Geoff’s Grand Final Memories

[Groggo]

Somebody at MSE asked for the grand final memories of myself, groggo, greg, and AM. I may as well repost it here seeing nobody wants to read it as MSE.

I attended my first grand final in 1965 in my second year of following and playing the sport. It was a non Manly grand final but everybody and their dog wanted to be there to see if history would be made. St. George who had won 9 premierships in a row and were shooting for 10 were facing a young South Sydney side full of future stars. This was the days before saturation television coverage of the game. In fact I think t.v. coverage of games only started that year but they (Channel 7) would only cover second halves of games. I attended with future Manly lock Daryl Pierce and a friend from school. We arrived at about 10:30 a.m. and looked for a spot on the famous hill. The place was like a sardine can already at that time of day and it was standing room only on the hill. Nobody was sitting down, I was 14 years old standing on the hill among mainly adults. I don’t remember getting tired but it was so packed it was hard to see the game with everybody standing but what atmosphere, it was huge, one of the biggest games ever. This was the big time. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I think like most of the crowd I think I was going for Souths but mainly was there to enjoy the game. I had no idea I would be part of a record crowd for Rugby League in this country. We were probably lucky to get in as I heard later that the crowd was 78,056 (still a record for the S.C.G.) but 20,000 were turned away.
^V%
For some reason lost in the mists of time I didn’t attend the 1968 grand final even though I was a huge Manly fan. Maybe I didn’t have the bread for a ticket or had nobody to go with (my old man was a Soccer player). Anyway I watched it on t.v. and we gave it a shake but weren’t quite good enough for the experienced Souths side. The next time Manly made a grand final I was determined to be there and we made it again in 1970 after appearing certain to make it in 1969 but were denied by a late George Ruebner Balmain try in the corner. I reckon we would have won if we made it through in 1969 and it would have been a history making year. Man first sets foot on the Moon and Manly wins its first premiership.

Anyway I attended the 1970 grand final against Souths again but I can’t recall much about the queuing up, etc. I seem to recall I was in the Brewongle stand and remember dropping my head in despair when Bobby Grant scored Souths winning try to put it out of reach. Bozo went down injured and was still down being treated and was out of the play when Grant just cut through for a try under the posts. That was it for us, I think I tried to blot it out of my memory after that and I did a pretty good job. It wasn’t the happiest of days for us. This was the game where our prop John “Sleepy” Bucknall broke the jaw of Souths Captain John Sattler. The game is remembered mainly for this. We still had the bridesmaid tag and our forwards were labelled by some the creampuff pack who crumble in the big games but Arko wasn’t going to rest until we got that maiden premiership. Over the next couple of years he recruited players who could take us that extra step, players like Malcolm Reilly, Ken Irvine and a young Graeme Eadie in 1971. Souths won again in 1971 with a star studded side against St.George with Manly finishing third. Souths had financial problems and were unable to retain all of their players on the money they wanted. For season 1972 Manly secured the signatures of Internationals Ray Branighan and prop John O’Neill while Easts signed Ron Coote and Jim Morgan. Manly became premiership favourites before a ball was kicked.
%_&yee hah!W@*W*B*CofFee
What an awesome side we had in 72 with prop John O’Neill devastating. He didn’t come over to Manly for a holiday, he came to win more premierships and he already had 4. Young Terry Randall was a centre in Reserve grade behind Ray Branighan. He had great defence though and the story goes that Brano had a word with Terry about the possibility of switching to the forwards. Well the rest is history he made first grade as a second rower and by grand final day had formed an awesome partnership with Test second rower the late Alan Thomson. I call them the tackling twins. Well grand final day 1972 really an anti climax as far as the game against Easts went. We had absolutely carved them up 32 – 8 in the major semi final in one of the greatest finals games I’ve ever seen. Manly were red hot favourites to take out their first premiership after that. John O’Neill had played one of the greatest games for a prop ever absolutely killing the Roosters.
