1989 New South Wales Rugby League premiership
Teams16
Premiers Canberra (1st title)
Minor premiers South Sydney (17th title)
Matches played183
Points scored5537
Attendance2040375
Top points scorer(s) Ricky Walford (146)
Andy Currier (146)
Player of the year Gavin Miller
Mark Sargent (Rothmans Medal)
Top try-scorer(s) Gary Belcher (17)

The 1989 NSWRL season was the 82nd season of professional rugby league football in Australia. Sixteen clubs competed for the New South Wales Rugby League's J.J. Giltinan Shield and Winfield Cup Premiership during the season, which culminated in a grand final between Balmain and Canberra. This season NSWRL teams also competed for the 1989 Panasonic Cup. This would be the last time a mid-season competition was played concurrent with the regular season. From 1990 it would become a pre-season competition.

Season summary

Twenty-two regular season rounds were played from March till August, resulting in a top five of South Sydney, Penrith, Balmain, Canberra and Cronulla (who finished equal with Brisbane but beat them in a play-off for fifth) to battle it out in the finals.

This year Penrith forward Geoff Gerard set new record for most first-grade NSWRL premiership games at 320 before retiring at the end of the season.

The 1989 season's Rothmans Medal was shared by Cronulla-Sutherland forward Gavin Miller and Newcastle front-rower Mark Sargent. Miller also won the Dally M Award and was named Rugby League Week's player of the year.

The grand finals:

  • Canberra Raiders vs Newcastle Knights (Senior Grade)
  • North Sydney Bears vs Parramatta Eels (Reserve Grade)
  • South Sydney Rabbitohs vs Canberra Raiders (Under-21s Grade)

The winners in all grades were:

  • Canberra Raiders (Senior Grade)
  • North Sydney Bears (Reserve Grade)
  • South Sydney Rabbitohs (Under-21s Grade)

The State of Origin Series

  • Queensland vs New South Wales

Teams

The lineup of teams remained unchanged from the previous season, with sixteen clubs contesting the premiership, including five Sydney-based foundation teams, another six from Sydney, two from greater New South Wales, two from Queensland, and one from the Australian Capital Territory.

Balmain

82nd season
Ground: Leichhardt Oval
Coach: Warren Ryan
Captain: Wayne Pearce

Brisbane

2nd season
Ground: Lang Park
Coach: Wayne Bennett
Captain: Wally Lewis

Canberra

8th season
Ground: Seiffert Oval
Coach: Tim Sheens
Captain: Mal Meninga

Canterbury-Bankstown

55th season
Ground: Belmore Oval
Coach: Phil Gould
Captain: Peter Tunks

Cronulla-Sutherland

23rd season
Ground: Caltex Field
Coach: Allan Fitzgibbon
Captain: David Hatch

Eastern Suburbs

82nd season
Ground: Sydney Football Stadium
Coach: Russell Fairfax
Captain: Hugh McGahan

Gold Coast Giants

2nd season
Ground: Seagulls Stadium
Coach: Bob McCarthy
Captain: Ron GibbsBilly Johnstone

Illawarra

8th season
Ground: Wollongong Stadium
Coach: Ron Hilditch
Captain: Chris Walsh

Manly-Warringah

43rd season
Ground: Brookvale Oval
Coach: Alan Thompson
Captain: Paul Vautin

Newcastle

2nd season
Ground: Newcastle ISC
Coach: Allan McMahon
Captain: Sam Stewart

North Sydney

82nd season
Ground: North Sydney Oval
Coach: Frank Stanton
Captain: John DorahyTony Rea

Parramatta

43rd season
Ground: Parramatta Stadium
Coach: John Monie
Captain: Peter Sterling

Penrith

23rd season
Ground: Penrith Stadium
Coach: Ron Willey
Captain: Royce Simmons

South Sydney

82nd season
Ground: Sydney Football Stadium
Coach: George Piggins
Captain: Mario Fenech

St. George

70th season
Ground: Kogarah Oval
Coach: Craig Young
Captain: Brian Johnston

Western Suburbs

82nd season
Ground: Orana Park
Coach: John Bailey
Captain: Cameron BlairEllery Hanley

Advertising

1989 was a watershed year for the New South Wales Rugby League's advertising commencing an association with Tina Turner that would last until 1995. In those years the NSWRL, its ad agency Hertz Walpole and promotions consultant Brian Walsh would fundamentally change the image and popular perception of the game in Australia.

