A breakout of boils limited his play in the 1955 season, however it was the crushed vertebrae which he suffered in the 1954 grand final that forced him into retirement.
[4] South Sydney had won the premiership 3 of the last 4 seasons (1950, 1951, and 1953) and had beaten Newtown in the major semi-final just two weeks prior.
As they had won the major semi-final, South Sydney earned a week off, moving directly to the grand final.
Les and Margaret flew back down to Sydney on the Thursday, before meeting their opponents (Newtown) in the grand final on the Saturday.
On the night of the grand final, Les and Margaret flew back to Coolangatta to continue their honeymoon.