The 1939 Auckland Rugby League season was its 31st.
Mount Albert United won their first ever Fox Memorial Shield title with a 13 win, 1 draw, 2 loss record. North Shore Albions were 6 competition points further back. After 12 rounds, Mount Albert (17) trailed North Shore (18) by one competition point before North Shore could only secure a win and a draw from their last 5 matches while Mount Albert won all five to run away with the title.
Marist Old Boys beat Mount Albert in the Roope Rooster final 13–11. This was the 5th time Marist had won the Roope Rooster. A week later Mount Albert beat Marist 15–9 to win the Stormont Shield (champion of champions) for the first time. City Rovers won the Phelan Shield when they beat Richmond Rovers 15–12 in the final. This was the first time they had won the Phelan Shield which was played for by teams knocked out of the Roope Rooster in the first two rounds.
Richmond won the reserve grade competition ahead of Mount Albert and Ponsonby United. They also won the reserve grade knockout competition (Stallard Cup) when they beat Otahuhu Rovers in the final. Otahuhu had competed in the senior B grade but asked to compete for the Stallard Cup after they had won the senior B championship (Sharman Cup). Otahuhu also won the senior B knockout competition beating Ellerslie United 5–3 in the final. Ellerslie claimed the Foster Shield.
The representative season to an extent was focussed on helping the selectors choose the New Zealand team to tour England and France. Auckland played matches against South Auckland and Wellington while the traditional Inter-Island match was also played at Carlaw Park. Two New Zealand trial matches were played at the same venue and were heavily populated by Auckland players. The Tāmaki (Auckland Māori) side played 2 matches against Auckland Pākehā with the sides splitting them, one win a piece. On June 11, the Māori side played South Auckland in Huntly with the South Auckland team winning. They also played the first ever Bay of Plenty Māori side for the Waitangi Shield with the teams deadlocked 3–3 at full time. Another Waitangi Shield defence was scheduled for August 31 but was postponed due to bad weather. It was then cancelled altogether because of petrol restrictions due to the looming outbreak of war meaning the Taranaki Māori side couldn't get a license to travel. At the start of the season, an Eastern Suburbs side (though with several players from other clubs) visited Auckland and played 4 matches against Auckland club sides. They beat Marist (22–9), lost to Richmond (16–17), lost to Mount Albert (11–16), and then beat Manukau (23–10).
Auckland Rugby League news Club teams by grade participation There were 103 club teams across 10 grades in the 1938 season. Newmarket initially had a team in the 3rd Grade but after they suffered several heavy defeats they were transferred into the 4th Grade so they have been credited with a 4th Grade team and not a 3rd Grade team as it was effectively the same side. TeamFox MemorialSenior ReserveSenior B3rd 4th5th6th7thSchoolboysTotalRichmond Rovers1101111129Manukau1101101027North Shore Albions1101101027Mount Albert United1101101027City Rovers1102101107Papakura1101110106Ponsonby United1101100116Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers0011100126Ellerslie United0011011026Point Chevalier0011010126Otahuhu Rovers0011101026Newton Rangers1101000025Newmarket0000110024Marist Old Boys1101010004Avondale0001010024R.V.0011100003Green Lane0010100013Glenora0001010013St Patricks School0000000022Total996171297627103
Annual meeting The report presented at the annual meeting on March 8 stated: "there was again a marked increase in revenue from gate and grandstand receipts and ground rates, the respective figures being: 1937, £3410; 1938, £3761 18s 5d [with] the tour of the Sydney Eastern Suburbs team [being] a material factor in this increase. There had been an increase in expenditure from £160 to £312 due to the increased length of the season, more travel, and more insurance payments to cover injured players hospital treatment. The surplus for the season to be transferred to the appropriation account was £1439". Grants to clubs had amounted to £628 4s 7d. Mention was also made of the loss of several “notable stalwarts, including the late Messrs. Charles Seagar, William James Liversidge, T. Bellamy, and R. Badiley”. The annual meeting was held on March 8 with Mr. John A. Lee, M.P. presiding. He said that “the code was steadily progressing so far as the quality of players and public esteem were concerned”. Ivan Culpan was congratulated on reaching his twenty-first year in office. Mr. G. Grey Campbell referred to the generosity of vice-president, Mr. R.H. Wood who had presented “the handsome Edith Wood Roll of Honour for the inscription of the names of men who had given 25 years of continuous special service. The gift was dedicated to the memory of the donor's wife. The memorial was draped with the flags of all the clubs”. Election of officers were as follows:-Patron Mr. J.F.W. Dickson; president, Mr. John A. Lee, M.P.; vice-presidents, Sir Ernest Davis, Messrs. J. Donald, C. Drysdale, H. Grange, R.J. Land, W.J. Lovatt, E. Morton, Frederick William Schramm, M.P., W. Wallace, W.H. Brien, L. Coakly, H. Luke, R.D. Bagnall, O. Blackwood, E. Montgomery, T.G. Symonds, G.T. Wright, R.H. Benson, auditors being Messrs. Allan Moody, E. Grey and J.C. Gleeson; trustees, Messrs. G. Grey Campbell (chairman) and E.J. Phelan and A. Stormont; control board, Messrs. G. Grey Campbell (chairman), E.J. Phelan (deputy), John F. McAneny, T. Davis, J.W. Probert and Jim Rukutai (re-elected by clubs), William Mincham (Referees’ Association), D. Wilkie (chairman junior management), R. Doble (delegate to New Zealand Council), Mr. Ivan Culpan (hon. secretary) and Mr. J.E. Knowling (hon. treasurer); auditor, Mr. Robert Arthur Spinley; solicitor, Mr. H.M. Rogerson; time keepers, Messrs. T. Hill and A.E. Chapman; representatives n referees appointment board, Messrs. R. Benson with T. Davis as deputy; appointment board, Messrs. Percy Rogers, R. Benson and G. Grey Campbell; committees were allocated the same as last year; hon physicians, Drs. F.J. Gwynne, H.N. Holdgate, S. Morris, G.W. Lock, J.N. Waddell, M.G. Pezaro, H. Burrell and W. Bridgman. Following R. Doble's July appointment as co-manager of the New Zealand team to tour England and France a reshuffle was needed of officials at Auckland Rugby League. Mr. Francis Thomas McAneny was asked to deputise on the New Zealand Council pending a permanent appointment. Mr. E. Chapman was chosen as Press and call steward at Carlaw Park and Mr. Probert was elected to the insurance committee.
