Brisbane Broncos 1988

[1910]

We're well and truly into representative season, and what a busy rep season it was! Not only with the State of Origin, but there was also an Ashes series that was doubling as a World Cup pool game (more on that later).

The State of Origin series may have been the Maroons best achievement since '84 where they wrapped up the series in terrible conditions down in Sydney. To crash the Blues unveiling of the SFS and out-class them minus Wally Lewis was a fantastic result for the Maroons and a real coming of age moment for Alfie Langer. One thing I really like about revisiting these old stories is that you're able to understand moments where players became legends and I definitely feel with performances like that, Alfie cemented himself in Rugby League folklore. In '87 he had proved the critics wrong, in '88 there was no second guessing, Alfie was a quality football talent.

The first game and the Round 11 clash highlighted how good the Raiders were. That era from 86-95 was glorious from the Raiders and I know there's a rivalry there between us, but credit where it's due, that Raiders squad maybe one of the best this game has ever seen. So many legends of the game were involved with the club and like Manly before them, really played their part in Queensland Rugby League. Reading through that result reminds me of all the Storm/Broncos clashes in recent years where we'd flip the script and have to go up against Cam, Slater, Cronk, Chambers, Inglis and co and they would just out-class us each and everytime. Even last year when they were without Slater and Cronk, they really made us work for our two points (in a game that really shaped our run to the grand final).

Game II is a classic game and as 'ugly' as the beer-can incident was, it really showcased how much the game meant to the Queensland public and their respect for Wally Lewis. I think it's fair to say the Maroons fed off of the passion and it proved a turning point in the contest, wrapping up another series for the Maroons.

In between that, it appeared to be business as usual between the Steelers. These are the types of game as a fan that I like to revisit. For one thing, nobody really talks about that game, but also it gives you an idea what a typical afternoon was like as a Broncos supporter. One selection that I like here is Shane Duffy. I don't think I've ever seen Duffy play (I wasn't even born around this time) but it's interesting to see him chosen over Scott at points during the season. I think that goes to show that Bennett isn't afraid to blood new talent and give them a go provided they're ready. There's a section towards the end of these write-ups that illustrates this point, but I liked that Wayne didn't rely solely on old heads and made a point of bringing in so many young guys into the squad.

Finally we got the Test match where the Poms put up a nice fight and really pushed the Australians, but the Kangaroos were just too strong. At this point, the Poms hadn't beaten Australia in over a decades time, so even a contest was something to get a little excited over. Plenty of Queenslanders on show as well, with 9/15 repping the Green and Gold. It was certainly happy days to be a Queensland fan.

Duffy played 10 games in 88 which was a huge over achievement. He got rookie of the year too. Broncos released Scott at the end of 88 and Duffy was the logical replacement but he was still in and and out of the side and didn't even make the round 1 side with Graving coming from no where to take it.

He got into some trouble off the field too and was gone by the end of '89.

Full back was an issue for Brisbane for a long while, Scott only lasted a year, then Duffy, Graving, Currie and Shearer all had goes, Hauff gets injured all the time,

It was never really cemented until Lockyer came along.

 

[Big Pete]

ROUND 16
BRISBANE 28; MANLY 10 at Brookvale Oval

Brisbane’s second round thrashing of Manly was as emphatic – and almost as astonishing – as their 44-10 first round win at Lang Park.

After a string of losses and in the absence of a couple of key men, Brisbane looked ripe for the picking by a Manly side rapidly developing a championship look in the Winfield Cup.

But showing themselves to be a team of character and one never to be underestimated, the Broncos embarrassed Manly in front of their home crowd with a five tries to two rout.

Leading the way was former Test prop Greg Dowling, outspoken in his views on Manly’s vaunted pack after the first match, and matching it on the field in one of the best display’s of the year.

Dowling threw a huge dummy to send Terry Matterson away for a 29[SUP]th[/SUP] minute try and along with rookie partner Andrew Tessmann, hounded Manly’s pack into submission.

Coolly calling the shots behind the front line was Wally Lewis, directing play with all his usual authority and again outplaying rival five-eighth Cliff Lyons.

Lyons was forced back in-field and into ever decreasing circles by the Brisbane defence which largely nullified Manly’s backline brilliance.

BRISBANE 28 (Lewis 2, Matterson, Le Man, Scott tries; Matterson 4 goals) defeated MANLY 10 (O’Connor, Ryan tries; O’Connor goal)

Brisbane:
Shane Duffy, Michael Hancock, Chris Johns, Rohan Teevan, Grant Rix
Wally Lewis, Allan Langer
Greg Dowling, Kerrod Walters, Andrew Tessmann, Gene Miles, Brett Le Man, Terry Matterson.
Reserves: Colin Scott, Craig Grauf, Ray Herring

Manly:
Tim Dwyer, Joe Ropati, Darrell Williams, Michael O’Connor, Greg Austin
Cliff Lyons, Des Hasler
Phil Daley, Charlie Haggett, Mark Brokenshire, Ian Gately, Noel Cleal, Paul Vautin
Reserves: Glenn Ryan, Mark Pocock, Paul Shaw

 

[Big Pete]

ASHES SERIES THIRD TEST
GREAT BRITAIN 26; AUSTRALIA 12 at Sydney Football Stadium

English supporters had waited 3,534 days for victory over Australia.

