Redcap's BRL

The Master and marginal gains

The 1959 Brisbane Rugby League season is now live on Redcap’s BRL. A season summary and details of every match is available from the 1959 season page.

So it began. In 1959, Norths started what would become the greatest hegemony in BRL history.

The big story at the start of the season was, of course, the arrival at Norths of five-time South Sydney premiership winner, former Australian captain and future ‘Immortal’, Clive ‘the Little Master’ Churchill.

Naturally, a lot was expected of Churchill, and he certainly took on a lot of responsibility. Captain-coach of Norths. Captain-coach of the Brisbane Bulimba Cup team. Coach of Queensland. A job as schools and public relations liaison for the BRL. A regular column in the Courier Mail.

It all went rather well, too. Norths ran away with the minor premiership. Churchill played very well in the BRL. Queensland won the interstate series. The column in the Courier was perfectly acceptable, if a little bland.

But Churchill wasn’t quite satisfied with all that. By the end of the season he’d also been appointed coach for the Kangaroo Tour of Britain and France. His last game for Norths was the round 21 loss to Wynnum-Manly at Lang Park. Another former South Sydney man, Jack Coyne, took over for the finals and took Norths to their first premiership since 1940.

This sort of relentless ‘what’s next and how do I get there?’ energy is perhaps Churchill’s legacy at Nundah. Bob Bax who took over as the Devils’ head coach in 1960 was more of a tactician, probably a bit more of a man-manager; more relatable and more in it for the long term.

Churchill let it be known throughout the 1959 season that he wanted more – more fitness, defensive effort and general discipline. Reading between the lines, he seemed to be saying that a marginal gain in these areas could go a long way in the BRL, a quality league but one which tended toward a loose, high-scoring and often rather ‘rugged’ style. Brothers and Valleys were still formidable foes, but both had been weakened by the drain to Sydney and the bush.

The great Norths teams of the late 1930s and early ’40s were rumoured to be a bit lax, often eschewing training and preparation and preferring to see if the muse struck them come Saturday. They didn’t have Babe Collins or Jack Stapleton or Charlie Ryan any more, but maybe a certain laxness was still latent at Nundah. If it was, Churchill stamped it out.

After defeats to Brothers and Valleys early in the season, Norths started to hit their stride toward the end of the first round, with a big win over Wests in round six followed by consecutive victories over Wynnum-Manly, Valleys and Brothers over the following three rounds. The quality of their defence was much remarked upon. Coyne and hulking prop Lloyd Weier, who’d joined from Gympie, led a bludgeoning forward pack. The ‘golden Greek’ Fonda Metassa scored tries for fun. Nobody else could keep up.

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Norths. They lost the President’s Cup Final to Wynnum in July and dropped the Major Semi-Final to Brothers. Just before the Preliminary Final against Wynnum, Weier and back-rower Hugh Kelly were injured in a car crash. They played no further part in the season.

As it happened, all the other contenders were looking a bit ragged by this stage. Valleys could never settle on a forward pack beyond Bob Gehrke and Geoff O’Brien, or a halfback, with Bill Kluss and George Souvlis constantly rotating.

Wynnum-Manly were a revelation, debuting the great Indigenous winger Lionel Morgan, beating Valleys 45-4 in round four, winning their first silverware in the President’s Cup Final and beating Valleys again in the Minor Semi-Final. Their back-rower Steele Davis, grandson of renowned author ‘Steele Rudd’ (Arthur Hoey Davis), was the Courier Mail’s player of the year. After beating Norths in a furious performance in round 21 and then Valleys, they lost captain-coach Rex Fox to injury and couldn’t quite maintain the rage in the Preliminary Final.

By Grand Final day, Brothers were without prolific winger Frank Mellit, lock Barry O’Connor and new half Keith Kannar. They carried injured players – Mick Shannon, Brian O’Connor and Eddie Otago – into the Grand Final. The gamble backfired, with all three forced from the field during the game.

Norths brought in Bob Poulsen and Ray Waldon, neither of whom had played much in ’59 but both of whom were fresh. Big prop Waldon had been around for years and had plenty of first-grade experience. Poulsen was a semi-regular first-grader in 1957 and ’58.

It was a premiership won in such margins. A little bit of extra fitness and defensive resolve built over a season. Fresh foot soldiers against wounded officers on the day. Churchill established a margin. Bax, Bill Pearson, Weier and company would turn it into a gulf.

More complete BRL seasons are coming soon on Redcap’s BRL.