User:MDM/Sandbox
History
Getting Started - 1908-1950
Although
Further attempts were made by the Manly club to join the
It became apparent to the Manly club that nothing less than a President’s Cup premiership would give them an opportunity to successfully apply for the senior competition. During 1946, it was two meetings involving the North Sydney club which would seal Manly's future.
Their first important encounter of the season was during the final of the President’s Cup that the two clubs met. Despite going in to the game as underdogs, the Manly side held on to a small lead to win the competition. The second meeting was between the senior NSWRL clubs in November 1946, in which the North Sydney club supported the inclusion of Manly into the senior competition, despite knowing that many of its Manly players would no longer be eligible to play for the club due to the district rule.
With the Manly club being successful this time, a public meeting on
The 12th April
It wasn't until Round 8 that Manly finally got a win on the board. Playing against fellow newcomers Parramatta, Manly scored a five tries to one, 15-7 victory.
Highlights of the first season were a one-point away victory against Minor Premiers and eventual runner-ups,
The 1948-1950 period saw the club languish at the bottom of the table, coming ninth, eighth and eighth out of ten, during this time. But it wasn't all bad, with local legend Roy Bull's selection for the Australian Test team which played against New Zealand in October 1949.
Bridesmaids - 1951-1971
Surprising many punters, the
To make matters worse, the St George win saw Wally O'Connell injured and unable to play in the Grand Final. The resultant 42-14 routing of the Manly team still stands as the biggest Grand Final winning score.
The next five years saw the team make no great strides, making two finals appearances (
From the
The combination of the return of Wally O'Connell to the club as coach in
With the groundwork laid and a couple of years of development of the future
The Major Semi-Final saw Manly convincingly beat Souths, 23-15. The Rabbitohs then went on to beat St George to set up a rematch against the Sea Eagles. The Manly faithfuls hope were high going into the match, however South Sydney held on to win the Grand Final, 13-8.
After comfortably making the finals for the
The
Despite Manly beating the Rabbitohs earlier in the season, they were unable to find the extra effort over the last month, going down 24-20, 22-15 and finally 23-12 in the Grand Final.
Entering the
Also appearing in the same year was a young fullback from the Central Coast named Graham Eadie.
By the end of the season, the club had both the best defence and attack record, lost just three games and claimed their maiden Minor Premiership over their recent nemesis, the second placed Rabbitohs.
But just when they looked unstoppable, the team appeared to lose focus come finals time. It was a disappointing end to the season for Manly, which saw them bow out of the semis with successive losses to the
Golden Period - 1972-1978
Realising that the club needed more than just local players to make the next step, the Manly club began to scout both other clubs and the English game for suitable players. Souths joy at winning their 20th, and currently final, Premiership was quickly soured with the news that internationals Ray Branighan and John O'Neill had signed with Manly-Warringah.
Although the club had a history of bringing in non-local players, it was these signings which quickly put opposition supporters off-side with the Manly administrations methods of team building. By the end of the decade, the term "Silvertails" would be used as a derogative nickname for the Manly club.
If the club were displeased with this uproar, they did not show it. [
The Major Semi Final saw Manly taking on
After 26 seasons, Manly-Warringah claimed their maiden Premiership, 19-14. Although the scoreline appeared close, two late tries to the Roosters closed a 15 point lead that Manly enjoyed well into the second half of the match.
- 1972, September 16
Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground Crowd: 54,357 Referee: Keith Page
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles: Graham Eadie, Ken Irvine, Ray Branighan, Bob Fulton, Max Brown, Ian Martin, Dennis Ward, Malcolm Reilly, Terry Randall, Allan Thomson, John O'Neill, Freddie Jones (c), Bill Hamilton
Coach: Ron Willey
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles - 19 (Jones, Branighan tries; Branighan 6 goals; Fulton field goal) defeated Eastern Suburbs Roosters - 14 (Ballesty, Mullins tries; McKean 4 goals)
The
The 1973 finals were the first to feature five teams, allowing the Minor Premiers a week off during the first round of finals. First and second met in the second week of finals, with Manly seeing off Cronulla, 14-4. This win in the Major-Semi Final gave the Sea Eagles another week off before playing in the Grand Final.
Cronulla easily accounted for Newtown the following week, to make their maiden Grand Final appearance.
