1909, rugby league was on its knees. Giltinan had already been dismissed from his post with the NSWRFL, along with fellow founding directors Henry Hoyle and Victor Trumper, on the grounds of financial mismanagement and allegations of impropriety.
(Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Rugby league was broke and crowds were dismal. The NRL we know today probably wouldn’t exist in the same form if it wasn’t for what happened next: the entry of Sydney businessman James Joynton Smith.
Smith financed an audacious raid on rugby union, with almost all the 1908-09 Wallabies team defecting to league, including Olympic gold medalists Robert Craig, Chris McKivat and Arthur McCabe.
This caused quite a controversy in Sydney sport. While rugby league was still barely scraping by financially, the defections were seen by some as a tipping point.
Having invested somewhere between £1500 and £1800 on the new recruits – $223,000 to $268,000 in today’s money – Smith wasn’t content with business as usual.
A series of games between the Kangaroos and Wallabies was arranged late in the 1909 season, with a total of about 37,000 people attending the three fixtures and the Wallabies winning the series 2-1. They were essentially fundraisers for league, union and, of course, James Joynton Smith.
But they weren’t enough for Smith to recoup his outlay. A fourth Kangaroos-Wallabies clash was scheduled for the evening of September 18, 1909 at the Sydney Showground. The Kangaroos won 8-6 and, while the crowd was small, Smith likely broke even.
All that was slightly overshadowed by events earlier in the afternoon. The 1909 NSWRFL premiership final between Balmain and Souths had been scheduled as a curtain-raiser to the inter-code showdown and Balmain wasn’t happy about it.
Balmain’s objections were entirely reasonable. The significance of the premiership final was clearly diminished by being relegated to the undercard, the clubs stood to gain nothing financially as a result and many of Balmain’s players would’ve had to skip work and forego wages to make the 2pm kick-off.
Two days before the scheduled fixture, the Balmain club unanimously decided it wouldn’t play.
As it happens, a few Balmain players attempted to picket the Showground on the day. This turned out to be a public relations mistake, with sections of the press turning on the club.
The Sportsman took a very dim view, remarking that Balmain “had run like a pack of kids with letters to the dailies, and used other efforts to prevent the crowd from rolling up to the fixture… nothing but disgust is expressed for their despicable behaviour”.
The ridiculous charade subsequently perpetrated by Souths – kicking-off to a non-existent opponent and running in an unopposed try before claiming the premiership – was far from edifying. But it seems many were weary of the affair and happy to consign it to history after a most tumultuous season.
Which brings us back to the burning questions: was there a mutual agreement to boycott and, regardless, should Souths have claimed the premiership?
If there was an agreement – a handshake, a wink or a nod – the details have been lost to history. Ian Heads’ wonderful, sprawling history of NSW rugby league, True Blue, notes that the surviving documentary evidence consists of rumours and “idle talk”, including a letter to the editor of the Evening News by somebody titled ‘Balmain Barracker’, hardly compelling or impartial evidence.
On the latter question, Souths clearly felt compelled to turn-up and provide a spectacle of some sort. After the charade of their premiership ‘victory’, they played a scratch game against an assortment of players from other teams before the Kangaroos-Wallabies game.
If Souths hadn’t turned up, they would almost certainly have been premiers anyway. They’d finished two points clear of Balmain in first place. Under the rules at the time, Balmain would’ve had to beat them twice to take the title and the NSWRFL had already indicated it wouldn’t reschedule one game, never mind two, due to its leasing arrangements.
After more than 112 years, it’s time to put this one to bed. Balmain were dudded but didn’t do themselves any favours. Souths could’ve stayed home but were obviously beholden to financial imperatives.
Like it or not, everybody was playing for James Joynton Smith at the time. With the benefit of hindsight, that was probably a good thing.
Adam
Roar Guru
It's interesting because it really created the appetite for RL. It's amazing that it took essentially another 90 years to professionalise. Why those sorts of decisions were made defies belief and has ruined RU in Australia and I imagine the lack of shamateurism probably contributed further to the sports degradation - where England and France there was enough nudge, nudge, wink, wink going on that RU was professional in all but name only well before the 90s
Redcap
Roar Guru
Hi Adam, Better late than never. :happy: It's a strange mindset and they don't seem to have really thought much about why players were defecting. Money was a big factor of course, but league also showed players in the early days a duty of care that didn't exist in union. If you get injured and can't do you day job, you'll at least have something. I'm also not aware of widespread 'shamateurism' in Australian rugby like there was in England and France.
