"Minor Premiers Play-off" Challenge Match

Sean Fagan of RL1908.com

The NRL minor premiership crown, and winner of the JJ Giltinan Shield, is awarded to the team that finishes the end of the regular season rounds in the No.1 position on the points table. When two or more teams finish on the same points tally, the winner is decided based upon points for and against.

All of which is a fair enough system, given there isn't really an alternative...

...but hang on...

...way back in 1934 and 1943, the NSWRL tried something different - they had a "Minor Premiers Play-Off" Challenge Match, and held the game a week before the semi-finals started.

The Sydney Morning Herald - 11 August 1934 Easts v Wests for the Minor Premiership Title

In 1926 the NSWRL had introduced a top four semi-finals system, that ended in a Final.

The first placed 'minor premiers' team were given a 'right of challenge' - meaning if they were beaten in a semi or Final, they could call for a Grand Final.

In other words, it gave them a second chance to win the premiership.

The NSWRL had also declared in the early 1930s that if two teams jointly finished in first place, they would need to play each other before the semi-finals commenced, to decide which team were the 'minor premiers' and thus could claim the 'right of challenge' - in effect it was a "Minor Premiers Play-off" match, with the NSWRL and the two clubs (and thus the players as well) benefitting from the extra gate-takings.

In 1934 Easts and Wests finished in equal first - the Tricolours had the better for/against, but it counted for nothing.

The NSWRL pushed the semi-finals back a week, and a crowd of well over 20,000 were on hand to watch the Magpies defeat Easts 7-2 in the "Minor Premiers Play-off" match, and claim the 'right of challenge'. As it turned out Wests went on to win the Final, and didn't need the 'right of challenge'.

In 1941 three teams finished equal in first place. On for/against they were in order: Easts, Balmain, Canterbury. As a result, the NSWRL announced that no one would have the 'right of challenge'. Ironically, it was the 4th placed St George that won the Final (def. Easts 31-14) and with it the premiership.

In 1943 the "Minor Premiers Play-off" match was called into play again when Newtown and Balmain finished together at the top of the table.

It proved to be a bonanza for the NSWRL, the club, and the players, when a crowd of more than 47,000 flocked to the SCG - only the Grand Final attendance topped it that season.

The Bluebags won a gripping contest over the Tigers 11-10. Both sides lost their semi-finals the following week, but while that meant Balmain's season was over, the 'right of challenge' gave Newtown another chance via a Grand Final place, where they blitzed North Sydney 34-7.