Like 1919, Wests only had five new First Grade players in 1920, notably Viv Farnsworth from Newtown and Lyall Wall from Balmain. All of these players were experienced and had made their mark previously at other clubs. A number were approaching the end of their career and most had moved on or retired at season’s end. An article in the Arrow newspaper at the end of the 1920 season noted that; ” Western Suburbs are developing team tactics that will stick to them years hence but who must bring in the ginger, fleetness and cleverness of youth to their teams if they are to become the premiers of the future. Western Suburbs will need to reorganise next season and build up a fresh team, leaving the men who have reached the stage at which their breeziness becomes intermittent to play occasionally only and not regularly.”
The Club had no option but to go down this path as in 1921 the St George Club entered the competition and with it a significant part of the Western Suburbs catchment would be lost to the new Club. After more than a decade of team building, Wests would once more be faced with the challenge of redefining itself but this time around it was on the back of a developed Club culture and with the experience of old hands that could guide future teams to greater success.
1920 was another solid year for Wests. The Club again finished fourth in the regular competition and were runners up in the City Cup. The Second-Grade team were runners up in the League Cup.
