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EspañolGLEBE DIRTY REDS
'Glebe' were a rugby league foundation team who played in the New South Wales Rugby League premierships from 1908-1929. They were nicknamed and well known as the 'Dirty Reds'.
Glebe was a working class suburb, to the west of the Sydney city-centre that experienced rapid growth in the second half of the nineteenth century. The game of rugby union was particularly popular with the locals through the 1890s when a Glebe club was playing in Sydney second grade competition. When a district system was introduced in 1900 one of the new First Grade clubs was Glebe. They adopted the maroon colour synonymous with all sporting teams from the Glebe estate, this also sparked the nickname of the 'Dirty Reds'.
The club was an immediate powerhouse in the Sydney competitions winning premierships in 1900, 1901, 1906 & 1907. In 1908 the club split with one group of Glebe locals joining the NSWRL to become one of the nine foundation clubs.
Glebe fared reasonably in the opening season finishing third. They played every game at their home ground of Wentworth Park, apart from two visits to Birchgrove Oval to play Balmain. The club provided six members of the 1908 Kangaroos - more than any of the other clubs that year.
By 1911 the Dirty Reds won the minor premiership two points ahead of Souths and Easts. The Kangaroos squad had left but Easts superstar Dally Messenger who had declined to tour was still playing for Easts when the semi-finals came around. 'Dally M' was to prove to be Glebe's nemesis.
Easts had to defeat Glebe in the Grand Final to take the premiership trophy. A crowd of over 20,000 settled into the Sydney Showground to watch the first ever Grand Final (as previous premierships were awarded to the side who finished top of the table). After a close match all day Messenger converted a late try, and then quickly followed it up with a field goal to secure an 11-8 win for Eastern Suburbs.
It was no help to the 1911 Glebe side, but soon after the Grand Final the NSWRL decided that all future premierships would be awarded on who finished the season at the top of the table basis.
For the most part of 1912 Easts and Glebe were again the standout clubs. With four matches of the season remaining both were at the head of the premiership race when they met in a match at the Sydney Sports Ground. A win to Easts would virtually secure them the title, while a Glebe success would see both teams level going into the final three rounds. A record crowd over 25,000 saw Easts win by a field goal to win 6-4 which eventually won them the premiership and left Glebe on second place.
Glebe had their only moment of glory in the City Cup competition of 1913 with a win in the Final over Norths 8-6 before 17,000 spectators. It was the only trophy they ever won, and is generally overlooked in deference to performances in the premiership despite the prestige it held at the time.
Halfway through the 1915 season Balmain, Glebe and Souths were the frontrunners. The Rabbitohs fell away soon after and with four matches remaining Balmain and Glebe faced each other with the winner was almost assured of the premiership. Played before 20,000 fans at the Sydney Sports Ground Balmain played a comfortable 12-2 win over the Glebe side to kick two points clear on the Table and remained there until the end of the season to take the title.
The 1917 season was a dramatic one for the Glebe club. With the residential qualification strictly enforced at the time, Glebe brought down Dan 'Laddo' Davies from the Newcastle Wests club. Glebe allowed Davies to move in with his relatives even though they lived outside the district in nearby Annandale. After Davies starred in a 26-5 win by Glebe over Annandale, the losers fired in a complaint to the NSWRL. The result was Glebe lost their two competition points for the win, while Davies was banned for life.
Soon afterwards three Glebe players were sent off and were outed for the rest of the season. Players from other clubs had received suspensions nowhere near as severe for similar offences. Then the NSWRL overlooked a top shelf clash between Glebe and Balmain for match-of-the-day status at the SCG, consigning the game to a smaller crowd (and therefore gate) at Birchgrove Oval. The loss of the expected bonus pay for the Glebe players was enough to send them over the edge. They decided not to front for the match because there was "a set against it by the League committee". The NSWRL's response was to suspend fourteen of Glebe's top players until the start of the 1919 season.
