In the has Snake bombed a try post, references of who is better, Snake or Wombat have been thrown up. Firstly, it deserves its own post. Two of the greatest Manly fullbacks with premierships, representative honours and highlight career tapes that run for hours. At their best, Eadie for defence. Stewart for try assists. When a try was on, you couldn't stop either.
This conundrum may never be solved. Both are champions. The shame is that injury and that travesty of a court case cost Stewart the chance to establish himself for a long career in rep teams.
Eadies goal kicking might be the thing that sets them apart in my mind. But Brett's speed and amazing try scoring and try assists pretty much even that out. I can't split them, and I don't want to. Both are maroon and white royalty.
It's a good question but I agree with Bob.....I can't split them because they were both so different and so brilliant in their own right. Side note, watching Wombat returning the ball was just incredible, he treated the opposition like speed bumps.
Agree Bob, as a kid, I used to worry about Eadie's goalkicking. If he missed the first one, he would miss the next 2 or 3 but still ending up with 4 or 5 goals in a match. The one thing I loved about Eadie's goalkicking (and I may be wrong), in a big match, he nailed them all.
We have been blessed with some of the best full backs in our history, the 2 that stand out are the Wombat and the Snake. When I first started following the team in the mid 70's there was this imposing and strong fullback who would chime into the backline and cause absolute mayhem out wide , he is the best head on tackler I have seen, for those of you who remember have a look at the tackle he did on Steve Rogers in the 78 Grand final. The wombat to the day holds the record for the most amount of goals kicked by a sea eagle too. He was my hero and the Wombat helped cement my love for Manly. Then there is Snake, this young lad who burst on the scene in 2003/4 when we were totally in the **** as a team. A bright light with blinding speed who could finish a try in a blink, safe under the high ball and part of team that put Manly back on the map as a club. Showed his toughness by overcoming 2 serious knee injuries and being subjected to an unprecedented witch hunt that was laughed out of court. His resilience is his trademark and he is right up there with the Wombat. Special mentions, to Matthew Ridge, Bobby Batty and Dale Shearer who also wore the number 1 with pride. I will finish with saying that we have a new number 1 who potentially could be our greatest. Wow I have not seen a player this good at this age since the Snake, for young Tom, the game is your oyster and we fans have the privilege of seeing him in maroon and white.
This. I watched a SOO from just 14 yrs ago last week and it was a different game to last Wednesday's game. Completely. The way the game has evolved (devolved??) over the last 4 decades makes comparisons a moot point: I'd rather sit back and think we've had two of the best ever players in their positions, in their respective eras. Wombat: speed, power determination personified. Unstoppable and awe inspiring. Snake: speed, grace, impeccable timing. Always in the frame and just pretty to watch in full flight. How lucky have we been to have these superstars at the back for us?
It would be unjust to Snake if I had to pick between the two as I'd go with Wombat. If not for suffering 3 season ending injuries then I have a feeling that Snake would have been my pick.
Brett Stewart for me, never got to see the wombat.. I just cant imagine a better allround fullback , than Stewart at his peak
By all accounts Ron Willey was a pretty fair fullback for Manly too. Played for Australia from the Berries, before joining Manly and developing into a club legend.
