1977 Manly

[eagle66]

I reckon the ' original ' Terry Hill would've played a lot more 1st grade had he gone to Norths or somewhere.

Probably shows what it was like to play for a club back then. You come up through the grades, get promoted when the guy above you gets hurt or plays crap. When the first grade centre is out, he doesn't get replaced by the back rower on the bench, he is replaced by the reserve grade centre (usually).

 

[Terry Zarsoff]

This enabler concep and Ian Martin. We generally won the premiership with him in the team. 4 of them. The year he went to sawtell we weren't premiers. He came back and then we were premiers.

And then waited another eight years to win a title.

And he was only about 27 when he retired from Sydney football.

 

[Terry Zarsoff]

Didn't Alan win the reserve grade premiership the year before in 88 and runners up in 87?

Yes. Probably would have won in 1987 if he had had the services of Paul Shaw and Mark Pocock, who were kept as fresh reserves for the big one.

And the club forced him to retire as a player in 1984, which he didn't want to do at that stage, to take up coaching. Only to sack him in his first year as 1st grade coach in 1989, so that the Great White Hope (Lowe) could take over.

 

[Shoe1]

Manly v St George 1974

Manly v St George 1974

zorba was on fire in that game

 

[Shoe1]

I like how reserves have huge numbers like 58 on their backs.

 

[Eagles Nest 78]

This has been fantastic to see these Manly highlights (1975 to 1977 seasons).


I went to regular games at Brookie from 1976 season & onwards. I did see some odd games 1975 & 1974 season (would have been as young as 8 then and the memory of those games limited).


The colour TV that came in 1975 (was a real pioneering moment!). The Seven’s Big League game would have been so modern looking going into people TV lounges on a Sunday night at 6.30pm (the ones who had colour TV!).


Also interesting to see the advertising around the fencing at Brookvale Oval that came in 1977 (later than most other grounds). The clean looking fences with supporters banners look good in 1975 & 76!


The score board at the northern end – when was that built 1977? or 1978?


Also great to see the packed Southern Hill (before the Southern Stand “Fulton/Menzies” was built & opened early 1979).



Some good tries from Bob Fulton & Johnny Gibbs. Also Tom Mooney & Graham Eadie had some great tries as well !

It would be great in the summer months if ‘Fox League’ could show some games in full or the 1 hour edited games (what was shown on TV at the time as the replay). Wonder if Fox and Channel 7 could do a deal?

This has been real great seeing these clips.

 

[Harvies elbow]

Probably shows what it was like to play for a club back then. You come up through the grades, get promoted when the guy above you gets hurt or plays crap. When the first grade centre is out, he doesn't get replaced by the back rower on the bench, he is replaced by the reserve grade centre (usually).

The late Mick Waller, doesn't seem to be in any of these clips that I've seen, was another of those players.
A very tidy and capable fullback or wing, a great understudy to Wombat, would've played 1sts at a number of other clubs but played a few years in the Brisbane comp.

 

[Sea Eagle 4 Life]

How good was Phil Lowe!

 

[Harvies elbow]

How good was Phil Lowe!

His try in the 76 GF was Lowe at his best.
Off a typically brilliant piece of work by Alan Thompson he was unstoppable as Rex said " you don't stop 16 1/2 stone of Englishman by grabbing him by the jumper". Or something like that.

 

[Sea Eagle 4 Life]

Manly v Souths 1975

I love how Manly had a player with no 58 on his back. You dont see that any more!

 

[Ian Martin tragic]

poor bears. I saw big Herman Hamilton going round for them, and John Gray put on a try for Bruce Goldie Walker. We bought them for the following year (or maybe Walker first then Gray). Walker coached our Sea Eagles Shield competition-winning St Augustines side in 78. A bitter sweet year for him though with the premiership win then his wife was killed in a car accident.