The 1973 Grand Final is oftened quoted as one of the most brutal games [
The forward battle was fierce with both packs of forwards led by legendary hard men. Great British international, Cliff Watson led the Sharks up the middle while John O'Neill repayed Manly's investment in his services with one of his most fearless performances. Terry 'Igor' Randall and Cronulla's Ken Maddison were also prominent in the fireworks up the middle. In any account of the game, the powerhouse defense of the relatively small Manly five-eighth, Ian Martin deserves mention. Martin also produced the lead-up work in Manly's second half try, which proved to be the match-winner.
If not for the skills of Bob Fulton, the Sharks plan to unsettle the Sea Eagles may have worked. Fulton scored Manly’s only tries in the match and proved the difference in the sides, with the Sea Eagles hanging on with a 10-7 win which saw the club crowned Premiers for the second year in a row. Fulton's champion qualities were demonstrated in his first try. With characteristic opportunism, he trailed Manly hooker Fred Jones as he moved toward the blindside of the Cronulla defense about 35 metres out from the Sharks' line. This was enough to create a half gap in the hitherto impregnable Sharks ruck defense. Jones threw a deft flick pass to Fulton who, with blinding acceleration, exploited the little opening and was gone before desperate Sharks cover could prevent him crossing the line.
- 1973, September 15
Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground Crowd: 52,044 Referee: Keith Page
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles: Graham Eadie, Ken Irvine, Ray Branighan, Bob Fulton, Max Brown, Ian Martin, Johnny Mayes, Malcolm Reilly, Terry Randall, Peter Peters, John O'Neill, Freddie Jones (c), Bill Hamilton
Replacement: John Bucknall for Malcolm Reilly, injured
Coach: Ron Willey.
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles - 10 (Fulton 2 tries; Eadie 2 goals) defeated Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks - 7 (Bourke try; Rogers 2 goals)
The
Against this juggernaut, the Manly club finished second on the table for both seasons.
Disappointingly, the club lost four out of their five finals appearances over this time and failed to qualify for either Grand Final.
However, all was not doom and gloom for the club. Over this period, local juniors and quality buys saw the likes of Russel Gartner, Alan Thompson and future Kangaroos captain Max Krilich join the first grade squad.
With the inclusion of old-hands Eadie, Fulton and
The Parramatta club proved to be a real thorn in the side of Manly. During their two meetings during the regular season, the Eels proved too good with an 8-5 win in Round 5, followed up by another tight win, 14-10 at Brookvale in Round 17.
After enjoying a week off, Manly met Parramatta in Major-Semi Final. Again, the Eels took the match, this time by 23-17 on the back of the boot of John Peard.
Manly had to then met a
In the end, the match could have gone either way. In a game which saw the introduction of the attacking ‘wedge’ from Parramatta, the most infamous moment came deep in the second half with Manly barely holding a lead. Wide ball movement by the Eels saw an overlap develop and unmarked Parramatta winger, Neville Glover, only required to catch the final pass to cross for try. History shows that he couldn’t hold on to the ball, and Manly held on to the lead to win their third Premiership, 13-10.
- 1976, September 18
Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground Crowd: 57,343 Referee: Gary Cook
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles: Graham Eadie, Tom Mooney, Russel Gartner, Bob Fulton (c), Rod Jackson, Alan Thompson, Gary Stephens, Ian Martin, Phil Lowe, Steve Norton, Terry Randall, Max Krilich, John Harvey
Replacements: Gary Thoroughgood for Ian Martin; Mark Willoughby for Phil Lowe
Coach: Frank Stanton
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles - 13 (Lowe try; Eadie 5 goals) defeated Parramatta Eels - 10 (Porter, Gerard tries; Peard 2 goals)
Celebrations were forgotten quickly though when Manly legend
Manly started the
A final appearance come down to the final round with Manly beating the Balmain Tigers at Leichhardt Oval to secure fifth spot from a fast-finishing Cronulla side which finished sixth, two points behind but with a superior for-and-against. However, the Tigers quickly had their revenge in the first week of the finals, beating the Sea Eagles 23-15.
The success of the club during the 1970s came to an end with the club scoring a fourth Premiership in another Grand Final against the Cronulla Sharks club in
The road to this Grand Final appearance broke the mould of previous successful campaigns, with Manly having not won the Minor Premiership and then featuring in two drawn finals matches.
Week one of the finals saw the Manly side beaten by Cronulla 17-12, the boot of Steve Rogers proving the difference with both teams scoring three tries each.
