Match Review thread

[Broncoman]

1997 Grand Final, Manly Sea Eagles V Newcastle Knights September 28th 1997

I've decided to watch grand finals and review them throughout the week in the lead up to this year's big one and let's get started with the classic 1997 Grand Final that had everything. A classic one on one battle, entertaining attacking play, bruising defence, controversy, a gutsy brave effort, a field goal in the last 2 minutes hitting the post and a classic finish that helped heal the scars of Super League.

Manly went in as favourites after winning 11 straight games against Newcastle which included beating them 27-12 in an earlier finals match and winning their 3rd straight minor premiership and contesting their 3rd straight Grand Final but the Knights weren't to be denied as they snatched a thrilling 22-16 victory at the death capturing their first premiership and boasting morale enormously in the Hunter Valley. Andrew Johns defied doctors orders after having lung surgery and being hospitalised throughout the week which included shoving biotics up his arse (I've read his autobiography)

A very entertaining game ensured as both sides were in attacking mode throughout the game but some sloppy handling and passing let both sides down when attacking. After a poor start Manly scored the first try through Hopoate and managed to score another on the same side as Inness finished of some great work from Hopoate, Lyons and Toovey on the last tackle. A try from Robbie O'Davis of a scrum cut the lead to 2 after Johns landed an earlier goal and the conversion but Manly restored the 8 point buffer when Lyons put Nevin over 2 minutes from the break.

Manly with the momentum attacked Newcastle in the second half but Newcastle valiantly held on and left themselves within striking distance. Leading 16-10 with 10 minutes to go Manly looked comfortable as they were gifted a drop out after Darren Albert through a shocking pass back into his in goal which gifted Manly possession. Manly closed in on the posts but Lyons fluffed a drop goal attempt 10 meters out letting the Knights of the hook. Knights sub Fletcher made a good run into Manly's half after picking up a loose ball getting Newcastle another chance which they took as Robbie O'Davis got the ball down on the line under the posts levelling the score. The excitement was incredible as both teams strove for the score that would win the premiership. M-Johns had a shot that missed and on that hit the post inside the last 5 minutes until the deciding moment came. A-Johns had a shot which was charged down giving Newcastle another shot with 20 seconds left. Johns came in from dummy half after Albert was tackled, ran infield and was tackled but managed to stand strong, offload the ball and send Albert in for the run of his life planting the ball untouched behind the posts winning the game and sparking great joy and tears of excitement and happiness on the sideline.

Notes

- It was quite fitting to see Darren Albert score the winner after he played a big part in Newcastle's march to the Grand Final. In the knockout against Norths the week before he made a superb try saving covering tackle on Matt Sears that could've been the difference between victory and defeat

- Newcastle coach Mal Reilly became the first foreign coach to win the premiership since Bill Kelly in 1939 with Balmain

- It was reported in the press before the game that Andrew Johns was risking his life playing but in his book he denied this and said that was paper talk. It was still a very gutsy and brave effort as he played a big part in the win and had a strong game

- The Harragon V Carroll battle was at it's peak with both players hammering each other like their lives depended on it.

- I feel McDougall deliberately kicked Toovey in the face as he stuck his foot out backwards and would've likely known he was there. This incident was one of the talking points after the game

- This game was the feel good moment that everyone needed. A good classic, thrilling grand final that had everything and showed Murdoch and co that you can have all the money in the world but you can't buy tradition and passion

- Robbie O'Davis was a worthy winner of the CCM as his 2 tries and running at the back kept Newcastle in the game and left them within a chance

- Personally I feel a bit teary and can't help smiling as Albert strolled over on the siren and seeing all the images of the Knights bench and fans at the workers club in Newcastle. Newcastle was going through a very hard period at the time and this shows just how much sport can help a town

Newcastle 22: 2 Tries by Robbie O'Davis and a try by Darren Albert and 5 goals by Andrew Johns
Manly 16: Tries by John Hopoate, Craig Innes and Shannon Nevin, 2 goals by Nevin

Newcastle Knights

1: Robbie O'Davis
2: Darren Albert
3: Adam McDougall
4: Owen Craigie
5: Mark Hughes
6: Matthew Johns
7: Andrew Johns
8: Tony Butterfield
9: Bill Peden
10: Paul Harragon
11: Wayne Richards
12: Adam Muir
13: Mark Glanville

14: Troy Fletcher
15: Scott Conley
19: Steve Crowe
18: Lee Jackson

Coach: Malcom Reilly

Manly Sea Eagles

1: Shannon Nevin
2: Danny Moore
3: Craig Innes
4: Terry Hill
5: John Hopoate
6: Geoff Toovey (Captain)
7: Craig Field
8: David Gillespie
9: Anthony Colella
10: Mark Carroll
11: Steve Menzies
12: Daniel Gartner
13: Nik Kosef

14: Scott Fulton
8: Neil Tierney
16: Andrew Hunter
9: Cliff Lyons

Coach: Bob Fulton

 

[Big Pete]

I'm loving GF week.