Agency copywriter Paul Knights inspired by the brutal simplicity of the game, saw a link to the lyrics in Tina Turner's 1987 hit What You Get Is What You See[1] written by Terry Britten & Graham Lyle. Negotiations were assisted by the fact that her Australian manager Roger Davies was familiar with the game and the rights deal was easily done. There was initially no intention to film Tina performing the song but at the last minute an availability appeared in her schedule. The agency and a production crew were despatched to England along with the NSWRL's General Manager John Quayle bearing bags of balls, jumpers and branded goalpost pads. Leading players Cliff Lyons (Manly) and Gavin Miller (Cronulla) were both in England at the time playing for Leeds and Hull Kingston Rovers respectively and made themselves available for the film and promotional stills shoot with Tina. In the finished ad the Tina footage is interspersed with the usual big hits and crowd scenes plus shots of the star players of the time in pre-season training. Lyons appears in the commercial in a hammy locker room shot with Tina.

Initial questions about the relevance of Tina to the Australian game were displaced when the up tempo, sexy ad appeared and the long running and successful association began.

Regular season

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 F1 F2 F3 F4 GF
Balmain Tigers NOR
+7
NEW
+2
BRI
+9
PAR
−2
WES
−2
MAN
+1
PEN
−20
GCG
+10
CBY
−6
X STG
−10
ILA
+12
SOU
−2
EAS
+4
CRO
+22
CAN
+6
NOR
+32
NEW
−8
BRI
+18
PAR
+4
WES
+40
MAN
0
PEN
+27
X PEN
+12
SOU
+10
X CAN
−5*
Brisbane Broncos PEN
+20
MAN
+4
BAL
−9
WES
+2
NEW
+12
PAR
+4
NOR
+26
ILA
+8
EAS
+34
X GCG
+14
STG
−10
CAN
−21
CRO
+32
CBY
−14
SOU
−12
PEN
−10
MAN
−8
BAL
−18
WES
+12
NEW
+4
PAR
+8
NOR
+30
CRO
−24
Canberra Raiders CRO
−18
SOU
−15
EAS
+1
GCG
+24
CBY
+30
ILA
+36
STG
+38
MAN
+2
PAR
+25
X NEW
−4
PEN
−10
BRI
+21
WES
−3
NOR
+9
BAL
−6
CRO
−6
SOU
−10
EAS
+4
GCG
+24
CBY
+4
ILA
+10
STG
+14
X CRO
+21
PEN
+9
SOU
+16
BAL
+5*
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs GCG
+6
CRO
+20
ILA
+12
STG
−8
CAN
−30
EAS
+24
SOU
−8
NEW
−8
BAL
+6
X PEN
−34
PAR
+14
NOR
0
MAN
−18
BRI
+14
WES
+20
GCG
+6
CRO
−15
ILA
+10
STG
−32
CAN
−4
EAS
−32
SOU
0
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks CAN
+18
CBY
−20
SOU
−2
EAS
+4
STG
−1
GCG
+2
ILA
+20
PEN
+22
NEW
+26
X PAR
−10
NOR
+14
WES
+16
BRI
−32
BAL
−22
MAN
+5
CAN
+6
CBY
+15
SOU
+2
EAS
−18
STG
+14
GCG
−4
ILA
+32
BRI
+24
CAN
−21
Eastern Suburbs Roosters SOU
+14
STG
+1
CAN
−1
CRO
−4
ILA
+42
CBY
−24
GCG
−14
PAR
−4
BRI
−34
WES
+2
X MAN
−10
PEN
−20
BAL
−4
NEW
−10
NOR
+6
SOU
−18
STG
+4
CAN
−4
CRO
+18
ILA
0
CBY
+32
GCG
+30
Gold Coast-Tweed Giants CBY
−6
ILA
+4
X CAN
−24
SOU
−15
CRO
−2
EAS
+14
BAL
−10
PEN
−23
STG
−4
BRI
−14
WES
0
NEW
+6
NOR
+2
MAN
+23
PAR
−14
CBY
−6
ILA
+2
STG
−32
CAN
−24
SOU
−11
CRO
+4
EAS
−30
Illawarra Steelers STG
−4
GCG
−4
CBY
−12
SOU
−8
EAS
−42
CAN
−36
CRO
−20
BRI
−8
MAN
+6
NOR
−12
X BAL
−12
PAR
−16
PEN
−1
WES
−2
NEW
−12
STG
+2
GCG
−2
CBY
−10
SOU
−12
EAS
0
CAN
−10
CRO
−32
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles PAR
−2
BRI
−4
NEW
−14
NOR
+4
PEN
−10
BAL
−1
WES
+12
CAN
−2
ILA
−6
X SOU
−26
EAS
+10
STG
+14
CBY
+18
GCG
−23
CRO
−5
PAR
+22
BRI
+8
NEW
+10
NOR
−2
PEN
−18
BAL
0
WES
+6
Newcastle Knights WES
+9
BAL
−2
MAN
+14
PEN
−9
BRI
−12
NOR
+12
PAR
+4
CBY
+8
CRO
−26
X CAN
+4
SOU
−8
GCG
−6
STG
−8
EAS
+10
ILA
+12
WES
−18
BAL
+8
MAN
−10
PEN
−1
BRI
−4
NOR
+13
PAR
+10
North Sydney Bears BAL
−7
PEN
−20
WES
+24
MAN
−4
PAR
+16
NEW
−12
BRI
−26
SOU
−10
STG
+2
ILA
+12
X CRO
−14
CBY
0
GCG
−2
CAN
−9
EAS
−6
BAL
−32
PEN
−29
WES
−30
MAN
+2
PAR
−24
NEW
−13
BRI
−30
Parramatta Eels MAN
+2
WES
+20
PEN
+2
BAL
+2
NOR
−16
BRI
−4
NEW
−4
EAS
+4
CAN
−25
X CRO
+10
CBY
−14
ILA
+16
SOU
−8
STG
+12
GCG
+14
MAN
−22
WES
−18
PEN
+7
BAL
−4
NOR
+24
BRI
−8
NEW
−10
Penrith Panthers BRI
−20
NOR
+20
PAR
−2
NEW
+9
MAN
+10
WES
+26
BAL
+20
CRO
−22
GCG
+23
X CBY
+34
CAN
+10
EAS
+20
ILA
+1
SOU
+11
STG
−4
BRI
+10
NOR
+29
PAR
−7
NEW
+1
MAN
+18
WES
+37
BAL
−27
X BAL
−12
CAN
−9
South Sydney Rabbitohs EAS
−14
CAN
+15
CRO
+2
ILA
+8
GCG
+15
STG
+32
CBY
+8
NOR
+10
WES
+9
X MAN
+26
NEW
+8
BAL
+2
PAR
+8
PEN
−11
BRI
+12
EAS
+18
CAN
+10
CRO
−2
ILA
+12
GCG
+11
STG
+4
CBY
0
X X BAL
−10
CAN
−16
St. George Dragons ILA
+4
EAS
−1
X CBY
+8
CRO
+1
SOU
−32
CAN
−38
WES
−2
NOR
−2
GCG
+4
BAL
+10
BRI
+10
MAN
−14
NEW
+8
PAR
−12
PEN
+4
ILA
−2
EAS
−4
GCG
+32
CBY
+32
CRO
−14
SOU
−4
CAN
−14
Western Suburbs Magpies NEW
−9
PAR
−20
NOR
−24
BRI
−2
BAL
+2
PEN
−26
MAN
−12
STG
+2
SOU
−9
EAS
−2
X GCG
0
CRO
−16
CAN
+3
ILA
+2
CBY
−20
NEW
+18
PAR
+18
NOR
+30
BRI
−12
BAL
−40
PEN
−37
MAN
−6
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 F1 F2 F3 F4 GF

