Brisbane Rugby League 1980 season
League Table
| Team | Played | Won | Lost | Drew | For | Against | +/- | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valleys | 21 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 452 | 261 | 191 | 32 |
| Souths | 21 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 434 | 257 | 177 | 31 |
| Brothers | 21 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 342 | 326 | 16 | 28 |
| Norths | 21 | 13 | 8 | 0 | 380 | 314 | 66 | 26 |
| Redcliffe | 21 | 11 | 9 | 1 | 429 | 368 | 61 | 23 |
| Easts | 21 | 6 | 15 | 0 | 404 | 432 | -28 | 12 |
| Wynnum-Manly | 21 | 4 | 16 | 1 | 328 | 523 | -195 | 9 |
| Wests | 21 | 3 | 17 | 1 | 209 | 497 | -288 | 7 |
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 | Round 15 | Round 16 | Round 17 | Round 18 |
| Round 19 | Round 20 | Round 21 |
Finals
| Stage | Date | Teams | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minor Semi-Final | 31 August 1980 | Norths vs Brothers | Details |
| Major Semi-Final | 7 September 1980 | Souths vs Valleys | Details |
| Preliminary Final | 14 September 1980 | Norths vs Valleys | Details |
| Grand Final | 21 September 1980 | Norths vs Souths | Details |
President’s Cup
| Stage | Date | Teams | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Final | 1 June 1980 | Valleys vs Souths | Details |
Peter Scott Memorial Trophy
| Stage | Date | Teams | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Final | 20 July 1980 | Souths vs Valleys | Details |
The Premiers: Norths (13th premiership)
If reports from the time are anything to go by, Norths coach Graham Lowe was highly strung, fussy, temperamental and extremely annoying. Not entirely unlike his predecessor, Bob Bax.
Bax was still hovering around the club in his capacity as President, though it seems he’d taken a back seat having finally quit the coaching caper following Norths’ wooden spoon in ’78. He may also have taken a perverse delight in having a similarly eccentric personality in his old job.
For all his foibles, Lowe was intensely loyal to his players, including a few who weren’t highly rated by others. Centre Brian Dunn was regularly panned by local scribes. Back-rower Nev Draper, barely sighted under Bax, came of age under Lowe. Half Ross Henrick had been flitting around the fringes of first grade at Redcliffe for years. His rise from lower grader in 1978 to state representative in 1980 coincided with the rise of the Devils.
Lowe also had ‘Smokin” Joe Kilroy, Mark Murray, Greg Conescu, underrated baseball-playing centre Peter Dutton (no, not that Peter Dutton) and, most importantly, brilliant Kiwi lock Mark Graham. They certainly helped.
Most tries: Bruce Astill, Souths (19)
Most points: Mal Meninga, Souths (245)
Another year, another missed opportunity for Souths. Unlike in 1979 when they went into the Grand Final as upstarts and outsiders, they were hot favourites in ’80. But they lost again, stretching the premiership drought to 27 years.
Most of the pieces were in place, though. Half Brad Sully. Hooker Billy Johnstone. Back-rower Chris Phelan. Terrier-like lock Mick Argeros.
Then there were centres Mal Meninga, who was terrorising opponents across the land, and veteran Bruce Astill who was aging like a fine wine.
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