1983 NSWRFL season
The 1983 NSWRFL season was the 76th season of professional rugby league football in Australia. Fourteen teams competed for the J J Giltinan Shield and Winfield Cup during the season, which culminated in a replay of the previous year's grand final between the Parramatta and Manly-Warringah clubs. During the season, NSWRFL teams also competed for the 1983 KB Cup.
1983 was the final season in the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership for Sydney-based foundation club Newtown Jets, and the first reduction in the number of teams in the competition since Sydney University’s departure at the end of the 1937 NSWRFL season. It was also the first season that was played with four-point tries.
Season summary
For the first time, the number of points awarded for scoring a try was raised from three to four. There was also the introduction of a handover if a team was caught in possession six times, which had the effect of killing the traditional scrum but attracted many new followers to a game that had seen attendances decline by fifty percent since the record year of 1968. To counter a lucrative illegal betting market, legal betting via FootyTAB was introduced and was a regarded as a success.Twenty-six regular season rounds were played from February till August, resulting in a top five of Manly-Warringah, Parramatta, Canterbury-Bankstown, Balmain and St. George, who battled it out in the finals. Manly-Warringah managed 23 wins from 28 matches in 1983 – at the time the most wins in a season by a club in NSWRFL premiership history alongside Parramatta’s 23 in 1982.
The 1983 season's Rothmans Medallist was Eastern Suburbs’ back, Michael Eden and the Dally M Award went to Western Suburbs’ half, Terry Lamb. Rugby League Week gave their player of the year award to Manly-Warringah winger, Phil Sigsworth. This season the Cocal-Cola Coach-of-the-year award was voted for by the coaches in the League and was awarded to rookie coach Laurie Freier.
This was also the last year in the first-grade competition for foundation club Newtown, who were dropped at the season’s end.
Teams
The lineup of teams remained unchanged from the previous season, with fourteen clubs competing in total, including six Sydney-based foundation teams, another six from Sydney, one from greater New South Wales and one from the Australian Capital Territory. It was the last season for the Newtown club.| Balmain Tigers 76th season Ground: Leichhardt Oval Coach: Frank Stanton Captain: Wayne Pearce | Canberra Raiders 2nd season Ground: Seiffert Oval Coach: Don Furner Captain: Allan McMahon | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 48th season Ground: Belmore Oval Coach: Ted Glossop Captain: Chris Anderson | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 17th season Ground: Endeavour Field Coach: Terry Fearnley Captain: Gavin Miller |
| Eastern Suburbs Roosters 76th season Ground: Sydney Sports Ground Coach: Laurie Freier Captain: Royce Ayliffe | Illawarra Steelers 2nd season Ground: Wollongong Stadium Coach: Allan Fitzgibbon Captain: John Dorahy | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 37th season Ground: Brookvale Oval Coach: Bob Fulton Captain: Max Krilich | Newtown Jets 76th season Ground: Henson Park, Orana Park Coach: Brian Moore Captain: Ken Wilson, Dean Lance |
| North Sydney Bears 76th season Ground: North Sydney Oval Coach: John Hayes, Greg Hawick Captain: Mark Graham, John Adam | Parramatta Eels 37th season Ground: Belmore Oval Coach: Jack Gibson Captain: Steve Edge | Penrith Panthers 17th season Ground: Penrith Stadium Coach: John Peard Captain: Royce Simmons | South Sydney Rabbitohs 76th season Ground: Redfern Oval Coach: Ron Willey Captain: Ziggy Niszczot |
| St. George Dragons 63rd season Ground: Kogarah Oval Coach: Roy Masters Captain: Craig Young, John Jansen | Western Suburbs Magpies 76th season Ground: Lidcombe Oval Coach: Lenny Stacker Captain: Warren Boland |
Ladder
Finals
Grand Final
Parramatta powered over Manly for the second year straight to claim their third successive title. The 18-6 win saw Brett Kenny claim a unique achievement in scoring two tries in three successive grand finals. Kenny opened the scoring and the Eels raced to a 10-0 lead after 13 minutes when Eric Grothe steamrolled burly Manly fullback Graham Eadie.Parramatta 18
defeated
Manly-Warringah 6