 

[Ian Martin tragic]

As a teenager in the 70's, I would leave home (Belmore), train, ferry and bus to Brooky, watch 3 grades, return trip, hot chips at Manly Wharf, they were the best at the time and get home in time to watch Rex's wrap up in the news and then the Channel 7 match. Sometimes able to watch SportsAction/SportsWorld in the morning and watch all of the highlights of last weeks games.

Commitment. I'd be turning up to brookie about lunchtime after playing Sunday morning. before that My dad would take me for every home game. On the hill.

 

[Ian Martin tragic]

Thanks @sheridanstand78. I sat in your stand at the SCG for that Manly v Easts 1976 match. My memory was that we lost a few of our players before the game, Fulton being one of the. Easts got out to a big lead, remembering that a two try lead often was a match winning lead and Manly slowly chipped away to that bomb when the hooter went and we scored in the corner. I was adamant that it was a try, I had clear view (so I tell myself) as I was nearly in line with the touchline from the Sheridan Stand. I don't think it was TV but it might have been in the papers that showed that it was a try. Later, I found out that the touch judge could have been a Manly guy as his son was a Manly junior. I might have to go into the dungeon to find the programme from the day and see.

I was on the hill for the Easts game. Easts had been a disappointment after 74-75 and for the first 35 mins they had their mojo back. I remember their fans applauding them as they walked back to halfway after their last try. But from there we ended the half with a spectacular length of the field team try and then went after them for the whole second half. Rocket Rod got one. And yes I remember the frame by frame pics in the paper. We woz robbed!

 

[Ian Martin tragic]

They both did at 1st grade level.

In 5/8 Alan's case, he was being undermined (sound familiar?) off-field.

Second rower Allan was a solid if uninspired coach who wasn't able to get enough out of his star-studded team.

He was one hard hitting bastard that Allan Thompson the second rower. But Alan Thompson got the arse mid-season I think; it was all rather ugly. Fatty was captain and involved according to rumours (who knows?). Great player though; set up our one and only try in the 76 GF, was the difference in the elimination final v Wests in 78 with a try and a lion of a game when everyone was seriously knackered after all the games. Could step his way into a line break, tackle, and was a precision passer.

 

[Terry Zarsoff]

They were both very tough players. Allan was a very hard hitter who put a lot of 'starch' into the pack. And he wasn't a big man, about 13-13 1/2 stone playing weight - around 85 kilos.

Alan of course was one of the most talented but underrated players of his era, except by Manly supporters and good judges - often one and the same!😉 When he broke through for rep honours, it was long overdue.

Roy Masters once referred to him as one of (if not the) manliest of Manly players. That was around the time he was removed in favour of Graham Lowe.

 

[Real Deal]

Just watched the Manly vs Souths clip. Terry Hill snr was a very handy replacement for Fulton. I remember him in a match around then having to get stretchered off the SCG by a couple of St Johns ambulance men - no medicabs in those days. Also the Rabbitohs fullback I guess is Eric Simms. Tremendous player, too.

 

[The Wheel]

After watching all these great I think the greatest fullback tag sits firmly with Wombat, as great as Snake was Wombat was just as dynamic and could kick goals add the four premierships and you have Manlys best ever number 1

 

[Terry Zarsoff]

Eagles Nest, the white scoreboard was built prior to the start of the 1974 season.

And I didn't realise Mick Waller had passed away. I was in 1st class with his brother at Beacon Hill, back in 1967.

 

[Harvies elbow]

poor bears. I saw big Herman Hamilton going round for them, and John Gray put on a try for Bruce Goldie Walker. We bought them for the following year (or maybe Walker first then Gray). Walker coached our Sea Eagles Shield competition-winning St Augustines side in 78. A bitter sweet year for him though with the premiership win then his wife was killed in a car accident.

We bought Mick Healy from them too to add to their misery. Who like Ray Higgs that year didn't play much 1st grade because of injury but what a tough 2nd row that would've been running into Randall and Higgs if fit.

 

[eagle66]

Manly v Canterbury 1974