1913 NSWRFL PREMIERS
With the addition of Les Cubit and Bob Tidyman, one of the all-time great sides in Rugby League history was completed as Eastern Suburbs became the first Club in the competition to complete a treble of successive Premierships.
An Easts side brimming with talent dominated the competition to win their first seven matches, before a surprise 11-14 upset to Newtown in Round 8, but proved to be a small distraction as they continued their form to win their next five matches.
Even with a last-round loss to Glebe, the title was sealed as Dally Messenger and co brought the Tricolours to the top of the competition's Premiership tally - with reported Claude Corbett recalling the events the very next season:
"The Royal Agricultural Society’s shield, which was presented at the inception of the league’s first grade competition, has been won outright by Eastern Suburbs, who upset all calculations by winning the premiership three years in succession.
The club has presented the shield to their captain, Dally Messenger, ‘as a token of appreciation of his captaincy’. In addition to bearing the names of the various holders from 1908, the shield carries those of every member of the victorious Eastern Suburbs team last year…" - Claude Corbett, Football: Notes on all Codes, May 1914
After announcing his retirement following the first-round defeat in the City Cup, Captain Messenger - now aged 30 - simply stated ‘I have played my last game’ before being presented with the Royal Agricultural Society’s Shield by his teammates.
1913 Player Details /
| Player No. |
Player | Age | Games | Tries | Goals | Field Goals |
Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67 | Les Cubitt | 20 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 8 | |
| 64 | Dan Flannery | 21 | 6 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 5 | Dan Frawley | 30 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 26 | |
| 68 | Ernest Gowenlock | 22 | 2 | ||||
| 61 | Arthur 'Pony' Halloway | 28 | 14 | 5 | 15 | ||
| 51 | Fred Kinghorn | 30 | 14 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 54 | Charlie Lees | 25 | 14 | 4 | 12 | ||
| 8 | Bob Mable | 29 | 2 | ||||
| 70 | R. Maher | 1 | |||||
| 18 | Dally Messenger | 30 | 9 | 2 | 24 | 1 | 60 |
| 62 | Wally Messenger | 22 | 12 | 10 | 15 | 60 | |
| 69 | Claude Nicholson | 20 | 5 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 9 | Larry 'Jersey' O'Malley | 30 | 10 | 3 | 9 | ||
| 10 | Sandy Pearce | 30 | 14 | ||||
| 71 | Sylvester Redmond | 31 | 1 | ||||
| 65 | Bob Tidyman | 22 | 14 | 4 | 12 | ||
| 66 | Jack 'Bluey' Watkins | 20 | 14 | 3 | 9 | ||
| 53 | Eddie White | 30 | 3 | ||||
| 23 | Percy White | 26 | 13 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 45 | Bob 'Botsy' Williams | 27 | 12 | 1 | 3 |
| Total Players: | 20 |
| Total Games: | 14 |
| Total Tries: | 45 |
| Total Points: | 227 |
| Youngest Player: | Jack 'Bluey' Watkins (20) |
| Oldest Player (Squad): | Sylvester Redmond (31) |
| Oldest Player (Team): | Dan Frawley (30) |
Sydney Roosters respect and honour the Traditional Custodians of the land and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the lands we meet, gather and play on.
