Wests have been involved in many premiership titles since Rugby League started in 1908

Wests have won the premiership on 4 occasions. 1930, 1934, 1948 and 1952

Wests were also runners up in 1918, 1925, 1932, 1950, 1958 and the famous Trifecta against St George 1961, 62, and 1963

Famous photo from the 1963 Grand Final

Rare photo from the the SMH

That’s John Mowbray caring for Kevin Ryan

A little bit of Rugby League History

Rugby league in NSW began in 1908, the first premiership deciding game was played at the Royal Agricultural Society Showground, with Souths defeating Easts 14-12. From 1912 to 1925, no finals system was in place, however in 1916, 1922, 1923 and 1924, a match was played as a tiebreaker to decide the season’s premiership winner. From 1926 to 1953, finals were played under the Argus system, which produced a deciding game in two slightly differing ways

All of these deciding games are now deemed to be grand finals, whether they were referred to as such at the time or not

From 1954 to the present, using a variety of systems, the deciding match has been explicitly termed a grand final, and no distinction is made between grand finals played under the auspices of the various governing bodies

A little confusing but that’s Rugby League…..

Lets go way back in time to 1918….Wests were runners up to Souths. Wests won 11 games and Lost 3

Souths won 12 and lost 2 . Simply system

St Lukes Oval at Concord was the home ground and Herb Gilbert was the Captain of Wests

Herb Gilbert dual International

Note: After leaving Wests Herb was the captain-coach of the St. George Dragons club in their inaugural season 1920, he is considered one of the nation’s finest footballers of the 20th century

Wests squad 1918, 1919 and 1920

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1925

In 1925 Wests were again runners up to South Sydney. Wests Won 6 but lost 5

Wests home ground had moved back to Pratten Park and E.Stapleton was Captain

Souths finished 10 points clear of Wests

Wests Team. Runners up in 1925

This was the start of Souths winning 5 premiership titles in a row

Gordon Stettler

Wests highest point scorer for 1925

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Wests win their first Premiership in 1930

Jimmy Craig was Captain/Coach of Wests in 1930. Wests won 12 games and only lost 2 during the regular season

On the way to the title Wests beat South Sydney 9-5 in the Semi Final

Then Lost the Final to St George 6-14 but Wests were able to challenge due to the fact that they were Minor Premiers

Jimmy Craig

Game report from the SMH

On the 4th of October Wests 27 beat St George 2 in the first Grand Final in the Sydney competition

I think a lot of Wests players and supporters used De Witt’s Pills after this brilliant win

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1932 Runners up again

Jim Craig was still coach, Wild Bill Brogan was Captain and Pratten Park was Wests home ground

Wests during the regular season played 14 games. They won 11 and lost 3

Wild Bill Brogan

The car Wests supporters preferred to drive!!!

In 1932 Wests were on the other side of the Challenge system. Souths were Minor Premiers and when Wests beat them in the Final 23 to 8

Action shot of Wests V Souths Final. Wests 23 give Souths 8 a thrashing

Souths under the rules could challenge Wests the following week

The game was played at the old Sydney Sports Ground

The score in the Grand Final Challenge Souths Sydney 19 Wests 12

After the game it was time for a bit of father and son bonding….1932 style

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1934

Wests – from wooden spoon to premiers

Wests under new coach and captain Frank “Skinny”McMillan Wests came from the wooden spoon in 1933 and won the comp in 1934

Wests played 18 games winning 16 and losing only 2 games in the regular season

Wests and Easts finished on equal points so there was a playoff between Wests and Easts to determine who was the minor premiers

Wests 7 beat Easts 2. Having won this game it gave Wests the right to challenge if beaten in the Final

Wests beat St George in the Semi final 16 to 6

Easts 19 beat Souths 6 in the other semi but due to bad weather it was 2 weeks before Wests v Easts could be held at the SCG

The winning Wests team of 1932

Meanwhile on the other side of the world….our Don is at it again!!!

