1916 NSWRFL season
| 1916 New South Wales Rugby League | |
|---|---|
 Logo of the NSWRL | |
| Teams | 8 |
| Premiers |  Balmain (2nd title) |
| Minor premiers | Balmain (2nd title) |
| Matches played | 57 |
| Points scored | 1174 |
The 1916 New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the ninth season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney. Eight teams from across Sydney contested during the season.
Teams
The teams remained unchanged from the 1915 season.
- Annandale
- Balmain, formed on January 23 1908 at Balmain Town Hall
- Eastern Suburbs, formed on January 24 1908 at Paddington Town Hall
- Glebe, formed on January 9 1908
- Newtown, formed on January 14 1908
- North Sydney, formed on February 7 1908
- South Sydney, formed on January 17 1908 at Redfern Town Hall
- Western Suburbs
Ladder
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balmain
|
14 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 181 | 100 | +81 | 22 |
| File:South Sydney colours.png South Sydney | 14 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 170 | 117 | +53 | 22 |
| File:Glebe colours.png Glebe | 14 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 217 | 106 | +111 | 21 |
| File:Eastern Suburbs colours.png Eastern Suburbs | 14 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 170 | 89 | +81 | 16 |
| File:North Sydney colours.png North Sydney | 14 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 108 | 189 | -81 | 10 |
| File:Newtown colours.png Newtown | 14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 134 | 153 | -19 | 9 |
| File:Annandale colours.png Annandale | 14 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 94 | 163 | -69 | 8 |
| File:Western Suburbs colours.png Western Suburbs | 14 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 92 | 249 | -157 | 4 |
Season Summary
Three teams dominated the season, Balmain, South Sydney and Glebe. With two rounds to go, each of the three teams had a genuine chance of winning the premiership, each separated by one game or less. This created an interesting scenario with Balmain (20, 1st) facing South Sydney (18, 3rd) and Glebe (19, 2nd) facing Eastern Suburbs who were placed fourth at the time. As it turned out, Balmain lost 11-7 to Souths, leaving the competition wide open for Glebe to take the competition lead by one point. However, Glebe ended up losing crucially to Eastern suburbs 8-5 on the same day. With both Balmain and Souths now equal on 20 points with one game to play, it would have taken a miracle for Glebe to come back given that they were still on 19 points. All three teams won their final games, but it was equal placed Balmain and South Sydney that would play off in a premiership decider.
Final
The Final was held at the Sydney Cricket Ground for the first time, the first occasion of many for where Finals and Grand Finals were to be held for many years to come. The game, played on July 26 1916 in front of just 6000 people, saw the lead chang three times in the first half, with Balmain eventually coming on top 5-3 at half-time after a late penalty goal by Charles Fraser gave them the lead. The second half saw the game played predominantly on Balmain's line, with South Sydney putting on repeated attacks. However, the Balmain defence never gave in and the score did not change by the end of the game. When full-time came, the two point margin secured Balmain's second title in as many years.
References
- Rugby League Tables - Notes The World of Rugby League
- Rugby League Tables - Season 1916 The World of Rugby League
- Premiership History and Statistics RL1908
- 1916 - Balmain Beats Souths In Final RL1908