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Seasons In Review
(Contents)

Introduction

1907 - 1920

1921 - 1925

1926 - 1929

1930 -1934

1935 -1939

1940 -1944

1945 -1949

1950 -1955

1956 -1959

1960 -1963

1964 -1966

1967 -1969

1970 -1973

1974 -1979

1980 - 1984

1985 - 1989

1990 - 1993

1994 - 1995

1996

1997 - 1998

1999

2000 - 2002

2003 - 2005

2006

2007

St George Dragons Rugby League History
Since 1921 - Our Proud History
1940-1944
WAR AND PEACE
Jack Lindwall - St George rugby league historyWith the outbreak of World War Two in 1939 came a whole new set of hardships. Apart from the fear of invasion, there was also a mass exodus of young men leaving Australia to join the fight. No sport was left untouched as scores of the countries' best athletes went off, many never to return. Like all Rugby League clubs, St George was hit hard. But this didn't stop Saints winning their first ever premiership in 1941.
In 1942, despite performing better in the semi-finals, Saints were denied their second premiership.
The 1940s also saw record breaking Jack Lindwall (pic right) reach his career heights. Jack's brother, Ray Lindwall also played for Saints in the 1940s and was a talented footballer before becoming a champion cricketer.
In a League of their own
1940:
Club Champions for first time!
SAINTS SWITCH BACK TO HURSTVILLE OVAL AND DON NEW JERSEY
Season Snapshot
In 1940, Saints finished in third position on the ladder qualifying for semi-finals before bowing out in the major semi-final.
Hurstville Oval, 3 August 1940: St George completed round 14 by defeating Wests 31-15. Saints did well in all three grades in 1940 and won the Club Championship for the first time. 1940 also saw the club return to Hurstville Oval as their home ground after 15 seasons at Earl Park.
St George also have done away with their red vee jersey and switched back to a red hoops jersey, similar to that which they wore between 1921-1927. The main difference being the thin red hoops on either side of wider hoops instead of the simple wide red hoops of the 1920s. The jersey earned St George another new nickname,  'Blood & Bandages'. The club would eventually return a wide red vee later in the 1940s.

SAINTS DEFEATED IN MAJOR SEMI FINAL
Sydney Cricket Ground, 17 August 1940: Saints' season has come to an end after being defeated by Easts 10-3 in front of 17,473 people.
SAINTS SIGN ANOTHER LINDWALL
Also in 1940, St George signed promising fullback and goal kicker, Ray Lindwall, the brother of Jack Lindwall who came to Saints in 1938. Ray, an all round sportsman is also a talented cricketer.
HAZLETON DEPARTS
Charlie Hazleton, Illawarra district's first international has had his Rugby League career cut short by the war. 'Saus' Hazleton, a Kangaroo, played two seasons with St George in 1939 and 1940 and as winger scored 17 tries in just 14 rounds in 1939. After the war, he will return to play in Port Kembla.
1940
NSWRL First Grade
Ladder

(top 4 in semis)
Easts p 19
Newtown 18
St George 16
Canterbury 16
Balmain 15
Souths 14
Norths   8
Wests   6
p = Season Premiers

Saints 1940
AFTER 14 ROUNDS
Minor Premiership
Won-Lost-Draw-Bye
W
L
D
7
5
2
Points For 263
(1st best attack)
Points Against 203
(5th best defence)
MP Standing
3rd

(8 teams)

FINALS
W
L
0
1
Points For 3
Points Against 10
Final Standing
3rd

TOTALS
15 matches
W
L
D
7
6
2
Points For 266
Points Against 213
1941:
St George rugby league 1941 premiers - click here for larger image
Click on pic for larger image and names
ST GEORGE WIN FIRST PREMIERSHIP

St George rugby league history 1941Sydney Cricket Ground, 30 August 1941: Following 20 years of persistence and near misses, St George finally win their first premiership
After 14 rounds Saints were in 4th position on 17 pts but were only one point behind Easts, Balmain and Canterbury.
Supporters were ruing the round nine match when Saints scored two tries to one but went down to Canterbury 15-14 thus ultimately denying the Dragons the minor premiership.
But with by far the best season attacking record (63 tries) Saints made easy work of Balmain in the minor semi-final, winning 32-8. The Dragons then went on to win the greatest prize of all when they trounced Easts in the Final 31-14, in front of 39,957 people.

THE 1941 FINAL, ST GEORGE SCORERS:
Tries: Roy 'Torchy' Hasson (halfback) 2, Owen 'Bricky' Campbell (winger) 2, Neville Smith (c-coach) 1, Gordon Hart (winger) 1, Len Kelly (forward) 1.
Goals: Neville Smith 5.

FULLTIME SCORE: St George 31-14.
Referee: Tom McMahon.
1941
NSWRL First Grade
Ladder

(top 4 in semis)
Easts 18
Balmain 18
Canterbury 18
St George p 17
Newtown 14
Wests 12
Souths   8
Norths   7
(14 ROUNDS)
Saints '41 record
Win  Loss Draw
8W, 5L, 1D
Pts for/against
For 307
(1st)

Against 248 (6th)
SKIPPER KNOCKED OUT
Neville Smith - St George rugby league history
In what was a tough encounter, St George captain-coach and star player, Neville Smith [pic left] was knocked out after a heavy tackle early in the match.

Neville Smith recovered and scored 13 points with one try and five goals.

