Throwback Thursday - Wilson and the Wok’s debut assignment

Thanks to Schofield King Lawyers, ThrowbackThursday is back for another season and this week we’re looking at the lasttime we took on the Bunnies in Round 1 at Redfern.

Theyear was 1979 and following a last-place finish the previous three seasons,Newtown recruited a relatively unknown coach from Western Suburbs’ lower gradesto mentor their first-grade side. His name - Warren Ryan.

TheWok wasn’t the only significant signing for the year though, with local juniorKen “Squeaker” Wilson returning to the club after a three-season stint playingwith Port Kembla and Penrith. 

Afterstrong form in the pre-season competition, Ryan was given a tough assignment inhis first-ever premiership game, going head-to-head with a South SydneyRabbitohs side coached by none other than legendary coach Jack Gibson. It wasthe first meeting between the two coaches who would oppose each other in the1981 Grand Final.

Inmany respects, Newtown was quite lucky to win, as South Sydney’s kicker, JohnBerne had a shocker with the boot, kicking just three goals from nine attemptsand missing a potentially match-winning kick from right in front of the postsjust 30 seconds out from full-time.

Therookie coach passed his first premiership test, with Newtown triumphing 7-6over Souths. Wilson proved the hero for the Jets scoring every point via threegoals and a field goal in what the Sydney Morning Herald described as a"drab match.”

Despitetheir promising start, 1979 would not go down as an especially memorable seasonfor the Jets with a seven-game mid-season losing streak consigning them tosecond-last place on the final table. However, history shows that better timeslay ahead for Squeaker and the Wok, with both men playing vital roles inNewtown’s elevation to grand finalists two years later.

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