Just had the 1989, 1990, 1978 and 1981 GF on in the background.

This maybe considered controversial but as far as quality is concerned, I'm a bigger fan of the 1991 GF than the 1989. Both were great finals with awesome stories but if you asked me to split hairs, I'd go with the other because I thought Canberra were far more gallant in defeat. Conversely, I thought Balmain were very fortunate to gain their lead and watching it all these years later, even the commentators thought the Raiders would get it right eventually. They just had to compete with Harrigan's reffing and their own handling issues.

This Parra team is one of the best in history. Cronin, Price, Sterlo & Kenny

Gould is also underrated as a player. He may not be the most athletic or skillful player but let's say I was Huge's age I could see myself being a fan of his.

Awesome write up Bman. Between the two, the ARL definitely had the far more memorable GF. The Super League version was bit of a fizzer.

 

[Broncoman]

1999 Grand Final, Melbourne Storm V St George Illawarra, 26th September 1999

I know I've already reviewed this game but it's on the classic grand finals dvd I've been watching so I deleted the other review and decided to do another one on the same game.

The Melbourne Storm shocked the league world by completing a remarkable rise to the top of the Rugby League mountain by winning their first premiership with a comeback against the highly fancied St-George Illawarra Dragons in front of a world record crowd of 107,999.

Coming into the game on the back of the form of Anthony Mundine and defeating the Storm earlier in the finals at Olympic Park and running over the favourites Cronulla in the preliminary final the Dragons dominated the first half scoring 2 tries through some skill by Mundine who's perfectly timed grubber kick sent Fitzgibbon over and Blacklock's phenomenal pickup from a Kimmorley kick that saw him race 60 meters untouched. The Dragons were dominating the game but were helped tremendously by a poor first half from the Storm which saw them at the wrong end of all the statistics; Possession; St George Illawarra 58, Storm: 42; Storm completions 13/20; Storm tackles 166, Dragons tackles 121.

On the back of an upbeat pep talk at halftime Melbourne lifted their intensity in the second half and posted points early as Craig Smith landed a simple goal of a penalty for a high tackle on Kimmorley. In the 50th minute Mundine grubbed on the last and regained the ball a few meters in front with 2 men unmarked but bombed the try as he decided to go himself and lost the ball in Smith's tackle. It was the turning point as the Storm got themselves in attacking position from it and capitalised as Martin planted the ball down after taking a short pass from Geyer. Lazarus dropped the ball at the first tackle after the restart gifting the Dragons a chance which they took as Paul McGregor scored after a kick from Mundine went backwards of Wishart. Bartrim missed the conversion leaving the score at 18-6. Continiung the trend the Storm struck back as Kimmorley sent Roarty over to score and after 2 goals from Smith the Storm were only 4 points and behind and pressed for victory in the last quarter.

What followed would be an unforgettable finish to a remarkable and historical grand final that won't be forgotten. With 5 minutes to go on the last tackle 10 meters from the Dragon's line Kimmorley kicked to the wing where Smith was unmarked, Smith took the kick and looked certain to score until his opposite Ainscough felled him with a high tackle knocking him out. Referee Bill Harrigan and video ref Chris Ward deliberated on what the decision would be. They ruled that Smith was certain to score and most definitely would have if Smith didn't drop the ball in Ainscough's tackle. In a courageous decision they awarded the penalty try in front of the posts and Matt Geyer slotted the ball over the posts winning the Storm it's first premiership, sending hero Glen Lazarus out a winner and breaking the hearts of Dragons fans everywhere.

Notes

- Glenn Lazarus became the first man to win 3 premierships with 3 different clubs after successful stints with Canberra and Brisbane. This was his 6th Grand Final and 5th premiership

- The Dragons players that played that day must still be kicking themselves at how they lost this game. They had it in the bag but blew it based on Mundine's greediness and their own mistakes

- Despite bombing a try Mundine actually played quite well as he had a hand in 2 tries and was always eager to take the line on and looked dangerous. He could've been anything in the game if wasn't a wuss who played the victim when he didn't get his own way.

- Full credit to the Storm as a whole on how they managed to set up a successful Rugby League club in foreign land and win a premiership so early in their existence.

