With the outbreak of World War II in 1939 came a whole new set of hardships. Apart from the fear of invasion, there was also a mass exodus of young men leaving Australia to join the fight. No sport was left untouched as scores of the countries' best athletes went off, many never to return. Like all Rugby League clubs, St George was hit hard. But this didn't stop Saints winning their first ever premiership in 1941 and again in 1949.

In it's wisdom, the NSWRL recalled the Grand Final system which had failed in the early  '30s. Once again, despite performing better in the semi-finals Saints were denied a premiership (1942). The system gained some credibility with the admission of 2 more teams, Manly-Warringah and Parramatta in 1947 making it a 10 team comp. This gave extra weight to the importance of being a minor premier. The system endured until 1953 but was reinstated in 1955. By now however, all eyes were on St George - the team of the future.

The 1940s also saw record breaking Jack Lindwall (pic right) reach his career heights. Jack Lindwall was remembered as one of the greats when in June 2000 he passed away.  Jack's brother, Ray Lindwall also played for Saints in the '40s and was a talented footballer before he pursued a career in cricket where he found immediate success as a deadly fast bowler and the spearhead of Don Bradman's Invincibles in 1948. 'The Dragon Slayers' were now known simply as 'the Dragons' and they continued into the 1950s as a competitive force getting closer and closer to the glory that awaited them.

1941:

Click on pic for larger image and names ST GEORGE WIN FIRST PREMIERSHIP Sydney Cricket Ground, 30 August 1941: Following 20 years of persistence and near misses, St George finally win their first premiership After 14 rounds Saints were in 4th position on 17 pts but were only one point behind Easts, Balmain and Canterbury. Supporters were ruing the round nine match when Saints scored two tries to one but went down to Canterbury 15-14 thus ultimately denying the Dragons the minor premiership. But with by far the best season attacking record (63 tries) Saints made easy work of Balmain in the minor semi-final, winning 32-8. The Dragons then went on to win the greatest prize of all when they trounced Easts in the Final 31-14, in front of 39,957 people. THE 1941 FINAL, ST GEORGE SCORERS: Tries: Roy 'Torchy' Hasson (halfback) 2, Owen 'Bricky' Campbell (winger) 2, Neville Smith (c-coach) 1, Gordon Hart (winger) 1, Len Kelly (forward) 1. Goals: Neville Smith 5. FULLTIME SCORE: St George 31-14. Referee: Tom McMahon.

1941 (top 4 in semis) Easts 18 Balmain 18 Canterbury 18 St George p 17 Newtown 14 Wests 12 Souths   8 Norths   7 (14 ROUNDS) Saints '41 record Win  Loss Draw 8W, 5L, 1D Pts for/against For 307 (1st) Against 248 (6th)

SKIPPER KNOCKED OUT In what was a tough encounter, St George captain-coach and star player, Neville Smith [pic left] was knocked out after a heavy tackle early in the match. Neville Smith recovered and scored 13 points with one try and five goals. In 1939, Neville came to St George from Valleys (Brisbane) and became the youngest ever captain-coach in the club's history. TWO PLAYERS SENT OFF In another incident, Easts forward, Jack Arnold and Saints forward, Bill Tyquin were sent off after an almighty punch up. Tyquin [pic right] had just one memorable season  in the Sydney premiership. The next year he returned back to Queensland and went on to captain the state side in 1948-49. He also represented Australia as a '48 Kangaroo. The record shows no representative appearances for Jack Arnold. DAVE BROWN RETIRES: Easts' centre Dave Brown retires from League after Easts' loss to Saints. Brown has often been referred to as 'the Bradman of League' and holds many League records.

