The 1985 New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the seventy-eighth season of professional rugby league football in Australia. Thirteen teams competed for the J J Giltinan Shield and Winfield Cup during the season, which culminated in a grand final between the Canterbury-Bankstown and St. George clubs. This season NSWRL teams also competed for the 1985 National Panasonic Cup.
| 1985 New South Wales Rugby League | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 13 |
| Premiers |  Canterbury-Bankstown (5th title) |
| Minor premiers |  St. George (15th title) |
| Matches played | 163 |
| Points scored | 5416 |
| Attendance | 1450162 |
| Top points scorer(s) |  Mick Cronin (204) |
| Player of the year |  Wayne Pearce (Rothmans Medal) |
| Top try-scorer(s) | Steve Linnane (17) |
Season summary
Twenty-six regular season rounds were played from March till September, resulting in a top five of St. George, Balmain, Canterbury, Parramatta and Penrith battling it out in the finals
The 1985 season's Rothmans Medallist was Balmain's lock, Wayne Pearce. The Dally M Award was given to Penrith's halfback, Greg Alexander, while Rugby League Week gave its player of the year award to Parramatta's lock, Ray Price.
Teams
The lineup of clubs remained unchanged from the previous year, with thirteen contesting the 1985 premiership, including five Sydney-based foundation teams, another six from Sydney, one from greater New South Wales and one from the Australian Capital Territory
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 | 24 | 25 | 26 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | GF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balmain Tigers | NOR +20 | PEN +30 | CRO +24 | WES +40 | CBY −2 | MAN −4 | EAS −4 | X | STG +5 | ILA +8 | CAN +3 | PAR +13 | SOU +12 | NOR +23 | PEN +6 | CRO −20 | WES +6 | CBY +6 | MAN +8 | EAS +1 | X | STG −2 | ILA +13 | CAN +18 | PAR −32 | SOU +18 | X | CBY −6* | PAR −28 | ||
| Canberra Raiders | ILA +10 | PAR −14 | NOR +8 | SOU +14 | PEN −30 | CRO −20 | WES +32 | CBY −24 | MAN 0 | EAS −2 | BAL −3 | STG +10 | X | ILA +9 | PAR −14 | NOR +30 | SOU +7 | PEN −6 | CRO −2 | WES 0 | CBY −12 | MAN −15 | EAS −18 | BAL −18 | STG −44 | X | |||||
| Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | CRO +14 | X | MAN −20 | EAS 0 | BAL +2 | STG 0 | ILA +6 | CAN +24 | PAR −20 | NOR +8 | SOU −15 | PEN −11 | WES +52 | CRO +8 | X | MAN +4 | EAS +7 | BAL −6 | STG −10 | ILA +20 | CAN +12 | PAR +15 | NOR +18 | SOU +18 | PEN +14 | WES +28 | X | BAL +6* | STG −11 | PAR +26 | STG +1 |
| Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | CBY −14 | EAS −20 | BAL −24 | STG −10 | ILA +8 | CAN +20 | PAR −4 | NOR +14 | SOU −6 | PEN −6 | X | WES +18 | MAN +15 | CBY −8 | EAS −7 | BAL +20 | STG −18 | ILA +26 | CAN +2 | PAR +8 | NOR +12 | SOU −2 | PEN −8 | X | WES +26 | MAN −6 | |||||
| Eastern Suburbs Roosters | SOU −18 | CRO +20 | WES +38 | CBY 0 | MAN −12 | X | BAL +4 | STG −4 | ILA +2 | CAN +2 | PAR −26 | NOR −4 | PEN +20 | SOU −8 | CRO +7 | WES 0 | CBY −7 | MAN −22 | X | BAL −1 | STG 0 | ILA −10 | CAN +18 | PAR +2 | NOR +16 | PEN −32 | |||||
| Illawarra Steelers | CAN −10 | NOR −5 | SOU +13 | PEN +6 | CRO −8 | WES −10 | CBY −6 | MAN −12 | EAS −2 | BAL −8 | STG −8 | X | PAR −20 | CAN −9 | NOR +18 | SOU +4 | PEN −26 | CRO −26 | WES −12 | CBY −20 | MAN −6 | EAS +10 | BAL −13 | STG −12 | X | PAR −2 | |||||
| Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | PEN −12 | WES +20 | CBY +20 | X | EAS +12 | BAL +4 | STG −4 | ILA +12 | CAN 0 | PAR +4 | NOR +14 | SOU −8 | CRO −15 | PEN −12 | WES +24 | CBY −4 | X | EAS +22 | BAL −8 | STG −17 | ILA +6 | CAN +15 | PAR −12 | NOR +18 | SOU −26 | CRO +6 | PEN −3 | ||||
| North Sydney Bears | BAL −20 | ILA +5 | CAN −8 | PAR −2 | X | SOU +4 | PEN −12 | CRO −14 | WES +2 | CBY −8 | MAN −14 | EAS +4 | STG −16 | BAL −23 | ILA −18 | CAN −30 | PAR −8 | X | SOU +4 | PEN 0 | CRO −12 | WES +16 | CBY −18 | MAN −18 | EAS −16 | STG −8 | |||||
| Parramatta Eels | STG −20 | CAN +14 | X | NOR +2 | SOU +17 | PEN −8 | CRO +4 | WES +6 | CBY +20 | MAN −4 | EAS +26 | BAL −13 | ILA +20 | STG +4 | CAN +14 | X | NOR +8 | SOU −13 | PEN +11 | CRO −8 | WES +38 | CBY −15 | MAN +12 | EAS −2 | BAL +32 | ILA +2 | X | PEN +32 | BAL +28 | CBY −26 | |
