1949 - An
"Inconspicuous Season"
"A key signing for
Manly's third premiership season was crunch- tackling
George Hunter, a lock forward from Kurri Kurri in the
Hunter Valley coalfields. Other acquisitions were
halves, Len Walton and Jim Weir, while former Balmain
player George (Barney) Mullins took over from Stehr
as first grade coach. Even at 35, Stehr had
contemplated a playing comeback with Manly. But since
he was living in Maroubra in South Sydney territory,
he was ruled ineligible under the rigid residential
qualification rule.
At a committee meeting on
February 17, 1949, Jack Munro survived two ballots
before being re-elected club secretary. Munro,
bidding for his 17th consecutive term as secretary of
Manly's Junior League and district club, was beaten
in the first ballot by New Zealander Arnold Stehr
54-50 in a four-way vote, but after a second
preferential vote had the numbers 65-63 to retain
office." [Smith 1991, pp 33-34.]
Again it would prove an
inconspicuous season for the Sea Eagles. Manly lost
it's first seven matches before beating Norths 16-7
in round 8. Another five wins and a draw in the last
ten rounds lifted Manly eighth by the end of the
season, ahead of Norths and Easts. Manly scored only
171 points in 18 games. Kelly McMahon was topscorer
with just 39 points.
Nevertheless Bill Seymour's President's Report was
positive about the future: "It can be said that
the results of the season have laid the basis for
great successes in the coming competition. In spite
of what might appear to be inconsistency on the part
of the first grade team, when they played like
competition winners against the strongest sides and
the following match went under to weak teams, the
overall result was distinctly encouraging and marked
a turning point in the history of the club." [
Smith 1991, p 34.]
A highlight of the season
was the selection of Roy Bull into the Australian team for the
second Test against New Zealand in Auckland. Bull was
Manly's first international and at 20 years and 3
months was the youngest ever was the youngest Test
debutant.
"After all the training I did in the surfboats
and on the field, I was over the moon when I was
named in the Australian touring party to New Zealand
that year," Bull said.
"The club gave me a farewell night at Brookvale
Oval where I received two leather bags and there was
a cake shaped as a football and iced in the club' s
colours. These days players get two or three thousand
dollars when they go away on tours, but when I got
those bags I was so bloody happy."
1949 Results
1949 Players
Main source:
Smith 1991.