Adam
Roar Guru
Bit late to the article but the defections went into overdrive following that series when the NSWRU banned anyone that played in the matches. Essentially, the NSWRU decided to shoot themselves by banning their best players. The 1910 Glebe captain Chris McKivat was one player that had toured with the Wallabies in 1908-09, played that series, was kicked out and then turned out for Glebe in 1910. I'm a union man first, but can't believe the boffins in NSW at the time treated so many of their players in such a terrible manner...
William W
Roar Rookie
Rosie... The ONLY stat that I am interested in is... 21 to 4... Ring any bells?
Rosie
Roar Rookie
Wow that’s a lengthy denial. Stats don’t lie bro. How many areas do you want Parra to be ahead of you guys in terms of support? Because membership and followers are pretty decent evidence.
William W
Roar Rookie
We are talking about Rugby League History, not for just one week or one month or one year! How did the Eels fare in popularity from 2010 to 2018 including the 3-years they had the wooden spoon? Not Good! I am not interested in what a Parra fan like Roy Morgan has to say, I am not interested in clicking on a link that fudge figures to suit their agendas. How are these figures collated? What about all those people over 55 and 60 who are fans but don't show it using Apps on a smartphone? What about fans who don't have Fox/Kayo, how is their popularity calculated? The Broncos have an entire City to vote for them. Parramatta have plenty of Polynesians who support League in the last 10-years! Figures can be fudged to suit your agendas. I just bet Parras popularity just took a massive nosedive after being beaten by a no-hoper like the Tigers.
Rosie
Roar Rookie
Have a read of this William W. https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/8804-nrl-supporters-june-2021-202109280539 I hope the link works. Other wise just search “most supported rugby league clubs in Australia” South’s are fourth behind Melbourne, Brisbane & Parramatta.
William W
Roar Rookie
The members on the NSWRL board at that time included ONLY one Souths member, his name was George Ball who actually abstained from voting. The Rabbitohs have always been inclusive and never exclusive during their history.
William W
Roar Rookie
Wow, Tim Buck 3, which club do you support to make this conversation viable, which club are you biased towards, the Roosters, the Tigers? I don't have time to correct everyone on past history but I will give it a go. First of all the "Residential Rule" was flaunted as you didn't have to be BORN and BRED in your area in order to play for that club. Plenty of clubs were signing players and putting down their address as an Uncles house or a team manager's house. Christ... I did it myself. How many players from the bush were brought down from country areas? Plenty were. I could start naming some players but I would be sitting here and writing for months. The bottom line is... The Roosters have always had a large enough Junior District despite what happened in the 30s but what so many so-called experts, Journos, Commentators and Members and Fans of clubs just don't get is in their territory Rugby Union is the Number 1 game. There are plenty of families that reside in the Old Eastern Suburbs catchment area. Go and watch sports in that area on a Saturday morning, you will find the playing fields are full of the 15 man a side game! These are the facts of the matter. Even in 2019, there were hardly any Roosters shops done up with banners or houses showing their support for the tri-colours on Grand Final day, hardly any at all. My business is driving, I drive all over Sydney and I see plenty! Col Pearce was a Newtown Referee and used to hate Souths as many refs at that time did... It stems from jealousy I would think. Keith Page was a St George Referee that also hated Souths. You shouldn't say that due to any team being successful with multiple premierships that it is the ref who won them 5 out of 7 premierships in the 50s or 4 out of 5 premierships in the 60s/70s. If that is the theory then the Dragons definitely had the refs on their side when they won 11 in a row. Darcy Lawler must have been a real cheat as he oversaw St George Grand Final victories in 7 Grand Finals, 1956 to 1961. Also the highly controversial GF in 1963 where that famous photo was produced. To this day Arthur Summons has vowed the ref cheated Wests. It is strange that Darcey Lawler was retired after that GF. Jack Bradley in 1962, Col Pearce in 1964, 65, 66 Col Pearce didn't favour the Rabbitohs, I doubt he favoured any club. Balmain's controversial Grand Final win over Souths was refereed by the Rabbitohs hater, St Georges Keith page.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
1. The residential rule was still in place in the 50's with Newtown, like Easts and Norths, having a small catchment area. Newtown have never had many junior clubs. 2. Souths premierships in 55, 67 & 68 were refereed by Souths fan Col Pearce. Ron Coote knocked out Bill Bradstreet with a king hit. Pearce didn't send Coote off. Billy Wilson got sent off in the 62 GF for punching Bill Cody. 3. Are you saying Easts have a salary sombrero?