- Rod Wishart and Brad Mackay retired after this game and Mark Coyne was also retiring but he didn't play

- Brett Kimmorley was the CCM winner

Melbourne Storm 20: Tries by Tony Martin and Ben Roarty and a penalty try, 3 goals by Craig Smith and a goal by Matt Geyer
St George Illawarra 18: Tries by Craig Fitzgibbon, Nathan Blacklock and Paul McGregor, 2 goals by Craig Fitzgibbon

Melbourne Storm

1: Robbie Ross
2: Craig Smith
3: Aaron Moule
4: Tony Martin
5: Marcus Bai
6: Matt Geyer
7: Brett Kimmorley
8: Glenn Lazarus (Captain)
9: Richard Swain
10: Rodney Howe
11: Paul Marquet
12: Stephen Kearney
13: Tawera Nikau

14: Matt Rua
15: David Williams
16: Russel Bawden
17: Ben Roarty

Coach: Chris Anderson

St George Illawarra Dragons

1: Luke Patten
2: Nathan Blacklock
3: Paul McGregor (Captain)
4: Shaun Timmins
5: Jamie Ainscough
6: Anthony Mundine
7: Trent Barratt
8: Chris Leikvoll
9: Nathan Brown
10: Craig Smith
11: Darren Treacy
12: Lance Thompson
13: Wayne Bartrim

14: Craig Fitzgibben
15: Colin Ward
16: Brad Mackay
17: Rod Wishart

Coaches: David Waite and Andrew Farrar

 

[Broncoman]

2003 Grand Final, Penrith Panthers V Sydney Roosters, 5th October 2003

After finishing with the spoon in 2001, 12th in 2002 and coming last 2 rounds into 2003 the men from the mountains climbed the summit and defeated the highly fancied Roosters 18-6 in a memorable and classic grand final played in wet challenging conditions.

This game is remembered as being one of the best grand finals ever played and why wouldn't it be. A high quality game with few mistakes considering the conditions played at a good pace coupled with pulverising defence.

1st half; Penrith controlled the first half very well getting the better of the Roosters territorially asking questions of the defence but some superb defence from the Roosters meant that it was always going to take something special to break the line. This was never being shown as the Roosters hammered Penrith with tremendous force on their own line. Penrith were looking more likely to score as the kicking game of Gower and Campbell found the ingoal whilst the kicking of Fittler and Finch usually found Penrith backs or there was no-one really running onto it. The Panthers finally broke through for the first score in the 30th minute as Priddis got a chance to run from dummy half as the Roosters were offside, he broke through and skilfully slowed down and drew Minichiello and sent winger Rooney over to score. Girdler playing in his only grand final landed the goal and Penrith lead 6-0. No further score was added in the last 10 minutes before the break and Penrith went into halftime ahead 6-0.

2nd Half; The Roosters came out fired up and ready to change the game around and they got the reward as Hegarty went over to score just after the break. Fitzgibbon landed the goal and the score was locked. Penrith clicked into gear and after Minichiello dropped a simple kick Penrith had a golden opportunity to take back the lead and another knock on from Byrne gave Penrith another chance. The Roosters defence held firm and Penrith lost ground and they looked out of sorts as a grubber kick was charged and Byrne went down the sideline with lock Sattler chasing him but Sattler made a superb covering tackle that stopped a certain try. Despite this outstanding moment the Roosters continued to press the Panthers line but Penrith's morale and confidence was most certainly lifted by Sattler. After Mini dropped another bomb Penrith this time took their chance as Priddis scooted from dummy half and planted the ball down next to the posts regaining the lead with 15 minutes to go. Both sides like 1997 strived for victory as if their lives depended on it as everyone inside the stadium and watching on TV rode every moment. Penrith at last put their stamp on it as they were given an extra set with 7 minutes to go after Crocker charged down a field goal attempt. Penrith fooled the Roosters into thinking they were going for the field goal but Priddis cut out the Roosters left defence and sent Rooney over for his second. Campbell landed the goal from touch and Penrith held an 18-6 lead that they were never going to lose. The score remained unchanged at fulltime and Penrith had won their second premiership sparking massive celebrations that were going to last for weeks.

Notes

- There was been better hookers than Luke Priddis but I don't think there has been a better hooker performance than what Priddis put up that night. He scored a try set up the others and made close to 50 tackles. Easily the best on the park and a deserving CCM winner.

- The Sattler tackle was undoubtedly a highlight and it showed Penrith's determination but I don't feel it was a turning point as momentum didn't swing the Panthers way but it undoubtedly lifted the Panthers confidence. Byrne didn't take of with any great speed and Sattler covered him well and his timing was spot on.

