With the introduction of the salary cap and other equalisation measures, it seems impossible at this juncture to conceive of any Australian club team (or any team) ever again achieving what St George did in the 1950s and 1960s โ€“ winning an astonishing eleven straight premierships.

The greatest club team in the history of the sport was a thing to simply marvel at in this period. The Saints rode roughshod over all-comers in Sydney (a bit more on that later), with the opposition simply unable to match the unlimited tackle football produced by this sporting machine.

Some of the greatest rugby league players of all-time graced this side, particularly the holy trilogy of Immortals Johnny Raper, Reg Gasnier and Graeme Langlands, but also a superb supporting cast of rugby league royalty in wingers Johnny King and Eddie Lumsden, five-eighth Brian Clay, usual half Billy Smith, and prop, the hard as cement, Kevin Ryan.

While hooker Ken Kearney was a strong influence on the early sides in the eleven-year streak (his knowledge of British football methods - still the best in the world at this time - in particular, being crucial after an extended stretch in that country), the steady hand guiding this rugby league juggernaut was the fourth Immortal in the side and the man represented as one half of the current NRL trophy (with Wests' Arthur Summons), Norman Douglas Somerville โ€˜Sticks' Provan.

The six-foot-four (but lanky) Provan, a giant for the time, captain coached the side and was a defining force in the Dragons hegemony, but the extent to which this was really needed must be queried when one considers that every one of the players mentioned above played at international level. Let's just say it was the cream on the cake. When Kearney eventually retired mid-way through the St George record run, he was immediately replaced with another international at hooker in Elton Rasmussen. Consequently, the machine rolled on.

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The (unfortunate) opposition in the 1964 Grand Final, Balmain, was an excellent team in its own right โ€“ containing wonderful players such as Norm Provan's brother, Peter, at second row, lock Dennis Tutty, big kicking front rower Bob Boland, and the masterful Welsh fullback, captain and goal kicker, old โ€œGolden Bootsโ€ himself, Keith Barnes.

At the end of the first half, the game was close โ€“ Balmain leading 4-2 โ€“ but the vital moment in the contest occurred five minutes into the second half, when St George scored an extraordinary try, the only one of what was, in reality, quite a dour contest. Balmain received a penalty nearly on their line and wedged up against the sideline; a terrible position for a line kick.

That's Rugby League 1960's

The Tigers' prop Boland, a noted long kicker, executed a good deep kick which travelled almost to the halfway line, crossing the touchline in the air. Dragons' fullback Langlands, leaning over the sideline with his feet an inch in play, took a magnificent catch which he was forced to make well away from his body, and set off on a serpentine journey across field.

His tremendous jinking run drew the horrified Balmain defence, while keeping it at a safe distance through his prodigious, right foot sidestep. Langlands threw a delightful long ball to Smith, who linked with King to send the Kangaroos winger in with a dive at the finish.

King's remarkable Grand Final try-scoring record was continued, his fifth in five consecutive deciders, and he would go on to lengthen this record to six in six in the famous 1965 Grand Final against Souths.

Gasnier, probably the best centre ever known to the world game, desperately sought to connect with Langlands during the move itself twice, but still came up empty handed. With four goals by Langlands the only other St George scores, the Saints went on to win this ultimate match of the 1964 season, 11-6, the ninth title in their record 11-year winning sequence.

Remarkably, the St George crown was only really knocked askew once in a major match during this entire era. On this occasion (1962), convention was departed with and an Australian club side played an international team for the first time, the touring British Lions.

Britain, with perhaps their best-ever touring side to any country, thrashed the mighty Saints 33-5 in a game watched by nearly 60,000 on a non-holiday, weekday afternoon. Sydney productivity shrunk to a new low as literally thousands of sick days were thrown by spectators cramming the SCG. That loss must have seemed almost incredible to the fans of the Dragons, the youngest of whom had never even experienced such a defeat in a big game in their lives!

Year: 1964
Player: Johnny King
Score: St George Dragons 11 defeat Balmain Tigers 6
Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground
Crowd: 61,369