Brisbane Rugby League (Barry Cup) 1918 season
Premiership (Barry Cup) Table
| Team | Played | Won | Lost | Drew | For | Against | Diff | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merthyr | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 52 | 26 | 26 | 15* |
| Valleys | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 57 | 62 | -5 | 9 |
| Westerns | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 58 | 47 | 11 | 6 |
| Coorparoo | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 61 | 63 | -2 | 6 |
| Railways | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 76 | -68 | 0 |
| Wests | 7 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 51 | 13 | 38 | 8* |
Premiership Rounds
Finals
| Stage | Date | Teams | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-final | 28 September 1918 | Valleys vs Coorparoo | Details |
| Semi-final | 28 September 1918 | Merthyr vs Westerns | Details |
| Premiership Final | 5 October 1918 | Valleys vs Merthyr | Details |
| Challenge Final | 12 October 1918 | Valleys vs Merthyr | Details |
One-Round Cup
The One-Round Cup (OR Cup) final was an early version of the Pike Cup – a ‘final’ played between the two leading teams at the midway point of the premiership season. At least, it became that. In 1918, it was played after four sets of fixtures, with the final preceding commencement of the Barry Cup competition. The cup came to be an adjunct of the premiership; a competition held in high regard and taken very seriously, and for this reason, the 1918 cup fixtures are deemed equivalent to premiership fixtures.
OR Cup Rounds
OR Cup Final
| Stage | Date | Teams | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Final | 22 June 1918 | Wests vs Merthyr | Details |
Valleys falter but show no mercy
So badly did Valleys start the 1918 season, there was speculation they were finished. Not just finished as premiership contenders in 1918; finished as a club.
Such talk was probably based on wishful thinking, and the Royal Blues roared back into contention late in the season behind the familiar faces of Barry Love, Charlie Fredericks, Ted McGrath and Sam Hull.
Valleys’ premiership relied in part on Wests’ bizarre exit from the competition. Cruising toward a semi-final berth, the Red and Blacks decided to field a couple of players who’d just relocated from Sydney, including Albert ‘Ricketty’ Johnston, a star halfback from Wests Magpies, in their round 7 game against Merthyr. Despite being warned by the league that it wasn’t on, and despite knowing there’d be consequences, Wests went ahead anyway.
Their subsequent tantrum at the league’s decision to dock them competition points and decision to forfeit a shot at another premiership was and remains curious. Apparently, Merthyr didn’t raise an official objection, so the league was expected to drop their objection.
Elsewhere, Westerns showed promise but simply couldn’t seem to keep their best players on the field, with veteran A Hoolahan and the omnipresent David Harrower exhumed to keep their season going. Westerns didn’t re-appear the following season and dissolved into near neighbours, Wests.
Railways very nearly knocked-off Merthyr in the One-Round Cup, only losing their lead in the last minute, with their season going downhill pretty quickly afterward. Coorparoo were just ordinary. Their star half Charlie Thorogood missed some games, but they were ordinary with or without him.
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