1937 NSWRFL season
The 1937 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 30th season of the Sydney, New South Wales-based top-grade rugby league club competition, Australia's first. Nine teams from across the city contested the premiership during the season, which lasted from April until June, with Eastern Suburbs being crowned champions.
Season summary
The 1937 season only lasted eight rounds due to the Kangaroo tour, and used a “first past the post” system to determine the premiers. There were no Finals. The second half of what would normally have been the NSWRFL season was taken up with a City Cup competition.Eastern Suburbs won their seventh Premiership going through the season undefeated – a feat achieved by teams in only five other seasons before or since. Having won only two matches in four seasons and only fifteen in the nine seasons since 1929, the University club withdrew voluntarily from the premiership at the end of the season.
Teams
1937 proved University’s final NSWRFL season. After being allowed one more season to prove themselves, the Students did not win a match in any grade, scoring only 41 points in first grade, 39 in reserves, and 21 in third grade – in which University veterans were allowed to play the second half of the last match as a farewell.- Balmain, formed on January 23, 1908, at Balmain Town Hall
- Canterbury-Bankstown
- Eastern Suburbs, formed on January 24, 1908, at Paddington Town Hall
- Newtown, formed on January 14, 1908
- North Sydney, formed on February 7, 1908
- South Sydney, formed on January 17, 1908, at Redfern Town Hall
- St. George, formed on November 8, 1920, at Kogarah School of Arts
- University, formed in 1919 at Sydney University
- Western Suburbs, formed on February 4, 1908
| Balmain 30th season Ground: Leichhardt Oval Coach: Harold Matthews Captain: Jim Duckworth, Jack Redman | Canterbury-Bankstown 3rd season Ground: Belmore Oval Coach: George Mason Captain: Alan Brady | Eastern Suburbs 30th season Ground: Sydney Cricket Ground Coach: Arthur Halloway Captain: Viv Thicknesse |
| Newtown 30th season Ground:Henson Park Coach: Bill Kelly Captain: Herb Narvo | North Sydney 30th season Ground: North Sydney Oval Captain-Coach: Laurie Ward | South Sydney 30th season Ground: Sydney Sports Ground Coach: Charlie Lynch Captain: Eric Lewis |
| St. George 17th season Ground: Earl Park Coach: Peter Burge / Norm Pope Captain: Norm Pope & Percy Fairall | University 18th season Coach: Bob "Botsy" Williams Captain: Tom Carey | Western Suburbs 30th season Ground: Pratten Park Coach: Jerry Brien Captain: Cliff Pearce |
Ladder
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
| 1 | Eastern Suburbs | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 187 | 56 | +131 | 16 |
| 2 | South Sydney | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 264 | 58 | +106 | 13 |
| 3 | St. George | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 151 | 92 | +59 | 13 |
| 4 | Newtown | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 144 | 126 | +18 | 10 |
| 5 | Canterbury-Bankstown | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 98 | 91 | +7 | 10 |
| 6 | Balmain | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 115 | 136 | -21 | 10 |
| 7 | North Sydney | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 84 | 94 | -10 | 8 |
| 8 | Western Suburbs | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 104 | 126 | -22 | 8 |
| 9 | Sydney University | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 44 | 309 | -265 | 2 |