 All up, Easts had a 35-game undefeated streak during this time, 11 head of their closest rival (Balmain - 24 games undefeated between 1914 & 1916).Feeling the strain of representative commitments having supplied eight players for the Kangaroo Tour, it would only be towards the back end of the 1938 season that Easts would show shades of their previous winning formula.In a not-so-easy task, Easts defeated Souths in the minor semi-final to take on the unlikely opponent of Canterbury, who three years before were torn apart by the Roosters in an 87-7 flogging.