That was how long it was between their Second Test defeat of the Aussies at Bradford in 1978 and their stunning Third Test win at the Sydney Football Stadium.

It was a day of history for the Englishmen and the large contingent of British supporters in the crowd of almost 16,000 who savoured their country’s 26-12 victory win almost hysterically.

After the troubles of the tour, the injuries and the embarrassing losses , the British were superior to Australia in every department.

They led 10-0 at halftime and defied a challenge by the Aussies to storm away with the Test and two World Cup points.

It was their first Test victory on Australian soil since 1974 and broke a record-breaking run of 15 consecutive Test wins by the Green and Golds.

The tourists’ kicking game, a disappointment in the first Test and an abject failure in the second, was absolutely superb.

They kicked deep and often, away from the mercurial Garry Jack, and chased with a new found vigour.

Written off by almost everyone before the Test, they continued to approach the match with confidence and refused to buckle under pressure.

Only two minutes after halftime, Wally Lewis, so often the nemesis of the English, scored for Australia and it looked as though the red, white and blue dream was again destined to remain unfulfilled.

But it was different this time around. Peter Sterling didn’t return after halftime, throwing the Australian team into disarray.

Tony Currie was cast into the unfamiliar role of halfback, and replacement Gary Belcher onto the wing.

With no Sterling, cheeky English half Andy Gregory had a field day, finding space to move, setting up supports and engineering raid after raid on the Australians. He finished Man of the Match after figuring in four of Great Britain’s five tries.

Up front Oldham prop Hugh Waddell was magnificent. He took on the Australian forwards for the full 80 minutes, upstaging the more highly rated Kevin Ward as the pick of the props. And in the backrow Mike Gregory and Roy Powell toiled hard all game.

Mike Gregory typified the spirit in the English team by sprinting 50 metres to score a try with a painful groin injury.

Unquestionably Great Britain’s win was against all odds. Nine of the originally selected tour party were 20,000km away back in England. The team was written off by almost everyone. And they were playing a team as accustomed to winning Test matches as they, the British, were losing to them.

GREAT BRITAIN 26 (Gill 2, Offiah, Ford, M. Gregory tries; Loughlin 3 goals) defeated AUSTRALIA 12 (Lewis, Backo tries; O’Connor 2 goals)

Australia
Garry Jack, Andrew Ettingshausen, Michael O’Connor, Peter Jackson, Tony Currie
Wally Lewis ©, Peter Sterling
Martin Bella, Greg Conescu, Sam Backo, Wally Fullerton-Smith, Paul Vautin, Wayne Pearce
Reserves: Bob Lindner, Gary Belcher

Great Britain
Phil Ford, Henderson Gill, Paul Loughlin, David Stephenson, Martin Offiah
David Hulme, Andy Gregory
Kevin Ward, Paul Hulme, Hugh Waddell, Ray Powell, Mike Gregory, Ellery Hanley ©
Reserves: Brian Case

 

[Big Pete]

ROUND 17
BRISBANE 8; PENRITH 6 at Penrith Park

Battered by injuries and the punishing defence of Penrith, Brisbane emerged from one of the most physically uncompromising matches of the season with two vital Winfield Cup Points.

Against huge odds, the Broncos weathered intense pressure football to emerge winners in a highly significant match at Penrith Park, where the gates were locked early after 17, 106 people had crammed inside.

Without Test men Wally Lewis and Greg Conescu, Brisbane display exceptional fighting qualities; after 30 minutes Chris Johns departed, injured and just before halftime Shane Duffy and Rohan Teevan were both in the head bin.

Coach Wayne Bennett sent out a frantic message: ‘If anyone else gets hurt – tell them they can’t come off!’

After halftime with Greg Dowling carrying a painful shoulder injury, Duffy left on a stretcher and the Broncos looked doomed.

Somehow they endured it all, with prop Andrew Tessmann, big Gene Miles and the redoubtable Allan Langer turning in super displays.

The decisive moment in the match came seconds before halftime when Miles toed through a dropped pass and skilfully seized it to score the only try.

Mark Geyer was the pick of a fiercely committed Penrith 13.

BRISBANE 8 (Miles try; Matterson 2 goals) defeated PENRITH 6 (Baker 3 goals)

Brisbane:
Shane Duffy, Joe Kilroy, Chris Johns, Rohan Teevan, Michael Hancock
Gary French, Allan Langer
Andrew Tessmann, Kerrod Walters, Greg Dowling, Gene Miles, Brett Le Mann Terry Matterson.
Reserves: Grant Rix, Colin Scott, Peter Benson, Craig Grauf

Penrith
Neil Baker, David Greene, Graeme Bradley, Brad Izzard, Paul Smith
Chris Mortimer, Greg Alexander
Matt Goodwin, Royce Simmons, Geoff Gerard, John Cartwright, Mark Geyer, Colin Van der Voort
[FONT=&amp]Reserves: Craig Connor[/FONT]

 

[Big Pete]

ROUND 18
BRISBANE 32; WESTS 6 at Lang Park

Brisbane demolished Wests in a five-minute period of the first half in this Saturday night Lang Park clash – displaying the right form at the right end of the season. The Broncos rattled up three tries to transform a 4-2 advantage into a matchwinning 16-2 lead.

