Game 2.

1997 GRAND FINAL
"Newcastle v Manly Warringah, Sydney Football Stadium, 27th Spetember 1997"

Teams

NEWCASTLE R O'Davis D Albert M Gidley O Craigie A McDougall M Johns A Johns M Glanville A Muir W Richards P Harragon (c) B Peden A Butterfield

No's 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

MANLY S Nevin C Hancock T Hill C Innes J Hopoate C Field G Toovey (c) N Kosef D Gartner S Menzies D Gillespie J Sedaris M Carroll

Paul 'Chief' Harrigan lifts the Optus Cup.

Sometimes in the darkest hour, comes the greatest ray of light. This game came in an extremely dark hour, and shone like a beacon It had been 3 years since Rugby League had greedily torn itself apart. Court cases, massive player payments, lies, deceit and treachery was rife in the game on a global scale. Super League had arrived, and ripped the code apart at the seams. Where there were 20 teams looking forward to a brilliant future in March, 1995 had turned into a bitter war by August 1997, and the fans stayed away in droves. Well, not everywhere. Newcastle, the club that had jumped aboard a Paul Harragon hired mini bus to sign with the ARL 2 years previously, had moulded into a very strong outfit. They needed to be, as the giant BHP steel mill, the lifeblood of the city, was closing it's doors, and the coal fields that fed it were engrossed in a long running union battle. The Knights were the one shining light, and the city responded. In this time of despair, the team gelled, and made it's first grand final. Their opponents were reigning premiers Manly, the team everyone loved to hate. Newcastle had never beaten Manly in their 10 year history. As a result, Manly were hot favorites to win premiership No. 7. This didn't concern the Knights fans, however. What did concern them was the midweek revelation that star halfback Andrew Johns would be playing with a hole in his lung! Manly doctor Nathan Gibbs came out in the press saying that 'Joey' could die if he played. The fans responded in the best way they could to Gibbs' comments. In a magnificent gesture, crowds came out to line the route of the team bus as it sped toward Sydney on the F3 freeway. Fans as far south as Gosford cheered the bus, as the players inside were moved at such a gesture. That night, captain Paul 'Cheif' Harragon made a promise to his players. Reasoning that 'you never get sent off in grand finals' he promised to make Manly pay for the years of defeats and taunts that they had suffered, buy brutalising them in every tackle.

From the opening whistle, Chief Harragon and his pack did exactly that. They brutalised Manly's forwards near Test strength forwards, and it seemed that they were getting on top. But the class of Manly had shone out through it all, and John Hopoate scored out wide to open the Sea Eagles account. With rookie fullback Shannon Nevin on song as goalkicker, Manly raced to a 16-0 lead, through tries by Steve Menzies and Nevin. An Andrew Johns goal brought the score to 16-2.

After 30 minutes, it looked like the floodgates were about to open. But the Knights pack stuck to their brutality doctrine. Inspirational Manly captain Geoff Toovey was the main target. A small man who loved paying up front, Toovey was knocked out twice, the second time in a sickening incident when Knights winger Adam McDougall stomped on his head in a play the ball. The referee presumed was accidental, in a probably accurate decision, but the Manly fans were outraged. Their outrage did not stop when the Knights finally got on the board shortly before half time. Andrew and Matthew Johns combined to put flying fullback Robbie O'Davis over next to the posts. As O'Davis celebrated, Andrew Johns converted, and the half-time score was Manly 16-8.

Newcastle started the second half in the same vein as the first, and Manly again looked to weather the storm. However, a penalty conceded deep in their territory gave Andrew Johns a shot right in front, and suddenly it was 16-10. The Knights were pegging back Manly's big lead, and had scored 10 unanswered points. They lifted their intensity. The game developed into an arm wrestle as the 2 big packs fought for field position. Manly arrested the scoring for 20 minutes, but as the game wore on Harragon realised that his sides brutal approach was taking it's toll on the Sea Eagles. The Knights kept up the intensity, knowing that a converted try would bring them level. The tiring Manly pack dug in.

Manly's forwards had worked the ball close to the posts, and Cliff Lyons had a field goal attempt. The shot, from only 10 metres out, sailed wide. With 10 minutes to go, Matthew Johns probed close to the line, and found O'Davis, as usual, in support. O'Davis jinked and weaved, and dived for the line. He crashed into the post, but rebounded over the line. 'Joey' couldn't wait to take the kick, which he banged over from right in front. Newcastle had come back from the brink to put 16 unanswered points on. With 10 minutes to go, both sides were locked at 16-all.

2 minutes later, Matthew Johns was the first to take the attempt at field goal. From 10 metres out, and under heavy pressure of a charge down by Manly backrower Nik Kosef, the ball hit the upright, and Lyons fell on it. Manly breathed a sigh of relief. With a seemingly last ditch effort, their big forwards Mark Carroll, Niel Tierney, Menzies and Kosef worked the ball out of danger, but teh side was tiring badly, and it wasn't long before Newcastle regained posession in good field position.

The Knights pack then worked the ball back downfield. With 2 minutes to go, and looking the stronger side, prop Tony Butterfield knocked on 30 metres out. He hung his head, in the belief that their last chance was lost. Manly won the ensuing scrum, but could not hold possession. On halfway, with 90 seconds left, Newcastle regained posession.

It took 75 agonising seconds before the ball was worked close to the Manly line. With 17 seconds left, the ball was passed to Matthew Johns. He believed that it was the very last play. At 10 metres out, and right in front, he dropped the ball into his right foot, and launched the field goal attempt. It left his boot sweeter than the last attempt, but still caught the right upright. The ball bounced back into the field of play, but this time it was back in the Knights posession. Winger Darren Albert, hopelessly out of position, had fallen on it. The hooter had not sounded, so Matthew Johns quickly repositioned himself for another snap attempt.

Albert couldn't play the ball quick enough. There was only one problem. Andrew Johns was dummy half, and in a split second of madness, didn't pass the ball to his brother. Instead, he ran blind, and found that Hopoate, the marker, had gone in to try and cut off the kick. Andrew Johns then calmly drew the defence, and passed to Albert, who ran through the gap, past a disbelieving Cliff Lyons, and scored under the posts. Manly had led for all but the last 6 seconds. Newcastle were premiers.

The welcome the Knights received in Newcastle was so raucous that it outranked Adelaide's reaction to their maiden AFL premiership, in a city 5 times Newcastle's size. For a code left struggling with the pain of Super League, the win was a much needed shot in the arm. Soon after, the game reunited, with Newcastle as worthy premiers.

Newcastle 20 (O'Davis 2, Albert tries, A Johns 4 goals) defeated Manly 16 (Hopoate, Nevin, Menzies tries, Nevin 2 goals)

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