My top 3 manly memories

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Some great memories shared already

3) Beavers GF try in '08. Was my first live GF and happened right in front of us (Dad and I). I jumped up and bumped a Storm supporter who was sitting next to us, his beer went all over his jersey. When I finally calmed down and realised what I'd done, I apologised (he'd been pretty good natured towards us all day given his team were getting smashed). To his credit he smiled and said I had every right to be excited, but he was going because he'd had a c*** of a day, lol.

2) 1995 v Warriors, my first ever time at Brookie. Sat in the Jane Try Stand and had a great view of Craig Innes scoring an incredible try down the western touchline. Then saw first hand what effect the Brookie crowd can have on a match, when Kelvin Jeffes called Gavin Hill out to penalize him for a high shot. I don't think he was going to send him off, but as he walked towards him the crowd went ballistic demanding he be sent. I don't think he was game not to and duly pointed towards the sheds.

3) 1987 GF. I vaguely remember us losing GF's to the Eels in '82 and '83 when I was 4 or 5 (something which engrained in me my deep-seated hatred of Parramatta). So watching us win the '87 GF as 10 yr old awesome. Kevin Ward dominated a pretty handy Raiders pack allowing Cliffy and Snoz O'Conner to work their magic.
 
Some fabulous memories so far, and really can't top any of them, some of the 70's GF's were fabulous , I was finally 18 and could go ( lived in the country at the time ), those and the 08 Final were huge, I have only missed the 1973 GF, so blessed to have been at every one we have played in since!!

So here's a few others ( although not my favourites).

The Finals games in the lead up to the 87 GF, I attended all of these and the GF qualifier v Easts were memorable, apart from the 70's some of the most brutal games ever which lead into the 87 final, last one at the SCG and with Cliffy at the peak of his powers , just awesome.

And I have forgotten the year but think it was just before the Super League period, we were playing ( I think the Donkeys) at BO, round 26 and needed to win to avoid the spoon and Terry Hill charged down the right hand sideline knocking players out of his way to get the ball down and seal the match in the last minute of play, for us to win and finish 15th.

The above isn't highly accurate ( as to the timeline) but to me one of the greatest days at Brooky that I have managed to attend.

And I think 1973, I wasn't quite 18 but my brother ( who lived at Penrith and still does ) took me to a Manly v Panthers game.... We won 70 something to about 10. That's special for two reasons , the score line and the fact it was the first time I ever saw the team live.
 
Yep, same as most to open with;
#1 - Beaver's try in the 40-0 Storm smashing..was right in front of where I was sitting with the owner of the company I worked for...who kindly forgave me for practically dry-rooting his leg when Beaver went over (he was a huge Manly supporter too, which probably helped...)
#2 - My first away game, at Belmore - when they had that fearsome pack in about '85. They were dirty all day long, and even as a 9-yr old you just got the feeling an injustice was being done. All-in brawl erupts, and I didn't know where to look first. Then I noticed Ronny Gibbs standing tall in the middle of it, absolutely belting the living daylights out of ex-boxer Billy Johnstone. Never seen a better display of poetic justice being handed out...Rambo style!
#3 - Tough one, could just about be any time I saw Cliffy floating across field and ducking under the first tackle, but I'm going to call it the final lap of honour for Mick O'Connor, as he finished up his awesome career at Brookvale oval. He was soaking it up like he absolutely felt every single person's good vibes towards him. He looked sad, intense, proud, nostalgic, all at the same time. But ultimately just proud to be there as a great Manly player and captain, I think.
 
Agree with these in the opposite order,
  • Blakey
  • 40 zip and beavers expression before he came on saying yeh OK but can i score a try
  • then I may have to put a wombat try in, when he scored at the football stadium after catching a bomb and running over every player in the opposition, cant remember the year but we were late for the game and as i was looking for a seat with my old man we watched the great man from the other end right under the posts where we were standing
That last point was a game against the roosters that we had to win. If we lost that one we were in trouble. It was round 22 in 1978 and I remember wombat sprinting 90 metres to score a vital try to help us win that game. A very special memory and then the finals journey. What a team that was and the Sheridan stand rocked that month to the noise of our fans. That was a great era for those of us lucky enough to see it.
 
I think he did, and if I am not mistaken he could hold his own. But it was lights out before he hit the ground

To use a phrase from my favourite all time commentator......Murray Walker......"Unless I am very much mistaken"...Dan Stains is a black belt in one of the martial arts (Karate I think). So yeah he could handle himself. But once Haumono, a boxer, got one or two through Stains was gone lol.

I think it was in RLW but I saw a pic of the Stains/Haumono fight in the week following after Solomon had clocked him and the caption was something like "Did anyone get the number of that truck". Stains looked like he was out of it then and he hadn't even hit the ground.
 
1. Definitely the 76 GF. Sleeping overnight at the SCG. Running like crazy with the whole gang once the gates opened and getting organised with streamers, toilet rolls, ripped up newspaper, banners and flags in the Sheridan Stand.
2. 2008 GF and watching Cam Smiths face when the cameras put his face up on the big screen whilst everyone booed.
3. 78 GF in the Sheridan Stand watching Wombat absolutely rippin and a tearin.
 