Junior Control Board Their annual report from the 1938 season stated that 55 teams took part in junior competitions with 1123 players registered. The ladies social committee “paid over 200 visits to the sick and needy” with many players expressing their “thanks for their generosity and kindness”. The ladies committee also managed all the social functions of the control board. In 1937 club delegates had formed the Amalgamated Senior Clubs' Officers Association and through their efforts £300 had been contributed to help players in need.
Honours board At the control board meeting on February 15 “consideration was given to the list of names to be inscribed on the honours’ board, which will be a record of those who have given 25 years of continuous service to the code in Auckland". At their March 1 meeting chairman Campbell “stated that the roll of honour ... would be unveiled at the annual meeting” the following week. At the annual meeting on March 8 the memorial was unveiled with the names being D.W. Mclean, founder of the New Zealand Rugby League, and James Carlaw (deceased), Messrs. Ernie Asher, R.H. Benson, A.J. Ferguson, Ivan Culpan, B Longbottom, C. Raynes, A. Campney, Freeman Thompson, W.J. Liversidge, W. Mincham, and M.J. Hooper. Chairman Campbell said that other names were to be added. On August 7 Mr. W. Mincham reported that the name of Mr. Les Edgar Bull was being added to the Roll of Honour board. He was the association president and had been a key figure in Auckland refereeing for many years.
Pre-season At the board of control meeting on February 22 it was decided to notify clubs that Carlaw Park “would be available for regular training after next Saturday and to engage a coach to attend the park to conduct free physical culture and loosening exercises for players from 7:30 pm to 8pm tonight week and the following Tuesday and Thursday evenings” with “his services open to all players”. At the same meeting the board congratulated Verdun Scott of the North Shore Albions who had scored a record 235 not out recently in club cricket.
Sydney combined side tour It was organised that the Balmain club would tour Auckland playing three matches over the Easter weekend before returning to Australia to begin their season. A week later however the club informed the authorities in New Zealand that they would not be able to come as "several players were not available". The Auckland Rugby League then engaged in a “lengthy radio-telephone conversation with Australia” on February 15 that left them “practically certain that one of the leading club teams of Sydney will play at Carlaw Park at Easter in lieu of Balmain”. Ray Stehr of Eastern Suburbs had also been reported as saying that he could get together a very strong composite team made up of Eastern Suburbs and Balmain players to tour. The team was eventually granted permission to tour and four matches were arranged for Carlaw Park against Marist, Richmond, Mount Albert, and Manukau. The touring side was particularly strong and included good players from several clubs: Jim Sharman, Jack Rubinson (W. Suburbs), Frank Hyde, Jim Quealey, Jack Redman, Frank Griffiths, George Watt (Balmain), Roy Thompson (N. Sydney), Don Manson (S. Sydney), Aub Mitchell (Canterbury-Bankstown), Fred Tottey, Rod O'Loan, Laurie Pickup, Jack McCarthy, Jack Arnold, Harry Pierce, and Ray Stehr (E. Suburbs). The tour raised £300 for the injured players fund.
Marist v Sydney XIII Before the kickoff of the first match between Marist and Sydney XIII both teams stood in silence and wore arm bands as a mark of respect for the late Prime Minister of Australia, Mr. Joseph Lyons who had died in office 13 days earlier on April 7. Robert Grotte was sent off for Marist and was later suspended for 2 games. John Anderson, normally one of the most reliable place kickers in New Zealand missed 5 first half shots at goal and another in the second half, while Murdoch also missed one. Early in the second half Billy Grotte, a Marist forward was ordered off by referee George Kelly leaving them a man short for the remainder of the game.
Richmond v Sydney XIII