# 1921 Eastern Suburbs season

Eastern Suburbs (now known as the Sydney Roosters) competed in the 14th New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) premiership in 1921.

## Details

* Home Ground: Agricultural Ground
* Line ups:-
| No. | Position | Player 10 Sid 'Sandy' Pearce – HK 49 John 'Dinny' Campbell – CE 54 Charlie Lees – PR 66 Jack 'Bluey' Watkins – SR 67 Les Cubitt – FE 86 Harry Caples – FE 92 Ray Norman – CE 96 Gordon Wright – WG |
| No. | Position | Player 99 Rex Norman – CE 103 Sid Kaufman – HB 104 Robert batchelor – SR 113 Bill Cameron – SR 114 Ed 'Snowy' Rigney – FB 115 Fred Hume – CE 123 Harold Holmes – SR 124 Bill Ives – SR |

## Results

In 1921 there was only one round of matches played!
* Premiership Round 1, bye.
* Premiership Round 2, Saturday 30 April 1921;
Eastern Suburbs 32( 6 Tries; 7 Goals) defeated South Sydney 8( Funnell, McGrath Tries; Oxford Goal) at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
* Premiership Round 3, Saturday 7 May 1921;
Eastern Suburbs 30 (Tries 6; Goals 6) defeated Newtown 5(Try; Goal) at Sydney Cricket Ground.
   This was reported to be a particularly wild match, reporter for the Sun newspaper, Claude Corbett, wrote "The first half was one of the wildest exhibitions of football I have ever seen. Newtown was solely responsible. There were times when a dozen players were tossing about in a heap, tearing and reefing at each other. Fists and feet flew on occasions and it was a miracle that no one was hurt.
* Premiership Round 4, Saturday 14 May 1921;
Eastern Suburbs 23( Tries 5; Goals 4) defeated St George 11(Try; Goals 3; Field Goal) at the Sydney Cricket Ground No.2.
   This was the first meeting of the two clubs.
* Premiership Round 5, Saturday 21 May;
Eastern Suburbs 8( Norman 4 Goals) drew with North Sydney 8( Blinkhorn, Green Tries; Thompson Goal) at Sydney Cricket Ground.
   Described as the match of the season, Premiers, North Sydney, and eventual runners up Eastern Suburbs drew their match 8-all. The win, with no final played that year, virtually assured Norths of their 1st premiership. The official attendance was 44,818, but thousands more scaled the surrounding fences and walls - It was the largest crowd seen at a club match and remained so until the 1940s. A last gasp try by North’s George Green, just as Easts forward Jack 'Bluey' Watkins nailed him right on the corner flag, secured the draw for Norths.
* Premiership Round 6, Saturday 28 May 1921;
Balmain 14(Tries 2; Goals 4) defeated Eastern Suburbs 8(Tries 2; Goal) at Sydney Sports Ground.
* Premiership Round 7, ??? 11 June;
Eastern Suburbs 19 (Tries 5; Goals 2) defeated Glebe 3(Tries) at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
* Premiership Round 8, ??? 18 June;
Eastern Suburbs 55(Rex Norman 3, + 10 Tries; Rex Norman 8 Goals) defeated University 11 (Tries 3; Goal) at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
* Premiership Round 9, Saturday 25 June 1921;
Eastern Suburbs 12( Tries 2; Goals 3) defeated Western Suburbs 7( Try; Goals 2) at Pratten Park.

## Ladder

| | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | North Sydney | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 172 | 82 | +90 | 17 |
| 2 | Eastern Suburbs | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 187 | 67 | +120 | 15 |
| 3 | Glebe | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 115 | 71 | +44 | 14 |
| 4 | Balmain | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 135 | 71 | +64 | 12 |
| 5 | South Sydney | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 141 | 104 | +37 | 10 |
| 6 | Newtown | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 77 | 117 | +40 | 8 |
| 7 | St George | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 87 | 124 | -37 | 6 |
| 8 | Western Suburbs | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 90 | 155 | -65 | 6 |
| 9 | University | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 82 | 295 | -213 | 2 |

## Season highlights

* Eastern Suburbs were defeated by South Sydney 21-10 in the final of that year's City Cup.
* Rex Norman Was the New South Wales Rugby League's leading pointscorer.
* Gordon Wright was the New South Wales Rugby League's leading try scorer for the 3rd year running.
* Sid 'Sandy' Pearce, the last remaining member of Eastern suburbs original 1908 team, retired after breaking his leg on that year's 'Kangaroo Tour'.
* Representatives: Rex Norman(NSW), Bill Ives(NSW), Ed Rigney(NSW), Sid 'Sandy' Pearce (Australia)