The tries to Brett Plowman, Gene Miles and Terry Matterson came within the space of four tackles as Wests’ momentarily collapsed.

Miles and Plowman, interchanging between centre and second-row earned the Broncos three of their six tries. The switch-hits, plotted by coach Wayne Bennett, proved a stroke of genius with both big men causing the Magpies huge problems.

Others to impress for the Broncos were fullback Shane Duffy and former Test prop Bryan Niebling, who topped the tackle count.

Wests’ second half resolve provided some solace for coach John Bailey, who watched Danny Peacock, Jason Lidden, Scott Tronc and Allan Fallah show glimpses of good form.

BRISBANE 32 (Miles 2, Plowman, Matterson, Langer, Hancock tries; Matterson 4 goals) defeated Wests (McKinnon try; Tronc goal)

Brisbane:
Shane Duffy, Joe Kilroy, Grant Rix, Brett Plowman, Michael Hancock
Wally Lewis, Allan Langer
Bryan Niebling, Greg Conescu, Andrew Tessmann, Gene Miles, Brett Le Man, Terry Matterson.
Reserves: Craig Teevan, Mark Hohn

Wests
Doug Rawlings, Jason Stafford, Michael McKinnon, Danny Peacock, John Allanson
Jason Lidden, Trevor Cogger
Dave Woods, Allan Fallah, Scott Tronc, David Gallagher, Cameron Blair, Ian Howcroft
[FONT=&quot]Reserves: Ian Schubert, Gary McFarlane, Phillip Duke[/FONT]

 

[Big Pete]

1988 Representative Matches
AUSTRALIA 70; PAPUA NEW GUINEA 8

Australia tormented and outclassed their Papua New Guinean opponents when the small Riverina town of Wagga hosted the first Australian Test match to be played outside Sydney or Brisbane.

A giant, steamrolling Australian team against a small, but will, PNG side proved to be a mismatch.

Outside the tropical heat of Port Moresby, the Kumuls had no climatic advantage and Australia took full toll.

The Aussies reached the 40s before halftime and from there it was not a question of whether PNG could make a game of it but by how much would Australia win.

Michael O’Connor shattered the world record for most points in a Test match, by scoring four tries and landing seven goals for 30 points. It beat Hugh McGahan’s record of 24 (six tries) set in Auckland in 1983.

Australia winning margin of 62 points, and their total of 70 were both world records.

O’Connor became the third highest pointscorer for Australia with 182 from 14 Tests. Only Mick Cronin (199) and Graeme Langlands (189) have scored more.

The Manly ace equalled the Australian record of four tries in a Test match set by John Ribot in 1982 and by Dale Shearer in ’86.

O’Connor put the points on the board but it was two Test debutants who were the stand out performers.

Allan Langer, the dynamic Queensland halfback, was judged man of the match. He scored two tries and darted all over the field to create mountainous problems for the men from the north.

And Cronulla’s Gavin Miller, enjoying his finest season, laid on the sweetly timed passes that sent his team-mates away on countless surges towards the Kumuls line.

The Papua New Guineans, diminutive in comparison, refused to submit to the Australian charge and managed to cross Australia’s line once, when winger Mea Morea crossed over.

PNG captain Bal Numapo and second-rower Tuiyo Evei were tireless workers and earned praise from the Australians after the match.

AUSTRALIA 70 (O’Connor 4, Langer 2, Meninga 2, Jack, Lewis, Currie, Fullerton-Smith, Miller, Conescu tries; O’Connor 7 goals) defeated PAPUA NEW GUINEA 8 (Morea try; Numapo 2 goals)

Australia
Garry Jack, Michael O’Connor, Mal Meninga, Peter Jackson, Tony Currie
Wally Lewis ©, Allan Langer
Paul Dunn, Greg Conescu, Phil Daley, Wally Fullerton-Smith, Gavin Miller, Wayne Pearce
Reserves: Paul Vautin, Des Hasler

PNG
Ipisa Wanega, Arnold Krewanty, Dairi Kovae, Bal Numapo ©, Mea Morea
Lauta Atoi, Darius Haili
Thomas Rombuk, Michael Matmillo, Daroa Ben-Moide, Mathias Kombra, Tuiyo Evei, Joe Gispe
Andrew Kuno, Sam Karara

 

[Big Pete]

The Broncos were finally through the Origin period and were looking to bring their season back on track.

Those Manly and Penrith performances maybe two of the most pleasing at that time. Manly were arguably the form team of the competition winning 10 of their past 12 games, with Brisbane looking ripe for the picking. However, the boys really turned the tables on them and beat them in one of the finer displays of the season.

