 By the start of the 1909 season, the NSWRL was in a dire financial crisis – its founding fathers, James Giltinan, Victor Trumper and 'Harry' Hoyle, all lost their positions.Under the stewardship of North Sydney's Alexander Knox, the NSWRL convinced the clubs to forgo their gate receipts from matches, and hand it all over to the League.It quickly became apparent to Knox that the only club attracting reasonable crowds was Balmain at Birchgrove Park.