1942: Late goal saves Canterbury-Bankstown SAINTS RUNNERS UP HISTORY SPOT MIDGET SUBS ATTACK SYDNEY Sydney Cricket Ground, 12 September 1942:  A crowd of 26,171 saw Canterbury's Lindsay Johnson manage a late conversion to secure the 1942 Grand Final for Canterbury by 11pts to 9. Saints were leading 9-6 late in the match but a Canterbury try locked up the scores at 9-all The Canterbury fullback's goal just scraped over the cross bar giving his team the premiership. It was a tight match with both teams scoring one try each. In the previous weeks, Saints had already beaten Canterbury 25-10 on August 22. Saints also won the Preliminary Final, defeating Easts 18-5 which normally would have declared Saints as being the Premiers. But under a call back of new rules previously deemed unworkable in the the 1930s Saints had to play the minor premiers, Canterbury again in the Grand Final. A revision of the system showed that it did have some merits but it is clear that extra games meant extra gate money. Canterbury gained their minor premiership by way of a play off with Balmain when both teams finished on 20 points after 14 rounds. Saints finished 3rd on the ladder with 18 points with Easts on 16 points. Coming into the premiership decider, Saints had won two matches in the semis while Canterbury had just one victory but were always guaranteed a grand final berth. Given the circumstances, St George supporters must have been full of despair at losing the Grand Final. FULL TIME: C'bury 11 St George 9. Point scorers for St George: Jack Lindwall 1 try, Ray Lindwall 3 goals. poste script: All three grades made it to Grand Final - only Saints third grade won. NEW SIGNINGS: Saints blooded promising local junior Doug McRitchie (pictured) into first grade in 1942 without allowing him any experience in the lower grades. Later (1945), the centre would serve in New Guinea and like many players of the time, his football career was to be interrupted by the war.

1942 (top 4 in semis) Canterbury p 20 Balmain 20 St George 18 Easts 16 Souths 15 Norths 10 Newtown   9 Wests   4 (14 ROUNDS) Saints '42 record Win  Loss Draw 9W, 5L, 0D Pts for/against For 271 (1st) Against 205 (4th)

1943 (top 4 in semis) Newtown p 21 Balmain 21 Norths 17 St George 17 Souths 16 Easts   8 Wests   6 Canterbury   6 (14 ROUNDS) Saints '43 record Win  Loss Draw 8W, 5L, 1D Pts for/against For 185 (3rd) Against 188 (6th)

1943: SAINTS BOW OUT IN PRELIMINARY FINAL Sydney Cricket Ground, 28 August 1943: Saints finished 4th on the ladder coming into the semis. They defeated Balmain 12-5 in the minor semi on Aug 21. Saints were defeated in the preliminary final by Norths 25-19 on Aug 28 in front of 41,646. A crowd record was set the following week in the Grand Final when Newtown beat Norths by 34-7 in front of a mammoth SCG audience of 60,922. 1943 was the year that  Neville Smith made a return to St George as captain-coach after an absence if one year. However, it was to be his final season in a short career of 59 matches in which he scored 15 tries and 118 goals for a personal tally of 281 points.  He also represented NSW six times in 1940 & 1941 (captain in 1940). He would have played for Australia if not for W.W.II. 1944: ST GEORGE SUFFER WORST DEFEAT Sydney Cricket Ground, 26 August 1944: In the same year that allied troops were making their run on the beaches of Normandy, St George were copping a hiding at the hands of Newtown in the major semi final. In front of 34,883 spectators, Newtown romped in 11 tries to two to humble the Dragons 55-7. This is the worse defeat ever delivered to St George (It would take another 50 years to be broken. See 1994). In 1944, Saints finished 3rd on the ladder.

1944 (top 4 in semis) Newtown 22 Balmain p 21 St George 18 Souths 15 Norths 11 Wests 10 Easts   8 Canterbury   7 (14 ROUNDS) Saints '44 record Win  Loss Draw 9W, 5L, 0D Pts for/against For 230 (3rd) Against 238 (4th)

1944 was the final year as a player for inspirational forward, Len Kelly who played 161 games for Saints. For a forward, Len was a prolific try scorer with 59 tries. After retiring from first grade, Len went to the bush to captain-coach Picton. He later found a career in administration as an Australian selector (1956) and was to become vice president of the NSWRL as well president of the St George club. SAINTS SIGN WOLLONGONG JUNIOR In 1944, St George secured the services of Frank Johnson for two seasons. The popular hooker represented Country between 1940 - 1943 while playing for Port Kembla. He remained a Dragon in 1945 but returned to Captain coach Wollongong in 1946. Also in 1944, Saints lost winger / fullback, Norm Tipping (pic right) who came to StGeorge from the district's Rugby Union ranks in 1932. Norm's career was riddled with injury. He had to sit out the 1935 season only to suffer a spinal injury in 1936. He returned in 1943 & 1944 and ended his career with one try and one goal in 25 games with the Dragons.

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