Then the Penrith game was gutsy. That's the type of game you can build a club on really, pointing to the desperation and the lengths players will go to in order to win a game for their side. Bennett's quote is a classic and the Broncos did really well against a very promising Penrith side.

In the Test arena, it was something of a bittersweet moment as Great Britain finally got the monkey off their back albeit too late. They weren't a bad side the Lions, but a poor showing in the second test really put a dampener over the entire tour. As for the PNG clash, it was a non-event with the Australians running through them. A nice result for the Australians, but a poor look for the International game.

 

[sus]

looking forward to this read next weekend hopefully BP, love your work. this was a bit before my time and even in those early years i couldnt say i was a deaset bronx fan, so the faint memories and flashbacks are pretty swell so far

 

[Big Pete]

ROUND 19
BRISBANE 24; NORTHS 6 at Lang Park

Maligned Broncos forward Bryan Niebling recaptured the form that won him international acclaim as Brisbane swept aside Norths 24-6 to keep on target for the semi-finals.

The Broncos were methodical winners of an uninspiring tussle – and the form of Niebling was the big talking point in the aftermath of the match.

Niebling played six consecutive Tests for Australia before the 1988 season, but injuries and a slump in form put him on the outer and he had lingered for much of the year in reserve grade.

Against Norths he was all power, he ran destructively, his defence was rock solid and his renowned ball skills were back in action, much to the delight of the Broncos who had struggled for up-front thrust for most of the ’88 Winfield Cup.

Norths scored first, Brett French stealing a ball close to the Broncos’ line but after that it was all downhill. Their effort was bitterly disappointing and if it hadn’t been for Kiwi aces Clayton Friend and Mark Graham the score would have been much higher.

Apart from Niebling, Test players Wally Lewis, Greg Conescu and Allan Langer performed well for the Broncos backing up after Australia’s win over the Kumuls and Gene Miles was again in awesome touch in the second row.

BRISBANE 24 (Lewis 2, Hancock, Rix, Teevan tries; Lewis 2 goals) defeated NORTHS (French try; Rea goal)

Brisbane:
Shane Duffy, Joe Kilroy, Rohan Teevan, Grant Rix, Michael Hancock
Wally Lewis, Allan Langer
Andrew Tessmann, Greg Conescu, Bryan Niebling, Gene Miles, Brett Le Man, Billy Noke
Reserves: Colin Scott, Craig Teevan, Kerrod Walters, Craig Grauf

North Sydney
Paul Conlon, Kerry Boustead, Brett French, Ian French, Andrew Simons
Greg Florimo, Clayton Friend
Martin Bella, Tony Rea, Adrian Toole, Gary Smith, Gavin Jones, Mark Graham
Reserves: Steve Hanson, Peter Marin, Richard Smith

 

[Big Pete]

AUSTRALIA 22; REST OF THE WORLD 10 at Sydney Football Stadium

Celebrating Australia’s Bicentennial year, the ARL scheduled a match between the Aussies and the Rest of the World at the lavish new Sydney Football Stadium in July.

It was only the second time in history of the game that Australia has played the Rest of the World.

Their first match was in 1957 as part of the World Cup campaign and to celebrate the silver jubilee of Rugby League in Australia.

Australia won that day and they did it again in 1988, beating the best of the other four league nations 22-10.

The match was a grand exhibition, featuring Jack, Lewis, Pearce, Hanley and Graham and a host of other greats of the modern day game.

Tragically, the day was marred by the recurrence of Mal Meninga’s arm injury, only a month after his comeback.

The match was accorded official international status, but was not an official Test.

Flashy passes, classy tries, long attacking sorties and adventurous moves won-out over stody defense and conservatism at the Sydney Football Stadium.

Australia and the Rest of the World captured the spirit of the event, a celebration of Australia’s bicentenary and played some of the brightest football of the year.

Tragically the endeavour of 26 players was overshadowed by the fourth fracture of Mal Meninga’s arm.

Meninga made a glorious comeback to the game after his series of broken arms, but when it snapped against shortly before the end of the match Meninga was a figure of despair.

The Rest of the World, comprised mainly of New Zealand and Great Britain Test players, scored two tries early and were poised to upset the Australians.

Both were scored off superbly executed set moves, the first when Kevin Iro finished off a move initiated by Andy Gregory and the second when Mike Gregory sprinted down the blindside to score off a sweetly timed one-handed pass by Mark Graham.

But Australia responded with four spectacular tries of their own, two in each half.

Mark McGaw, making his international debut, scored a double; his Cronulla team-mate Andrew Ettingshausen crossed for one and Wally Lewis using his brute strength close to the line to barge over for the fourth.

Outside McGaw, Illawarra’s Alan McIndoe became his club’s first Australian player and turned in a commendable performance.

In the forwards Gene Miles made his debut as a second-rower in the Green and Gold and showed his devastating running power several times during the match.

Official man-of-the-match Gavin Miller again demonstrated his abundant ball skills and his ability to create chances put Australia in a winning position.

North Sydney’s Kiwi forward Mark Graham and English Test half Andy Gregory were classy performers for the Rest of the World.