Glebe maintained a steady third placed position from 1918 to 1921, while the fortunes of other clubs saw them go up and down around the consistent Reds. For the first half of the 1920s Glebe were forced to switch home games to the Sports Ground when the NSWRL failed to secure rental of Wentworth Park.
In 1922 Glebe finished the season at the top of the ladder. Unfortunately they shared the position with defending premiers North Sydney and a Final was required to decide the winner. The Glebe side had no answer to the Norths' superior backline play that absolutely clicked that day, seeing Norths win comfortably 35-3.
The semi-final system was reintroduced in 1926 and, perhaps sensing they had to seize the opportunity, Glebe returned to top form clinching second place behind South Sydney and ahead of Easts and University. Glebe faced University in the first semi-final, a team they had defeated two weeks earlier. However, the Dirty Reds were a major disappointment as they put in an inept display against Uni to lose 29-3 and miss a place in the Final. As events were to transpire over the next two seasons, the missed opportunity proved to be cataclysmic.
In 1928 Glebe sank dramatically and avoided the wooden spoon by just one win. It was their worst ever performance in the Sydney competition. They repeated it in 1929 and the word was soon out that the club was going to be excluded at the end of the season. Their final home game at Wentworth Park was a 13-5 loss to University.
The NSWRL General Committee voted 13-12 to omit Glebe from the premiership. The club fought the decision by collecting petitions, while many local politicians led the charge for the League to reverse their decision. An appeal was heard but the decision was not overturned. The loss of Glebe saw many of their fans turn away from the game. They could not support another club and were dismayed at the events that had transpired.
Why Glebe was not given the respite needed to rebuild into a competitive team is unknown. The overall on field performances were certainly not as bad as the perennial wooden spooners University, which continued its existence until 1937. Questions remain though over why the League and other clubs were so quick to bring Glebe to an end.
★ Chris McKivat
★ Arthur "Pony" Halloway
★ Alex Burdon
★ Frank Burge
★ Albert Burge
★ New South Wales Rugby League premiership
★ RL1908's Glebe page
| Contents |
| History |
| Players of Note |
| See also |
| External links |
History
Glebe was a working class suburb, to the west of the Sydney city-centre that experienced rapid growth in the second half of the nineteenth century. The game of rugby union was particularly popular with the locals through the 1890s when a Glebe club was playing in Sydney second grade competition. When a district system was introduced in 1900 one of the new First Grade clubs was Glebe. They adopted the maroon colour synonymous with all sporting teams from the Glebe estate, this also sparked the nickname of the 'Dirty Reds'.
The club was an immediate powerhouse in the Sydney competitions winning premierships in 1900, 1901, 1906 & 1907. In 1908 the club split with one group of Glebe locals joining the NSWRL to become one of the nine foundation clubs.
Glebe fared reasonably in the opening season finishing third. They played every game at their home ground of Wentworth Park, apart from two visits to Birchgrove Oval to play Balmain. The club provided six members of the 1908 Kangaroos - more than any of the other clubs that year.
By 1911 the Dirty Reds won the minor premiership two points ahead of Souths and Easts. The Kangaroos squad had left but Easts superstar Dally Messenger who had declined to tour was still playing for Easts when the semi-finals came around. 'Dally M' was to prove to be Glebe's nemesis.
Easts had to defeat Glebe in the Grand Final to take the premiership trophy. A crowd of over 20,000 settled into the Sydney Showground to watch the first ever Grand Final (as previous premierships were awarded to the side who finished top of the table). After a close match all day Messenger converted a late try, and then quickly followed it up with a field goal to secure an 11-8 win for Eastern Suburbs.
It was no help to the 1911 Glebe side, but soon after the Grand Final the NSWRL decided that all future premierships would be awarded on who finished the season at the top of the table basis.
