1939 NSWRFL Grand Final

Saturday, 2 September 1939 · Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, New South Wales

1939 Grand Final ▾

1939 NSWRFL Grand Final result: Balmain def. South Sydney, 33-4, at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, New South Wales on Saturday, 2 September 1939.

Sourcing caveat: This match was officially the 'Final' under the right-of-challenge system; because minor premiers Balmain won it, no challenge Grand Final was required and it stands as the season's premiership decider. In 1939 a try was worth 3 points and a goal 2 points; the scoring breakdown above reconciles exactly to 33-4 (Balmain: Tom Bourke x2, Frank Hyde, Jack Redman, Jim Quealey, Dawson Buckley and Athol Smith tries x 3 = 21, plus Harold Day 5 goals and Bill Johnson 1 goal = 12, totalling 33; South Sydney: no tries, plus Fred Felsch 2 goals, presumed penalties since South Sydney scored no try to convert, totalling 4). CORRECTIONS to this page's earlier prose: the lock forward was previously named 'Joe Redman' - primary sources (Wikipedia's season article, rugbyleagueproject.org, and Jack Redman's own biography page) consistently give Jack Redman. The second-rower was previously named 'Arthur Smith' - sources instead consistently give Athol Smith. This match was played the day Germany invaded Poland; Australia entered the war within twenty-four hours of full-time. Squad numbers could not be confirmed as genuine on-field jersey numbers (repeated source fetches returned inconsistent numbering) and have been omitted rather than guessed. Exact try minutes and goal-attempt counts could not be confirmed.

Result

	Team	Score
Winner	Balmain	33
Runner-up	South Sydney	4

Attendance: 26,972

NRL 1939 — full season ladder & finals series

Pos	Club	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	Diff	Pts
1	Balmain	14	10	2	2	249	115	+134	22
2	Canterbury-Bankstown	14	10	0	4	234	155	+79	20
2	St. George	14	10	0	4	268	169	+99	20
4	South Sydney	14	9	0	5	219	158	+61	18
5	Eastern Suburbs	14	8	0	6	192	184	+8	16
6	North Sydney	14	2	2	10	129	272	-143	6
6	Western Suburbs	14	2	2	10	148	213	-65	6
8	Newtown	14	2	0	12	124	297	-173	4

Qualified for the finals series — top 4 that season.

Finals series

Semi-Final

Date	Result	Venue	Attendance
19 Aug 1939	Balmain Tigers 13–9 Canterbury-Bankstown	Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, NSW	23,774
26 Aug 1939	South Sydney Rabbitohs 23–10 St. George	Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, NSW	21,722

Grand Final

Date	Result	Venue	Attendance
2 Sep 1939	Balmain Tigers 33–4 South Sydney Rabbitohs	Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, NSW

Permalink to this season's ladder page →

Match officials

Referee	George Bishop

Scorers

Balmain	Tries: Tom Bourke — minute unconfirmed; Tom Bourke — minute unconfirmed; Frank Hyde — minute unconfirmed; Jack Redman — minute unconfirmed; Jim Quealey — minute unconfirmed; Dawson Buckley — minute unconfirmed; Athol Smith — minute unconfirmed Goals: Harold Day (5/unconfirmed); Bill Johnson (1/unconfirmed)
South Sydney	Goals: Fred Felsch (2/unconfirmed)

Teams

Balmain			South Sydney
1	Harold Day	Fullback	Dick Johnson	1
2	Sid Goodwin (c)	Wing	Harry Thompson	2
3	Frank Hyde	Centre	Fred Felsch (c)	3
4	Tom Bourke	Centre	Arthur Tuohey	4
5	Jack Winchester	Wing	Allan Quinlivan	5
6	William Bischoff	Five-eighth	Jack Kadwell	6
7	Jim Quealey	Halfback	Albert Webster	7
8	Jack Redman	Lock	Jack Walsh	8
9	Athol Smith	Second Row	George Kilham	9
10	Bill Johnson	Second Row	John Whitfield	10
11	Dawson Buckley	Prop	Johnny Brown	11
12	George Watt	Hooker	Percy Fairall	12
13	Dave Manning	Prop	Eddie Hinson	13
Substitutes
—	no reserve/interchange players recorded — no interchange bench existed in 1939		no reserve/interchange players recorded — no interchange bench existed in 1939	—

Bill Kelly		Coach	Charlie Lynch

Clive Churchill Medal

The Clive Churchill Medal was first awarded in 1986; no official best-on-ground medal existed for this Grand Final.

Match context

The 1939 Final was played in the shadow of history: Germany had invaded Poland the previous day, and within twenty-four hours of full-time Britain, and with it Australia, would be at war. Against that backdrop, 26,972 spectators filed into the Sydney Cricket Ground on 2 September to watch minor premiers Balmain chase their first premiership in fifteen years. The Tigers had topped the ladder and then survived a genuine scare in their semi-final, edging 1938 premiers Canterbury 13-9. Their opponents arrived by an upset route: fourth-placed South Sydney, appearing in their second decider of the decade after 1935, had knocked over second-placed St. George 23-10 a week later. The Final itself was a tight, grinding contest for a half, Balmain leading just 7-2 at the interval, before becoming one of the most one-sided deciders ever staged. After the break the Tigers cut loose, running in six further tries to finish with seven in all. Centre Tom Bourke crossed twice, while the gifted five-eighth Frank Hyde, later one of Australian rugby league's most famous broadcasting voices, Jack Redman, Jim Quealey, Dawson Buckley and Athol Smith also scored; Harold Day and Bill Johnson kicked the goals in the 33-4 rout. South Sydney never crossed the line, their only points coming from two Fred Felsch goals. The 29-point margin eclipsed Eastern Suburbs' 1936 effort as the heaviest defeat inflicted in a premiership decider to that time. Victory delivered Balmain's premiership drought-breaker, their first title since 1924, ending the longest wait in the club's proud history and closing out the inter-war era in emphatic style; the next season's decider would be played with the world at war in earnest. As minor premiers, Balmain would have retained the right to challenge had they lost, but their overwhelming win made the Final the premiership's decisive and concluding act. No official best-on-ground award existed in 1939, though Bourke's double and Hyde's creative hand in the second-half avalanche were singled out in press coverage, and Hyde's presence gives the match an enduring place in the game's folklore.

Sources

Data last verified: 11 August 2026.

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