Balmain Tigers 15–6 South Sydney Rabbitohs — Semi-Final, 1944 NRL Finals Series
2 Sep 1944 · Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, NSW · Attendance: 28,237
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
Semi-Final, 1944 NRL finals series: Balmain Tigers 15–6 South Sydney Rabbitohs, at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, NSW on 2 Sep 1944.
Sourcing caveat: Arthur Patton's (Balmain) goal count is not explicitly stated by the source; crediting him with 1 goal is the only value that reconciles Balmain's total (3 tries + Dreise's 2 goals + Patton's inferred 1 goal = 15), and is reported here as an arithmetic inference rather than a directly-sourced count.
Scorers
| Balmain Tigers | Tries: Dreise; Hampstead; Ponchard Goals: Dreise (2/3); Patton (1) |
| South Sydney Rabbitohs | Goals: Bonner (3) |
Team sheets
| Balmain Tigers | South Sydney Rabbitohs | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parkinson | Fullback | Bonner | 1 |
| 2 | Patton (c) | Wing | Curry | 2 |
| 3 | Jorgenson | Centre | Lawrence Jnr | 3 |
| 4 | Bourke | Centre | Mangan | 4 |
| 5 | Dreise | Wing | Quinlivan | 5 |
| 6 | Ponchard | Five-Eighth | Kennedy | 6 |
| 7 | Devery | Halfback | Thompson | 7 |
| 8 | Hampstead | Lock | Brown | 8 |
| 9 | S. Ryan | Second Row | Parker | 9 |
| 10 | A. Smith | Second Row | Armstrong | 10 |
| 11 | Campbell | Prop | Walsh (c) | 11 |
| 12 | Watt | Hooker | Mackie | 12 |
| 13 | Buckley | Prop | McAnulty | 13 |
| Norm Robinson | Coach | Alf Blair | ||
Match officials
| Referee | Jack O'Brien |
Match report
2 Sep 1944, SCG. Halftime: Balmain 5-4. George Watt (Balmain) was sent off. Team changes: Balmain moved Pat Devery centre to halfback and Frank Dreise halfback to wing, pre-match.