| Penrith Panthers | MAN +12 | BAL −30 | STG −3 | ILA −6 | CAN +30 | PAR +8 | NOR +12 | SOU +5 | X | CRO +6 | WES −9 | CBY +11 | EAS −20 | MAN +12 | BAL −6 | STG −10 | ILA +26 | CAN +6 | PAR −11 | NOR 0 | SOU −4 | X | CRO +8 | WES +26 | CBY −14 | EAS +32 | MAN +3 | PAR −32 | |||
| South Sydney Rabbitohs | EAS +18 | STG −6 | ILA −13 | CAN −14 | PAR −17 | NOR −4 | X | PEN −5 | CRO +6 | WES −8 | CBY +15 | MAN +8 | BAL −12 | EAS +8 | STG −24 | ILA −4 | CAN −7 | PAR +13 | NOR −4 | X | PEN +4 | CRO +2 | WES +8 | CBY −18 | MAN +26 | BAL −18 | |||||
| St. George Dragons | PAR +20 | SOU +6 | PEN +3 | CRO +10 | WES +12 | CBY 0 | MAN +4 | EAS +4 | BAL −5 | X | ILA +8 | CAN −10 | NOR +16 | PAR −4 | SOU +24 | PEN +10 | CRO +18 | WES −3 | CBY +10 | MAN +17 | EAS 0 | BAL +2 | X | ILA +12 | CAN +44 | NOR +8 | X | X | CBY +11 | X | CBY −1 |
| Western Suburbs Magpies | X | MAN −20 | EAS −38 | BAL −40 | STG −12 | ILA +10 | CAN −32 | PAR −6 | NOR −2 | SOU +8 | PEN +9 | CRO −18 | CBY −52 | X | MAN −24 | EAS 0 | BAL −6 | STG +3 | ILA +12 | CAN 0 | PAR −38 | NOR −16 | SOU −8 | PEN −26 | CRO −26 | CBY −28 | |||||
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 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 | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. George Dragons | 24 | 18 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 470 | 264 | +206 | 42 |
| 2 | Balmain Tigers | 24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 494 | 304 | +190 | 40 |
| 3 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24 | 16 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 435 | 267 | +168 | 38 |
| 4 | Parramatta Eels | 24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 458 | 311 | +147 | 36 |
| 5 |  Penrith Panthers | 24 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 460 | 379 | +81 | 31 |
| 6 |  Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 24 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 404 | 345 | +59 | 31 |
| 7 |  Eastern Suburbs Roosters | 24 | 10 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 374 | 389 | -15 | 27 |
| 8 |  Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 440 | 404 | +36 | 26 |
| 9 |  South Sydney Rabbitohs | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 373 | 419 | -46 | 24 |
| 10 |  Canberra Raiders | 24 | 8 | 2 | 14 | 2 | 432 | 534 | -102 | 22 |
| 11 |  North Sydney Bears | 24 | 6 | 1 | 17 | 2 | 281 | 491 | -210 | 17 |
| 12 |  Western Suburbs Magpies | 24 | 5 | 2 | 17 | 2 | 311 | 661 | -350 | 16 |
| 13 |  Illawarra Steelers | 24 | 5 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 303 | 467 | -164 | 14 |
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 | 24 | 25 | 26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. George Dragons | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 31 | 32 | 34 | 36 | 38 | 40 | 42 |
| 2 | Balmain Tigers | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 34 | 34 | 36 | 38 | 38 | 40 |
| 3 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 32 | 34 | 36 | 38 |
| 4 | Parramatta Eels | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 34 | 36 |
| 5 | Penrith Panthers | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 31 |
| 6 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 31 |
| 7 | Eastern Suburbs Roosters | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 27 | 27 |
| 8 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 |
| 9 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 24 |
| 10 | Canberra Raiders | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 22 |
| 11 | North Sydney Bears | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| 12 | Western Suburbs Magpies | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| 13 | Illawarra Steelers | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 |
Finals
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Crowd | |||||
| Playoff | ||||||||
| Penrith Panthers | 10-7 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 3 September 1985 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Mick Stone | 16,428 | ||
| Qualifying Finals | ||||||||
| Parramatta Eels | 38-6 | Penrith Panthers | 7 September 1985 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Kevin Roberts | 18,939 | ||
