ALL TIME BEST TOP DIVISION GOAL SCORERS - AUSTRALIA (NEW SOUTH WALES, until 1976) - Part 6

• Jul 21, 2023
• History Statistics

Picture : Alf Quill the Best !

All-time best top division goal-scorers: Australia (New South Wales, until 1976) (Part 6)

Before 1977 (when the national league has been established), the competitive soccer in Australia was state-based. Over this period, the state top divisions formed the first tier of national soccer.
The New South Wales (NSW) league was obviously strongest state league in the country, so we must take it in consideration regarding the period before the national league era.
The league football in New South Wales emerged in 1885 being at first divided on two separate divisions, Southern (Sydney Metropolitan) and Northern (Newcastle district). 
The united NSW league was created in 1928 and existed in different formats until 1956 when it was dissolved bringing the state soccer again to two separate leagues on the Southern and Northern areas.
In 1928, three championships were contested parallel, as some clubs from both areas have joined the NSW league and some preferred to remain at district level. All three these championships were actually equal by strength, so we consider them all as first-tier competitions.
Between 1929 and 1956, the Southern and Northern district leagues turned down the second-tier.
In 1943, the NSW league was broken after three starting rounds following a conflict between leading clubs and federation. New championship has been held under newly created ruling body. We take in account both championships of 1948.
As a rule, NSW league(s) season consisted of two parts: regular stage (RS) and final series (FS). The final series had the names Priest Cup and Sheahan Cup during several years. We include FS in the total statistics.
Australian soccer was extremely attacking at that era, so the statistics of NSW all-time best goal-scorers are amazing, first of all regarding Alf Quill (595 top division goals) and Reg Date (446). According to the common opinion, Quill and Date were the greatest strikers and brightest stars of Australian soccer in XX century (if not overall). 
Quill’s career lasted much longer (23 seasons) than Date’s (17), therefore his tally is massively higher. Notably, they were club team-mates in Wallsend during 9 seasons (1938 to 1944, then again in 1948-1949) forming the greatest attacking duo in the national history. Wallsend dominated the NSW soccer over those years. 

	AUSTRALIA  NSW	1885-1976				ALL-TIME BEST TOP DIVISION GOAL SCORERS
	Player	Period	Goals			Breakdown by clubs
			Total	RS	FS
1	Alf Quill	1927-1949	595	564	31	Pyrmont 18, Leichhardt-Annandale 81, Wallsend 409,
						Goodyear 84, Lake Macquarie 3
2	Reg Date	1938-1954	446	402	44	Wallsend 348, Canterbury-Bankstown 98
3	George Smith	1926-1941	330	330		Corrimal 114, Gladesville 5, St George 129, Granville 17,
						Metters 26, Leichhardt-Annandale 16, Wollongong 23