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1948

Only 3 years after the war Wests win the 1948 Sydney Rugby League Comp

On September 18th at the SCG before a crowd of almost 30,000 Wests 8 beat Balmain 5

Pratten Park around 1948

Jeff Smith was the coach and Jack “Duck” Walsh was captain and the Magpies were still playing out of Pratten Park

Coach Jeff Smith with the glasses

Jack Walsh on the burst. A very young Bernie Purcell in support

Wests played 18 games winning 16 and losing only 2 during the regular season

Wests were minor premiers which was excellent because Balmain beat them in the Semi Final 8 to 7

The Challenger system saved Wests again

Bill Horder Wests Player number 459 (1948) and Bill Brown Wests Player number 392 (1942)

Bill Brown is the number 2 and hooker for Wests

Bill Brown played at Wests between 1942 and 1949 playing 38 First Grade games

*Thanks to Steven Cameron for this newspaper clipping

Wests also played in the Reserve Grade GF

The winning team and a few officials !!!

Meanwhile across town big things were about to happen

1950

It was the start of a new decade and Wests almost beat a red hot Souths at the SCG

Along the way Wests played 18 games winning 10 and losing 6 with 2 draws

Wests and Australia’s Dynamic Duo Keith Holman and Frank Stanmore

Jeff Smith was coach again and a young Frank Stanmore was Captain of Wests

Wests 28 beat Balmain 10 in the Semi Final played on the 9th September at the SCG

Just down the road at The Old Tin Shed it was on for young and old…

Note: I believe that the Chief won the bout with his famous Tomahawk Chop move

Souths 30 beat Newtown 4 in the other semi setting the scene for a exciting Grand Final the following Saturday

Yappy wins the Canteen of Cutlery and 150 quid…not bad

Souths 21 beat the Magpies 15

Because Souths were the Minor premiers there was no Challenge to be made by Wests

Nothing to do with Wests or Rugby League…..this story was on the same page as the Rugby League GF report

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1952

1952 was a Kangaroo Tour year and both Wests and Souths were missing some top line players

Wests had Keith Holman and Frank Stanmore on tour and Souths had Clive Churchill, Col Donohoe and Greg Harwick

During the normal season Wests played 18 games winning 14 losing 3 and 1 draw. With that record Wests won the Minor Premiership

Tom McMahon was Wests new coach Captain was Peter McLean

Peter McLean being chaired off after the 1952 Grand Final win

Col Ratcliffe is on Peter’s left and Ron Watson on his righ

Col Ratcliffe on the right talking to Rick Wayde at the 2017 Pratten Park Magpies reunion

The Semi Final was played on the 30th of August at the SCG against Souths. Wests 10 were beaten by Souths 18

Because Wests had won the Minor Premiership they still went into the Grand Final which was played on the 20th of September

Yes that’s right ….21 days later !!!

Souths 25 beat North Sydney 12 in the Final to be eligible to play Wests in the Grand Final

I have tried to cover the 2 weeks leading up to the Grand Final to try and get the feeling of what was about to happen on Saturday the 20th September 1952

Wests went to Maitland to play a game against Maitland during this extended break and the drama of Dev Dines coming back to play in the Grand Final for Wests

Dev Dines

A little bit of drama

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1958

The head lines read…

Saints sink “The Millionaires”

Lets see what happened in and around September of 1958

Wests coach was ex – player Vic Hey and the Wests captain was Harry Wells

L to R. Harry Wells, Vic Hey and Dick Poole

Wests played 18 games during the regular season winning 12 losing 6

They finished the season coming 2nd to St George

Wests played St George in the Major Semi Final on the 30th of August at the SCG before a crowd of over 38 thousand fans

Not a Millionaire in sight

Pretty sure they meant Peter Dimond

Peter Dimond in full flight…scary!!

