Brisbane Rugby League 1932 Season
League Table
| Team | Played | Won | Lost | Drew | For | Against | Diff | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wests | 14 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 242 | 155 | 87 | 22 |
| Grammars | 14 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 231 | 146 | 85 | 19 |
| Coorparoo | 14 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 196 | 142 | 54 | 19 |
| Carlton | 14 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 149 | 137 | 12 | 15 |
| Valleys | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 233 | 145 | 88 | 14 |
| University | 14 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 187 | 238 | -51 | 12 |
| Brothers | 14 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 157 | 208 | -51 | 9 |
| Wynnum | 14 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 106 | 330 | -224 | 2 |
Rounds
| Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5 | Round 6 | Round 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 8 | Round 9 | Round 10 | Round 11 | Round 12 | Round 13 | Round 14 |
Finals
| Stage | Date | Teams | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-Final | 30 July 1932 | Grammars vs Carlton | Details |
| Semi-Final | 13 August 1932 | Wests vs Coorparoo | Details |
| Premiership Final | 20 August 1932 | Grammars vs Wests | Details |
| Challenge Final | 3 September 1932 | Wests vs Grammars | Details |
Pike Cup
| Stage | Date | Teams | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Final | 4 June 1932 | Wests vs Grammars | Details |
Potter, Purtell and how the west won
In the decade following their unbeaten premiership run of 1922, Western Suburbs vacillated between bad, good and mediocre, rarely staying anywhere long. Occasionally they turned to veterans, mostly they sought to hew their own quarry of youth. In that decade, no club debuted more juniors in first grade than Wests.
Naturally, many young Westies failed to make the grade, but the bigger problem was that many of those who did ended up doing most or all of their best work elsewhere. If you looked around the league in 1932, you’d see Hood and Park going around for Valleys, Hines and Webster among Carlton’s best, Chandler, Manson and Tennison at Brothers, Barnett at University and Leaver at Grammars. It was a familiar story – perhaps the grass was greener at Grange, more verdant in the Valley.
But gradually through the late 1920s and early ’30s, Wests retained a solid core, including long-serving three-quarter Ack Jones, tricky five-eighth Pat Kelly and the late-blooming war veteran Henry Denny. Then, in 1931, future club legend Tom Purtell, of the eponymous Purtell Park, debuted. In 1932, bona fide club legend and 1922 premiership captain Norm Potter returned as coach after finishing his playing career in Ipswich a few years earlier.
And after a slow start, Potter’s team collected consecutive victories over Varsity, Valleys, Carlton and Coorparoo to propel themselves into the Pike Cup Final in early June, which they won 20-9 over Grammars. Of the reinvigorated Suburbanites the Sunday Mail wrote:
“such perfect team work, back and forward, and speedy attack and defence, and snappy passing have not been seen in club football for years”.
After clinching the minor premiership and the right of challenge, and then disposing of Coorparoo in the semi-final, Wests were drawn to again face Grammars in the Premiership Final on August 20. In a spiteful affair marred by fighting and three send-offs, Wests finished on the wrong end of the send-off count and the scoreboard.
Two weeks later, the teams reconvened for what was apparently a “gripping” grand final at the Gabba. After Wests had edged ahead 8-5 through a try to E Denny in the second half, they withstood a mountain of pressure from Grammars in the latter stages, clinging on for an 8-7 victory of which the Brisbane Courier remarked “every man gave of his best, and in attack and defence performed heroically. Hunt… was deadly in defence, and repeatedly smashed promising Grammar attacks”.
Elsewhere, the defending champions, Valleys couldn’t seem to deal with the absence of captain ‘Skinny’ Donovan for much of the season. Grammars were close again but in danger of becoming the new Coorparoo, having won the Final and lost the Challenge Final two years in a row. Both Coorparoo and Carlton were solid contenders, though both were evidently transitioning away from veteran teams. After a respectable debut season, Wynnum 2.0 were awful. During a five-game span from late May to early July, the ‘Seasiders’ lost all five games by a combined score of 155-25.
And change was afoot. Along with Coorparoo, Wynnum would be absorbed into the new Eastern Suburbs district in 1933 as part of grandfathered districting reforms which largely spawned the BRL remembered by those alive today. Souths succeeded Carlton, Norths succeeded Grammars and catchment areas were defined for all clubs, except Brothers and University who could draw from Christian Brothers and UQ alumni respectively.
It was another new dawn, full of things that had never been.
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