- Todd Byrne is the winner of Pete's Turner award. Gave away silly penalties, dropped a few kicks and was run down by a lock

- I feel the Priddis, Gower and Campbell combo combined with Penrith's go forward won the game and was the difference. Players like Clinton, Galuvao and Puletua had probably the best year of their careers in 2003

Penrith Panthers 18: 2 tries by Luke Rooney and a try by Luke Priddis, 2 goals by Preston Campbell and a goal by Ryan Girdler
Sydney Roosters 6: Try by Shannon Hegarty and a goal by Craig Fitzgibbon

Penrith Panthers

1: Rhys Wesser
2: Luke Lewis
3: Paul Whatuira
4: Ryan Girdler
5: Luke Rooney
6: Preston Campbell
7: Craig Gower
8: Joel Clinton
9: Luke Priddis
10: Martin Lang
11: Joe Gauvao
12: Tony Puletau
13: Scott Sattler

14: Ben Ross
15: Trent Waterhouse
16: Shane Rodney
17: Luke Swain

Coach: John Lang

Sydney Roosters

1: Anthony Minichiello
2: Todd Byrne
3: Ryan Cross
4: Shannon Hegarty
5: Chris Walker
6: Brad Fittler (captain)
7: Craig Wing
8: Jason Cayless
9: Michael Crocker
10: Ned Catic
11: Adrian Morely
12: Craig Fitzgibbon
13: Luke Ricketson

14: Brett Finch
15: Andrew Lomu
16: Chad Robinson
17: Chris Flannery

Coach: Ricky Stuart

 

[Big Pete]

Awesome review as always Bman.

I'm afraid you've got the wrong Storm winger - it's the Matt Geyer award named after Matt's god-awful 2006 performance where he did everything he could to lose the match.

Had this game on in the background the other night. Was surprised by the Todd Byrne moment as I always thought it happened at like the 68th minute but as you pointed out, there was a lot of time between that moment and the Panthers winning the game.

I've got to say, the 2003 Roosters would have murdered the 2004 GF team.

The only new addition who would have had a chance of getting a look in would have been Tupou.

 

[Broncoman]

Dang I knew it was a Storm winger but i got it mixed up. I was a Roosters die hard at the time and was very down for a while at losing but I feel privileged that I saw such an epic game as it happened. Remember sitting with mum and dad in my Roosters jersey.

Got the 2002 GF on atm. This was a good memory for a young kid.

 

[Big Pete]

I remember a mate of mine predicted Panthers would face off against Sydney that year before a ball was even kicked and I gave him shit. Suffice to say he still reminds me of it to this day although he's yet to get another prediction right.

I was pretty stoked about the match-up as a fan. Sydney were my favourite Sydney club as my Pop and Dad supported them but I was a big admirer of the footy Penrith were playing and made a point of watching their matches that year - especially since I found watching the Broncos boring at times.

So I was pretty thrilled with Penrith winning - it was tough on the Roosters but they already had their moment the year before and I was confident they'd be there again in 2004 where as Penrith simply had lightening in a bottle.

 

[Big Pete]

Watching bits and pieces of the 2002 GF.

Didn't realise how much of an obstruction there was in the lead up to the Fitzgibbon try.

Seemed like a crummy match too - with the exception of the Jones try, anytime the Warriors had an opportunity they'd come up with an inopportune error.

Wasn't like the Roosters were playing champagne footy either.

He didn't always get it right Bill but at least there was a level of common sense behind his decision making. Just saw him call a knock on against Meli where he blew the whistle to call time, looked at his touch judges - they had nothing to report so he simply ruled knock on. Just common sense reffing and something Archer's refs should adopt.

Also allowed the video referee to change his view on a kick re-start.

 

[Broncoman]

2002 Grand Final, Sydney Roosters V New Zealand Warriors, 6th October 2002

Lead by the captaincy by Brad Fittler and on the back of a hard and challenging run through the finals the Sydney Roosters ended their 27 year premiership drought with a 30-8 victory over the New Zealand Warriors who were contesting their first Grand Final.

Unlike the other Grand Finals I've reviewed this was a pretty unmemorable game as the Roosters won resoundingly but took 60 minutes to lift their game and put away a Warriors outfit that relied on the efforts of Stacey Jones to give them chances.

1st half; Both sides showed their intentions early on as they both spread the ball wide and looked to attack but it worked better for the Roosters as they found ground a lot easier than the Warriors who relied on individual brilliance to make meters. After a couple of near misses and a disallowed try to Minichiello the Roosters got on the board 23 minutes in. After a strong charge from Fittler inside their 10 meter line that got them near halfway, Minichiello, Fletcher and Mullins combined to send Hegarty over to score near the posts, Fitzgibbon converted and the Roosters lead 6-0. The Warriors got on the board thanks to a goal from Ivan Cleary 10 minutes before the break and the Warriors almost got a try on the stroke of halftime as a kick to space from Jones sent Phillips and Meli in a desperate race for the ball which Phillips won and batted the ball out. Poor execution also let down the Roosters as they dropped the ball in dangerous situations whilst front on defence stopped the Warriors from making progress and some brave defence from Phillips also played a part.