Because of this win Wests go straight through to the Grand Final

Below is a few stories leading up to the GF on Saturday the 13th of September

L to R. Billy Wilson, Ken Kearney, Harry Bath, Bobby Bugden with Monty Porter head shot

Not sure about Billy Wilson but the rest of the St George pack used these products

Harry Wells and Alan Davidson at Ashfield Park

Harry and Alan at a Pratten Park Magpies function

Time to tune into Tiger Black on 2KY and listen to the 1958 Grand Final

After the big build up…..disappointment for all. Except Saints of course

Who knows maybe the Dimond switch was used one game to early??

Some good news on the day Wests won the 3rd Grade Grand Final

1961

1961 was the start of the 3 years of Wests playing St George in Grand Finals

Spoiler alert Saints won all three

Wests had a very good season playing in 18 games winning 15 and losing 3

Wests came second to the St George Machine

Jack Fitzgerald counting the stitches on the ball with Ken Bray

New coach was ex -Wests player Jack Fitzgerald and Nev Charlton was Captain

Nev Charlton

Saints by 1961 had won 5 straight Grand Final wins. Would Wests of 1961 be their 6th???

Wests played St George in the Major Semi Final on the 2nd of September

Nev Charlton makes a break

After this lose Wests played Balmain in the Final The winner played St George in the Grand Final

The “last minute warning” must of worked Wests won…..just!!!

Image of program from the private collection of Rick Fetherston

Onto Grand Final week….1961 style

Big Kel shortly before his death in 2015

It does start to get a little boring…….

The St George fans were sitting in their cars listening on their New Pressmatic Car Radio to Frank Hyde on 2SM

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1962

For a change Wests finished 3rd in 1962 behind St George and Newtown. Wests played 18 games winning 12 losing 5 and drew 1

Coach was Jack Fitzgerald and Kel O’Shea (C.)

Kel O’Shea .

Wests played St George in the last round of the comp at the SCG

The New 1962 Holden.

Just for the record Wests played at the SCG 7 times in 1962

Because Wests came 3rd they had to play Parramatta in the Minor Semi

Thanks to Rick Fetherston for his help obtaining these rare programs

Gil McDougall scores 2 tries and Wests win

Newtown 9 had been beaten by St George 30 in the Major semi

Now the Blue Bags faced Wests to see who would play St George for the J.J. Giltinan Shield

Thanks again Rick….pity about the autographs

Wests have a convincing win against the Blue Bags

Words of advice from an old Magpie

The Grand Final week in 1962 was full of surprises Nothing much has changed!!!

Col Pearce was not Happy!!!

Union convert George Evans, Kevin McDonald and Coach Sticks Provan

Ken Bray gets the “Oranges” call from Arthur Summons

L to R. Ken Bray, Denis Meaney and coach Jack Fitzgerald

Thanks to Ken Bray for giving me permission to use these photos from his personal collection

Jim Cody and Ken Bray at the 2017 Pratten Park Magpies reunion

L to R. Jim Cody, Gil McDougall, Ken Bray, Jack Fitzgerald and Johnny Mowbray

Note: Not sure why Mowy was there he was not in the 1962 G.F. side ???

No comment.

Two changes Ken Bray for Don Parish and Garry Russell for Kel O’Shea

Arthur Summons was Captain

Not even PD could change the outcome

Thats Johnny Greaves on the deck

Pat Thomas and John Greaves at a PPM reunion

Just after in happened…Billy Wilson (bald head) and Young Jim Cody in front of him on the ground …

Watch the highlights on You Tube of the 1962 Grand Final

Click on link below

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1963

Little did Wests and their thousands of supporters know that 1963 would be the last time Wests were involved in a First Grade Grand Final

1963 was a Kangaroo Tour year but with the advent of modern aeroplanes there was no need for the players to leave our shores before the Grand Final was played

Wests were runners up (AGAIN) to St George

Winning 14 and losing 4 out of the 18 games played in the regular season

Jack Fitzgerald was coach and Arthur Summons was Captain