!W@
Anyway the grand final was to be first come first served (pay at the gate) my youngest brother and I slept outside overnight at the Driver Avenue entrance to the S.C.G. We were about 5th in the queue. There were very few Roosters supporters who slept overnight and I was thinking they are a bit more civilised than Souths supporters at the time. Anyway after a long night the crowd waiting had built up and the chanting had started. At about dawn somebody chucked some food and soon it was a full on food war with fruit and other food being chucked back and forth. To avoid being hit by a flying apple or orange we had ducked down under a blanket. It soon petered out but the hours dragged by until the gates opened and the crowd was just milling around the gates with no defined queue so even though you had been there all night, it didn’t mean anything to late comers. Once we got inside my brother and I decided to sprint to the little flat roofed stand that used to be adjacent to the Bob Stand on the hill. We had to mind seats for my whole family who were coming later. We managed to save seats for our parents, brother and sister but my father had not told me he was bringing a mate along as well. We all had to squeeze in a row on the bench seat in that stand, It made for a fairly uncomfortable day and it was fairly warm as well being September. Anyway the place was packed with Manly fans there hopefully to be a part of Manly history. It was an awesome day. The game was much closer than the semi final but Manly got away to a good lead with tries to Captain Fred Jones and centre Ray Branighan. Both tries were controversial, it was claimed that Freddo had knocked on and Brano appeared to slow up as if he thought the pass to him was forward but the play was not stopped and he strolled over for an easy try. Branno did all the kicking and from memory kicked 6 goals. The tackling twins Thommo and Igor did a mountain of work in defence. Brano was great as was Ian Martin and others but Dennis Ward playing his last game for Manly at halfback got the nod as man of the match for a great game. 25 years of waiting had finally come to an end and the celebrations had begun. It was also Alan Thomson’s last game for the club. The M. A. Noble stand was still being constructed that year and heaps of kids ran onto the field and mobbed the manly players as they did their lap of honour. I still have an old picture I took of the lap of honour with the Noble stand construction in the background. I didn’t go back to the club as I wasn’t a member then and just celebrated at home.

In 1973 we secured seats in the Brewongle stand and it was a bleak windswept overcast day. I was there with my youngest brother again. Manly were appearing in both First Grade and the reserve grade grand finals. Manly had a hot Reserve grade side containing the likes of Max Krilich, Allan Thompson, Alan Maddalena, Garry Thoroughgood and others. We tore St.George to pieces in one of the greatest displays of class attacking football seen from a reserve grade side. We were one nil up and ready for the big one against grand final debutants Cronulla with captain Coach Tommy Bishop at the helm. The year before Tommy had talked Manly up as likely premiers in the press and pointed out Malcolm Reilly as being the lynchpin of our side. There was a big break between the First Grade and Reserve Grade grand finals and there wasn’t as much entertainment on grand final day in those years. Anyway somebody in officialdom had the bright idea to allow the two sides to come out and do their warm ups on the field. Cronulla at the Paddington end and Manly at the Sheridan stand end of the ground. It had not been done before but is now commonplace. You could see the two sides were eyeing each other off as they went through routines much different to today’s warm ups. They were out there for what seemed like an eternity warming up and some said later it built up the tension between the two sides. They were doing as much checking the other side as doing warm-ups, passing routines, push ups, etc.