Facing Parramatta in the Minor Semi Final, neither side could be split after 80 minutes and the game was drawn 13-all. With no extra-time played, the teams met again three days later. Despite being a played on a Wednesday, almost 12,000 extra spectators poured into the SCG to witness a come-from-behind Manly win, 17-11.
Despite having only three days turnaround, Manly came out on the following Saturday and accounted for the Minor Premiers, Western Suburbs, 14-7.
Finally having a full week off, the players could have been forgiven for thinking they now only had to see themselves through one more game. But it wasn’t to be with the second drawn NSWRL Grand Final in a row, played out between Manly and Cronulla, the result 11-all.
- 1978, September 16
Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground Crowd: 51,510 Referee: Greg Hartley
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles:
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles - 11 (Moonie try; Eadie 4 goals) drew
- 1978, September 19 (Grand Final Replay)
Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground Crowd: 33,552 Referee: Greg Hartley
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles: Graham Eadie, Tom Mooney, Stephen Knight, Russel Gartner, Simon Booth, Alan Thompson, Steve Martin, Ian Martin, Terry Randall, Bruce Walker, John Harvey, Max Krilich (c), Ian Thomson
Replacements: Ray Branighan for Simon Booth; Wayne Springall for Ian Martin
Coach: Frank Stanton.
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles - 16 (Gartner 2, Eadie tries; Eadie 3 goals; field goal) defeated
With Manly now facing their fifth finals game in sixteen days, it was suggested by many reporters that Cronulla were fresher and better prepared for the game, especially given there was only a three day turnaround.
However, it was Manly with all the running, with a Gartner double and Eadie’s individual tally of ten points seeing the club win its fourth Premiership in seven years, 16-0.
The Hangover 1979-1981
Over the next decade and a half, the NSWRL moved towards the expansion of the competition outside of the Sydney area. It was a period that saw clubs expelled from the competition, the rise of future powerhouse teams and a steady stream of rule changes.
With the slow move towards full-time professionalism gripping the League, it would only be the strong clubs which would get through this era unscathed. [neutrality is disputed] Under the strong leadership of Ken Arthurson, the Manly club remained in the forefront, both on and off the field.
However, success across the board was not reflected in premierships with the club waiting nine years before claiming their next title.
After the 1978 Grand Final victory, Manly-Warringah struggled for consistency on the field and finished seventh in both the
Realising that the club was missing the ‘X’ factor of the mid-70’s, club officials lured three players from the Western Suburbs Magpies across to the peninsula. The signings of Kangaroo internationals Les Boyd, John Dorahy and Ray Brown for the 1980 season led to a deep acrimony between the two clubs, quickly developing on the field into the ‘Silvertails’ versus ‘Fibros’; the haves against the have-nots.
Immediate results were not good with Wests initially beating Manly in Round 4, 19-4. Although Manly got their revenge with a close 11-8 victory later in the year, the Magpies still went on to finish the season third.
The
A Rivalry Grows - 1982-1983
At last, the
Manly’s final campaign began strongly with a thrashing of North Sydney, 26-3. Things only appeared to go better with Manly beating Parramatta, 20-0, and going straight into the Grand Final.
Parramatta then went on to crush
But with their stars on fire, including a double from five-eight Brett Kenny, Parramatta was never headed in the match and went on to take the game and successfully defend their crown, 21-8.
In 1983, the club saw the return of its favourite son, Bob Fulton. Having proved himself a brilliant player, Fulton was by now displaying a more than capable ability as a first-grade coach.
The
Things looked even better when Manly exacted revenge for two losses during the season to Parramatta, claiming victory against the Eels in the Major Semi final, 19-10.
But, in an almost carbon-copy of the 1982 decider, Parramatta bounced back strongly in their next game before against beating Manly to claim the title, 18-6. Brett Kenny had another field day, scoring a further two tries to bring his tally in Grand Finals to six.
Fall And Rise - 1984-1987
The next three years saw Manly strong enough to compete for a finals position, but they never finished higher than fourth, or progressed past the first week of finals.
After the disappointment of
Manly managed to finish fourth, however this was still six points behind third placed Parramatta. After beating Canberra in a mid-week play-off for fifth, Souths finally put the Sea Eagles out of their misery with a 22-18 win.
By Round 7 of the
In a close match, the boot of a young Greg Alexander carried the Penrith Panthers to a 10-7 victory over the Sea Eagles and into their first finals campaign after 19 seasons in the top league.
Although Manly finished in fourth in
Balmain did enough to beat Norths and progress to a meeting with a rested Manly team. However, despite scoring four tries for the game, Manly could not do enough to keep a strong Balmain side out, eventually losing the match 29-22.
