MANLY 1978 Season

[Stuey Davis’s Socks]

Round 6 v Balmain
Losses to the lower grades but a good win to the 1sts.
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Interesting in hindsight. Coach Stanton pronouncements about his future ended ip being a bit off the mark:
1.) he did go on to coach Manly in the 1979 season rather than moving on, and
2.) he did end up coaching against Manly (which he said he would never do) by taking up the reins at the Tigers and then Norths after coaching Redcliffe in 1980.

 

[Terry Zarsoff]

I often wonder what impact (if any) Frank Stanton’s announcement that his coaching stint at Manly would finish at the end of the 1979 season, had on the team’s performance that year.

Sometimes when coaches telegraph their intentions well in advance, it demotivates, rather than motivates the team. Bob Fulton’s announcement that he would leave at the end of 1988 led to some mixed fortunes that year, when clearly they had the team to win another title in 1988. Manly easily beat the eventual premiers at Belmore, 18-0 (four tries to zip) during the season.

The 1999 situation had echoes of that. Bob Fulton had said prior to the season’s start that he would finish at the end of that season. They lost the first seven games in a row. His wife’s then serious illness saw him leave, with Peter Sharp taking the reins, earlier than expected. Manly then started winning, but it wasn’t enough to make up for those early season losses.

Not blaming the great man and he was right to hand over to Sharp when he did. But it underlines the point that announcing your intentions early, can sometimes backfire.

 

[Once Was Brissie Kid]

NRL posted video highlights (various lengths) of both 1978 grand finals at
1978 grand final rewind: Sea Eagles crush Sharks in another replay

 

[sheridanstand78]

I think what that 78 team went through to win the grand final and the 7 guys picked to go on the following Kangaroo tour meant that they were already under the gun for 79.

If I remember that season they looked rather jaded and disjointed, were quickly out of the 5 and were battling to catch up the whole season.

For me the legacy of that magnificent 78 team goes down in folklore. No other Manly team has won a comp like that and they did it with courage, tenacity, skill and overcame a lot of adversity to do it.

Always will be my favorite Manly team!

 

[rosco]

I think what that 78 team went through to win the grand final and the 7 guys picked to go on the following Kangaroo tour meant that they were already under the gun for 79.

If I remember that season they looked rather jaded and disjointed, were quickly out of the 5 and were battling to catch up the whole season.

For me the legacy of that magnificent 78 team goes down in folklore. No other Manly team has won a comp like that and they did it with courage, tenacity, skill and overcame a lot of adversity to do it.

Always will be my favorite Manly team!

Found it interesting that at the start of the season there was a lot of speculation about who would be the captain. Randall, Martin, Eddie, Higgs and Gray were all mentioned. By the end of the season Krilich was captain and went on to captain the Kangaroos in 1982.