Yeah well written mate. When I think back now to those days of the Northern Eagles, I had honestly given up on rugby league and had all but resigned myself to the fact that Manly were gone. They were to be consigned to the same fate as the once proud Tigers and Magpies, not to mention my grandfathers favourite team the mighty Newtown Jets. I had visions of explaining to my kids (not yet arrived) that I used to follow this wonderful team called the Manly Sea Eagles, also known as the Silvertails, who were a very successful club with a rich history, but were universally hated for their success. I was so pissed off that we had stood tall during the Superleague war and had basically been the flagship for the ARL, sending ourselves flat broke in the process. Why ? To defend what we thought were the right values, years of tradition and the true essence of the sporting contest untainted by commercial interests. Of course we got screwed over and it nearly killed off our great club. Not many people shed a tear about this of course.
I don't recall watching a Northern Eagles game, I probably did but couldn't tell you anything about it. I kept a passing interest because of Menzies, Kosef and Gartner, one of the greatest backrows ever to lace on boots for the mighty Maroon and White, but that was about it. I certainly didn't consider myself a "supporter" of the team, more a fan of a couple of the players. As the joint venture descended into farce and the whole show looked like it was going to implode, I thought what a sad way for the memory of Manly to fade from the sporting landscape. Cocky Cronulla and Parra fans revelled in the sad demise of their nemesis, unmercifully slipping the boot into the "Beagles" at every opportunity.
I still remember reading an article about the imminent collapse of the joint venture and discovering that the actual NRL licence was held by Manly, and that it would revert to them if the whole thing fell over. A glimmer of hope perhaps ?...the rest is history of course. The announcement that season 2003 would see the return of the mighty Sea Eagles was greeted with joy. I embraced rugby league like I was that young kid who cycled madly home from school on a Wednesday afternoon in September 1978, full of anticipation of hearing the radio broadcast of the end of the GF replay. Memories of going to the local newsagent every week to flick through the Big League in the hope that this would be the week of the Manly team poster flashed through my mind. Randall, Gartner, Eadie, Blake, Boyd, Dorahy.....the list goes on.
We had to sail through some uncharted waters early on, with a mediocre roster and some pretty poor performances on the field, it was tough times for fans used to a side who was always competitive and there, or thereabouts, come finals time. Of course those same lowlife Eels and Sharks supporters were circling like vultures, waiting for the last rites to be read, I kept telling them they'd get theirs shortly (more hopeful then certain in those days). Seems a world away now, that's for sure.
What a wonderful win on Sunday, and one might say it is some good karma finally coming home to roost after the near death experience of the Superleague war. You are right though, we would have been dead in the water without the generosity of our private benefactors, although I'd like to think that they have been repaid a thousand times over with Sunday's result. I suspect anyone of us would do what they have done had we had the resources to do so, and equally wouldn't expect anything in return except unfettered access to the change rooms to share in the team song as celebration of a GF victory.
Who would've thought this was possible 6 years ago ? what a remarkable turnaround.
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