After three years of disappointment and eight years since their last premiership, the Manly club were determined to change their fortunes. The club had the nucleus of a winning squad, but at the end of the 1986 season they added the final piece to the puzzle;
Previously a
Led by captain
But, after the meek capitulations of the previous seasons, the club remained focused on the job at hand. Meeting second placed
Joining Manly for the big one was a Canberra Raiders team full of names that would soon become well-known by the league community. Apart from captain Mal Meninga, the team featured players Steve Walters, Kevin Walters, Gary Belcher and Peter Jackson.
The 1987 Grand Final is also remembered as the last to be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground, after 76 years of featuring the game of the day and finals. In the end, the skills and experience of the Manly side was too much for the Wayne Bennett coached Raiders, with the Sea Eagles taking their fifth title, 18-8.
- 1987, September 27
Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground. Crowd: 50,201. Referee: Mick Stone
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles: Dale Shearer, David Ronson, Darrell Williams, Michael O'Connor, Stuart Davis, Cliff Lyons, Des Hasler, Paul Vautin (c), Noel Cleal, Ron Gibbs, Kevin Ward, Mal Cochrane, Phil Daley
Replacements: Mark Pocock for Noel Cleal; Paul Shaw for head bin (twice for Ron Gibbs)
Coach: Bob Fulton
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles - 18 (O'Connor, Lyons tries; O'Connor 5 goals) defeated Canberra Raiders - 8 (O'Sullivan try; Meninga, Belcher goals)
Clive Churchill Medal Winner: Cliff Lyons
Although many reports concentrate on the Clive Churchill medal winner, Cliff Lyons, the efforts of Englishman Kevin Ward can not be underestimated. He only played 12 games in the maroon and white, but his final effort to fly out to Australia to play in the decider, and playing the full 80 minutes, was an inspirational effort and earned him plenty of admiration from the Manly faithful.
Expansion And A New Threat 1988-1992
Less than two weeks later, the premiers travelled to England to face the reigning English champions, the
The
Despite this, the club still approached the 1988 season full of confidence with a side still featuring plenty of State of Origin and Kangaroo representatives [who?] . Scheduling for Round 1 saw the reigning premiers taking on a star-studded Brisbane Broncos team which itself feature many of Queensland’s top players, including the legend Wally Lewis.
Manly were never in the match and lost to the Brisbane side, 44-10, which included a Wally Lewis double. Manly quickly recovered and looked to repeat the success of 1987 after comprehensively beating the North Sydney Bears, Parramatta Eels and Newcastle Knights.
In a close finish to the regular season, Manly finished on 30 points with the Canberra Raiders, Penrith Panthers and Balmain Tigers to fill positions third through sixth.
The first game of the finals saw a fifth-place play-off between Balmain and Penrith. The Tigers thrashed Penrith and went on to make it through to the Grand Final against the
It was a disappointing finish to the season, but worse was to come. [neutrality is disputed]
With Bob Fulton taking on the Australian coaching job, another former Manly favourite was brought in to fill his shoes. Alan Thompson distinguished himself in the maroon and white over a 263-game career at five-eighth. If the club was hoping for lighting to strike twice, by picking an ex-Manly five-eighth International, they were to be sadly mistaken.
On paper, the Manly Sea Eagles were still a strong side, but during the
With just two wins in the first ten rounds, Manly continually struggled to score points and finished twelfth and well out of final contention. In the wash-up, Alan Thompson was sacked and the club bought in successful Wigan coach, Graeme Lowe.
In further changes, New Zealanders Tony Iro and Matthew Ridge debut in the Winfield Cup, and the club bought future representative player Ian Roberts across from South Sydney.
Round one of the
Finally clicking after a disappointing Round 9 match against Canberra in Perth, the Manly Sea Eagles won eleven of their final thirteen matches to finish the regular season in fourth, and a game and half behind Minor Premiers, Canberra.
A fifth place play-off was required between Balmain and Newcastle, which saw Balmain progress to an elimination show-down with Manly in the first week of the finals. Manly had enjoyed two victories over the Tigers during the season and enjoyed a 16-nil win to knock them out of the finals.
The second week saw the club now face up to a strong Brisbane side which was coming off a loss against a Grand Final bound Penrith Panthers. The Broncos proved too strong defensively and kept the Manly team try-less for a 12-4 loss.