Papua New Guinea referee Graham Ainui, a newcomer to international refereeing, made a fine first of his first big assignment. There wasn’t a complaint to be heard from either camp.

AUSTRALIA 22 (McGaw 2, Lewis, Ettingshausen tries; Meninga 3 goals) defeated REST OF TH WORLD 10 (Iro, Gregory tries; Mercer goal)

Australia
Garry Jack, Andrew Ettingshausen, Mal Meninga, Mark McGaw, Alan McIndoe
Wally Lewis ©, Allan Langer
Steve Roach, Greg Conescu, Sam Backo, Gavin Miller, Gene Miles, Wayne Pearce
Reserves: Des Hasler, Wally Fullerton-Smith

Rest of the World
Gary Mercer, Henderson Gill, Kevin Iro, Dean Bell, Dairi Kovae
Shane Cooper, Andy Gregory
Kevin Ward, Wayne Wallace, Adrian Shelford, Mark Graham ©, Mike Gregory, Ellery Hanley
Reserves: Jean-Phillipe Pougeau, Sam Stewart

 

[Big Pete]

ROUND 20
PARRAMATTA 22; BRISBANE 14 at Parramatta Stadium

Parramatta’s superior reserve strength knocked the Broncos to their knees in a top notch encounter at Parramatta Stadium.

Brisbane were without five regular first graders, Bryan Niebling, Greg Dowling, Joe Kilroy, Rohan Teevan and Shane Duffy and lost Greg Conescu midway through the match.

Parramatta were similarly burdened. They had been without many matchwinning stars for large slices of the season, but their depth shone as they beat the semi-final hopefuls 22-14.

A heartening return to form by Steve Ella was the highlight of the match. Ella dictated play at five-eighth and sliced through Brisbane’s defence and set up opportunities for his outside men repeatedly.

He booted five goals from six attempts too, and they proved decisive in the three tries-apiece encounter.

Brisbane’s world class halfback pairing of Allan Langer and Wally Lewis again were strong and effective.

PARRAMATTA 22 (Ella, Settree, Laurie tries; Ella 5 goals) defeated BRISBANE 14 (Lewis, Hancock, Johns tries; Lewis goal)

Brisbane:
Colin Scott, Joe Kilroy, Chris Johns, Craig Teevan, Grant Rix
Wally Lewis, Allan Langer
Andrew Tessmann, Greg Conescu, Mark Hohn, Gene Miles, Brett Le Man, Billy Noke.
Reserves: Kerrod Walters

Parramatta
Mick Delroy, Tony Chalmers, Michael Erickson, Brian Jackson, Brett Atkins
Steve Ella, Paul Taylor
Geoff Bugden, Steve Sharp, Mark Clinton, Peter Ford, Graham Settree, Mark Laurie
Reserves: George Bartlett, Brett Scott

 

[Big Pete]

ROUND 21
BRISBANE 24; NEWCASTLE 8 at Lang Park

Two long-distance tries by Wally Lewis, the man who can do anything on the football field, were highlights of a dour slog between Brisbane and Newcastle, won comfortably by the Broncos.

Lewis ran 60 metres for his first try after some excellent lead-up by Michael Hancock and Shane Duffy and 40 metres for his second after a kick was charged down, to take his try tally for the year to 15.

The Broncos were rarely in trouble against a Newcastle side who showed considerable determination but little in the way of constructive attacking football. The try count was five to one.

Brisbane were not flash. There was much “one out” running, and the three-quarters received little good ball.

The Broncos’ defence was solid down centre-field, a pleasing feature for coach Wayne Bennett. They countered the robust charges of the Newcastle forwards throughout.

Best for the Knights were Tony Butterfield, Sam Stewart, David Boyd and David Thorne.

BRISBANE 24 (Lewis 2, Hancock 2, Miles tries; Lewis 2 goals) defeated NEWCATLE 8 (Butterfield try, McKiernan 2 goals)

Brisbane:
Shane Duffy, Joe Kilroy, Chris Johns, Rohan Teevan, Michael Hancock
Wally Lewis, Allan Langer
Andrew Tessmann, Kerrod Walters, Bryan Niebling, Gene Miles, Brett Le Man Terry Matterson.
Reserves: Billy Noke, Grant Rix, Mark Hohn

Newcastle
Tony Kemp, Glenn Frendo, Glenn Miller, Jeff Doyle, Brian Quinton
Robbie McCormack, Steve Fulmer
David Thorne, Tony Butterfield, Sam Stewart, Michael McKiernan, David Boyd, Marc Glanville
Reserves: Scott Carter, James Goulding, Tony Townsend, Paul Harrogan

 

[Big Pete]

ROUND 22
BALMAIN 20; BRISBANE 10 at Leichardt Oval

Balmain called on all their sudden death football experience to send the Brisbane Broncos on their way – and out of the Winfield Cup – after a hard fought final round match.

A loss for either side meant oblivion in the ’88 semi final race and the game was played at a frantic pace.

Both sides had their chances in the first half, but it was Balmain who came up with two tries, to David Brooks and Ben Elias, to a lone try to Brisbane’s Allan Langer.

