Eastern Suburbs 1908 Season

The 1908 season was the first in the history of the Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club (now known as the Sydney Roosters). Eastern Suburbs competed in the inaugural match of the inaugural season, of the newly formed New South Wales Rugby Football League, reaching the final which they lost to South Sydney. They have the destiction of being the only club to have competed in every season since that time.

The Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League Football club was founded at a meeting held at the Paddington Town Hall on 24 January 1908. The meeting was chaired by Harry ‘Jersey’ Flegg who was named Easts first Secretary and a delegate to the NSWRL. Flegg was also appointed as the club's first captain and made a team selector. Legendary cricketer of the time Victor Trumper was appointed to Easts first committee, while Lieutenant-Colonel Onslow was made Patron of the Eastern Suburbs club.

At a subsequent meeting held on 7 February James White was appointed as the club's first President while R. Carty was named treasurer. Horrie Miller replaced Flegg as secretary and became the second of Easts two delegates to the NSWRL.

The line-ups that day were:

Newtown three-quarter Jack Scott had the honour of scoring the first ever try in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership when he took an intercept early in the match. As for Eastern Suburbs, W. Smith had the honour of scoring the first ever try in first grade. It was the only try he ever scored for the club. The try was converted by Lou D'Alpuget and ironically this was also the only goal he ever kicked for Easts while Johnno Stuntz's 4 tries remains the most tries scored on debut in 1st grade.

Eastern Suburbs 32 (Stuntz 4, Miller, Brown, Smith, D'Alpuget tries; Jones 2, D'Alpuget goals, Miller field goal) defeated Newtown 16

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