The signs were there that the club was on the up and Manly entered the
It was a fine start to the season with the club winning seven games in a row, including a big away win against the reigning Premiers Canberra, 46-12, after dropping the first round match against Brisbane. Three losses in a row to Penrith, Illawarra and Newcastle saw the club on the verge of dropping off the pace. But with just three more losses and a draw in the remaining rounds, Manly finished the season strongly in second position, six points behind Minor Premiers, Penrith.
But it was to be a disappointing finals campaign with Manly first losing to local rivals North Sydney, 28-16, and followed a week later by another loss, this time to Canberra in a high scoring match, 34-26, and which featured four tries from Canberra forward Gary Coyne.
The
Manlys results proved to be as close to middle-of-the-road as a team could be; ten wins, ten losses, two draws and a for-and-against of minus one, to finish eighth in the sixteen team competition. Like the late 80’s, try scoring was an issue for the club with their 49 tries for the season better only than two clubs (Penrith and Parramatta) and still below bottom of the table, Gold Coast.
Fulton Returns - 1993-1994
Two significant events occurred at the club during the
After a previous health scare, Manly coach Graeme Lowe eventually succumbed to a serious health issue which forced him from his coaching role. Answering a call from the club, Bob Fulton took over the reins of the team during the season; a position he would retain until the end of the 1999 season.
The club also shifted its focus to the development and recruitment of its own junior talents. Over the course of the season youngsters including Jack Elsegood, Chris Ryan, Jamie Olejnik and Nik Kosef were given more game time and repaid the club with performances which had many labelled as long-term prospects. Even given the serious knee injury suffered by first-choice goalkicker Matthew Ridge, the club was in safe hands with the emergence of Ivan Cleary, who in just half a season scored 126 points to come fifth in the top point scorers list.
It was on the basis of this youth that Manly developed an open attacking style which yielded 73 tries in the 1993 season; 24 more than the previous year. The club also developed a tight defensive structure, a feature of Bob Fulton coached sides, to finish the regular season as the most miserly, conceding only 232 points over the 22 rounds.
In one of the closest finishes to the top of the table, only two points separated first and fifth, with Manly finishing in fourth position. Significantly, Manly had only four games against the each of the other top five teams and finished with three losses and just the one win; a home win against Brisbane, 24-8.
As fate would have it, Manly’s first match in the finals was against fifth-placed Brisbane.
In a disappointing end to the season, Manly were completely outclassed by the reigning premiers and soon to be back-to-back title holders, 36-10, and were eliminated from the finals.
The club knew that it needed some experience and toughness to compliment its young talent, ahead of the 1994 season. In a move which further infuriated rival fans, Manly signed Western Suburbs pair David Gillespie and Terry Hill, and Mark Carroll from South Sydney.
During the course of the
Three times the Sea Eagles kept teams scoreless, including the club record 61-0 victory over 1993 grand finalists,
As with 1993, the season offered up two more Manly juniors, both back rowers that were more than capable of scoring points as well as providing sound defence. The seven tries scored by
In an unusual result at the end of the regular season, the two clear leaders in points scored and for-and-against ended up outside the top two. Manly went into the last round needing a win against Canberra to cement second spot, however a three point loss was enough to see them drop to fourth for the finals.
Again, the Sea Eagles meet the fifth placed Broncos in the first week of finals. Manly were unable to reverse the result of 1993 and were again eliminated from the finals series by Brisbane, 16-4.
The club had ridden a wave of highs and lows over the last decade and a half and were unlucky to walk away with just the one premiership. But astute player development, recruitment and coaching now had the Manly Sea Eagles on the threshold of further success.
Ups & Downs - 1995-1999
Throughout the 1994 season and into
Against the backdrop of this development, Manly had put together a team with a genuine chance at the title. The purchase of Terry Hill, David Gillespie and Mark Carroll for the 1994 season had given the team the mongrel it needed to be competitive against the top sides.
And so it proved throughout the 1995 season. Despite the turmoil surrounding the game, Manly dominated the season losing only two matches to finish as minor premiers. They won their first 15 matches in a row, a club record, and missed out on the highest amount of points scored by the club by just three. Even though they finished with 40 points and a for-and-against of 439 in the positive, the players could not rest on their laurels, with the club joined on the same points by the reigning premiers, Canberra. Notably, in their only clash of the season, Manly took the honours with a hard fought 16-8 away victory.
With the increase of teams from 16 to 20, a new finals format was introduced and consisted of the top 8 sides at the end of the regular season. There were not play offs for tied teams, with for-and-against enough to decide the teams to play in the finals.