The Broncos’ Rohan Teevan had a try disallowed for a double movement and Terry Matterson was felled without the ball in a tryscoring position in two critical missed opportunities.

The Tigers dominated possession in the second half and shut the Broncos out of the game. Despite the scheming of Lewis, Langer and Miles, Brisbane couldn’t retailiate, and Balmain, semi-finalists in 1983, ’85, ’86 and ’87, bad too much class and experience.

Seasoned players like Paul Sironen, Steve Roach, Ben Elias, Wayne Pearce and Garry Jack played their hearts out in a vital Balmain win that pitched the Tigers into a play-off with Penrith.

BALMAIN 20 (Gale, Brooks, Elias tries; Conlon 4 goals) defeated BRISBANE 10 (Langer try, Lewis 3 goals)

Brisbane:
Shane Duffy, Joe Kilroy, Rohan Teevan, Grant Rix, Michael Hancock
Wally Lewis, Allan Langer
Bryan Niebling, Kerrod Walters, Andrew Tessmann, Gene Miles, Brett Plowman, Terry Matterson
Reserves: Brook Kennedy, Mark Hohn

Balmain
Garry Jack, Russel Gartner, Ellery Hanley, Michael Pobjie, Ross Conlon
Michael Neil, Gary Freeman
Bruce McGuire, Benny Elias, Steve Roach, Paul Sironen, David Brooks, Wayne Pearce
Reserves: Scott Gale, Steve Edmend

 

[Big Pete]

AUSTRALIA 25; NEW ZEALAND 12 at Eden Park

The Kiwis were shellshocked victims of the huge media build-up to their first appearance in a World Cup final. With the biggest New Zealand Rugby League crowd of all time watching, waiting and expecting, the pressure proved too great for the Kiwis.

They were beaten 25-12 after a first half deluge by the Australians.

After nine minutes the Aussies led 10-0 and the story just got worse for the local heroes.

The New Zealanders conceded five early penalties and Michael O’Connor converted two of them into points.

From another, halfback Allan Langer scored off a brilliantly executed set move and Australia was on its way.

The crowd was silenced by the combination and sparkle of the Aussies and shockdd by their own team’s dismal display.

Australia led 15-0 when Wally Lewis was forced off with a broken arm and 21-0 only minutes later.

Two minutes after halftime any possibility of a New Zealand revival was extinguished with Australia’s fourth try.

The Kiwis saved face with two late tries but Australia could afford to relax then. The World Cup was theirs.

Man of the match, for the second time in three internationals was Broncos’ dashing halfback Langer.

He scored two tries, could have scored a third and caused the Kiwi defence constant headaches with his enthusiasm and his powers of evasion.

Second-rowers Gavin Miller and Paul Sironen were only just shaded by Langer in man of the match calculations.

Wayne Pearce was relentless in defence and on-hand whenever Australia made a break.

The Kiwis were flustered from the earliest minutes of the match. Halfbacks Gary Freeman and Clayton Friend conceded far too many penalties and were over-zealous play and Australia took full advantage.

AUSTRALIA 25 (Langer 2, Miller, Shearer tries; O’Connor 4 goals, Elias field goal) defeated NEW ZEALAND 12 (T. Iro, K. Iro tries; Brown 2 goals)

Australia
Garry Jack, Dale Shearer, Andrew Farrar, Mark McGaw, Michael O’Connor
Wally Lewis ©, Allan Langer
Steve Roach, Ben Elias, Paul Dunn, Gavin Miller, Paul Sironen, Wayne Pearce
Reserves: Terry Lamb, David Gillespie

New Zealand
Gary Mercer, Tony Iron, Kevin Iro, Dean Bell, Mark Elia
Gary Freeman, Clayton Friend
Adrian Shelford, Wayne Wallace, Peter Brown, Kurt Sorensen, Mark Graham, Mark Horo
Reserves: Shane Cooper, Sam Stewart

 

[Big Pete]

Phew, there we go.

So after a really good passage of football that saw the Broncos win four games on the trot, they finally succumbed to the Eels. Both sides were missing key players, but it was the performance of Steve Ella that proved the difference. From that point on, it was always going to be tough for the Broncos to work their way into the finals. They gave themselves a chance by beating Newcastle, with Lewis scoring two long range tries but were simply out-gunned by a determined Balmain side that played sudden death footy till the grand final where one of their key players was taken out of the clash early.

In the middle of that, we had another Test match. Can you believe the amount of footy these guys were playing during the regular season? Another good win to the Australians was dampened somewhat by the injury to Meninga who seemed to be having a tough time of it with injury.

Then in a World Cup final that was 3 years in the making, the Australians crashed the Kiwis party with a resounding victory. I wonder how much different the international scene would have been if the Kiwis showed up that day? That seemed like a real pivotal moment and the Kiwis flopped.

Tomorrow I'll have the season summary, player of the year and team of the year write-ups.

 

[Big Pete]

BRISBANE BRONCOS SEASON SUMMARY

The single minded, highly professional administrators of the Brisbane Broncos wouldn’t acclaim 1988 as a winning season.