In 1939, Neville came to St George from Valleys (Brisbane) and became the youngest ever captain-coach in the club's history.
TWO PLAYERS SENT OFF
Bill Tyquin - St George rugby league historyIn another incident, Easts forward, Jack Arnold and Saints forward, Bill Tyquin were sent off after an almighty punch up.
Tyquin [pic right] had just one memorable season in the Sydney premiership. The next year he returned back to Queensland and went on to captain the state side in 1948-49. He also represented Australia as a '48 Kangaroo.
The record shows no representative appearances for Jack Arnold.
DAVE BROWN RETIRES: Easts' centre Dave Brown retires from League after Easts' loss to Saints. Brown has often been referred to as 'the Bradman of League' and holds many League records.
1942:
Late goal saves Canterbury-Bankstown

SAINTS RUNNERS UP
Sydney Cricket Ground, 12 September 1942: 
A crowd of 26,171 saw Canterbury's Lindsay Johnson manage a late conversion to secure an 11-9 win in the 1942 Grand Final. Saints were leading 9-6 late in the match but a Canterbury try locked up the scores at 9-all The Canterbury fullback's goal just scraped over the cross bar giving his team the premiership. It was
a tight match with both teams scoring one try each.
In the previous weeks, Saints had already beaten Canterbury 25-10 on August 22. Saints also won the Preliminary Final, defeating Easts 18-5 which normally would have declared Saints as being the Premiers.
But under a call back of rules previously deemed unworkable in the 1930s Saints, had to play minor premiers Canterbury again in the Grand Final. A revision of the system showed that it did have some merits but it is clear that extra games meant extra gate money.
Canterbury gained their minor premiership by way of a play off with Balmain when both teams finished on 20 points after 14 rounds. Saints finished third on the ladder with 18 points with Easts on 16 points.
Coming into the premiership decider, Saints had won two matches in the semis while Canterbury had just one victory but were always guaranteed a grand final berth.
Given the circumstances, St George supporters must have been full of despair at losing the Grand Final.
FULL TIME: Canterbury 11 St George 9. Point scorers for St George: Jack Lindwall 1 try, Ray Lindwall 3 goals.
NB: All three grades made it to Grand Final - Saints third grade won.
Doug McRitchie - St George rugby league historyNEW SIGNINGS:
Saints blooded promising local junior Doug McRitchie (pictured) into first grade in 1942 without allowing him any experience in the lower grades. Later (1945), the centre would serve in New Guinea and like many players of the time, his football career was to be interrupted by the war.
1942
NSWRL First Grade
Ladder

(top 4 in semis)
Canterbury p 20
Balmain 20
St George 18
Easts 16
Souths 15
Norths 10
Newtown   9
Wests   4
(14 ROUNDS)
Saints '42 record
Win  Loss Draw
9W, 5L, 0D
Pts for/against
For 271
(1st)

Against 205 (4th)
1943
NSWRL First Grade
Ladder

(top 4 in semis)
Newtown p 21
Balmain 21
Norths 17
St George 17
Souths 16
Easts   8
Wests   6
Canterbury   6
(14 ROUNDS)
Saints '43 record
Win  Loss Draw
8W, 5L, 1D
Pts for/against
For 185
(3rd)

Against 188 (6th)
1943:
SAINTS BOW OUT IN PRELIMINARY FINAL

Sydney Cricket Ground, 28 August 1943: Saints finished 4th on the ladder coming into the semis. They defeated Balmain 12-5 in the minor semi on August 21. Saints were defeated in the preliminary final by Norths 25-19 on August 28 in front of 41,646. A crowd record was set the following week in the Grand Final when Newtown beat Norths by 34-7 in front of a mammoth SCG audience of 60,922.

1943 was the year that  Neville Smith made a return to St George as captain-coach after an absence if one year. However, it was to be his final season in a short career of 59 matches in which he scored 15 tries and 118 goals for a personal tally of 281 points. He also represented NSW six times in 1940 and 1941 (captain in 1940). He would have played for Australia if not for World War Two.

1944:
ST GEORGE SUFFER WORST DEFEAT
Sydney Cricket Ground, 26 August 1944: In the same year that allied troops were making their run on the beaches of Normandy, St George were copping a hiding at the hands of Newtown in the major semi final. In front of 34,883 spectators, Newtown romped in 11 tries to two to humble the Dragons 55-7. This is the worse defeat ever delivered to St George (It would take another 50 years to be broken. See 1994).
In 1944, Saints finished 3rd on the ladder.
1944
NSWRL First Grade
Ladder

(top 4 in semis)
Newtown 22
Balmain p 21
St George 18
Souths 15
Norths 11
Wests 10
Easts   8
Canterbury   7
(14 ROUNDS)
Saints '44 record
Win  Loss Draw
9W, 5L, 0D
Pts for/against
For 230
(3rd)

Against 238 (4th)
1944 was the final year as a player for inspirational forward, Len Kelly who played 161 games for Saints. For a forward, Len was a prolific try scorer with 59 tries.
After retiring from first grade, Len went to the bush to captain-coach Picton. He later found a career in administration as an Australian selector (1956) and was to become vice president of the NSWRL as well president of the St George club.

Norm Tipping - St George rugby league historySAINTS SIGN WOLLONGONG JUNIOR
In 1944, St George secured the services of Frank Johnson for two seasons. The popular hooker represented Country between 1940-1943 while playing for Port Kembla. He remained a Dragon in 1945 but returned to Captain coach Wollongong in 1946.

Also in 1944, Saints lost winger / fullback, Norm Tipping (pic right) who came to St George from the district's Rugby Union ranks in 1932.
Norm's career was riddled with injury. He had to sit out the 1935 season only to suffer a spinal injury in 1936. He returned in 1943 and 1944 and ended his career with one try and one goal in 25 games with the Dragons.
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