| Balmain Tigers | 8-14 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 8 September 1985 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Mick Stone | 25,194 | ||
| Semi-finals | ||||||||
| Balmain Tigers | 4-32 | Parramatta Eels | 14 September 1985 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Kevin Roberts | 25,423 | ||
| St. George Dragons | 17-6 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 15 September 1985 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Mick Stone | 39,013 | ||
| Preliminary final | ||||||||
| Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 26-0 | Parramatta Eels | 22 September 1985 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Kevin Roberts | 34,915 | ||
| Grand final | ||||||||
| St. George Dragons | 6-7 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 29 September 1985 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Kevin Roberts | 44,569 | ||
Chart
| Qualifying final | Major semi-final | Preliminary final | Grand final | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | St. George | 17 | St. George | 6 | ||||||||||||||
| Canterbury | 6 | Canterbury | 7 | |||||||||||||||
| 2 | Balmain | 8 | Canterbury | 26 | ||||||||||||||
| 3 | Canterbury | 14 | Minor semi-final | Parramatta | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Balmain | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Parramatta | 38 | Parramatta | 32 | ||||||||||||||
| 5 | Penrith | 6 | ||||||||||||||||
Grand final
| St. George Dragons | Position | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs |
|---|---|---|
| FB | ||
| 2. Denis Kinchela | WG | 2. Matthew Callinan |
| 3. Michael O'Connor | CE | 3. Andrew Farrar |
| 4. Michael Beattie | CE | 4. Chris Mortimer |
| 5. Steve Morris | WG | 5. Peter Mortimer |
| 6. Steve Linnane | FE | 14. Michael Hagan |
| 7. Perry Haddock | HB | 7. Steve Mortimer (c) |
| 13. Pat Jarvis | PR | 13. Peter Tunks |
| 12. Phil Ritchie | HK | 12. Billy Johnstone |
| 11. Craig Young (c) | PR | 11. Peter Kelly |
| 10. Billy Noke | SR | 10. Steve Folkes |
| 9. Graeme Wynn | SR | 9. Brian Battese |
| 8. Graeme O'Grady | LK | 8. Paul Langmack |
| 17. Chris Johns | Reserve | 15. David Gillespie |
| 20. Alan Neil | Reserve | 16. Greg Mullane |
| 23. Stephen Funnell | Reserve | 17. Mark Bugden |
| 38. Chris Guider | Reserve | |
| Roy Masters | Coach | Warren Ryan |
The 1985 grand final was played at the Sydney Cricket Ground before a crowd of 44,569.[2] Canterbury continually put St George fullback Burgess under the test of the high-ball in his in-goal area, which, under the rules of the time, resulted in a line drop-out with the Bulldogs regaining possession. After felling St George's Graeme Wynn as a scrum broke up, Canterbury's prop Peter Kelly was surprising awarded a penalty and shortly thereafter Kelly used the blindside to send winger Peter Mortimer over out wide for a 6-0 half time lead.
Bulldogs half and skipper Steve Mortimer seized control of the match and centre Andrew Farrar clinched it with a field goal in the 72nd minute to take the score to 7-0. A last light of hope appeared for the Dragons when Steve Morris scored and Michael O'Connor converted with five minutes left on the clock. In the end a practised and clinical approach from Canterbury shut out the Dragons who had been the minor premiers.
Canterbury-Bankstown 7
Tries: P Mortimer. Goal: Farrar. Field Goal: Farrar.
St. George 6
Tries: Morris. Goal: O'Connor.
Man-of-the-match: Steve Mortimer
Player statistics
The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 26.
Top 5 try scorers
| Tries | Player |
|---|---|
| 16 | Steve Linnane |
| 14 | Steve Ella |
| 13 | Greg Alexander |
| 12 | John Davidson |
| 11 | Ben Gonzales |
| 11 | Wayne Challis |
| 11 | Dean Carney |
| 11 | Les Biles |
| 11 | Craig Bellamy |
Top 5 goal scorers
| Goals | Player |
|---|---|
| 88 | Ross Conlon |
| 81 | Mick Cronin |
| 77 | Ron Giteau |
| 76 | Michael O'Connor |
| 75 | Dean Carney |
References
External links
- 1985 season Rugby League Tables
- Results:1981-90 at rabbitohs.com.au
- 1985 J J Giltinan Shield and Winfield Cup[dead link] at rleague.com
- NSWRL season 1985 at rugbyleagueproject.org