Bold – Home game
X – Bye
* – Extra time game
Opponent for round listed above margin

Ladder

Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
1 Souths 221813390207+18337
2 Penrith 221606438241+19732
3 Balmain 221417380236+14429
4 Canberra (P) 221408457287+17028
5 Brisbane 221408398290+10828
6 Cronulla-Sutherland 221408368281+8728
7 Newcastle 2211011281281022
8 Parramatta 2211011346366-2022
9 Canterbury-Bankstown 2210210280337-5722
10 St. George 2210012330356-2620
11 Easts 229112348346+219
12 Manly-Warringah 229112334343-919
13 Wests 227114229389-16015
14 Gold Coast 227114223383-16015
15 Norths 225116194406-21211
16 Illawarra 222119256503-2475

Ladder progression

  • Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 5.
  • Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round.
  • Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished last place on the ladder in that round.
  • Underlined numbers indicate that the team had a bye during that round.
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
1 South Sydney Rabbitohs02468101214161618202224242628303032343637
2 Penrith Panthers0224681010121214161820222224262628303232
3 Balmain Tigers246668810101010121214161820202224262729
4 Canberra Raiders0024681012141414141616181818182022242628
5 Brisbane Broncos24468101214161618181820202020202022242628
6 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks222446810121212141616161820222424262628
7 Newcastle Knights224446810101012121212141616181818182022
8 Parramatta Eels246888810101012121414161818182020222222
9 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs24666888101010121313151719192121212122
10 St. George Dragons222466666810121214141616161820202020
11 Eastern Suburbs Roosters2444666668888881010121214151719
12 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles000222444446810101012141616161719
13 Western Suburbs Magpies000022244445579911131515151515
14 Gold Coast-Tweed Giants02222244444579111111131313131515
15 North Sydney Bears002244446888999999911111111
16 Illawarra Steelers00000000222222224444555

Finals

Cronulla and Brisbane, having finished equal fifth, played off for a semi-final berth. Cronulla would secure fifth position via a dominant display in a midweek clash on neutral turf at the recently constructed Parramatta Stadium.