But consider the advances made by the Broncos in their first season in Winfield Cup.

*Brisbane were the most heavily supported club in the league. The drawing power of big guns, Lewis, Langer, Miles and Conescu assured average crowds of 15, 000. Only once did the total slip below 10, 000.

*They missed the semi-finals by two points and beat nine teams home. They were easily the most successful of the three newcomers to the Winfield Cup.

*The players handled the transition to the Sydney competition with distinction, defying the critics who said they wouldn’t stand up to the week to week punishment.

*They discovered some exciting talent that should stand them in excellent stead for years to come. Players like Terry Matterson, Shane Duffy, Brett Plowman, Craig and Rohan Teevan, Kerrod Walters and Andrew Tessmann will be the building blocks of the future.

The Broncos achieved all that in 18 moths, starting from scratch as the Windfield Cup’s 15 member team.

With highly credentialed coach Wayne Bennett planning the strategy, Brisbane strongly challenged the leading sides all year. Convincing victories over 1987 champions Manly will live long in the memories of their fans.

The Broncos led the field, undefeated after six rounds, but suffered through representative commitments and a corresponding mid-season slump in form.

The continued development of halfback talent Allan Langer was another striking feature of the year.

The blond-haired dynamo earned his first Test jumper and helped Queensland to their first cleansweep of the State of Origin series. He carried his consistent form into the Winfield Cup and sparked much of the Broncos’ attack.

Wally Lewis produced some classic passages of play. His two long distance runaway tries against Newcastle and his assumption of the goalkicking duties late in the year proved, if ever it needed proving, that there is nothing the man can’t do on the football field.

Disappointing was the fall from grace of former Test forward Bryan Niebling after two superb years in ’86 and ’87. He struggled for form all season and was even relegated to reserve grade.

And another international, Greg Dowling, failed to produce his best week by week. Ultimately it was the failure of the forwards to assert their authority over opposition packs which cost them an historic semi-finals berth in their opening season.

Bennett was forced to transfer Gene Miles to the second row, and it was a credit to Miles that he was selected in that position in Australia’s team to play the Rest of the World after just a handful of games in the back row.

In the final wash-up, the Broncos sounded warning after just one season that they are on the verge of being a title threat.

Player’s Reords
Peter Benson
David Bourke
Greg Conescu
Greg Dowling
Shane Duffy
Gary French
Keith Gee
Craig Grauf
Michael Hancock
Ray Herring
Mark Hohn
Chris Johns
Brook Kennedy
Joe Kilroy
Allan Langer
Brett Le Man
Wally Lewis
Terry Matterson
Gene Miles
Bryan Niebling
Billy Noke
Brett Plowman
Grant Rix
Colin Scott
Craig Teevan
Rohan Teevan
Andrew Tessmann
Brad Tessmann
Kerrod Walters

WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 44 defeated MANLY SEA EAGLES 10
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 20 defeated PENRITH PANTHERS 18
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 38 defeated WESTERN SUBURBS 4
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 24 defeated NORTH SYDNEY BEARS 12
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 24 defeated PARRAMATTA EELS 18
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 24 defeated NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS 10
LOST BALMAIN TIGERS 26 defeated BRISBANE BRONCOS 18
LOST CRONULLA SHARKS 38 defeated BRISBANE BRONCOS 8
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 24 defeated EASTERN SUBURBS 20
LOST GOLD COAST GIANTS 25 defeated BRISBANE BRONCOS 22
LOST CANBERRA RAIDERS 36 defeated BRISBANE BRONCOS 16
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 32 defeated ILLAWARRA STEELERS 10
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 26 defeated ST GEORGE DRAGONS 22
LOST SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS 16 defeated BRISBANE BRONCOS 4
LOST CANTERBURY-BANKSTOWN BULLDOGS 25 defeated BRISBANE BRONCOS 10
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 28 defeated MANLY SEA EAGLES 10
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 8 defeated PENRITH PANTHERS 8
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 32 defeated WESTERN SUBURBS 6
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 24 defeated NORTH SYDNEY BEARS 6
LOST PARRAMATTA EELS 22 defeated BRISBANE BRONCOS 14
WON BRISBANE BRONCOS 24 defeated NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS 8
LOST BALMAIN TIGERS 20 defeated BRISBANE BRONCOS 10

 

[Big Pete]

1988 Players of the Year​

​

ALLAN LANGER (BRISBANE)

A bundle of energy, brilliant and intensethat in part sums up the Broncos scheming little dynamo halfback Allan Langer.

Langer had an immediate impact on the Sydney premiership, carrying his bright performances as Queensland’s State of Origin halfback in 1987 into the new season.


He set himself high standards every week and gave wholehearted displays in each game he played.

Langer was not able to oust Peter Sterling from the Test halfback role against Great Britain, but took his chance when Sterling damaged his shoulder later in the year.

Langer took over as Test half against Papua New Guinea; played for Australia against The Rest of the World and also against New Zealand in the World Cup final.

The remarkable aspect of Langer was his durability and ability to take control of the Broncos when captain Wally Lewis was missing.

