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Post by Rugby League Historian on Sept 23, 2021 19:08:15 GMT 10
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Post by Rugby League Historian on Sept 23, 2021 19:11:16 GMT 10
The 1988 NSWRL season was the 81st season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and saw the first expansion of the New South Wales Rugby League Premiership outside the borders of New South Wales, and another expansion outside of Sydney, with the addition of three new teams: the Brisbane Broncos, Newcastle Knights and Gold Coast-Tweed Giants. The largest NSWRL premiership yet, sixteen clubs competed during the 1988 season, with the J J Giltinan Shield for minor premiers going to Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. The finals culminated in a grand final for the Winfield Cup between the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Balmain Tigers. This season NSWRL teams also competed for the 1988 Panasonic Cup.
Finals Balmain had staged a gripping charge for the final five, winning nine of their last eleven games including five in a row to leave them in equal fifth spot with the Penrith Panthers at the regular season's end. They then won four sudden death finals to make it to the Grand Final.
Grand Final
Following Balmain's extraordinary late season run in winning thirteen of fifteen games, the stage was set for a Grand Final of great appeal. 1980s master coach Warren Ryan of Balmain was up against the club he had coached for four years to three grand finals and two premierships, as well as being matched against the man who had replaced him at Canterbury – Phil Gould. It was master against pupil. At just 30 years of age, Gould was vying not only to become the youngest coach to win a grand final but the first since Balmain's Leo Nosworthy in 1969 to steer a team to premiership victory in his first season coaching the top-grade.
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs faced the Balmain Tigers on 11 September 1988 in the first Grand Final played at the Sydney Football Stadium and the last game for Steve Mortimer. The match was played early so that Channel Ten could broadcast the 1988 Seoul Olympics. The Australian national anthem was performed by Glenn Shorrock.
After five minutes Peter Tunks was sent to the sin bin for ten minutes for treading on Ben Elias. The first points of the match were scored shortly after from Terry Lamb's successful penalty kick. Another penalty kick from Lamb put the Bulldogs in front 4 nil. However Balmain grabbed the first try an Elias put up a bomb and was first to the ball ahead of Bulldog Jason Alchin. Conlon's conversion from in front gave the Tigers the lead for first time at 6–4.
A highly controversial tackle by Terry Lamb put Balmain's in form British import Ellery Hanley out of the game before the 30-minute mark had been reached. Hanley staggered off, heavily concussed, with the score at 6–4. Under the rules of the time, Hanley was allowed 10 minutes to recover in the head bin. If he could not return he would need to be replaced. He returned just before half-time and stood, out-of-sorts, on the wing. The Bulldogs then ran in a 70-metre try from broken play and went to the break with a lead of 10–8.
Hanley did not return after half-time and the Bulldogs started to dominate. A great Canterbury team try to Michael Hagan sealed the match. Bruce McGuire scored Balmain's second try late in the match although the outcome was already clear. The match ended on a sentimental note when Gould called the Bulldog's representative star, former captain and 271 game veteran, Steve Mortimer to the sideline. He was less than fully fit and had his arm heavily padded to protect the wrist he had broken early in the season. However Mortimer had been named as a fresh reserve as tribute to his previous club contributions and the match ended with him moving to dummy half and taking the ball up for the last time.
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 24 Tries: Nissen, Hagan, Gillespie, Lamb Goals: Lamb 4
Balmain Tigers 12 Tries: Elias, McGuire Goals: Conlon 2
Clive Churchill Medal: Paul Dunn (Canterbury)
Wikipedia
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Post by Rugby League Historian on Sept 23, 2021 19:12:32 GMT 10
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Post by Rugby League Historian on Sept 23, 2021 19:15:45 GMT 10
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Post by Rugby League Historian on Sept 23, 2021 19:17:49 GMT 10
Bulldogs forward Paul Dunn.
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Post by Rugby League Historian on Sept 23, 2021 19:20:15 GMT 10
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Post by Rugby League Historian on Sept 23, 2021 19:21:32 GMT 10
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Post by Rugby League Historian on Sept 23, 2021 19:22:40 GMT 10
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Post by Rugby League Historian on Sept 23, 2021 19:23:59 GMT 10
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Post by Rugby League Historian on Sept 23, 2021 19:25:19 GMT 10
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Post by Rugby League Historian on Feb 4, 2022 20:07:11 GMT 10
The first grand final at the Sydney Football Stadium will be remembered for a high shot by Bulldogs five-eighth on the Tigers’ British import Ellery Hanley.
The Tigers led 6-4 after 30 minutes when Hanley was collected high by Lamb and he was helped off the field by the Balmain trainers.
Years later Hanley said: “I have no malice towards Terry Lamb. It’s just one of those things, what happens on a football paddock. You’ve just got to move on. It was just unfortunate it happened that particular time because we had a wonderful run.”
Balmain had won four straight finals to make the grand final, but the Bulldogs proved too strong, with Lamb scoring a try.
Phil Gould also became the youngest coach to win a premiership, beating former coach Warren Ryan, who had taken the Bulldogs to three grand finals in the 1980s.
Daily Telegraph
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Post by Rugby League Historian on Feb 4, 2022 20:55:55 GMT 10
Terry Lamb and Ellery Hanley pictures of the 1988 Grand Final.
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Post by Rugby League Historian on Feb 14, 2022 21:51:51 GMT 10
Ellery Hanley is assisted from field during the 1988 grand final
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Post by Rugby League Historian on Feb 16, 2022 20:35:52 GMT 10
Hit the north
Balmain weren’t always the innocent bystanders. Their officials came up with a cunning plan worthy of Baldrick of Blackadder fame when they attempted to circumvent the rules and allow Steve Roach to play in the 1988 grand final.
Roach still had two games to serve from a suspension when Balmain made the final game of the season, so the Tigers hierarchy allowed "Blocker" to sign a short-term deal with England team Warrington.
Roach flew to England and The Wire named him to play for the reserves on Saturday and first grade on Sunday, thereby making up the two matches before he made the round trip back to Sydney.
Unfortunately, the great escape was foiled by the Australian league bosses who quickly shut the loophole, leaving Roach in England.
“Instead of playing in the decider, I lay on a bed in my Warrington unit ... listening to Hollywood [Greg Hartley] and Zorba [Peter Peters] calling the match down the line [on the radio]," Roach told The Daily Telegraph in 2008.
The Bulldogs won the title with a 24-12 victory.
NRL
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Post by Rugby League Historian on Sept 10, 2022 22:26:11 GMT 10
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