1983 NSWRFL season

The 1983 NSWRFL season was the 76th season of professional rugby league football in Australia. Fourteen teams competed for the J J Giltinan Shield and Winfield Cup during the season, which culminated in a replay of the previous year's grand final between the Parramatta and Manly-Warringah clubs. During the season, NSWRFL teams also competed for the 1983 KB Cup.

1983 New South Wales Rugby Football League
Teams14
Premiers Parramatta (3rd title)
Minor premiers Manly-Warringah (5th title)
Matches played189
Points scored7296
Attendance1458144
Top points scorer(s) Michael Eden (256)
Player of the year Michael Eden (Rothmans Medal)
Top try-scorer(s) Phil Blake (27)

1983 was the final season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership for Sydney-based foundation club Newtown Jets, and the first reduction in the number of teams in the competition since Sydney University’s departure at the end of the 1937 NSWRFL season. It was also the first season that was played with four-point tries.

Season summary

For the first time, the number of points awarded for scoring a try was raised from three to four. There was also the introduction of a handover if a team was caught in possession six times, which had the effect of killing the traditional scrum but attracted many new followers to a game that had seen attendances decline by fifty percent since the record year of 1968.[1] To counter a lucrative illegal betting market, legal betting via FootyTAB was introduced and was a regarded as a success.

Twenty-six regular season rounds were played from February till August, resulting in a top five of Manly-Warringah, Parramatta, Canterbury-Bankstown, Balmain and St. George, who battled it out in the finals. Manly-Warringah managed 23 wins from 28 matches in 1983 – at the time the most wins in a season by a club in NSWRFL premiership history alongside Parramatta’s 23 in 1982.

The 1983 season's Rothmans Medallist was Eastern Suburbs’ back, Michael Eden and the Dally M Award went to Western Suburbs’ half, Terry Lamb. Rugby League Week gave their player of the year award to Manly-Warringah winger, Phil Sigsworth. This season the Cocal-Cola Coach-of-the-year award was voted for by the coaches in the League and was awarded to rookie coach Laurie Freier.[2]

This was also the last year in the first-grade competition for foundation club Newtown, who were dropped at the season’s end.

Teams

The lineup of teams remained unchanged from the previous season, with fourteen clubs competing in total, including six Sydney-based foundation teams, another six from Sydney, one from greater New South Wales and one from the Australian Capital Territory. It was the last season for the Newtown club.[3]

Balmain Tigers
76th season
Ground: Leichhardt Oval
Coach: Frank Stanton
Captain: Wayne Pearce
Canberra Raiders
2nd season
Ground: Seiffert Oval
Coach: Don Furner
Captain: Allan McMahon
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

48th season
Ground: Belmore Oval
Coach: Ted Glossop
Captain: Chris Anderson
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
17th season
Ground: Endeavour Field
Coach: Terry Fearnley
Captain: Gavin Miller
Eastern Suburbs Roosters
76th season
Ground: Sydney Sports Ground
Coach: Laurie Freier
Captain: Royce Ayliffe
Illawarra Steelers
2nd season
Ground: Wollongong Stadium
Coach: Allan Fitzgibbon
Captain: John Dorahy
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
37th season
Ground: Brookvale Oval
Coach: Bob Fulton
Captain: Max Krilich
Newtown Jets

76th season
Ground: Henson Park, Orana Park
Coach: Brian Moore
Captain: Ken Wilson, Dean Lance
North Sydney Bears

76th season
Ground: North Sydney Oval
Coach: John Hayes, Greg Hawick
Captain: Mark Graham, John Adam
Parramatta Eels
37th season
Ground: Belmore Oval
Coach: Jack Gibson
Captain: Steve Edge
Penrith Panthers
17th season
Ground: Penrith Stadium
Coach: John Peard
Captain: Royce Simmons
South Sydney Rabbitohs
76th season
Ground: Redfern Oval
Coach: Ron Willey
Captain: Ziggy Niszczot
St. George Dragons
63rd season
Ground: Kogarah Oval
Coach: Roy Masters
Captain: Craig Young, John Jansen
Western Suburbs Magpies
76th season
Ground: Lidcombe Oval
Coach: Lenny Stacker
Captain: Warren Boland

Ladder

Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
1 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 262204690361+32944
2 Parramatta Eels 261808639293+34636
3 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 261808531409+12236
4 Balmain Tigers 261709525438+8734
5 St. George Dragons 2614111551450+10129
6 Eastern Suburbs Roosters 2614111579492+8729
7 North Sydney Bears 2613112435446-1127
8 South Sydney Rabbitohs 2612113439495-5625
9 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 2612014450520-7024
10 Canberra Raiders 269017495614-11918
11 Penrith Panthers 269017476647-17118
12 Illawarra Steelers 268018451644-19316
13 Newtown Jets 267217373591-21816
14 Western Suburbs Magpies 265219394628-23412

Finals

Home Score Away Match Information
Date and Time Venue Referee Crowd
Playoff
St. George Dragons 44-16 Eastern Suburbs Roosters 30 August 1983 Sydney Cricket Ground B. Barnes 17,981
Qualifying FInals
Balmain Tigers 14-17 St. George Dragons 3 September 1983 Sydney Cricket Ground Kevin Roberts 24,652
Parramatta Eels 30-22 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 4 September 1983 Sydney Cricket Ground B. Barnes 22,311
Semi Finals
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 26-24 St. George Dragons 10 September 1983 Sydney Cricket Ground John Gocher 27,867
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 19-10 Parramatta Eels 11 September 1983 Sydney Cricket Ground Kevin Roberts 28,921
Preliminary Final
Parramatta Eels 18-4 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 18 September 1983 Sydney Cricket Ground Kevin Roberts 27,726
Grand Final
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 6-18 Parramatta Eels 25 September 1983 Sydney Cricket Ground Kevin Roberts 40,285

Grand Final

Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles Position Parramatta Eels
Graham EadieFBPaul Taylor
John RibotWGDavid Liddiard
Chris CloseCEMick Cronin
Phil SigsworthCESteve Ella
Kerry BousteadWGEric Grothe
Alan Thompson (c)FEBrett Kenny
Phil BlakeHBPeter Sterling
Ian SchubertLKRay Price
Noel ClealSRSteve Sharp
Paul VautinSRPeter Wynn
Paul McCabePRPaul Mares
Ray BrownHKSteve Edge (c)
Geoff GerardPRStan Jurd
Glenn RyanReserveChris Phelan
Rick ChisholmReserveDon Duffy
Michael BlakeReserveMark Laurie
ReserveGary Martine
Bob FultonCoachJack Gibson

Parramatta powered over Manly for the second year straight to claim their third successive title. The 18-6 win saw Brett Kenny claim a unique achievement in scoring two tries in three successive grand finals. Kenny opened the scoring and the Eels raced to a 10-0 lead after 13 minutes when Eric Grothe steamrolled burly Manly fullback Graham Eadie.

Parramatta 18 (Tries: Brett Kenny 2, Eric Grothe; Goals: Cronin 3)

defeated

Manly-Warringah 6 (Tries: Phil Sigsworth; Goals: Graham Eadie)

References

  1. AFL Tables – Rugby League Crowds summary
  2. Clarkson, Alan (21 September 1983). "Coach-of-year newcomer surprised by his voting rivals". the Sydney Morning Herald. Australia. p. 47. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
  3. "History of the Premiership". centenaryofrugbyleague.com.au. Australian Rugby League. Archived from the original on 9 February 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
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