yee hah
Anyway the game starts and the niggle is on straight away. It soon becomes apparent that Tommy Bishop and Cliff Watson were out to take Mal Reilly out of the game. They singled him out for special attention behind play. In nearly every tackle players were roughed up, punched, elbowed. Tommy Bishop tried to take on Freddy Jones. The spite was on and Mal Reilly got injured, I’m not sure how but he was hobbling around before going off for a painkiller. He didn’t see out the first half and was replaced by John Bucknall who had played in the reggies grand final. I recall the whole first half being a series of running brawls and rough house play but it doesn’t look half as bad in the dvd of the game. Everybody was into it, one of the roughest games I’ve seen. In the second half they settled down a bit and played a bit of footy. I feel Cronulla’s plan was to unsettle Manly with roughhouse tactics. But they were up against the likes of John O’Neill, Terry Randall and Fred Jones some of the toughest players ever. Manly scored the first try when Bozo took the ball from a great flick pass from Freddo. He scooted over near the posts and Eadie Converted. In the second half Bozo finished of a move when he out sprinted the defence to score out wide when it looked like Eadie might score. Bozo wasn’t only a great attacking genius, he had strength and speed. Cronulla scored a late try to replacement Rick Bourke which created a huge finish but we held them out to win our second successive premiership. It was the roughest toughest grand final I’ve seen but as a spectacle the reserve grade game was better. It’s the only time I’ve seen Manly win two premierships in one day. Peter Peters had replaced Alan Thomson in the second row and John Mayes had come over from Easts to replace Dennis Ward, he had a huge game and was the second best player on the field after Bozo. Incredibly after a huge year Mayes failed to win a spot on the Kangaroo tour. He returned to Easts and in a direct swap we signed east half Kevin Junee for 1974. There was talk of a dynasty of Manly premierships by some including Manly captain Freddo but the bubble was soon burst by the rise of a strong Easts side and a form slide by some of our players.
*G*Y*M*
We didn’t make a grand final again until 1976 and this time it was against Parramatta Captained by Ray Higgs. We were in the outer ground for this one in front of the Bob stand and it was another hot day. I don’t recall any trouble from the Parramatta rabble that day as their hate of Manly was only just starting to build I think. Bozo was captain for this game and we had three Englishmen in our side Phil Lowe and Steve Norton in the pack and Garry Stephens at halfback. Phil Lowe scored a try off a pass from slick 5/8 Allan Thompson. The under rated Steve Norton had a great game as did Garry Stephens who played his heart out winning man of the match. Graeme Eadie was ever reliable with the boot. It turned out we won the match of his boot as Parramatta outscored us in the try dept. The match was memorable for its intensity, Parramatta threw everything us at including the first and only use of the flying wedge in a grand final. A Parramatta player (I think Hilditch) runs the ball up in the middle of a pack of Parramatta players who try to steamroll their way over line. The Manly defence still held. It was Bozo’s first victory as captain and his last as a Manly player we were later to find out. Bozo announced within a few days after the game that he was leaving to join Easts. Apparently Manly couldn’t match the Easts offer. The battle between forwards Ray Higgs and Terry Randall. It was a classic grand final. I remember my head dropping when future Manly player Geoff Gerard scored Parramatta’s second try. I thought the momentum had shifted their way but the great Wombat kept us in the game with his kicking. Our defence was awesome as well. It was a very satisfying win.
*D*P*
The next year 1977 My brother and I went along to the grand final again as Manly were there in Reserve Grade against Parramatta. We were in the little stand near the Bob Stand adjacent to the hill. Anyway the Parra chant starts from the huge Parramatta crowd and in between their chant the three of us would yell suck. Soon a half eaten chicken came flying over from the hill special delivery into my lap. First time somebody had shouted me a free chicken dinner at the footy but I rejected it as the Parra rats had been nibbling at it and threw it back. The Parra/Manly hatred had started lol. We lost unfortunately but I remember Parra second rower John Maguire (formerly of Cronulla) challenging Manly second rower Russell Hunter to a blue in the showground car park. It was the only time he ever got a grand final win over Manly.

