The 1922 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the fifteenth season of Sydney’s top-grade rugby league club competition, Australia’s first. Nine teams from across the city contested the season which culminated in North Sydney’s victory over Glebe in the premiership final.

Season summary

After the clubs had played each other twice, Norths and Glebe were tied atop the points table. Instead of the points differential rule being implemented a Grand Final was held to determine the premier. St George had another disappointing season, winning only two games against University and conceding 316 points averaging 19.75 per game.

Teams

Ladder

Final

As North Sydney and Glebe were tied on competition points a final was played at the Sydney Cricket Ground on 6 September, before a crowd of around 15,000. The match was officiated by Tom McMahon, the elder of the two pre-war referees of that name. The game was not as even as the ladder at the end of regular season would have suggested. Norths completely got away to a 10-0 lead at half-time and went on to demolish Glebe 35-3, taking their second consecutive premiership crown. The legendary Harold Horder scored twenty individual points in the match. This was North Sydney’s second premiership, their last before becoming the Bears in 1959, and last before being excluded from the competition after the 1999 NRL season. There have been ongoing efforts to resurrect the Bears North Sydney 35 (Tries: Rule 2, Blinkhorn 2, Horder 2, Peters. Goals: Horder 7 ) defeated Glebe 3 (Try: E Summers)