William W
Roar Rookie
Rosie, that is debatable as Parra fans fall off the bandwagon very easily. They technically have more season ticketed numbers in 2022 but many of them are only 3-Game passes, not full memberships. Membership Numbers change every year. The actual number of fans who stay at home and watch on TV, The Rabbitohs pull the best ratings in Sydney. In my family, the Rabbitohs are 2 members down due to deaths in the family. That does happen as there are plenty of ageing Members at the Grand old Club but they are still fans. The Rabbitohs have way more fans in the bush and around the world as our fans do travel the world. I have never ever heard of the random Eels fan, have you? With Corporate support and dollars, the Rabbitohs are way ahead.
William W
Roar Rookie
The Rabbitohs have actually won 10 Premierships after World War 2. 1950, 1551, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1971 and 2014. The Roosters have only won 6 Premierships after World War 2. 1974, 1975, 2002, 2013, 2018, 2019 The Roosters have become extremely cashed up with Politis cash and boardroom influence that the Rabbitohs never had. With the amount of financial clout the Roosters have had since City Ford Sponsorship in 1974, they should have won 10 extra competitions.
Redcap
Roar Guru
That's true in relation to Annandale. Balmain ended up with most of Glebe's territory, but were certainly assisted by Souths. Souths had the same number of delegates on the NSWRFL General Committee as other clubs, but certainly had supporters among the NSWRFL delegates on the committee, given their success and popularity.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
One of the effects of winning the most premierships is they had the most fans. Col Pearce was a Souths fan who was the referee in South Sydney's amazing run of 1955. They won the preliminary final against St.George with a penalty count of 26-9, with 15-1 in the second half. Captain-Coach Ken Kearney was banned from coaching because of his criticism of the referee. Kearney asked Pearce the reason for a penalty and was told "To show you who is boss".
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
Yes but Souths have big names like Russell Crowe and his mate Tom Cruise as supporters. Adam Hills is a Souths fan. Any celebrities new to Sydney, like Ray Martin, attach themselves to Souths because Souths have won the most premierships. Many of them were before WW2 when Souths, a district team, were taking on suburban teams like Glebe, Annandale, Balmain and Newtown but people identify with winners and Parramatta don't have that appeal. I would love to see Parramatta win as the Dragons probably won't.
Rosie
Roar Rookie
South’s had more members sitting on the NSWRL board at the time and voted in favour of moving the junior boundaries. South’s voted in favour of ditching Glebe and Annandale I guess they wanted their juniors also.
Rosie
Roar Rookie
Actually Parramatta have the most members, supporters & fans.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
Great response William. 1. We drove home from the SCG to Carlton and Kogarah Bay via Waterloo, Alexandria and Botany and they were deserted. 2. The Eastern and Northern suburbs provide most of the clubs in the Shute Shield. Parramatta, Penrith and Southern Districts compete for the wooden spoon. 3. The Souths Juniors Club is huge and no one forced anyone to play for them. Souths have always been very popular and have the most members, supporters and fans.
William W
Roar Rookie
Tim Buck 3… The reason at the time given by the NSWRL was this! In their words, they said that much of the South’s territory at that time in Redfern, Waterloo, Alexandria and Botony had become way too industrialised. In the Eastern Suburbs, it was more residential with far more residents/families so they shifted the border from Anzac Pde to the current border of Allison Rd. It is a large chunk of land. The Roosters did try to reclaim that land/area back in 1955 and again in 1983… I think it was! The NSWRL decision was to instead, get rid of the old 13 Player import rule which made it open slather. In effect, this was far worse for Souths as the Rorts could now “cherry-pick” all of the best juniors in the Rabbitohs’ territory and pay nothing in return. The real issue with the Roosters is this. They never ever did look after their junior territory that is why so many Easts Junior Clubs defected to Souths voluntarily way back when. Way too many of the rich toffs who live in their territory support Union, not League, that is also a massive issue for the roosters! Clubs like Coogee Dolphins and Coogee Randwick Wombats even Paddington Colts defected at one time calling themselves simply the “Colts” A club based at Pioneer Park in Malabar, the South Eastern Seagulls was first founded by a family of Roosters fans back in 1957. Despite being in the South’s territory, many kids from that Rabbitohs club have been directed towards the Roosters Junior Matts and SG Ball teams over the years. Nat Butcher being the most recent,
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
Why did the NSWRL give Souths so much more than Easts?