“The Queensland Amateur Rugby League set the air-filled sphere rolling”, opening the competition rounds on 14 May. Three grade competitions were conducted in Brisbane. Ipswich entered a representative team to play the five Brisbane senior teams and also began their own club competition. Club-level rugby league was also played in Maryborough.
Queensland hosted tours from England and New South Wales and representative matches were also arranged between towns where rugby league was growing.
Season summary
Senior Grade
Six teams competed for the QARL Senior premiership and Francis Cup. East Brisbane and Ipswich joined North Brisbane, South Brisbane, Toombul and Valley.
Two round robins of matches were played. After the first round of five matches each, Toombul led. At the completion of the second round, Ipswich were ahead on points. Under the competition rules, Toombul were allowed to challenge Ipswich in a final. No semi-finals were held this year, which is especially unusual as Toombul, Norths, and Valleys all finished on 10 competition points. When the final was drawn 10 all, a second match was required.
The first final was played at the Exhibition Ground on 3 September. Attired in their red, white and blue uniforms, Toombul scored two tries, converting one, and kicked a penalty to lead 10 to nil at “lemon time” (half-time). Ipswich, in green jerseys, came back, scoring two converted tries during the second half to level the scores. In the closing stages, “The Ipswichians were playing all over Toombul now, but the latter team defended well, and full time came without further score.”
The second final was played at the Brisbane Cricket Ground, Woolloongabba on 10 September. The first half was again close, Ipswich leading two-nil at the break. Ipswich had the better of the second half, and finished the match with a final score of 17-2, winning the Francis Cup.
Club colours
East Brisbane played in blue and white; Ipswich in myrtle green; North Brisbane in red and black; South Brisbane in sky blue, Toombul in red, white and blue and Valley in navy blue.
Junior Grades
Two junior competitions were held, First Grade and Second Grade. Participating teams included Kelvin Grove Gordons, Milton, North Brisbane (3), St Bridget's (2), South Brisbane, Valley and Woodville.
In First Grade, St. Bridget’s defeated North Brisbane, 8 to 6, in a final played at Woolloongabba on 17 September. North Brisbane, “by virtue of having the greatest number of competition points, hold the right to challenge.” This they did, and won a second final, 8 to 3, at Kedron Park on the 24th, to win the premiership.
Two finals were also required in Second Grade, with both played as curtain-raisers to the senior finals. After losing to North Brisbane, leading team South Brisbane, challenged and won, 22 to nil, to claim the premiership.
Ipswich
In addition to entering a team in the QARL senior competition, the Ipswich & West Moreton Amateur Rugby League commenced local club competitions. The five teams in the senior competition were Belvideres, Blackstone, Seekers, Starlights and St. Paul's. The eight teams in the junior competition were Belvideres, Blackstone, C.Y.M. Society, Seekers, Silkstone, Starlights A and Starlights B.
In a final held at the North Ipswich Cricket Reserve on 24 September, Starlights defeated Belvideres to claim the senior premiership trophy, the Connell Cup. Belvideres were junior premiers.
Maryborough
Rugby League competitions were held in Maryborough. Four teams entered the senior competition: Glebe, Howard, Natives and Wallaroos. Glebe won the premiership, and subsequently played a benefit match against the local Rugby Union premiers. Three teams entered the junior competition: Cities, Glebe and Wallaroos.
The Maryborough Rugby League organised a "Country Week" event on 11 June, when teams from Gympie and Isis (Childers) were invited to play against Maryborough teams. On Sunday 24 July Maryborough Rugby League arranged a return train trip to Childers where three matches were to be played.
Representative Season
England
A team from Great Britain toured Australia and New Zealand. They played three matches in Queensland, all at the Exhibition Ground in Brisbane. The first of two Test Matches between Australia and England was played in Sydney on 18 June. Before a crowd in excess of 40,000, Australia led 12-11 at half-time, but England finished stronger to win 27-20. Queensland’s only representative in the match, Charlie Woodhead, scored a late try, “by a magnificent piece of play.”