FLASHBACK | December 1949 – Steve Ricketts

The Brisbane Rugby Football League Annual Report was critical of the number of representative games played in the 1949 season, and the impact this heavy program had on attendances, and the continuity of club football.

BRL President, Peter Scott Snr blasted the Queensland Rugby League for implementing a rep schedule which saw the first grade competition suspended for most of July.

“Something must be done to obviate this state of affairs, and thus save your League the difficult task of having to create fresh interest and public patronage to overcome the slump that always occurs after the International and Inter-State series of games,” Scott wrote. “Organised club football is the foundation and lifeblood of our game.”

BRL home games were played at the Gabba in 1949, but the opening round of fixtures had to be transferred to Oxenham Park at Nundah because a new cricket pitch being put down. The BRL sought monetary compensation from the Gabba Trust, but it was all to no avail.

Scott said takings at Oxenham Park were ‘quite good’, but still hundreds of pounds less than what would have been recorded at the Gabba.

The BRL season was also disrupted by a coal strike, which lasted several weeks. It meant train travel to games was severely disrupted and miners and their families – traditionally supporters of the game – could not afford to pay entrance fees.

Scott boasted of Brisbane’s fourth successivce Bulimba Cup (inter-city) campaign against Ipswich and Toowoomba. Scott also made a point of recording a Brisbane Second XIII’s match against a Cherbourg (Indigenous) selection.

Valleys’ fullback, Dan O’Connor was named player of the Bulimba Cup home and away series, although in 1949 the award was called ‘most serviceable player’.

The 1949 BRL Premiers were Souths, who defeated Easts 22-8 In the Grand Final at the Gabba, with dynamic winger, Len Kenny scoring two tries. Stan Chambers was the referee and the crowd was 6,532.