2nd half; The Warriors desperate to score first snatched the lead 4 minutes after the break thanks to a wonderful try from Jones. Taking a pass from Marsh inside the Roosters 30 and 40 meter line Jones dummied and stepped passed 5 defenders to score a fantastic individual try. Cleary converted and the Warriors were in front. The Roosters maintained their composure as a 40/20 from Fittler in the 53rd minute got them a chance which they took as Craig Wing went over to score on the 3rd tackle. The game turning moment came soon after as Koopu knocked down Fittler legally after Fittler feigned a kick, Fittler was opened up as Villasanti head butted him after Harrigan blew his whistle but he ruled a knock on instead of a penalty. After this the Roosters game lifted as they went on to run away with the game and put away the Warriors as Fitzgibbon, Flannery and Fletcher scored tries which were all converted by Fitzgibbon giving them a resounding 30-8 victory and their 12the premiership.

Notes

- This was a pretty unmemorable game with very few highlights despite the try from Jones and the Roosters tries. The Warriors really relied on the skill of Jones to give them chances and to trouble the Roosters which he did but he couldn't beat the Roosters all on his own. Jones was a superb player and was easily the Warriors best on the night.

- I see similarities with this Warriors side and now. They love to attack but make poor decisions on when to and make bad mistakes with the ball inside their own half.

- I remember reading a comment from Brad Fittler last year that he believed that the current Roosters side would knock over the 2002 one. I actually would back the current Roosters side over this one the current one looks a lot better drilled and would've had this game won well before the 60th minute.

- Richard Villasanti is seen as a villain for his head butt on Fittler which was undoubtedly the turning point of the game. Wouldn't say it won the Roosters the game but it certainly fired them up and especially Morely. I asked a friend who's a Warriors fan and remembers this game but she didn't blame Villa for the loss.

- Fitzgibbon won the CCM award after a tireless display and a flawless kicking record but I feel Fittler was more entitled to it. Played a part in 3 tries, captained the team superbly and played a part in lifting them. Fittler was all time great and will always will be favourite of mine so there is bias here.

- Ricky Stuart became one of the few coaches to win a premiership in his first year of senior first grade coaching. [MENTION=8215]Morkel[/MENTION] did you buy him a beer after the game? :)

Sydney Roosters 30: Tries by Shannon Hegarty, Craig Wing, Criag Fitzgibbon, Chris Flannery and Bryan Fletcher, 5 goals by Fitzgibbon.
New Zealand Warriors 8: Try by Stacey Jones and 2 goals by Ivan Cleary

Sydney Roosters

1: Luke Phillips
2: Brett Mullins
3: Shannon Hegarty
4: Justin Hodges
5: Anthony Minichiello
6: Brad Fittler (captain)
7: Craig Wing
8: Jason Cayless
9: Simon Bonetti
10: Peter Cusack
11: Adrian Morely
12: Craig Fitzgibbon
13: Luke Ricketson

14: Chris Flannery
15: Bryan Fletcher
16: Michael Crocker
17: Andrew Lomu

Coach: Ricky Stuart

New Zealand Warriors

1: Ivan Cleary
2: Justin Murphy
3: John Carlaw
4: Clinton Toopi
5: Francis Meli
6: Motu Tony
7: Stacey Jones (captain)
8: Jerry Seu Seu
9: PJ Marsh
10: Mark Tookey
11: Ali Lauiti'iti
12: Awaen Guttenbiel
13: Kevin Campion

14: Lance Hohaia
15: Logan Swann
16: Wairangi Koopu
17: Richard Villasanti

Coach: Daniel Anderson

 

[Big Pete]

When we were discussing unpredictible premierships the other day, I considered nominating the 2002 Roosters. Now, once Joey Johns went down against St. George Illawarra, it was a matter of either Brisbane or Sydney but at the end of 2001 heading into this season it seemed like the Roosters were on a downward spiral and many questioned whether Freddy still had it in him to lead this team to premiership glory.

In the end, Freddy's decision to stand down from Origin yielded a lot of positive results and helped the Roosters dominate the competition for three years. Of course he wasn't alone either, as the Roosters grafted their wins on the back of a tireless forward pack who mastered the three man tackle. A lot of great names there too, the likes of Fitzgibbon, Morley, Ricketson, Fletcher, Crocker, Flannery, Tupou - all very handy players on their day.

I was happy to see them win. Despite a lot of my mates being upset with the way the Broncos were bundled out, I couldn't cheer the Kiwis over the Chooks and I was a big fan of a lot of their players like Fittler, Minichiello and Phillips. Was happy they won and that they smashed that thug Villasanti.

 

[Broncoman]

Did Luke Phillips' career get smashed by injury or something It's just when I watch his games he is always putting his body on the line and doing some great last line defence.

What happened to Phillips Pete?

 

[Big Pete]

Retired in early 2003 due to injury.

Believe it was his shoulder that kept causing him troubles.

 

[Morkel]

- Ricky Stuart became one of the few coaches to win a premiership in his first year of senior first grade coaching. @Morkel did you buy him a beer after the game? :)

Well, I have always intended to shower him in smelly yellow liquid.