End of part one
%_&
Part Two
My next grand final was in 78 and what a final series that was. Manly survived two replays to win the premiership. I remember walking out of the semi final against Parramatta at the S.C.G. when Parramatta went further ahead. On my way home I heard Manly’s huge comeback to draw the match on the radio. I’ve never walked out early from a Manly match since. I couldn’t attend the rematch due to work but I was in the Public Service then and did the Parras get upset when Manly won. My other brother and I were in the Brewongle Stand for the decider. Anybody who says Greg Hartley cheated in that match is kidding. He gave Cronulla plenty of chances. It wasn’t a great match and I thought we had it won until Steve Rogers kicked a penalty to give Cronulla a draw. I remember the sinking feeling and thought what a waste of time. A long day for no result. Extra time would have been a better option but it all turned out good for Manly, not for me. I had already arranged the day off to attend children’s court with my younger brother seeing he no longer had a father I was the older brother. I was hoping they would get proceedings out of the way so I could race to the SCG for the game. No way my brother’s case was not heard until about the time the game was on. They held the replay on the Tuesday due to the Kangaroos Tour. Really ridiculous and worked against me big time. Imagine the uproar these days if they decided to replay a drawn grand final two or three days later. I’ve only ever seen part of the game on tape/dvd. A full copy of the game was never available. I was really angry with that Children’s court, bloody Parras I thought at the time. Sat there all day waiting to go in. I had my Manly gear on ready to go. I missed probably Manly’s finest premiership victory.
^V%
The next time I thought we were grand final bound was 1981 and I bought my ticket early only to see us bundled out in the famous Manly/Newtown brawling semi final. Steve Bowden and Terry Randall were sent off and Bowden , missed his sides grand final. Newtown fans commemorate the match with a t shirt. I ended up selling my grand final ticket outside the ground on grand final day.
butt
I was back again the next year for the clash against Parramatta. I ended up in the outer ground near the Bob Stand, after 1965 I never ever stood or sat on the hill for a grand final especially against the Parramatta rabble. People didn’t wear construction helmets on the hill for nothing. What a let down the grand final was. We had won the semi final against the eels easily 20-0 and maybe that worked against us. Maybe we took them too lightly and paid for it. Parramatta coached by jack Gibson were far too good for us in the match that mattered, Terry Igor Randall retired after this match. It was either at this game or the next GF in 1983 that I first sat with the Lyle Roberts led Manly supporters club at a grand final. I can’t recall exactly but I was never officially part of the group but had sat near them in the Sheridan Stand on many occasions. The group had formed in 1978 or 1979 but at stage I had a reserved seat in the Jane try Stand. They used to sit in the southern stand. when it opened in 1979. Later on I switched my reserve seat to the southern stand but the Supporters club had moved elsewhere. I think these were the years I queued up at the showground entrance to the SCG near the present SFS. We had some fun there with the chants and songs coming loud and strong through the night. 1983 I sat in the same area as the year before to witness yet another defeat to Parramatta on a hot September day. We had finished minor premiers and won the major semi final again but Parramatta knew how to hold back and reserve their best form for the game that mattered most. Another disappointing result for Manly, to get so far to fall at the final hurdle against our bitter rivals. All the fans I was with were shell shocked along with me. On paper we had a great side worthy of a premiership and it goes to show football is not played on paper or in the papers. I was bitterly disappointed and we were losing Graeme Eadie and Max Krilich to retirement as well. Parramatta had gotten revenge for their 1976 loss twice and obviously had the wood on us in the games that mattered. We could sweep all before us during the season but not take out the big one. The next three years saw three of the most boring grand finals ever seen all involving Canterbury the boring club lol.
%_&
Manly finally made it back to the big one in 1987 versus Canberra. It was a heat wave day but my youngest brother and I were with all the Manly fans who had flags in the outer ground but close to the Sheridan Stand, we also had flags. It was so hot heaps of fans had their shirts off. What a game, Cliffy was on fire and so was the rest of the side. Bozo was the coach and I remember after the game the side came over to the fence where we were. Everybody knows that Kevin Ward had been flown out from England for the game. He had come from freezing winter to a hot summer day to play a blinder. It was remembered for the interchange of the head bin where Paul Shaw would come on for Rambo Ronny Gibbs and vice versa. It was the last grand final to be played at the SCG and Manly had won it.