In the first week, Manly met fourth placed Cronulla which had already beaten the Sea Eagles, a round 18 win at Brookvale, 17-10. The Sharks started the better and posted two tries on the board before Manly had troubled the scorers. Shaking off the nerves, Manly quickly got back into the match to eventually over run Cronulla and win the game, 24-20.
Two weeks later, Manly met the Newcastle Knights at the Sydney Football Stadium, to play for a place in the Grand Final. In a low scoring match, the Sea Eagles did enough to down the Knights, 12-4.
Manly were to face the finals series surprise packet,
Many pundits believed that the Bulldogs run would eventually fall short and Manly were installed as clear favourites for the 1995 Grand Final. Somebody forgot to let the Bulldogs know that.
Right from the start, led by the experienced Terry Lamb, the Bulldogs were the more focused and patient of the two sides. They gave up little easy ball and pressured the Manly side with solid defence, keeping the Sea Eagles try-less for the first time in the season. Although one of the Bulldogs tries came from a forward pass and another on the seventh tackle, they were still the more committed side and were deserved winners, 17-4.
The following off-season was dominated by the
Under this shadow, Manly produced one of its most dominant displays since joining the competition in 1947.
Although the club didn’t continue the high standard of scoring from the previous season, coming fourth in tries scored and third in points scored, Manly produced its best ever defensive effort, conceding less than nine points per game.
Entering the first week of finals, Manly met a fast improving Sydney City Roosters team. These clubs had just met the once during the season which saw Manly produce a dominant display to thrash the Roosters, 34-6. Making the most of the boot of former Sea Eagle, Ivan Cleary, which saw him convert all five goal attempts, and a strong commitment to defence, Sydney City almost pulled off the an upset win, but eventually went down 16-14.
The win gave Manly a two week break before facing the
Again displaying the defensive attitude of the regular season, Manly easily beat the Cronulla 24-0, which included a double for
History will show that Manly won their sixth title with a comfortable 20-8 win, but it was a try scored by Manly just before halftime which still boils the blood of Dragons supporters. After appearing to be tackled by Nathan Brown, Matthew Ridge rose to his feet and stole another 15 metres, putting St George on the back foot only 10 metres out from the Manly try line. In the ensuing play, Steve Menzies scored near the post and the Dragons never recovered.
- 1996, September 29
Venue: Sydney Football Stadium Crowd: 40,987 Referee: David Manson
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles: Matthew Ridge, Danny Moore, Craig Innes, Terry Hill, John Hopoate, Nik Kosef, Geoff Toovey(c), David Gillespie, Jim Serdaris, Mark Carroll, Steve Menzies, Daniel Gartner, Owen Cunningham.
Interchange: Cliff Lyons, Neil Tierney, Craig Hancock, Des Hasler
Coach: Bob Fulton.
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles - 20 (Innes, Menzies, Moore tries; Ridge 3, Innes goals) defeated
Clive Churchill Medal Winner: Geoff Toovey
It was a fitting farewell for both Owen Cunningham and Matthew Ridge, after both had signed Super League contracts but chose to stay with Manly until the end of the 1996 season. Despite their loss, the club still held the nucleus of the squad together for a tilt at back-to-back titles in 1997.
There were many that hoped both sides of the
Thus in 1997, there were two Leagues in Australia. Super League was an Australia-wide 10-team competition led by Brisbane and Canberra; the ARL pinning its hopes with a strong New South Wales focus, containing only the South Queensland Crushers and Gold Coast Chargers from outside the state.
Based on the 1996 results, it appeared that the ARL may hold the upper hand with the 12-team competition featuring five of the eight finalists, three of four semi-finalists, and the two teams that played out the grand final.
Even with a handful of contenders, Manly still entered the
But a seven week period saw the club thrashed by North Sydney, downed by Western Suburbs and Balmain and play out draws against Illawarra and Gold Coast, results which had some questioning Manly’s title credentials and provided a boost of confidence for the other contenders.
By the end of the regular season, Manly finished on top of the table but there were some worrying signs. Four clubs finished within 5 points of the Minor Premiers and Manly’s much feared defensive structure had slipped with four clubs letting in less points and both North Sydney and Sydney City having a much better points differential.
There were still many positives with the club scoring the most tries and falling just short of North Sydney in points scored. Also by finishing top of the table, Manly had earned a break from the first round of finals in the seven-team format.