This was a pretty great day too... I remember thinking when we got the field goal that it might prove to be the difference in the end...


I liked that game.

The best bit was the paper the following day with a picture of the St George at training. They were all lying down. Too exhausted to even train.
 
1. Going to Brookie with the family as a kid. My dad, a little bloke, Toovey size would yell out the funniest things at the refs from the hill. The beer drinking Polynesians at the back used to crack up laughing. Dad would say, 'They're my mates.' Some of the things he used to say weren't politically correct and after a couple of matches mum refused to go anymore due to dad's embarrassing behaviour. Was an absolute hoot.

2. 40-0 will last forever.

3. Last year after Manly snatched victory from the cowboys match, on the long ride back to Sydney from Gosford some young Maori blokes on the train started playing Eagle Rock on an iPad. Slowly everyone started to join in and it ended up with the whole carriage loudly singing along. Was spontaneous and really fun. Sharing the Manly magic.:D
 
1. Beavers try in the 08 gf - I had $50 on him for last try scorer and when he got benched with not long to go I thought that was the end of him so I scrunched my ticket up and ate it in disgust. Glad he got pipped by Bell in a way, for the last try scorer.

2. Manly v Knights - been a hunter lad I always go to Newcastle to watch us play. My first memory of these games was a Friday night at then Marathon stadium around 1995. Spud and Chief knocked each other out in the first hit up of the game. Was a massive crowd and a great game to cut my teeth on league. Also remeber a miserable Sunday at Brookie around the same time. Andrew Johns had his hair dyed red and we flogged the Knights that day. Been about 10 at the time I sat at the ends of the ground and gave it to Joey all day.

3. Gifts grubber in the 11 gf - absolutely amazing play in the biggest game of the year. I don't think I have seen a grubber from someone's own half since and don't know if I ever will again.
 
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The last 3 try's when we smashed the storm cheats in the gf. We had at least 20 over for a BBQ and I was the only manly supporter. Words can not say how much fun I was having. Than as I started chanting beaver beaver I couldn't believe my eyes when he crashed over. Mind you to the wife's disgust every one got the shixxx and left before she served tea. I sat next to the eski on me own and watched the replay with a plate full of steak and snags. What a night.
 
1. Definitely the 76 GF. Sleeping overnight at the SCG. Running like crazy with the whole gang once the gates opened and getting organised with streamers, toilet rolls, ripped up newspaper, banners and flags in the Sheridan Stand.
2. 2008 GF and watching Cam Smiths face when the cameras put his face up on the big screen whilst everyone booed.
3. 78 GF in the Sheridan Stand watching Wombat absolutely rippin and a tearin.

I won the 2SM radio competition that day in 76 by asking the person next to me was he was from 2SM

He was and I was 250 dollars richer
I was only 13 and had to give details of a guardian over 21 so o could win

Can't believe nowdays that we was allowed to travel to Syd with mates at only 13
 
Seen this thread a few times & its a good 1....
*Manly/Souths 1987 at Redfern a standout - At 13-14yo new the test to match those Rabbit forwards was massive but Ward, Crusher & Gibbs who scored a freak try ripped in to win in a massive comeback
*Gotta have the 2008 GF amongst it....
*Just got back from the future - the 26 -12 GF victory in 2015 over Nth Qld was the best yet!! :party:
I was at Redfern oval on that bright and sunny day, Ronny Gibbs try was sensational and I remember all the MANLY fans at the ground going off including me and my sons, that game along with a bruising encounter against the Magpies at Lidcome oval in I think 1978 and of course the 2008 40/0 win stand out in what are a thousand memories, my lowest point i must divulge was the morning after the 2007 GF,having been at the debacle I had to take the 6.00am flight to Melbourne the following morning for business and one of my colleagues had the flight attendant notify everyone on board, and most of them were in purple, who and where I was, worst flight ever !!!
 
40 nil, and Beaver's try in particular, has to be the best.

I remember a huge comeback against the Roosters in the mid 90s. We were down about 24 nil or something and there was a really loud and obnoxious Roosters fan sitting in the stands near me, complete with a rubber glove on his head (supposed to look like a Rooster I guess but just looked like a c@ck), who was just incessantly yelling "Roosters" for the entire first half. We came back to win it on the back of some Cliffy brilliance and all I could hear at the end of the game was a drunken Manly fan (he was probably drowning his sorrows in the first half) yelling "Crifffyyyyy..... Criffffyyyyyyy..."

And does anyone else have this on their list?

What a memory, thank you
 
Team P W L PD Pts
5 4 1 23 10
5 4 1 14 10
6 4 2 48 8
6 4 2 28 8
5 3 2 25 8
5 3 2 14 8
6 3 2 38 7
6 3 2 21 7
6 3 3 37 6
6 3 3 16 6
6 3 3 -13 6
5 2 3 -15 6
6 3 3 -36 6
6 2 4 -5 4
6 2 4 -7 4
5 0 5 -86 2
6 1 5 -102 2
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