Balmain Tigers 27–16 Western Suburbs Magpies — Semi-Final, 1947 NRL Finals Series
6 Sep 1947 · Sydney Sports Ground, Sydney, NSW · Attendance: 29,375
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
Semi-Final, 1947 NRL finals series: Balmain Tigers 27–16 Western Suburbs Magpies, at Sydney Sports Ground, Sydney, NSW on 6 Sep 1947.
Sourcing caveat: RLP's narrative summary named only Bobby Lulham (2 tries) for Balmain and no Western Suburbs try-scorers; a fuller scoresheet extraction additionally listed Ryan, Wallace and Williams (Balmain) and Peime and Yanz Jnr (Western Suburbs) each with an unmarked (implicitly single) try, which is the only reading that reconciles with the 27-16 score. Reported on that basis; these additional scorers are arithmetic-supported rather than explicitly counted by the source's own narrative text.
Scorers
| Balmain Tigers | Tries: Lulham (2); Ryan; Wallace; Williams Goals: Devery (6) |
| Western Suburbs Magpies | Tries: Peime; Yanz Jnr Goals: Thornton (5) |
Team sheets
| Balmain Tigers | Western Suburbs Magpies | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McCullough | Fullback | Thornton | 1 |
| 2 | Lulham | Wing | Leal | 2 |
| 3 | Devery | Centre | Rodda | 3 |
| 4 | Bourke (c) | Centre | Yanz Jnr | 4 |
| 5 | Wallace | Wing | Snare | 5 |
| 6 | Williams | Five-Eighth | Bennett (c) | 6 |
| 7 | Bryan | Halfback | Hogan | 7 |
| 8 | De Belin | Lock | Peime | 8 |
| 9 | Ryan | Second Row | Hansen | 9 |
| 10 | Bath | Second Row | Milton | 10 |
| 11 | Brannigan | Prop | Seery | 11 |
| 12 | Gilbert | Hooker | Brown | 12 |
| 13 | Spencer | Prop | Piper | 13 |
| Norm Robinson | Coach | Frank Burge | ||
Match officials
| Referee | Tom McMahon |
Match report
6 Sep 1947, Sydney Sports Ground. Halftime: Western Suburbs 11, Balmain 9. Team changes: Western Suburbs - Fred Yanz Jnr, Jack Snare, Cliff Peime in for Trevor Eather, Jack Hickey, Peter McLean.