Their first finals opponent was the much improved Newcastle team. Of the ARL clubs, the Newcastle Knights were the most affected by the war. With the establishment of the
This disruption seemed to galvanise the club which struggled for 10 wins in 1996 before finishing second in the ARL competition, above many other more fancied clubs.
The Manly side appeared far more relaxed after their break, and led by doubles from both Hopoate and Hill, easily beat the Knights, 27-12. The win now left Manly with a clash with recent bitter rivals, Sydney City, for a place in the Grand Final.
From the outset, it appeared that the Sea Eagles were nervous and simply not ready to play. The Roosters rushed out to a quick lead, help by a double from former Manly player, Jack Elsegood and looked to have enough momentum to take the win. However, the Manly side soon clicked into gear and tries to Craig Innes and Steve Menzies got the Sea Eagles home. The slow start was a worry for the team, but despite the come-from-behind win, they were installed as clear favourites against a Newcastle side which had ground out a tough 17-12 win against another favourite, North Sydney.
For the first hour of the game, Manly looked to have the game in its grasp. Racing out to match-winning lead, the Manly team started to protect their lead and countdown the minutes to fulltime. The Knights were not prepared to give up and two tries to Robbie O’Davis suddenly had the clubs tied at 16-all with full time looming.
Two Newcastle drop goals missed with the second one resulting in a scramble for the ball and the Knights receiving one more set of six from close range. With play down the left wing, Manly defenders kept an eye on the centre of the field and a possible charge down attempt of another field goal. The Newcastle halfback, Andrew Johns thought differently.
From the play the ball he looked to run it down the short side. The Manly defence was flat-footed by the move and when Johns passed back inside for his winger, Darren Albert, the lack of cover defence saw the speedster run the final 20 meters untouched and score on the fulltime siren.
Many keen judges rate it as one of the best Grand Finals played, but unfortunately for the Manly team it meant another missed opportunity.
Any hope for another attempt at a premiership was soon to take a dive with the announcements of the retirements of the front rowers Mark Carroll and David Gillespie, and underrated centre Craig Innes. Although the club held on to one of the best backrow combinations in the League and firepower out wide, the lack of steel up front would be a telling blow for the clubs premiership aspirations.
The start of the
The much revered defence that won games, was falling apart. From 1995 through to 1997, Manly conceded 24 points or more just seven times. In 1998 it occurred eight times.
Courtesy of a late winning streak of six matches to finish out the regular season, the Sea Eagles managed to limp into the finals in tenth place. Facing Canberra in the first week of the finals, Manly were never in it and were convincingly beaten 17-4 by the Raiders.
From one of the richer clubs in the League, Manly were by now struggling to keep up with player payments and were unable to entice players to the club. Whilst many players from the mid-90’s were still in Manly colours, the club were unable to provide contracts anywhere near their earning power. Young talent was being sought after by other clubs and the club was resorting to purchasing solid players rather than game breakers.
With the merger of St George and Illawarra for the
With these issues in the background, Manly turned up to the regular season seven rounds late. To cap things off, coach Bob Fulton had to quit his position due to his wife’s health concerns and assistance coach Peter Sharp took over the reins.
By halfway through the season, it was obvious that the club would be missing their first finals campaign since 1992 and when they finished thirteenth, it was their lowest relative placing since 1989. But unlike previous eras when the club could look to purchase key players, there was simply no money left.
A consolidation of the competition meant that a criteria was imposed and those not making the cut would not be involved in the 2000 season. The NRL imposed a time limit on the acceptance of a merger offer, or clubs could try their luck through the criteria. Both Manly and Norths administrators were not keen on approaching a merger, but with Manly’s financial problems and North Sydney effectively insolvent due to disastrous year when a planned move to the Central Coast was delayed, both sides met to talk of a joint venture.
Although the criteria result was in the positive for the Manly club, financial realities meant that there was not much success likely in the future. North Sydney were not even considered for the criteria.
In late 1999, the clubs agreed to a joint venture and the Northern Eagles were born.
Sea Eagles Re-Born - 2003-present
Emerging from the dark shadows of the failed merger, Manly were still on shaky ground both on and off the field. The reversion of the NRL licence to Manly meant that contracts with the Northern Eagles were now void. Waiting on further payments, many players left and the club soon developed a high turnover of journeyman and fringe first graders which saw a further lack of stability both on and off the field. With no major sponsor and little public interest as either spectators or for merchandise, the clubs finances were so bad that the football club was only days from closing its doors midway through the
Results on the field during
Round 10 of the season saw Manly win the first golden point match played in the NRL, downing Parramatta with a Ben Walker penalty conversion in extra time, at Brookvale Oval.