Despite being on fourth place on the ladder, Canberra went on to win the competition, the first club to do so since the top five system's introduction. They won their last nine games of the season. Canberra's win also saw them become the first non-Sydney based club to win the premiership.

Home Score Away Match information
Date and time Venue Referee Crowd
Playoff
Brisbane 14–38 Cronulla-Sutherland 29 August 1989 Parramatta Stadium Mick Stone 9,047
Qualifying Finals
Canberra 31–10 Cronulla-Sutherland 2 September 1989 Sydney Football Stadium Bill Harrigan 18,186
Penrith 12–24 Balmain 3 September 1989 Sydney Football Stadium Mick Stone 29,508
Semi-finals
Penrith 18–27 Canberra 9 September 1989 Sydney Football Stadium Mick Stone 20,314
South Sydney 10–20 Balmain 10 September 1989 Sydney Football Stadium Bill Harrigan 40,000
Preliminary final
South Sydney 16–32 Canberra 17 September 1989 Sydney Football Stadium Bill Harrigan 31,469
Grand final
Balmain 14–19 Canberra 24 September 1989 Sydney Football Stadium Bill Harrigan 40,500

Chart

Qualifying finalMajor semi-finalPreliminary finalGrand final
1 South Sydney10 Balmain14
Balmain20 Canberra19
2 Penrith12 South Sydney16
3 Balmain24Minor semi-final Canberra32
Penrith18
4 Canberra31 Canberra27
5 Cronulla-Sutherland10

Grand final

Balmain Position Canberra
  1. Garry Jack
FB
  1. Gary Belcher
2. James GrantWG2. Matthew Wood
3. Andy CurrierCE3. Mal Meninga (c)
4. Tim BrasherCE4. Laurie Daley
5. Steve O’BrienWG5. John Ferguson
6. Mick NeilFE6. Chris O'Sullivan
7. Gary FreemanHB7. Ricky Stuart
8. Steve RoachPR8. Brent Todd
9. Benny EliasHK9. Steve Walters
10. Steve EdmedPR10. Glenn Lazarus
11. Paul SironenSR11. Dean Lance
12. Bruce McGuireSR12. Gary Coyne
13. Wayne Pearce (c)LK13. Bradley Clyde
14. Kevin HardwickBench15. Paul Martin
15. Michael PobjieBench20. Steve Jackson
16. Shaun EdwardsBench22. Kevin Walters
Warren RyanCoachTim Sheens

For only the second time ever, the grand final was not an all-Sydney affair. A number of rugby league writers have referred to the 1989 grand final as the greatest ever;[2] Canberra, who were beaten grand finalists in 1987, had won five games straight in order to make the finals, and in the finals accounted for Cronulla, an emerging Penrith team, and minor premiers South Sydney to qualify for their second grand final, though any loss would have eliminated the side from contention.

Canberra captain Mal Meninga had to overcome a broken arm from earlier in the season and played in a special cast. Also playing for the Raiders were future representative stars Laurie Daley, Bradley Clyde, Ricky Stuart, Steve Walters and his younger brother Kevin and Glenn Lazarus, as well as established stars Gary Belcher, Brent Todd and John "Chicka" Ferguson. Canberra were coached by Tim Sheens.

Their opponents Balmain, beaten grand finalists in 1988, boasted a Test-strength pack including Steve "Blocker" Roach, Paul Sironen, Ben Elias, Bruce McGuire, and inspirational captain Wayne "Junior" Pearce, as well as a backline that included Garry Jack, goalkicking English import Andy Currier, New Zealand halfback Gary Freeman, former Wallaby rugby union winger James Grant, and schoolboy sensation Tim Brasher, were favourites to win. The Tigers were again coached by former Canterbury-Bankstown dual premiership winning coach Warren Ryan.

