70s Week - Memories

[Canteen Worker]

I woke to the trivia question on 702: Which team won the most RL premierships in the 1970s? You know that answer to that - 72, 73, 76 and 78 gives Manly the gong over Souths (70, 71), Roosters (74, 75) St George (77, 79). Interesting that only four clubs won a premiership in the whole decade. From memory Manly made the 5 team semis during every year of the decade.

It rekindled a memory of a time when the planets were in line, Manly and Arko ruled all, Bozo was the standout player of the comp, Manly had forwards that were tougher than nails - O'Neil, Randall (the real one!), Reilly etc. I was at high school for much of the time and lived, breathed and ate Manly with few other interests.

I remember the 70-7 flogging of Penrith (tries worth 3 points), scrums against the head, the four tackle rule (changed early), the pace of Ken Irvine, the emergence of Wombat Eadie as a superstar, and the epic battles against Souths in the early seventies, Cronulla (who are still yet to win a comp) and Parra in the late seventies.

My biggest disappointment was that my school turned down the opportunity to play the curtain raiser to the 78 GF replay against a Sterling led Fairfield Pats at the SCG - Uni Shield winners v Amco Shield winners.

Lots more memories of Mighty Manly when we were the best - wearing the Maroon with white hoops and then the White with Maroon hoops we will wear this Sunday. How I long for the period of Manly dominance again.

I might pen a feature article on this if I get a chance this weekend.

Anyone else with Manly memories from that time.

 

[Fluffy]

not really, only spent a few months there

wish i had memories though, would have loved to see that team doing what they did best

 

[PJ]

I was born in 1977 and my first set of booties were Manly ones!

 

[The Wheel]

Watching Russell Gartner tear up Parra in the semi final reply in 1978 from the Bradman Stand, Branaghan scoring on the 7th tackle in the same match. Those were the days

 

[The Wheel]

Just fully read CWs post - that game was Sterlo fist game, he played fullback and had a great game. But it was not the GF, the GF replay was against the Sharks.

 

[Utility Player]

Still got a White with Maroon hoops jersey from the early 80's (must have washed it too many times cause boy it's shrunk). Watched my 1st game of league at a mates house (a semi final Manly against Saints I think) in 1974 aged 9. Manly won the game and I have supported them ever since, must have been fate. Remember wagging school to watch the Manly Sharks GF replay.

 

[byso]

I can remember my brothers exited about grandfinals. It was a great era!

 

[ManlyBacker]

I guess my memories of the 70's were just how tough the games were. You would have seen Tommy Raudonikis describing some of the tactics in those days and he was not exagerating. It was the time of the real hard men. Anyone seriously interested should visit http://www.eraofthebiff.com/index.html to read the stories and get to know the type of players back then. The game today is faster and the players have greater athletic ability but for sheer toughness, guts and battles this decade was probably the last of that style of play. It wasn't enough to be a great player, you also had to have a constitution of steel to handle what was dished out.

1972 was the first ever Premiership for the Eagles and as CW stated heralded the greatest decade for our club. People criticise Peter Peters but he was a member of probably the toughest and meanest grand final ever played in 1973. Players such as Branighan, Brown, Reilly, Randall, O'Niell, Krillich and Jones were all working class men who didn't know what it meant to step backwards.

Those days are gone but it is nice to reminisce about Manly's earliest successes.

 

[lasvegas]

I guess my memories of the 70's were just how tough the games were. You would have seen Tommy Raudonikis describing some of the tactics in those days and he was not exagerating. It was the time of the real hard men. Anyone seriously interested should visit http://www.eraofthebiff.com/index.html to read the stories and get to know the type of players back then. The game today is faster and the players have greater athletic ability but for sheer toughness, guts and battles this decade was probably the last of that style of play. It wasn't enough to be a great player, you also had to have a constitution of steel to handle what was dished out.


mb i think even upto the mid to late eighties it was a similiar style,**** some of those games were horrific.

1972 was the first ever Premiership for the Eagles and as CW stated heralded the greatest decade for our club. People criticise Peter Peters but he was a member of probably the toughest and meanest grand final ever played in 1973. Players such as Branighan, Brown, Reilly, Randall, O'Niell, Krillich and Jones were all working class men who didn't know what it meant to step backwards.

Those days are gone but it is nice to reminisce about Manly's earliest successes.