For the most part of 1912 Easts and Glebe were again the standout clubs. With four matches of the season remaining both were at the head of the premiership race when they met in a match at the Sydney Sports Ground. A win to Easts would virtually secure them the title, while a Glebe success would see both teams level going into the final three rounds. A record crowd over 25,000 saw Easts win by a field goal to win 6-4 which eventually won them the premiership and left Glebe on second place.
Glebe had their only moment of glory in the City Cup competition of 1913 with a win in the Final over Norths 8-6 before 17,000 spectators. It was the only trophy they ever won, and is generally overlooked in deference to performances in the premiership despite the prestige it held at the time.
Halfway through the 1915 season Balmain, Glebe and Souths were the frontrunners. The Rabbitohs fell away soon after and with four matches remaining Balmain and Glebe faced each other with the winner was almost assured of the premiership. Played before 20,000 fans at the Sydney Sports Ground Balmain played a comfortable 12-2 win over the Glebe side to kick two points clear on the Table and remained there until the end of the season to take the title.
The 1917 season was a dramatic one for the Glebe club. With the residential qualification strictly enforced at the time, Glebe brought down Dan 'Laddo' Davies from the Newcastle Wests club. Glebe allowed Davies to move in with his relatives even though they lived outside the district in nearby Annandale. After Davies starred in a 26-5 win by Glebe over Annandale, the losers fired in a complaint to the NSWRL. The result was Glebe lost their two competition points for the win, while Davies was banned for life.
Soon afterwards three Glebe players were sent off and were outed for the rest of the season. Players from other clubs had received suspensions nowhere near as severe for similar offences. Then the NSWRL overlooked a top shelf clash between Glebe and Balmain for match-of-the-day status at the SCG, consigning the game to a smaller crowd (and therefore gate) at Birchgrove Oval. The loss of the expected bonus pay for the Glebe players was enough to send them over the edge. They decided not to front for the match because there was "a set against it by the League committee". The NSWRL's response was to suspend fourteen of Glebe's top players until the start of the 1919 season.
Glebe maintained a steady third placed position from 1918 to 1921, while the fortunes of other clubs saw them go up and down around the consistent Reds. For the first half of the 1920s Glebe were forced to switch home games to the Sports Ground when the NSWRL failed to secure rental of Wentworth Park.
In 1922 Glebe finished the season at the top of the ladder. Unfortunately they shared the position with defending premiers North Sydney and a Final was required to decide the winner. The Glebe side had no answer to the Norths' superior backline play that absolutely clicked that day, seeing Norths win comfortably 35-3.
The semi-final system was reintroduced in 1926 and, perhaps sensing they had to seize the opportunity, Glebe returned to top form clinching second place behind South Sydney and ahead of Easts and University. Glebe faced University in the first semi-final, a team they had defeated two weeks earlier. However, the Dirty Reds were a major disappointment as they put in an inept display against Uni to lose 29-3 and miss a place in the Final. As events were to transpire over the next two seasons, the missed opportunity proved to be cataclysmic.
In 1928 Glebe sank dramatically and avoided the wooden spoon by just one win. It was their worst ever performance in the Sydney competition. They repeated it in 1929 and the word was soon out that the club was going to be excluded at the end of the season. Their final home game at Wentworth Park was a 13-5 loss to University.
The NSWRL General Committee voted 13-12 to omit Glebe from the premiership. The club fought the decision by collecting petitions, while many local politicians led the charge for the League to reverse their decision. An appeal was heard but the decision was not overturned. The loss of Glebe saw many of their fans turn away from the game. They could not support another club and were dismayed at the events that had transpired.
Why Glebe was not given the respite needed to rebuild into a competitive team is unknown. The overall on field performances were certainly not as bad as the perennial wooden spooners University, which continued its existence until 1937. Questions remain though over why the League and other clubs were so quick to bring Glebe to an end.
Players of Note
★ Chris McKivat
★ Arthur "Pony" Halloway
★ Alex Burdon
★ Frank Burge
★ Albert Burge
See also
★ New South Wales Rugby League premiership
External links
★ RL1908's Glebe page
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