Great Pre-Season Memories 3

1978- Fibros vs Silvertails

Unlike a lot of great feuds the animosity between the Manly-Warringah and Western Suburbs football clubs can be traced back to a very exact moment in time. It was at a pre-season exhibition game in Melbourne, 1978, that the battle between  the two was ignited. After getting thoroughly outplayed in the first half Wests coach Roy 'the Wordsmith' Masters looked around his dressing shed, suddenly realized it was full of borderline psychopaths, and sent his team out to turn the Manly players faces into souffle. Whilst the magpies still lost the game, it would set the bar for which all rugby league hatred will forever against be measured. Warning: Clip not for the faint of heart!

See video HERE

Great Pre-Season Memories 2

1993 World 7's- The US Patriots

Ahh the Rugby league World 7's, just thinking about them brings a tear to my eye. Brilliant attacking play, outrageous post try celebrations, hideous jerseys...what wasn't to love?
Best of all was getting to watch the different teams from all corners of the globe, the most popular of all being the US patriots. Sure they didn't win a whole bunch of games and some of their strategies may have been a little unorthodox, but to this day highlights of their matches cause near meltdown of the Channel 9 phonelines. Fantastic jersey too! (7's jersey not pictured below).

The clip I've chosen is the Patriots infamous 'Downtown' play against South Sydney from the 93 comp. Enjoy!

Link HERE

Great Pre-Season Memories 1

Watching the Denver Broncos get punished in the NFL the other day made me cast my mind back to another great Broncos whopping of years gone by.


 Yes it's the much loved NSWRL Tooheys Challenge final between the Brisbane Broncos and the Illawarra Steelers. In what would end up being the Steelers only major trophy win the rough and tough, working class, salt of the Earth, underdog you beaut legend Steelers managed to triumph over the star studded Broncos side by a commanding 4 points to 2.

Also keen fans should their eyes peeled for a slim line Ray Warren and Graham Murray aka the fourth Muskateer in the vid.

Enjoy!




'92 Tooheys Challenge Highlights

The End of the World...soon.

It has come to my attention that the End of the World (EOW) has been slated for sometime around the 21st December, 2012. This of course has a number of serious ramifications.

For starters there was that terrible movie 2012, which even after I figured out it wasn't a sequel to 1984 nor a reboot of 2001, still managed to be a tacky, tacky piece of shit.

God Dammit your movies used to stand for something John Cusack!

On top of this there's the fact that human kind is facing extinction, which is really a bit of a downer... especially from a sporting persepective.
Just think of all the rad stuff that we may never get to see. No Independent Commission. No New TV deal. No new NRL teams. No Ben pomeroy making his NSW debut. No Sharks inaugraul premiership. No more new Lowes Commercials.

Maybe the Wok had a point in '89

Well ok, I'll probably avoid that last one like a night on the town with Anthony Watmough but even still it's not a very comfortable thought.

Perhaps its best then that these EOW things seem to come along as often as Jimmy Barnes at an NRL Grand Final and are easier to survive than the Titans on the attack in your own red zone. But just in case.. please don't let Manly win the GFagain. This year is going to be painful enough without them being proclaimed 'Champions of Eternity'.

Eternity is looking like a pretty long time right about now

Also for more EOW talk and how it will affect the Wide World of Sports please don't forget to visit here

Vic

Happy New NRL Year!

Well it's less than 60 days till the start of the NRL season and your favourite footy stars are taking their last chance to let their hair down before they knuckle down for the pre-season proper.
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"Just nipping round to Robert Lui's house for a couple of quiet ones"

So like everyone else who woke up on New Year's day  feeling like Jamie Ainscough after the '99 GF I've decided to draft a range of resolutions for the coming season.

2012 NRL Resolutions

1. Stop Sending letters to the Gold Coast Bulletin re Steve Michaels

There appears to be a few inevitabilities to life on the Gold Coast. Sand in your house, bikies in your nightclubs and crappy outside backs in your footy team. Whilst Michaels may be a cut above, say, Ben jefferies or Brenton Bowen, he still strikes me as a bloke who would be more at home as capt-coach for the Dalby Devils (Reserves) rather than playing in the NRL. Just to show I'm a fair man though I'm prepared to give the local kid another shot and stop death riding him in the local rag. Untill the 3rd min of the first trial when he's flattened by Chris Sandow.

These were wonderful times

2. Don't get sucked into coach or player drivel

Every year in the lead up to the NRL season team coaches and captains will do the media circuit coughing out more crap than Anthony Mundine beat-boxing in a 1967 Kombi van. And every year without doubt i'll go and put $400 on Souths to win the premiership after winning the charity shield. Well no more!

"Yes, Luke Capewell is a great replacement for myself, why do you ask?"

3. Get on the Warriors bandwagon nice and early

This one is fairly obvious. The Warriors late blitz in the semis last year sent me into a spin trying to desperately get my hands on NZ merchandise and a carton of Lion Red. This year with Bluey at the helm and their roster looking the goods,I'll be prepared nice and early, with the complete Footrot Flats collection already on order and several appointments at my local tattoo parlour booked in advance.

Justify that typo buddy

4. Try to watch the entire City vs. Country match without falling asleep

A challenge worthy of a true rugby league trainspotter, I'm hoping a carton of Red Bull's from Justin Hodges and a winter spent watching the Mudgeeraba Redback 3rd grade team run around  might get me through the annual booor-fest. A Sunday afternoon timeslot is a God send here.



"Another 20 minutes of this shit? Boooooor"



5. Devote less time to taking the piss out of Todd Carney

Todd hasn't exactly made this easy for me by signing with the Sharks and undoubtedly getting even more retarded tattoos in the off-season, however it's also unlikely that he could play worse than last season. And for his sake, I hope so ....

"Quick, he's heading to Northies!"

For some more serious resolutions check out these ones from website theroar.com.au