The pre-match entertainment was provided by Marc Hunter, Debra Byrne, Michael Edward Stevens, boy soprano Ben Hawks & John Williamson.[3]

Balmain led 12–2 at half time, having scored two tries against the run of play. The first came after an intercept by winger James Grant, snatching an offload from Raiders prop Brent Todd. The second was a great team effort with Paul Sironen steaming over under the posts after lead-up work from Andy Currier and Grant, all starting from a kick ahead by Currier after he had received a perfect offload from Steve Roach.

Canberra had looked marginally the better side in the first half and coach Tim Sheens spoke effectively to his players at the break, stressing that they could be considered unlucky to be trailing. Fifteen minutes into the second half referee Bill Harrigan controversially ruled against Balmain second-rower Bruce McGuire for using offside Raider Steve Walters as a shepherd.[4] From the ensuing penalty the Raiders kicked for touch and "Chicka" Ferguson set up the Raiders' first try when he escaped an attempted tackle by Currier, passed to Belcher, who also beat Currier to score. The gap was narrowed to 12–8.

Twice in the last twenty minutes Balmain nearly wrapped up the match. Michael Neil was ankle-tapped five metres from the line in a desperate dive by Mal Meninga. Then the Tigers' captain Wayne Pearce lost the ball with the line wide open and centre Tim Brasher unmarked.

Warren Ryan's decisions with fifteen minutes left to replace the enforcer Roach with defender Kevin Hardwick may have been the turning point in the game. Ryan effectively set out to defend a six-point lead, a tactic which ultimately backfired. Benny Elias' field goal attempt hit the cross bar, after he'd earlier had one charged down by Meninga. However, with 90 seconds to go and it seemingly all over for the Raiders, the evergreen Ferguson scored the try of his life. Chris O'Sullivan sent up a searching bomb, Laurie Daley was there to palm the ball to Ferguson who stepped back inside past three converging defenders to score close to the posts, enabling an easy conversion for Meninga to level.[5]

With Canberra's confidence mounting, the game became the first grand final since 1977 to go into same-day extra time. At this point the Sironen/Roach replacements became crucial with neither able to resume the field for the extra period.

Garry Jack knocked on two minutes into extra time and from the scrum Canberra's five-eighth Chris O'Sullivan kicked a field goal. Minutes from the finish, Raiders replacement Steve Jackson received the ball fifteen metres from the line and made for the tryline, beating two men and then carrying a further three with him. As he was being brought down he reached out to place the ball one-handed on the line.

It was Canberra's first ever premiership; the first grand final won by an out-of-Sydney club; and the first team to win from 4th position. Canberra's nineteen-year-old lock Bradley Clyde was a deserved Clive Churchill Medal winner as the man of the match, though most agreed that a number of Raiders could have won the medal, including fullback Gary Belcher.

Such was the drama of the match that an account of it was written by Thomas Keneally entitled "A movie script that came to life".[6] This memorable match is now commemorated each year with the 1989 League Legends Cup.

Canberra 19 (Tries: Belcher, Ferguson, Jackson. Goals: Meninga 3/6. Field Goal: O'Sullivan)

Balmain 14 (Tries: Grant, Sironen. Goals: Currier 3/4)

Referee: Bill Harrigan

Attendance: 40,500

Clive Churchill Medal: Bradley Clyde (Canberra)[7]

World Club Challenge

On 4 October, Canberra played British champions Widnes in the 1989 World Club Challenge at Old Trafford, Manchester. The Raiders lost 18 to 30 in front of 30,768 people.

Player statistics

The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 22.

References

  • Clarkson, Alan (1997). The Greatest Games We Ever Played (Essay Collection, ed Geoff Prenter). Sydney: Ironbark Publishing.
  • Rugby League Tables - Season 1989 Rugby League Tables.

Footnotes

  1. Clemes, Michael D. (2002). New Zealand Case Studies in Strategic Marketing. Thomson Learning Nelson. p. 186. ISBN 978-0-86469-419-5.
  2. [Clarkson, The Greatest Games We Ever Played p133]
  3. MacDonald, John (25 September 1992). "Shut your Eyes, plug your Ears, and cringe". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australia: Fairfax. p. 75. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
  4. "The pain of a grand final penalty". news.com.au. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  5. Keneally, Thomas (2001). The best ever Australian Sports Writing. Australia: Black Inc. pp. 350–253. ISBN 1-86395-266-7. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  6. Headon, David (October 1999). "Up From the Ashes: The Phoenix of a Rugby League Literature" (PDF). Football Studies Volume 2, Issue 2. Football Studies Group. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 August 2010.
  7. D'Souza, Miguel. "Grand Final History". wwos.ninemsn.com.au. Australian Associated Press. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
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