After a disappointing 1928 season, Coach Chris McKivat was replaced by Jim Craig. Craig, a veteran of the game, brought discipline and sound tactics to a Wests team that had plenty of talent but needed the right focus to be a premiership threat. Jim Craig was nearing the end of his playing career and could be a dour character, but in two seasons at Wests put the Club on the road to glory.
Wests finished third on the competition ladder in 1929, with ten wins, four losses and two draws and met a well performed South Sydney team in the semi-final going down 10-22. Souths went on to beat Newtown 30-10 in the final and become premiers once more.
Interestingly, Wests used thirty players in First Grade during the season, which might suggest that the team lacked continuity, but it was the year that a number of great players joined the Club or made their way to the First-Grade team. Apart from Jim Craig, the new players included Bill Brogan, Alan Brady and Cliff Pearce. This group, along with a number of existing players that had now gained considerable First Grade experience, provided a platform for Wests to go to the next level.