The club made no strong moves in the player market ahead of the
Within weeks of the mid-season player signing period beginning, the club announced two important player signings. The purchase of representative players
Suddenly, the club went into self-destruct mode. The news that Matt Orford was off-contract at Melbourne had the media in a frenzy regarding his future club choice. Manly were considered the favourite for his signature, leading to pressure on Michael Monaghan to perform and earn a further contract from the club. With the club appearing to renege on a deal to sign Monaghan, Max Delmege stepped into the picture and appeared to pressure the club into honouring its commitment. Soon, Manly announced the signing of Orford to a significant contract, further eroding relations between the board and Monaghan. The saga had a devesting effect on the football team with the team suffering five losses in a row, culminating in Manly’s worst ever loss; a 68-6 thrashing in Round 24.
A final round away-win against Canberra saw Manly only just claim eighth position and their first finals appearance since 1998. Facing Parramatta at Parramatta Stadium, it would have taken a miracle for Manly to claim an against-the-odds win over the Minor Premiers but it wasn’t to be and they were easily beaten 46-22.
Although the season ended in a whimper, the club had high hopes for
The
Super League
Throughout the mid-90's, rumours of a separate League developed into a major split of the code in Australia. With
The club remained solid with the ARL with only a handful of players, including Matthew Ridge, Ian Roberts and Owen Cunningham, committing to Super League.
The support for the ARL by the club during the Super League war was not rewarded during the reconciliation of the warring factions before the 1998 NRL season. Falling into financial difficulties, the club agreed to form a joint venture arrangement with the insolvent North Sydney Bears for the 2000 competition.
Northern Eagles - 2000-2002
Unlike the successful St. George Dragons and Illawarra Steelers merger of 1999, restrictions imposed on the clubs meant that half of the combined squad had to be released prior to kick-off as the Northern Eagles, on 05 February 2000.
Despite a first up win against the Newcastle Knights, a lack of consistent on-field success and continuing financial problems saw the joint venture gradually suffer with a lack of support from the Central Coast supporters, who felt the team forced onto them, and the Manly faithful who disappeared from Brookvale Oval.
Although officially dissolved in August 2001, the club continued to play out of both Brookvale and Graeme Park (Central Coast Stadium) until the lead up to the Round 16 clash with Melbourne in 2002. Originally scheduled for Graeme Park, fierce opposition by Central Coast locals and some media identities forced the club to cease playing in Gosford.
With the club returning to Brookvale Oval full time they were by now the Northern Eagles in name only. In 2003 they re-entered the league as the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.
Privatisation
With the club still suffering with poor finances, and despite the cash injection of $10,000,000 granted to the Northern Eagles entity, a change in direction was needed.
2004 saw the Football Club days from closing its doors until financial assistance was offered firstly by Scott Penn, and soon after by Max Delmege. Both are successful businessman and with their club in dire straits, moves were made by the club to allow privatisation and an influx of money which could save the club.
During an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Football Club on 03 June 2004, the members voted for the approval of Special Resolutions to allow for the privatisation of the Football Club to proceed. The club was now Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles Limited. This entity holds the NRL Licence and manages the clubs employees from the players right through to the front office, organisation of sponsorships and merchandise, provides hospitality and prepares for games played out of Brookvale Oval. It is also responsible for running the lower grades in the NSWRL competitions.
There are three current shareholders in this entity which are the Manly-Warringah Football Club Ltd (2,150,000 shares - June 2007), Delmege managed companies (3,925,000 shares - June 2007) and Penn Sport Pty Ltd (3,925,000 shares - June 2007).
The second entity is the Manly-Warringah Rugby League Football Club Limited which has no shareholders. This is the membership based company which Football Club members and Life Members belong to and owns 21.5% of the shares, and one Preference Share, in Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles Limited.
Importantly, this preference share gives the members control of the Manly Sea Eagles name, colours and emblem as well as control over the home ground location.
Fundraisers by the Manly-Warringah Rugby League Football Club Limited, including membership drives, allows this entity to acquire further shares in Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles Limited.
The third entity is the Manly Warringah Rugby League Club which operates the Manly- Warringah Leagues Club based in Brookvale and is independent of the Football Club operations. The Leagues Club provides support for the Manly-Warringah District Junior Rugby League.