&:*
I was back again for the next year for the first grand final at the Sydney football Stadium. As a season ticket holder I took advantage of a league offer to buy a final series package where you could attend every finals game at SFS. I had a feast of finals football. My grand final seat was in the Eastern stand under cover and at about the Southern 20 metre line. I was near other Manly fans as we featured in the reserve grade grand final against Easts. We had a hot reserve grade side featuring Geoff Toovey at halfback, Paul Shaw, OJ Cunningham, Mark Pocock and Peter Cullum as captain. We were on fire and easily accounted for Eastern Suburbs with probably OJ the standout player. The First Grade game was between Balmain and Canterbury. Balmain had British test star Ellery Hanley in the centres. He was knocked unconscious in the first half by one of the dirtiest players to have played the game in Terry Lamb. From memory Lamb caught Hanley from behind and Hanley was forced off and played no further part. This is what won the game for the Bulldogs a dirty, boring club. Hanley had the ability to win the game for the Tigers. He had been an inspiration for them.
*C*R*
The next grand final for me was 1995 decider. I think this was the first year we queued up outside the nearest Ticketek office mine being Grace Bros at Warringah Mall, the previous queue up had been outside the NSW leagues club. At least the mall was protected from the wind so it wasn’t as bad as waiting outside the SCG for instance. My ticket for this game was behind the posts at the southern end. I was very close to the fence so you couldn’t see half of the entertainment because they put a huge bag of balloons. As we all know Canterbury cheated to win this game. Their first try by Steve Price was from a forward pass. The referee apologised after the game for the mistakes he had made but that doesn’t compensate for losing a grand final. Manly had been the standout side all year but seemed to not have the steel to go on with it in the big one. Nik Kosef tried to lift the side. Canterbury had lost the 1994 grand final and obviously with that bit of grand final experience and hunger to make up for it gave them a slight edge without any help from the ref. I was devastated and made my way quickly out of the ground. On my way through the car park towards my car I spotted a pair of New balance running shoes sitting outside a car, not brand new but still my size and in not bad condition. Nobody was around so I figured if I don’t pick them up somebody else will.
This was the catalyst along with Sydney winning the Olympics for my comeback to fun running. I had not done any for 15 years but I found these shoes excellent for training and running. I used them in my first comeback City to surf race in 1998 as they were still in brilliant condition. So something good had happened out of the day. I had previously used Adidas shoes but now realise they are garbage. Off course I have since bought a few new pair of New Balance shoes and a couple of Nike and one Reebok.
!W@%_&*W*B*yee hah
Anyway back to the footy in 1996 we again made the grand final and this time I had secured a seat at about the Northern 20 metre line about 10 rows back in the Eastern Stand. What a game. Manly were determined not to slip up this time and had thrashed Cronulla in the Qualifying final. We were white hot and Daniel Gartner had a huge game as did Beaver, Ridgy, Tooves, Innes, Jim Serdaris and others. It was a warm day and after the game I hung around the stadium for awhile soaking it all up. I remember they played Louis Armstrong’s “What a wonderful World” and I thought it was very appropriate for the occasion and mood. We deserved to win as we had been the standout team all year again but you never hear the end of it from St.George fans over the supposed short kick off from Ridgy in the first half that led to a Beaver try when ridgy played on when the ref ruled not held in the tackle by Brown.
*C*R*
In 97 we were back for our third grand final in a row against new arch foes Newcastle. I had a seat right on the halfway line in the Eastern Stand and about 7 rows back. The day didn’t start off well when even the people at the ticket barriers were Newcastle fans and putting crap on Manly fans. I was by myself this time and I had to put up with so much crap from their uncivilised fan base. They cheered when Geoff Toovey was kicked in the head, sickening pack of unsportsmanlike inbred rabble. Putting up with them made for an unpleasant day. I was shell shocked when Albert was put though the gap and scored that try. In the week leading up to the game it was claimed that Andrew Johns could even die if he attempted to play the game, some crap like that. He looked all right to me on game day. We all know what most of their players were probably on and they got away with it. That was the last grand final I went to. I have not been to Telstra for a grand final and haven’t been to a night one either.

Posted by Geoff in old forum

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