Success should cause overhaul of Manly's greatest ever team.

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bones

Bones Knows
Phil Rothfiled.

MANLY'S greatest ever team will require a major revamp if the Sea Eagles knock over the Roosters in Sunday’s grand final.

In 2006 I was part of a panel with the club’s ‘godfather’ Ken Arthurson, author and historian Ian Heads and former chairman Kerry Sibraa that named the best Manly team in 60 years.

Since then, this remarkably successful club has made four grand finals and won two premierships.

With respect to all those originally chosen, the performances of current champions Jamie Lyon, Brett Stewart, Anthony Watmough and Kieren Foran in recent years almost demands a review.

They are to Manly what Cameron Smith, Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk are to Melbourne.

If Manly win tomorrow, there are two definite and two possible changes to the all-time greatest side.


Manly star Jamie Lyon has had a great career for the Sea Eagles. Picture: Gregg Porteous

Centre and skipper Jamie Lyon will have to be included. It will be his third premiership at the club.
He is a wonderful old style football player, who gets by on natural skill, thrives under pressure and has an obsession to win every time he takes the field.

The problem is you can’t drop Bob Fulton or Michael O’Connor. I’d move Fulton to five-eighth for Wally O’Connell, not that I saw him play.

As much as he was a super player, O’Connell played most of his career at the Roosters and only two seasons at Brookvale for 34 appearances without winning a premiership.

I would also suggest Anthony Watmough should become a must selection the team. I’d at least put him on the bench for Ben Kennedy.

Kennedy is a bit like O’Connell – a champion but had only two seasons at the club and didn’t win a grand final.

Watmough has been among the top three back-rowers in the world for so long. He has to be there.

The most debatable position is at fullback.

Who would have thought anyone could ever question the great Graham Eadie’s position in any all-time great side.

He was not just the best fullback of his era but in some years the best player in the game.


Former Kangaroos and NSW back-rower Matt Adamson expects Manly's star halves Daly Cherry-Evans and Kieren Foran to guide the side to victory on Sunday.

Wombat played 237 club games, 20 Test matches, scored 71 tries, kicked goals and won four premierships.

He was an absolute superstar.

Then along comes Brett Stewart with an unbelievable 136 tries from 177 games. This will be his third premiership.

I’m not saying he should definitely go in for Eadie but it’s certainly worth discussing as a possibility.

Finally, Keiran Foran. He is now New Zealand’s Test captain, he’s fearless, skilful, and incredibly tough with a competitive streak like no other player in the game.

Surely he deserves to be at least considered for a position on the bench.

1 Graham Eadie ------ Brett Stewart
2 Ken Irvine
3 Bob Fulton (c ) ------ Jamie Lyon
4 Michael O’Connor
5 Ray Branighan
6 Wally O’Connell ----- Bob Fulton (c )
7 Geoff Toovey
13 Mal Reilly
12 Terry Randall
11 Steven Menzies
10 Roy Bull
9 Max Krilich
8 John O’Neill
Reserves:
14 Des Hasler ------ Kieren Foran
15 Cliff Lyons
16 Ben Kennedy ------ Anthony Watmough
17 Paul Vautin
 
and where would you fit dce if he continues his current form?
i guess for this reason it kinda sucks to have such a successful team over the last 60 odd years!
 
Very conservative, begrudging piece by Rothtool. I saw every one of those players listed except Roy Bull, and the Branigan / Kennedy selections are ridiculously out moded.

He's right about one thing though: Yes the all-time team needs re-selecting.
Killer, Choc make it easily. Blessed we are with fantastic full backs.

Michael Robertson and Tom Mooney were both far far better wingers/players than 'Ray Brain-again'.
 
Ridiculous argument, Manly can have Greatest Team for each Century instead :idea:

Comparing Players of different eras, ignores the conditions that the Players had to comtend with.

Eadie was the most complete Player that Ive seen, but Brett is a game breaker in his own right too.

We are blessed in having all these extraordinary Players at Manly, and they happily coexist in my memories :angel:

Buzz should stick to marginalising the Shire :mad:
 
Good article but does winning this GF tomorrow make these players any better than they are today?
 
I think that we need to start establishing a era-based team selection, and accept that we have at this time scope for two full teams worth of players worthy of inclusion.

My fear in sticking with one team is that as time goes by, people forget why some of those guys are in there, often as much for their off-field influence as anything achieved on the field.

So why not get a 1947-90 Team established, and from that point look at a 30-year celebration of an additional team of our special players, making another due in 2 years time for those since 1990? Eligibility for which era depends on which you played the majority of your games.

Something to consider.
 
As Manly has fielded a Premiership each and every decade since the 1970's, the Team of the Decade would have 5 sets of great Players to laud:idea:
 
Killer goes in. Whether Fulton moves to 5/8, or O'Connor goes but he's there.

Foran it's too soon, but I have no doubts he'll be there.

Choc, he's got to be there somewhere, I love BK and I am one of those that have bought into the BK legend. So I'd be more inclined to boot out fatty. (I just love BK).

Snake. God that's a tough one. I am too young to remember much about Eadie, but it sounds like a flip of the coin.

I think what people are saying about a Manly possibles v probable would be great.

Eadie v Snake
O'Conner v Killer
Cliffy v Foran
BK v Choc

etc etc.
 
Any top manly team that had rothtool on the panel should be thrown out and reselected. There are some dodgy names in there let's face it. Bye bye ray, snoz, bk. irvine and oneill are legends if the game but not just for manly, so there's room for our new legends.
 
Frogz said:
Bye Bye Kennedy.........FINALLY

BK played a huge part in turning our great club around. He instilled the never say die work ethic into Choc, stewart bros etc. So I don't understand your point,
 
Ben Kennedy did more for our club than win a premiership. His influence can never be questioned and any fool who thinks otherwise doesn't know footy and probably thinks stats tell you everything. He is as much a part of our success as Hasler has been.

Rothdield has less Rugby League knowledge than a Himalayan Sherpa raised by Yetis. He is a gossip columnist. Not a sports journalist.
 
Pittwater Legend said:
1. Eadie
2. Irvine
3. Fulton
4. Lyon
5. Snake
6. Lyons
7. Toovey

This is how I'd go with the backline.

When has snake ever played wing? I see what you're doing (trying to squeeze both Eadie and Snake in) but IMO it defeats the purpose of picking the greatest team if you're going to pick a player out of position just to fit him in the team somewhere.
Especially when It's obvious one wing spot should be taken by Cuthbo. :p
 
Between the two I would pick Stewart over Eadie. But I paired Stewart with Lyon as Snake's ability to finish would complement
Lyon's ability to put a winger away to no end.
 
What about a "Top 5" in each position? Just rotate, delete or add every 10 years if required.

The only additions relevant at the moment are;

Killer
Choc
Snale
 
Sheikheagle said:
Frogz said:
Bye Bye Kennedy.........FINALLY

BK played a huge part in turning our great club around. He instilled the never say die work ethic into Choc, stewart bros etc. So I don't understand your point,

Maybe this:

"I love Des Hasler and the boys but Manly has lost me forever”.

“One hundred per cent,” Kennedy said.

http://m.foxsports.com.au/league/nrl-premiership/former-manly-forward-ben-kennedy-walks-away-from-nrl-club-the-sea-eagles-over-peter-peterss-demise/story-fn2mcuj6-1226131987067
 

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