1902 Metropolitan Rugby Union season
| 1902 Sydney Rugby Premiership | |
|---|---|
| Duration | 17 May to 30 August |
| Teams | 8 |
| Premiers | File:Wests Colours.png Western Suburbs (1st title) |
| Minor Premiers | File:Wests Colours.png Western Suburbs (1st title) |
| Runners-up | File:University 1865.png Sydney University |
| Wooden spoon | File:Balmain Colours.png Balmain (2nd spoon) |
| Top point-scorer(s) | File:Wests Colours.png Stanley Wickham (60) |
| Top try-scorer(s) | File:Norths 1901.png Patrick Higgins (11) |
| Second Grade | |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Premiers | File:Glebe 1900.svg Glebe |
| Runners-up | File:Easts 1901.svg Eastern Suburbs |
| Boroughs Competition | |
| Number of teams | 16 |
| Premiers | Manly |
| Runners-up | File:Glebe 1900.svg Glebe |
The 1902 Metropolitan Rugby Union season was the 29th season of the Sydney Rugby Premiership. It was the third season run for clubs that represented a district. Eight clubs (seven representing a district, the remaining club representing Sydney University) competed from May till August 1902. The season culminated in the third district premiership, which was won by Western Suburbs. Western Suburbs were crowned premiers by virtue of finishing the season on top of the table.
Teams
Eight clubs contested the season; seven clubs representing a district and one club representing Sydney University.[1]
Formed on 26 March 1900 |
Formed on 22 March 1900 |
Formed on 15 March 1900 |
Formed on 22 March 1900 |
Formed on 23 March 1900 |
Formed on 26 March 1900 |
Formed on 19 August 1865 |
Formed on 22 March 1900 |
Season Summary
The 1902 Sydney Rugby Premiership saw a popular win for the Western Suburbs District Football Club. The club had experienced the unfortunate and sad loss of their captain, William Shortland, at the end of the previous season.[2] During the season, the team recovered from this huge loss to display improvement in defence, with only 4 tries scored against them over the final 7 rounds. Three-Quarter, Stanley Wickham demonstrated the importance of having a great goal kicker in the team, scoring 11 field goals during the season with 5 scored in one game against South Sydney.[3] Glebe opened the season in magnificent form defeating the two teams that eventually finished above them on the ladder. However, as the season progressed the team was required to shift players around due to injuries to important members of the team. As a result, over the final four rounds Glebe drew with North Sydney, drew with Western Suburbs and lost the penultimate match to University 6 to 4. This meant that they were out of contention for the premiership in the final round.[4] The final round of the season had been originally scheduled for 26 July and was postponed to the end of August due to heavy and persistent rain.[5] This meant that for the last round of games for the season, the two teams in contention for the premiership would face each other in a "final". In order that representatives in both teams be able to depart on time for the intercolonial matches in Queensland, the game was scheduled for Wednesday, 27 August at 2pm. Again rain interfered with the quality of the game which resulted in Western Suburbs winning against Sydney University 4 points to 3.[4] At the conclusion of the season, the rugby world lost another significant player with the death of former University captain Horace Jones. Jones had previously captained the NSW team in intercolonial matches and had retired from rugby at the end of the 1901 season due to ill health. His cause of death was sarcoma, a soft tissue cancer.[6]
Ladder
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | File:Wests Colours.png Western Suburbs | 14 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 148 | 70 | +78 | 21 |
| 2 | File:University 1865.png Sydney University | 14 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 152 | 108 | +44 | 20 |
| 3 | File:Glebe 1900.svg Glebe | 14 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 155 | 88 | +67 | 19 |
| 4 | File:Norths 1901.png North Sydney | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 136 | 56 | +80 | 18 |
| 5 | File:Easts 1901.svg Eastern Suburbs | 14 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 86 | 132 | -46 | 13 |
| 6 | File:Newtown Colours.png Newtown | 14 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 91 | 89 | +2 | 12 |
| 7 | File:Souths Colours.png South Sydney | 14 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 56 | 147 | -91 | 7 |
| 8 | File:Balmain Colours.png Balmain | 14 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 63 | 197 | -134 | 2 |
Ladder Progression
- Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round.
- Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished in last place on the ladder in that round
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | File:Wests Colours.png Western Suburbs | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 21 |
| 2 | File:University 1865.png Sydney University | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 |
| 3 | File:Glebe 1900.svg Glebe | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 19[8] |
| 4 | File:Norths 1901.png North Sydney | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 |
| 5 | File:Easts 1901.svg Eastern Suburbs | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10[9] | 12 | 13[8] |
| 6 | File:Newtown Colours.png Newtown | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 10[9] | 10 | 12 |
| 7 | File:Souths Colours.png South Sydney | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| 8 | File:Balmain Colours.png Balmain | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Statistics
Points
| Player | Pl | T | G | FG | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | File:Wests Colours.png Stanley Wickham | 14 | 0 | 7 | 11 | 60 |
| 2 | File:University 1865.png Harry Blaney | 14 | 2 | 13 | 3 | 47 |
| 3 | File:Norths 1901.png Frank Row | 11 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 40 |
| 4 | File:Norths 1901.png Patrick Higgins | 12 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 33 |
| 5 | File:University 1865.png Nigel Barker | 13 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| 6 | File:Wests Colours.png Aub Johnstone | 13 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 30 |
| 7 | File:Wests Colours.png EC Deering | 14 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 27 |
| 8 | File:Glebe 1900.svg James Joyce | 13 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 23 |
| 9 | File:Newtown Colours.png Thomas Comber | 10 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 22 |
| 10 | File:University 1865.png Humphrey Oxenham | 13 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
Tries
| Player | Pl | T | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | File:Norths 1901.png Patrick Higgins | 12 | 11 |
| 2 | File:University 1865.png Nigel Barker | 13 | 10 |
| 3 | File:Wests Colours.png EC Deering | 14 | 9 |
| 4 | File:University 1865.png Humphrey Oxenham | 13 | 7 |
| 5 | File:Balmain Colours.png Ed Halloren | 12 | 7 |
| 6 | File:Glebe 1900.svg George Roberts | 12 | 7 |
| 7 | File:Norths 1901.png R Wickham | 12 | 6 |
| 8 | File:Norths 1901.png RH Carlisle | 14 | 5 |
| 9 | File:Glebe 1900.svg Victor Harris | 13 | 4 |
| 10 | File:Glebe 1900.svg C Rundle | 10 | 4 |
Lower Grades
The MRFU also conducted Second Grade and Boroughs competitions this season.[10]
Second Grade
The eight First grade clubs entered a team each into the Second Grade competition. The season concluded with a final game between Glebe and Eastern Suburbs that was practically a final. The game ended in a draw. However, Glebe were declared premiers as they were one point ahead of Eastern Suburbs on the ladder.[4]
Boroughs Competition
Sixteen teams participated in the first Boroughs Competition. This was a competition for teams that did not necessarily represent a district. Non-district teams acted as a feeder club for the larger district teams. These teams were: Manly, Glebe, Gipps, Willoughby, Surry Hills, Rockdale, Balmain, Newtown, Leichhardt, Burwood, Marrickville, University, Annandale, North Sydney, Mosman and Parramatta. At the conclusion of the season, Manly sat undefeated at the top of the table and were thus declared Premiers.[7]
Participating Clubs
| Club | Grade | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | B. | |
| Annandale Football Club | Y | ||
| File:Balmain Colours.png Balmain District Football Club | Y | Y | Y |
| Burwood Football Club | Y | ||
| File:Easts 1901.svg Eastern Suburbs District Rugby Football Club | Y | Y | |
| Gipps Football Club | Y | ||
| File:Glebe 1900.svg Glebe District Football Club | Y | Y | Y |
| Leichhardt Football Club | Y | ||
| Manly Football Club | Y | ||
| Marrickville Football Club | Y | ||
| File:Mosman.png Mosman Football Club | Y | ||
| File:Newtown Colours.png Newtown District Football Club | Y | Y | Y |
| File:Norths 1901.png North Sydney District Rugby Football Club | Y | Y | Y |
| File:Parramatta 1934.png Parramatta Rugby Football Club | Y | ||
| Rockdale Football Club | Y | ||
| File:Souths Colours.png South Sydney District Football Club | Y | Y | |
| Surry Hills Football Club | Y | ||
| File:University 1865.png Sydney University Football Club | Y | Y | Y |
| File:Wests Colours.png Western Suburbs District Rugby Football Club | Y | Y | |
| Willoughby Football Club | Y | ||
Footnotes
- ↑ "RUGBY FOOTBALL NOTES". Referee (Sydney, NSW : 1886 - 1939). 14 May 1902. p. 8. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
- ↑ "RUGBY FOOTBALL NOTES". Referee (Sydney, NSW : 1886 - 1939). 18 September 1901. p. 8. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
- ↑ "RUGBY FOOTBALL NOTES". Referee (Sydney, NSW : 1886 - 1939). 25 June 1902. p. 8. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "RUGBY FOOTBALL NOTES". Referee (Sydney, NSW : 1886 - 1939). 3 September 1902. p. 8. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
- ↑ "RUGBY FOOTBALL NOTES". Referee (Sydney, NSW : 1886 - 1939). 30 July 1902. p. 8. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
- ↑ "FOOTBALL NOTES". Referee (Sydney, NSW : 1886 - 1939). 24 September 1902. p. 8. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 "FOOTBALL STATISTICS, 1902". Referee (Sydney, NSW : 1886 - 1939). 17 September 1902. p. 8. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 No game was played between Glebe and Eastern Suburbs with an agreement made to declare the game as a draw.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Newtown forfeited the game against Eastern Suburbs.
- ↑ "FOOTBALL NOTES". Referee (Sydney, NSW : 1886 - 1939). 23 April 1902. p. 8. Retrieved 15 July 2018.