1985 NSWRL season
| 1985 NSWRL season | |
| Teams | 13 |
| Premiers |  Canterbury-Bankstown (5th title) |
| Minor premiers |  St. George (15th title) |
| Matches played | 163 |
| Points scored | 5416 (total) 33.227 (per match) |
| Attendance | 1,450,162 (total) 8,897 (per match) |
| Top point scorer(s) |  Mick Cronin (204) |
| Top try scorer(s) | Steve Linnane (17) |
The 1985 New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the seventy-eighth season of professional rugby league football in Australia. Thirteen teams competed for the J J Giltinan Shield and Winfield Cup during the season, which culminated in a grand final between the Canterbury-Bankstown and St. George clubs. This season NSWRL teams also competed for the 1985 National Panasonic Cup.
Contents |
[edit] Season summary
Twenty-six regular season rounds were played from March till September, resulting in a top five of St. George, Balmain, Canterbury, Parramatta and Penrith battling it out in the finals
The 1985 season's Rothmans Medallist was Balmain's lock, Wayne Pearce. The Dally M Award was given to Penrith's halfback, Greg Alexander, while Rugby League Week gave its player of the year award to Parramatta's lock, Ray Price.
[edit] Teams
The lineup of clubs remained unchanged from the previous year, with thirteen contesting the 1985 premiership, including five Sydney-based foundation teams, another six from Sydney, one from greater New South Wales and one from the Australian Capital Territory
[edit] Ladder
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. George |
24 | 18 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 470 | 264 | +206 | 42 |
| 2 |  Balmain |
24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 494 | 304 | +190 | 40 |
| 3 | Canterbury-Bankstown |
24 | 16 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 435 | 267 | +168 | 38 |
| 4 | Parramatta |
24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 458 | 311 | +147 | 36 |
| 5 |  Penrith |
24 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 460 | 379 | +81 | 31 |
| 6 |  Manly-Warringah |
24 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 404 | 345 | +59 | 31 |
| 7 |  Eastern Suburbs |
24 | 10 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 374 | 389 | -15 | 27 |
| 8 |  Cronulla-Sutherland |
24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 440 | 404 | +36 | 26 |
| 9 |  South Sydney |
24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 373 | 419 | -46 | 24 |
| 10 |  Canberra |
24 | 8 | 2 | 14 | 2 | 432 | 534 | -102 | 22 |
| 11 |  North Sydney |
24 | 6 | 1 | 17 | 2 | 281 | 491 | -210 | 17 |
| 12 |  Western Suburbs |
24 | 5 | 2 | 17 | 2 | 311 | 661 | -350 | 16 |
| 13 |  Illawarra |
24 | 5 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 303 | 467 | -164 | 14 |
[edit] Finals
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Crowd | |||||
| Playoff | ||||||||
| Penrith Panthers |
10-7 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
3 September 1985 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Mick Stone | 16,428 | ||
| Qualifying Finals | ||||||||
| Parramatta Eels |
38-6 | Penrith Panthers |
7 September 1985 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Kevin Roberts | 18,939 | ||
| Balmain Tigers |
8-14 | Canterbury-Bankstown |
8 September 1985 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Mick Stone | 25,194 | ||
| Semi Finals | ||||||||
| Balmain Tigers |
4-32 | Parramatta Eels |
14 September 1985 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Kevin Roberts | 25,423 | ||
| St. George Dragons |
17-6 | Canterbury-Bankstown |
15 September 1985 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Mick Stone | 39,013 | ||
| Preliminary Final | ||||||||
| Canterbury-Bankstown |
26-0 | Parramatta Eels |
22 September 1985 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Kevin Roberts | 34,915 | ||
| Grand Final | ||||||||
| St. George Dragons |
6-7 | Canterbury-Bankstown |
29 September 1985 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Kevin Roberts | 44,569 | ||
[edit] Grand Final
| St. George | Position | Canterbury-Bankstown |
|---|---|---|
| Glen Burgess | FB | Michael Potter |
| Steve Morris | WG | Matthew Callinan |
| Michael O'Connor | CE | Chris Mortimer |
| Michael Beattie | CE | Andrew Farrar |
| Denis Kinchela | WG | Peter Mortimer |
| Steve Linnane | FE | Michael Hagan |
| Perry Haddock | HB | Steve Mortimer (c) |
| Pat Jarvis | PR | Peter Kelly |
| Phil Ritchie | HK | Billy Johnstone |
| Craig Young (c) | PR | Peter Tunks |
| Graeme Wynn | SR | Brian Battese |
| Billy Noke | SR | Steve Folkes |
| Graeme O'Grady | LK | Paul Langmack |
| Chris Johns | Reserve | David Gillespie |
| Chris Guider | Reserve | Greg Mullane |
| Stephen Funnell | Reserve | Mark Bugden |
| Alan Neil | Reserve | |
| Roy Masters | Coach | Warren Ryan |
Canterbury continually put St George fullback Burgess under the test of the high-ball in his in-goal area, which, under the rules of the time, resulted in a line drop-out with the Bulldogs regaining possession. Prop Peter Kelly used the blindside to send winger Peter Mortimer over out wide for a 6-0 half time lead.
Bulldogs half and skipper Steve Mortimer seized control of the match and centre Andrew Farrar clinched it with a field goal in the 72nd minute to take the score to 7-0. A last light of hope appeared for the Dragons when Steve Morris scored and Michael O'Connor converted with five minutes left on the clock. In the end a practised and clinical approach from Canterbury shut out the Dragons who had been the minor premiers.
No Australian rugby league grand final since has been decided by a single point.
Canterbury-Bankstown 7
Tries: P Mortimer. Goal: Farrar. Field Goal: Farrar.
St. George 6
Tries: Morris. Goal: O'Connor.
[edit] References
- Rugby League Tables - Season 1985 The World of Rugby League
- Results:1981-90 at rabbitohs.com.au
- 1985 J J Giltinan Shield and Winfield Cup at rleague.com
- NSWRL season 1985 at rugbyleagueproject.com
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