 

[Big Pete]

GF week reminds me why I should have splurged $400 on a DVD-R to record Fox games. All these great grand final games but all I can do is have them on in the background as I got through all these stupid journal reflections that 98% of the student body leaves till the last few weeks.

Couple of things I've noticed...

- Slater lead with the boot in the first try of the 08 GF. Why is this important? I always thought it was odd that the media only kicked up a stink when Slater did it against Manly but in complete fairness they only got up in arms when they realised how dangerous it could be which it was against Robertson. Queensland conspiracy #7 averted but they'll never take my complaints of Golden Point away from me!

- Speaking of the Robertson try, that was a lucky call to Manly. One of those cases where they obviously applied benefit of the doubt to the attacking team as it appeared for all money his boot was on the line as he grounded the ball. Big call and gave Manly the edge going into the second-half.

- Melbourne really did miss Smith in that game and I don't think Manly were as great as I remembered them. Melbourne were just dreadful and had nothing in attack outside of giving it to Folau. Manly recognised that and started bending the rules to take him out of the game.

- A lot of people remember the Steve Simpson try-saver in the 2001 GF but very little is made of Hodgeson's try-saver on Simpson. Was a great tackle and I thought Brett was one of the best players I've seen in a losing GF - right up there with Slater 06.

- Joey Johns missed one of the easiest field goals of his life. A shocking attempt.

- The 2001 GF didn't hold up that well. Maybe it's because I missed the opening 30 and the heat had already died down in the game but the way I saw it, both teams were their own worst enemy.

- 2004 still remains the worst I've seen. Although I find the criticism against JT's performance to be exagerated. He came on quite early in the second half and basically kept Anasta out of the game as long as he could.

- Suffice to say, Anasta put in one of the least deserving performances I've seen from a premiership player.

 

[Big Pete]

Woohoo!

Finally finished all my major assignments so I can finally catch up and watch some footy. By the last week, all I basically did was sleep and study - it was torture but fingers crossed it yields some positive results.

Now who's up for talking about some old games of footy?

I know I am!

Let's party.

Round 4 2004
Brisbane Broncos vs. Melbourne Storm

- Anyone who's into watching old games would appreciate how rare these games are. For years it was nearly impossible to watch anything pre-2005 so these games are like gold.

- Special game for me since it marks the first time I got to experience a home win. For awhile there, it looked like I'd open my Suncorp account with 4 straight losses.

- Both sides intrigue me. Want to see if there was any teething process in the Lockyer to five eighth move as well as all the other changes. Melbourne intrigue me too since this was a transitional period where they were bringing through the likes of Smith, Slater, King, Hoffman, Turner, Kaufusi etc. around Kearns, Howe, Kearney, Williams etc.

- My memory of Melbourne from 03-05 was that of a team that could match the best every odd week but could be defeated by the worst every other week. Just very inconsistent with their share of coach-killing mistakes in them. Watching them is intriguing because it provides a really good comparison for what they were to become.

- I thought this game was a good snap-shot of that. Melbourne out-played the Broncos in every facet but only lead by 8 going into HT. They blew a lot of opportunities and invited Brisbane back into the game.

- You can also take a lot out of watching Melbourne play Brisbane because Bellamy does a good job of testing weaknesses. In this case, Melbourne basically aimed a lot of traffic at Lockyer and if things weren't working out, would test Stuart Kelly out in the air.

- Crowd wasn't thrilled with Hoffman coming onto the field while Turner was being carted off the field since this came a week after the Wests Tigers incident. Easy to forget about Turner's unfortunate run with injuries, no doubt it reduced his best aspect which was his speed.

- Daley is trying really hard to get over this 'See-You-Slater' nickname. Haven't seen it mentioned since.

- Brisbane were always in the contest but in the first half, didn't seem on their game and were guilty of panicking and turning the ball over going for soft options instead of being patient and trying to put Melbourne under pressure.

- Plenty of good tries on offer. My pick of the bunch would go to Kings try since it featured an inch-perfect chip kick in the build up. Love seeing those when they come off properly.

- I liked Lockyer's chip kick for De Vere's try too had awesome back-spin that beat both Slater & King but the try shouldn't have been awarded since the siren sounded before the ball was played.

Half-Time

Melbourne 18 (Hoffman, Slater, King tries; Smith 3/3 goals) lead Brisbane 10 (Kelly, De Vere tries; De Vere 1/2 goals)

- Worth noting that Melbourne had Kidwell and Hoffman playing in the backline as they'd lost MacDougall and Turner during the match.

- Second half opens with Brisbane receiving a penalty near the uprights. As they were known for, they took the two, reducing the gap to 6. Was never a fan of reducing the margin, always felt prehistoric for me.

- A good try-saving tackle from Barry Berrigan saved what would have been one of those ricochet tries to Hoffman.

- Second half seemed to be the complete opposite of the first with Brisbane asking plenty of questions but just coming up short either with unlucky bounces or mistakes at crucial mistakes. One of them from Stuart Kelly lead directly to Melbourne scoring.

