1946 NSWRFL Grand Final
Saturday, 14 September 1946 · Sydney Sports Ground, Sydney, New South Wales
1946 NSWRFL Grand Final result: Balmain def. St. George, 13-12, at Sydney Sports Ground, Sydney, New South Wales on Saturday, 14 September 1946.
Sourcing caveat: Two-match decider: Balmain first won 'the Final' 8-7 over Canterbury-Bankstown at the SCG on 7 September 1946, but minor premiers St. George exercised their right of challenge, and the resulting challenge Grand Final on 14 September (recorded on this page) decided the premiership. Some secondary sources place this match at the Sydney Cricket Ground, but the contemporary newspaper report and Rugby League Project both confirm the Sydney Sports Ground. In 1946 a try was worth 3 points and a goal 2 points; the scoring breakdown above reconciles exactly to 13-12 (Balmain: Joe Jorgenson x2 and Arthur Patton tries x 3 = 9, plus Tom Bourke 2 goals = 4, totalling 13; St. George: Jack Lindwall x2, Noel Jones and Jack Munn tries x 3 = 12, with fullback Ray Lindwall missing all 4 of his conversion attempts including his own brother Jack's late corner try, so 0 goals). Referee George Bishop's performance drew press criticism for disallowing a St George try and awarding two Balmain tries that appeared to come from forward passes. St George's captain-coach was Herb Narvo. A serious full-time incident occurred (not an in-game sin bin): St George forward Jim Hale confronted Balmain hooker Herb Gilbert Jr, Hale was set upon by a spectator, and an all-in brawl followed. Squad numbers reflect standard positional numbering (1=fullback through 13=front-row); no evidence of differing printed program numbers was found.
Result
| Team | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Balmain | 13 |
| Runner-up | St. George | 12 |
Attendance: 32,296
NRL 1946 — full season ladder & finals series
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. George | 14 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 264 | 203 | +61 | 22 |
| 2 | Newtown | 14 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 296 | 189 | +107 | 20 |
| 3 | Balmain | 14 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 279 | 193 | +86 | 18 |
| 4 | Canterbury-Bankstown | 14 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 212 | 196 | +16 | 17 |
| 5 | Eastern Suburbs | 14 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 213 | 174 | +39 | 16 |
| 6 | North Sydney | 14 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 248 | 285 | -37 | 10 |
| 7 | Western Suburbs | 14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 224 | 267 | -43 | 9 |
| 8 | South Sydney | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 124 | 353 | -229 | 0 |
Qualified for the finals series — top 4 that season.
Finals series
Semi-Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Aug 1946 | Balmain Tigers 22–14 St. George | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, NSW | 34,408 |
| 31 Aug 1946 | Canterbury-Bankstown 12–10 Newtown | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, NSW | 28,012 |
Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Sep 1946 | Balmain Tigers 8–7 Canterbury-Bankstown | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, NSW | 36,445 |
Grand Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Sep 1946 | Balmain Tigers 13–12 St. George | Sydney Sports Ground, Sydney, NSW |
Match officials
| Referee | George Bishop |
Scorers
| Balmain | Tries: Joe Jorgenson — minute unconfirmed; Joe Jorgenson — minute unconfirmed; Arthur Patton — minute unconfirmed Goals: Tom Bourke (2/4) |
| St. George | Tries: Jack Lindwall — minute unconfirmed; Jack Lindwall — final minutes, corner try; Noel Jones — minute unconfirmed; Jack Munn — minute unconfirmed Goals: Ray Lindwall (0/4) |
Teams
| Balmain | St. George | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jack McCullough | Fullback | Ray Lindwall | 1 |
| 2 | Arthur Patton | Wing | Jack Lindwall | 2 |
| 3 | Pat Devery | Centre | Doug McRitchie | 3 |
| 4 | Tom Bourke (c) | Centre | Fred Brown | 4 |
| 5 | Joe Jorgenson | Wing | Noel Jones | 5 |
| 6 | George Williams | Five-eighth | Don Graham | 6 |
| 7 | Stan Ponchard | Halfback | Max Hayward | 7 |
| 8 | Jack Hampstead | Lock | Clayton Donnelley | 8 |
| 9 | Harry Bath | Second Row | Herb Narvo (c) | 9 |
| 10 | Fred De Belin | Second Row | Jim Hale | 10 |
| 11 | Jack Spencer | Prop | Jack Munn | 11 |
| 12 | Herb Gilbert (Jr) | Hooker | Ken Banks | 12 |
| 13 | Hilton Kidd | Prop | Jack McPherson | 13 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| — | no reserve/interchange players recorded — no interchange bench existed in 1946 | no reserve/interchange players recorded — no interchange bench existed in 1946 | — | |
| Norm Robinson | Coach | Herb Narvo | ||
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 1946 premiership was settled under the NSWRFL's right-of-challenge finals system, and it took two deciders to crown Balmain. St. George claimed the minor premiership but were beaten 22-14 by third-placed Balmain in their semi-final, while Canterbury-Bankstown edged Newtown 12-10 in the other. Balmain then won 'the Final' by a single point, 8-7 over Canterbury at the Sydney Cricket Ground on 7 September before 36,445. That would have ended most seasons, but as minor premiers St. George held the right of challenge and exercised it, forcing a challenge Grand Final at the Sydney Sports Ground a week later. Before 32,296 spectators, the Dragons led 6-3 at half-time and finished with four tries to three, Jack Lindwall crossing twice and Noel Jones and Jack Munn once each, yet lost the match, because they could not land a single goal. Fullback Ray Lindwall, Jack's brother and soon to become one of cricket's greatest fast bowlers, endured a wretched afternoon with the boot, the club's own history recording that he missed every shot at goal he took. Balmain, captained by centre Tom Bourke, produced what the Monday press called a 'grand burst' in the second half: Joe Jorgenson scored two tries, winger Arthur Patton added another, and Bourke's two goals supplied the decisive points in a 13-12 win. The result was laced with controversy. A series of contentious rulings ran against St. George, including a disallowed try and two Balmain tries that appeared to come from forward passes, and tensions boiled over at full-time when a Dragons forward and Balmain's hooker came to blows in a melee that drew in spectators. Jack Lindwall's late try in the corner had given St. George one last chance, but the conversion from the sideline drifted wide and Balmain held on. It was the Tigers' ninth premiership, secured by a team including fullback Jack McCullough, Pat Devery, Harry Bath and Fred De Belin, and it began a run of three consecutive Grand Final appearances for the club, while for St. George it was a bitter first instalment of a grievance they would avenge against the same finals system three years later.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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