1926 NSWRFL Season

1926 saw the introduction of the NSWRFL's first-ever finals series, brought in to sustain interest in the closing rounds amid declining crowds; rule changes that year also banned substitutes and restricted the play-the-ball. South Sydney topped the sixteen-round table as minor premiers with 32 points from 14 wins and 2 losses. Thanks to the new finals system, Sydney University reached the grand final for the only time in their history despite finishing fourth on the table. South Sydney defeated University 11-5 in the grand final at the Royal Agricultural Society Grounds before a crowd of about 20,000. Eastern Suburbs and Glebe tied for second on 23 points, and Newtown and North Sydney tied for sixth on 18 points. Western Suburbs finished a comfortable fifth with 252 points scored, the second-highest points-for tally in the competition behind South Sydney's 318. Balmain finished eighth, and St. George, in only their fifth season, finished with the wooden spoon on 8 points, a stark contrast to the premiership run the club would go on to have from 1956 onward.