He played 21 of Brisbane’s 22 premiership matches and left no doubt that he was one of the top liners of the 1988 season.

Whenever the ball was kicked deep down the field, almost invariably Langer would chase the ball and take the first tackle.

The stand-out memory for Langer in a year in which he helped Queensland to a cleansweep of the State of Origin series, will be his first Test jumper – and two tries to go with it.

WALLY LEWIS (BRISBANE)

It may not have always been vintage Wally Lewis through the 1988 season, but it was still clever, damaging play from one of rugby league world’s greatest players.

Lewis had the distinction of leading the Brisbane Broncos into their first Sydney premiership season; Queensland to a cleansweep in the State of Origin series; Australia to Test series win over Great Britain, and leading Australia to victory in the World Cup final in New Zealand.

For that reason, it was difficult to go past Lewis as one of the five-players-of-the-year.

Whenever Lewis was involved in the play, there was always the expectation that something productive was about to happen.

Lewis continued as the inspirational and brilliant leader in Queensland’s first cleansweep of the State of Origin series, playing brilliantly in the third match after NSW had established a big lead.

He stood up to the consistent pressure of the week-in, week-out Sydney competition – as one would expect of a great player – and for a time looked as though he was taking a Brisbane side to the finals.

That Brisbane didn’t make it is no reflection on Lewis. He played 19 matches, not missing a match except for representative commitments.

Lewis’ final act for the year was a broken arm in the World Cup final where he stayed on the field for a time during the first half to help the Australians set up an unbeatable lead.

[FONT=&quot]It was another eventful and powerful year for King Wally.[/FONT]

 

[1910]

AUSTRALIA 22; REST OF THE WORLD 10 at Sydney Football Stadium

Celebrating Australia’s Bicentennial year, the ARL scheduled a match between the Aussies and the Rest of the World at the lavish new Sydney Football Stadium in July.

It was only the second time in history of the game that Australia has played the Rest of the World.

Their first match was in 1957 as part of the World Cup campaign and to celebrate the silver jubilee of Rugby League in Australia.

Australia won that day and they did it again in 1988, beating the best of the other four league nations 22-10.

The match was a grand exhibition, featuring Jack, Lewis, Pearce, Hanley and Graham and a host of other greats of the modern day game.

Tragically, the day was marred by the recurrence of Mal Meninga’s arm injury, only a month after his comeback.

The match was accorded official international status, but was not an official Test.

Flashy passes, classy tries, long attacking sorties and adventurous moves won-out over stody defense and conservatism at the Sydney Football Stadium.

Australia and the Rest of the World captured the spirit of the event, a celebration of Australia’s bicentenary and played some of the brightest football of the year.

Tragically the endeavour of 26 players was overshadowed by the fourth fracture of Mal Meninga’s arm.

Meninga made a glorious comeback to the game after his series of broken arms, but when it snapped against shortly before the end of the match Meninga was a figure of despair.

The Rest of the World, comprised mainly of New Zealand and Great Britain Test players, scored two tries early and were poised to upset the Australians.

Both were scored off superbly executed set moves, the first when Kevin Iro finished off a move initiated by Andy Gregory and the second when Mike Gregory sprinted down the blindside to score off a sweetly timed one-handed pass by Mark Graham.

But Australia responded with four spectacular tries of their own, two in each half.

Mark McGaw, making his international debut, scored a double; his Cronulla team-mate Andrew Ettingshausen crossed for one and Wally Lewis using his brute strength close to the line to barge over for the fourth.

Outside McGaw, Illawarra’s Alan McIndoe became his club’s first Australian player and turned in a commendable performance.

In the forwards Gene Miles made his debut as a second-rower in the Green and Gold and showed his devastating running power several times during the match.

Official man-of-the-match Gavin Miller again demonstrated his abundant ball skills and his ability to create chances put Australia in a winning position.

North Sydney’s Kiwi forward Mark Graham and English Test half Andy Gregory were classy performers for the Rest of the World.

Papua New Guinea referee Graham Ainui, a newcomer to international refereeing, made a fine first of his first big assignment. There wasn’t a complaint to be heard from either camp.

AUSTRALIA 22 (McGaw 2, Lewis, Ettingshausen tries; Meninga 3 goals) defeated REST OF TH WORLD 10 (Iro, Gregory tries; Mercer goal)

Australia
Garry Jack, Andrew Ettingshausen, Mal Meninga, Mark McGaw, Alan McIndoe
Wally Lewis ©, Allan Langer
Steve Roach, Greg Conescu, Sam Backo, Gavin Miller, Gene Miles, Wayne Pearce
Reserves: Des Hasler, Wally Fullerton-Smith

Rest of the World
Gary Mercer, Henderson Gill, Kevin Iro, Dean Bell, Dairi Kovae
Shane Cooper, Andy Gregory
Kevin Ward, Wayne Wallace, Adrian Shelford, Mark Graham ©, Mike Gregory, Ellery Hanley
Reserves: Jean-Phillipe Pougeau, Sam Stewart

McIndoe's only 'Test.' Should have been more than that time.