1952 NSWRFL Grand Final
Saturday, 20 September 1952 · Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, New South Wales
1952 NSWRFL Grand Final result: Western Suburbs def. South Sydney, 22-12, at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, New South Wales on Saturday, 20 September 1952.
Sourcing caveat: This match was a challenge Grand Final: minor premiers Western Suburbs exercised their right of challenge after South Sydney won the Final. In 1952 a try was worth 3 points and a goal 2 points; the scoring breakdown above reconciles exactly to 22-12 (Western Suburbs: 6 tries — Don Schofield x2, Jack Fitzgerald, Dev Dines, George Bain, Peter McLean — x 3 = 18, plus Bain 2 goals = 4, totalling 22; South Sydney: Ken Macreadie and Cliff Smailes tries x 3 = 6, plus Johnny Graves 3 goals = 6, totalling 12). Hec Farrell (Western Suburbs) and Bryan Orrock (South Sydney) were sent off for fighting — reportedly among the first players ever sent off in a Sydney Grand Final; permanent dismissals, not sin bins (no sin-bin law existed in 1952). Clive Churchill did NOT play in this Grand Final — Souths' fullback was Don Murdoch; a related research pass confirmed this from rugbyleagueproject.org's own lineup for the match, correcting an assumption in an earlier research brief that was never published on this page. Wests were missing Kangaroo tourists Frank Stanmore, Keith Holman and Arthur Collinson, who were touring England and France; coach Tom McMahon won the premiership in his first season in the role. Squad numbers could not be confirmed as genuine match-day numbers and have been omitted rather than guessed. Exact goal-attempt counts and try minutes could not be confirmed. No reserves are recorded for either side.
Result
| Team | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Western Suburbs | 22 |
| Runner-up | South Sydney | 12 |
Attendance: 41,060
NRL 1952 — full season ladder & finals series
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western Suburbs | 18 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 331 | 264 | +67 | 29 |
| 2 | St. George | 18 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 377 | 279 | +98 | 26 |
| 3 | South Sydney | 18 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 344 | 189 | +155 | 24 |
| 4 | North Sydney | 18 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 384 | 249 | +135 | 22 |
| 4 | Manly-Warringah | 18 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 334 | 261 | +73 | 22 |
| 6 | Balmain | 18 | 8 | 0 | 10 | 351 | 256 | +95 | 16 |
| 7 | Eastern Suburbs | 18 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 259 | 397 | -138 | 12 |
| 7 | Newtown | 18 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 210 | 341 | -131 | 12 |
| 9 | Canterbury-Bankstown | 18 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 214 | 386 | -172 | 11 |
| 10 | Parramatta | 18 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 241 | 423 | -182 | 6 |
Qualified for the finals series — top 4 that season.
Finals series
Playoff
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Aug 1952 | North Sydney Bears 36–8 Manly-Warringah | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, NSW | 8,770 |
Semi-Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Aug 1952 | South Sydney Rabbitohs 18–10 Western Suburbs Magpies | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, NSW | 34,181 |
| 6 Sep 1952 | North Sydney Bears 21–9 St. George | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, NSW | 41,976 |
Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Sep 1952 | South Sydney Rabbitohs 26–12 North Sydney Bears | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, NSW | 44,166 |
Grand Final
| Date | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Sep 1952 | Western Suburbs Magpies 22–12 South Sydney Rabbitohs | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, NSW |
Match officials
| Referee | George Bishop |
Scorers
| Western Suburbs | Tries: Don Schofield — minute unconfirmed; Don Schofield — minute unconfirmed; Jack Fitzgerald — minute unconfirmed; Dev Dines — minute unconfirmed; George Bain — minute unconfirmed; Peter McLean — minute unconfirmed Goals: George Bain (2/unconfirmed) Sin bin: Hec Farrell — sent off for fighting; along with Bryan Orrock, among the first players ever sent off in a Sydney Grand Final |
| South Sydney | Tries: Ken Macreadie — minute unconfirmed; Cliff Smailes — minute unconfirmed Goals: Johnny Graves (3/unconfirmed) Sin bin: Bryan Orrock — sent off for fighting in the same incident as Hec Farrell |
Teams
| Western Suburbs | South Sydney | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | George Bain | Fullback | Don Murdoch | — |
| — | Bill Callinan | Wing | Johnny Graves | — |
| — | Col Ratcliff | Centre | Malcolm Spencer | — |
| — | Gerry Lowe | Centre | Frank Threlfo | — |
| — | Jack Fitzgerald | Wing | Cliff Smailes | — |
| — | Dev Dines | Five-eighth | Norm Spillane | — |
| — | Leo Trevena | Halfback | Ken Brogan | — |
| — | Peter McLean (c) | Lock | Ray Nielson | — |
| — | Ron Watson | Second Row | Jack Rayner (c) | — |
| — | Don Schofield | Second Row | Ken Macreadie | — |
| — | Bill Horder | Prop | Bryan Orrock | — |
| — | Hec Farrell | Hooker | Ernie Hammerton | — |
| — | Kevin Hansen | Prop | Denis Donoghue | — |
| Substitutes | ||||
| — | no reserve/interchange players recorded — no interchange bench existed in 1952 | no reserve/interchange players recorded — no interchange bench existed in 1952 | — | |
| Tom McMahon | Coach | Jack Rayner | ||
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
Western Suburbs' 1952 triumph was the ultimate vindication of the right-of-challenge system, and it remains the Magpies' last premiership. Wests claimed the minor premiership despite playing the entire second half of the season without stars Frank Stanmore, Keith Holman and Arthur Collinson, who had departed with the touring Kangaroos for England and France. Beaten 18-10 by South Sydney in their semi-final, the Magpies then watched South Sydney beat North Sydney 26-12 in the Final. As minor premiers, Wests exercised their right of challenge, forcing a Grand Final at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday 20 September, watched by 41,060. South Sydney, chasing a third consecutive premiership, were embroiled in controversy early: Ken Macreadie appeared to score after taking a pass, but the referee ruled the ball had travelled forward, a decision that dominated post-match argument, and Souths coach Jack Rayner later complained of a lopsided penalty count. Souths nevertheless led 7-5 at half-time, Johnny Graves kicking their goals. The second half turned on condition: with the game in the balance, the fitter Magpies ran over the top of the two-time defending premiers, scoring four tries in the final ten minutes to break the match open. Don Schofield crossed twice, with Fitzgerald, Dines, George Bain and McLean completing a six-try haul and Bain adding two goals; Macreadie and Smailes scored Souths' only tries in the 22-12 result. The contest also boiled over in trademark early-fifties fashion, with one player from each side sent off for fighting. The Sunday press summed it up: minor premiers Western Suburbs, showing better condition in the second half, had scored four tries in the last ten minutes to take the title. The premiership was the Magpies' fourth, after 1930, 1934 and 1948, and carried a curious symmetry: in both 1948 and 1952 Wests denied an opponent a third straight title. For South Sydney the defeat merely interrupted the dynasty, as the Rabbitohs won the next three premierships; for Western Suburbs, whose Kangaroos returned home to find a premiership won without them, 1952 became the high-water mark of the club's history and the day the minor premiers proved the challenge system's worth.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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