- Brisbane hit the lead for the first time in the 65th playing an expansive brand of footy where they caught Melbourne out-wide. Karmichael Hunt in the lead up threw a good pass to Berrigan that gave Kelly plenty of space down the touchline even though he did his best to nearly bomb it.

- Loved the vintage Tallis try. Caught the ball flat footed, spots half a gap and takes the Storm on with his foot-work and strength.

- Brisbane only ended up using 16, Frawley took no part in the game.

FT
Brisbane Broncos 34 (Kelly 2, De Vere 2, Lockyer, Tallis tries; De Vere 5/7 goals) defeat Melbourne Storm 26 (King 2, Hoffman, Slater, Hill tries; Smith 3/5 goals)

Overall, that was a game of two halves with Brisbane coming home too strong. They lifted in the second half and played some very exciting footy with some good interchange of passes and some very daring kicks that didn't get the result they deserved. Watching this game, you get the sense that neither team is perfect and there were a couple of mistakes that both sides would rue but it did make for an exciting game of footy.

Broncos POTS would have been a nightmare since it was a team performance and not really down to any player. If I had to pick my stand-outs would have been De Vere, Tate, Lockyer, Webcke, Tallis and Carroll. With the lowlight being Kelly.

For Melbourne Storm, I reckon you could almost make a case for Slater being the best on ground. He was kept quiet in the second half but he was the danger man for them in the first half and whenever he did get involved in the second, he was still creating problems whether it was saving tries or making nice breaks. As with Brisbane I thought there were plenty of players to like such as King, Orford, Kearns & Smith but I thought this was one of the worst games I'd seen Steve Bell play. It was his first of the season, so it makes sense but he couldn't catch a cold.

 

[Big Pete]

Round 6 2002
Brisbane Broncos vs Penrith Panthers

If there is one season I'd love to revisit, it's 2002. I just have a lot of good memories associated with this season and I'd love to figure out what I'd make of it now.

This is one of those games that interests me because I don't recall watching it. Back then, I didn't watch every game and the idea of sitting through replays felt boring to me and a last resort if nothing else was on Cartoon Network (I'm dating myself with that confession, ha)

Suffice to say, this will be like watching the game fresh.

Turning my attention to Penrith, this is actually a pretty interesting time to watch them since we're one season away from their amazing premiership season. By this point, they were one of the easy beats of the competition and outside of Girdler & Priddis, none of their players were highly regarded. However looking ahead, the likes of Wesser, Lewis, Rooney, Gower, Sattler, Puletua, Galuvao (imagine all the time I botched the spelling of his name) & Lang would of course go onto become important cogs in their premiership season.

Let's get this show on the road...

- Penrith started well. Defensively they hurt Brisbane, Sattler in particular cleaned Gordie up with a big hit that knocked Gordie loopy and they managed to score first points through Lewis who beat some really weak defence from Walker & Kelly to slam the ball down in the corner.

- Civo cleaned Lang up with a high swinging tackle off the kick off. These days if the tackle happened, Civo would be placed on report and the commentators would be weighing up how many weeks he'd receive. Back then, the commentators don't even bat an eyelid as Penrith are told to play on.

- They would have been filthy too as Michael Ryan managed to strip Priddis of the ball on the next play. Two plays later, Broncos go right through Langer who finds Lee who turns it back to Webb who brushes through some soft defence to score. The strip looked pretty dusty from Ryan, looked like he knocked on but the Channel 9 commentators didn't bat an eyelid. 6-4 Broncos.

- Broncos go back-to-back through Tallis. I remember this try, Tallis flings Sattler off like a fly and goes straight through the Penrith defence, beats Wesser with a show and go before propelling himself off Lewis' cover tackle to score. Probably the best Tallis try in his career. 12-4 Broncos.

- Grrr looks like this version I've got is clipped. I just lost about six minutes worth of action as Langer accepts a Civo offload and races 40 odd before earning a six again. Unfortunately Tuqiri spills an inside ball close to the line.

- Just as Penrith were building momentum, Lockyer made his mark on the game with a 60m+ drop goal that ended up bouncing to the Penrith 20m mark. This forced Penrith to surrender position over pretty meekly and off a penalty, Lockyer once again shows his class scoring off a well weighted grubber kick intended for his outside men, but ended up being a slick solo effort. 18-4 Broncos

- Lockyer is really into the thick of the action now as he throws a lovely long pass to Kelly who finds Walker back on the inside who slams the ball over the try line. The put down looked dusty since the ball flew in the air afterwards but replays show that it's a try. Replays show Johnny Lang blowing up at one of his trainers on the sideline to move out of the way so he can see a replay and then apologising. Love human moments like that. :laugh: Broncos 22-4

HT

Brisbane Broncos 22 (Webb, Tallis, Lockyer, C. Walker tries; De Vere 3/4 goals) lead Penrith Panthers 4 (Lewis try; Girdler 0/1 goals)

- Mark this down as a game where Webcke put up a bomb! Yes! Wasn't bad either, shame Stuart Kelly was offside since it forced a bobble from Lewis.

