Redcap's BRL

Brisbane Rugby League (QARL) 1910 season

League table

Team	Played	Won	Lost	Drew	For	Against	Diff	Points
Ipswich	9	7	2	0	147	64	83	14
Valleys	9	5	4	0	136	68	68	10
North Brisbane	9	5	4	0	123	101	22	10
Toombul	9	4	5	0	75	138	-63	8
South Brisbane	8	3	5	0	72	67	5	6
East Brisbane	8	2	6	0	20	135	-115	4

Rounds

Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Round 6	Round 7	Round 8	Round 9

Finals

Stage	Date	Teams	Link
Final	3 September 1910	Ipswich vs Toombul	Details
Final replay	10 September 1910	Ipswich vs Toombul	Details

Skip to 1911 season

The Holy City rolls Brisbane

The league was struggling to secure a home, with access to the Gabba and Exhibition highly contested. The ‘gala’ fixtures at Ipswich in round 5 likely masked a lack of options, with games around this time also played at New Farm Park, Queen’s Park at what is now part of the City Botanic Gardens, and what was then the Melrose family’s cow paddock (now Melrose Park at Kalinga).

The ‘myrtle greens’ of Ipswich stormed home to win the cup, led by inspirational skipper Bob Tubman, stalwart forwards Bill Thomas and Alf Foote, and ‘will-o’-the-wisp’ half ‘Yanto’ Lewis (a Welsh rugby union convert whose real name was Evan Howells).

Toombul qualified for the final by virtue of four straight wins to begin the season and subsequently being crowned the champions of the ‘first round’, with Ipswich champions of the second. It’s fair to say the ‘Bulls’ coasted home, failing to win any of their last seven matches, though they did force the final to be replayed after a draw at the Ekka on 3 September.

But the Holy City’s finest won it and won in a style which put them much in demand. The Ipswich ‘A’ team travelled around quite a bit for exhibition matches the following season and didn’t mount much of a premiership defence, but they did plenty to spread the good word and should be considered an important team in Queensland rugby league history.

Skip to 1911 season