Dougherty is a 3 time South Sydney first grade premiership winner in 1953, 1954 and 1955. He was also a squad member of the 1953 South Sydney reserve grade premiership winning team. He was a member of the South Sydney team that won a remarkable 11 games to win the 1955 premiership playing every one of those 11 games.
Dougherty grew up in Newcastle and was schooled at Marist Brothers Hamilton. He later studied as a teacher in Hamilton representing Hamilton YCW and then Central Newcastle lower grades before transfering out to Warren as captain-coach. While at Warren he represented Western Division and was called up into a combined Riverina & Western NSW team to play the New Zealand touring squad in 1952. From there he was offered an opportunity with South Sydney. He was then graded in 1953 and he made hs senior grade club and premiership debut in the 1953 Round 1 Reserve Grade clash against Western Suburbs at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The following week he was called up to make his first grade premiership debut in the 1953 Round 2 clash against Newtown at Redfern Oval.
In 1953 Dougherty was awarded one of the "Finds of the Season" by the Sunday Telegraph newspaper.
Dougherty was a skillful goal kicking five-eighth, with good acceleration off the mark. Clive Churchill considered Dougherty as one of the best five-eighth's to have never played for Australia.
Dougherty played 4 seasons with South Sydney between 1953 and 1956. He played 61 first grade club games for South Sydney which included 56 first grade premiership games for South Sydney. Overall he played 73 senior grade club games for South Sydney which included 68 senior grade premiership games. He score 193 senior grade club points throughout his senior grade career at South Sydney.
In 1954 he continued his representative career when he was selected for Sydney City firsts against NSW Country at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The following week he was originally selected in the Possibles v Probables much but was then called up to make his New South Wales debut against Queensland in the 1st interstate clash at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Later in the season he also played against the 1954 touring Great Britain team for Sydney and New South Wales. In 1956 he was on the verge of test selection when injured with a leg injury in the interstate clash, missing his opportunity to play for Australia. Dougherty would play 9 representive games while at South Sydney which included 6 games for New South Wales and 2 games for Sydney City. His final representative match while at South Sydney was for New South Wales in the 1956 4th Interstate clash against Queensland in Brisbane.
Dougherty would play his final senior grade and first grade club and premiership game for South Sydney in the 1956 Preliminary Final against Balmain at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Representative Qualification
NSW Country
Date of Birth
Newcastle - 18th April 1931 (Died - 2025)
Previous Clubs First Grade
M T G FG Pt
Hamilton YCW (1949)
Central Newcastle (1951) (lower grades)
Warren (1952) (Captain-Coach)
Previous Rep Honours M T G FG Pt
Group 15 (1952)
Western Division NSW (1952) 1 1 - - -
Riverina/Western NSW (1952) 1 - - - -
NSW Country Possibles (1952) (repl)
Playing Career at South Sydney (1953-56)
South Sydney First Grade Debut
1953 Apr 6 Rd02 Redf v Newtown (21y 353d)
First Grade
Premiership : Tour
M S R T G/A FG Pts : M S R T G/A FG Pts
1953 11 11 - 7 13 - 47 : 1 - (1) - 1 - 2
1954 15 15 - 12 2 - 40 : 2 2 - 1 1 - 5
1955 17 17 - 4 - - 12 : 1 1 - - - - -
1956 13 13 - 8 - - 24 : 1 1 - - - - -
TOTAL 56 56 - 31 15 - 123 : 5 4 (1) 1 2 - 7
SS FG 61 60 (1) 32 17 - 130
South Sydney Senior Grade Debut
1953 Jul 27 Rd01 SCG v Western Suburbs (Reserve Grade)
Lower Grades
Reserve Grade : Third Grade
Year M S R T G/A FG Pts : M S R T G/A FG Pts
1953 8 8 - 2 23 - 52 : - - - - - - -
1954 4 4 - 2 6 - 18 : - - - - - - -
1955 - - - - - - - : - - - - - - -
1956 - - - - - - - : - - - - - - -
TOTAL 12 12 - 4 29 - 70 : - - - - - - -
South Sydney Senior(FG/RG/3G) Grade Career
Premiership : Cup : All Matches
M S R T G/A FG Pts : M S R T G/A FG Pts : M S R T G/A FG Pts
CAREER 68 68 - 35 44 - 193 : - - - - - - - : 73 72 (1) 35 44 - 193
Captaincy Record
never
Suspensions
Year Grade v Wk CHARGE never
Player Awards
Year Award 1953 - Sunday Telegraph Find of the Season
Representative Honours at South Sydney
Domestic CvC / Interstate : Tourists : Other
M S R T G/A FG Pts : M S R T G/A FG Pts : M S R T G/A FG Pts
New South Wales 1954-56 6 6 - 3 - - 9 : 1 1 - - - - - :
Sydney City 1954 1 1 - - - - - : 1 1 - 3 - - 9 :
TOTAL 9 9 - 6 - - 18
Internationals Tests : Other
M S R T G/A FG Pts : M S R T G/A FG Pts
none
ALL REPS 9 9 - 6 - - 18
Year Pos Team Versus Match T G/A FG
1954 5/8 Sydney City v NSW Country - - -
1954 5/8 Probables v Possibles 1st Match (DNP he was called up into NSW team)
1954 5/8 New South Wales v Queensland 1st Match 1 - -
1954 5/8 New South Wales v Queensland 2nd Match - - -
1954 5/8 Sydney City v Great Britain 3 - -
1954 5/8 New South Wales v Great Britain 1st Match - - -
1956 5/8 New South Wales v Queensland 1st Match 1 - -
1956 5/8 New South Wales v Queensland 2nd Match - - -
1956 New South Wales (Queensland Tour Squad)
1956 5/8 New South Wales v Queensland 3rd Match 1 - -
1956 5/8 New South Wales v Queensland 4th Match - - -
After Leaving South Sydney
Subsequent Clubs First Grade
M T G FG Pt
St Pats Bathurst (1957-58) (Captain-Coach)
Retired (1959)
Central Newcastle (1960)
First Class Playing Career (1952-56)
M T G FG Pts
Total FG Premiership 56 31 15 - 123
Total FG Cup - - - - -
Total FG Club Tour 5 1 2 - 7
Total Internationals - - - - -
Total State 7 3 - - 9
Total Other Representative 4 4 - - 12
TOTAL FIRST CLASS 72 39 17 - 151
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