- Jot this down for the blooper reel. Off a tap restart, Donato passes the ball onto Gall who juggles it straight into the hands to Donato gifting possession straight to the Broncos. Not long after that, Lockyer works a slick run-around play with Lee and sends Webb over on the right fringe. Broncos 28-4

- Brisbane were doing it comfortably until Sattler put through a dinky grubber kick that was touched mid-flight and caused a violent crash between Kelly & Walker which caused the Broncos to go on the defence for a few sets. They held them out and got their hands back on the ball but tried to turn defence into offence which gifted Penrith another opportunity at their line. Penrith made no mistakes this time as Gall went one on one with Langer, got an offload away to Girdler who wrong footed Lockyer to stroll over. Brisbane 28-10 with 23 to go

- Penrith virtually go back to back. Lewis chipped and chased for himself which ended up giving them six again, then off a goal line drop out, Penrith establish the numbers out-wide with Priddis going through the hands down the short-side for Lewis to pick up his double. 28-16 Broncos

- And again. Gower, who's kicking game has by and large been spot on, forces a Broncos scrum on their 10m line. From that, Berrigan throws a hospital pass to Tate who does well to bring it in before undoing that good work by blindly throwing the ball over the sideline. From that play, Penrith isolate Langer who misreads the play allowing Galavao to stroll over on the fringe. Brisbane 28-22 with 14 to go.

- Penrith were threateing to score again after a few breaks but the Broncos were able to just hold on. The turning point came when the Panthers were pinged for a forward pass well inside the Broncos territory. Langer actually came up with a great tackle on the play which clearly gave him confidence as he came up with a great kick that pinged Penrith back inside their own territory for the first time in about 20 something minutes. From that, Brisbane were able to earn a penalty for accidental off-side, once again through the efforts of Alfie and De Vere 30m out from in-front made no mistakes. Brisbane 30-22 with 6 to go.

- Thank goodness too since Penrith managed to score off their next set. Once again, they aimed their play down the Broncos left hand side with Gower switching back to Sattler who threw a good ball to Elford who put Lewis over for his hat-trick. Girdler wastes little time missing the conversion but then has the audacity to set the kick-up for the Broncos. De Vere still takes his time anyway. :laugh: Broncos 30-26

- Penrith throw it around with 90 seconds to go but their passes are off the mark and after Tate went close to coming up with it one moment, Alfie was able to pounce on a loose pass to effectively end the game.

Brisbane Broncos 30 (Webb 2, Tallis, Lockyer, C. Walker tries; De Vere 5/6 goals) defeat Penrith Panthers 26 (Lewis 3, Girdler, Galavao tries; Girdler 3/5 goals)

Overall - Can only imagine how bi-polar members on here would have been over this game. Reminds me a lot of those performances we had against teams like Canberra in 2011 where there was a fair bit to like but also a lot of frustration and nerves. Could only imagine how many expletives I'd come up with - considering Cronulla earned about 67 and a half (I mumbled one) it'd have to be around the 50 mark.

Obviously a very patchy performance from the Broncos. They took Penrith for granted and nearly paid the price. Losing Tallis definitely hurt but it was an eye for an eye scenario with Lang off the field for Penrith. I thought when the Broncos were at their best, Lockyer, Civo & Webb were the best in that order but wouldn't consider this one of their better afternoons of football. Lowlights would be the backs in Tuqiri, Walker, De Vere, Kelly, Tate & Berrigan. I didn't think they helped the forwards out and gave Penrith an easy advantage in the territory stakes. Parker was pretty ordinary too.

Meanwhile for Penrith, I thought when Ben Roarty came on for them, he really lifted the tempo and got them going. Was also impressed with Sattler, Lewis, Gower & Galavao.

 

[Broncoman]

Where do you watch these games Pete? very interesting review and top work as always.

- On the topic of Girdler and Priddis being the only Penrith players in high regard Gower at that time had represented Australia and NSW a number of times, had won hooker of the year and was their best home grown talent since Fittler. I would call that high regard stuff.

- Not related to this game but how this game was in the year before Penrith won the premership which came in the year Presto arrived. It showed how influential Campbell was and it's no surprise that every team he played for were successful to an extent duing his time there apart from the Chargers in 1998.

 

[Big Pete]

Fair call on Gower.

Was actually going to go back and edit it as soon as I wrote it but decided against it. Reason being, he'd basically established himself as a dummy half by that point and I don't recall too many describing him as one of the best playmakers in the game.

It's why I didn't name Puletua or Lang despite them being reps.