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The SCG awaits rugby league's return home

17th April, 2016
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SCG members stand.
Expert
17th April, 2016
112
1951 Reads

The NRL’s decision to switch the 2018 and 2019 grand finals to the SCG when ANZ Stadium will be under reconstruction, is a no-brainer.

The Premiers of Victoria and Queensland are very disappointed. Both were fast out of the blocks to put in bids on the very day NSW Premier Mike Baird announced a $700 million makeover for ANZ.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews was the more arrogant.

“We won’t rest in keeping Victoria number one (in sport), so I’m warning if you have a major event worth taking, we’re coming for it.”

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Hard lines Premier, your threat is worthless. It would be the same in reverse if Sydney tried to pinch the AFL grand final from the MCG, or the Australian Open tennis from Melbourne Park.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was just plain ignorant.

“The day has come for Brisbane to host the NRL grand final and cut Sydney’s stranglehold on the competition’s showpiece event”.

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There’s no more passionate a Queenslander than Broncos coach Wayne Bennett, who is far more realistic than his Premier.

“Rugby league would be selling its soul if the grand final wasn’t in Sydney, it should always be there, it’s as simple as that”.

So the NRL grand final will return to the SCG pro-tem, an old friend, where 53 of the deciders have been held among 96 grand finals – 17 at Stadium Australia/ANZ Stadium, 11 at the Sydney Sports Ground, nine at the Sydney Football Stadium, and six at the RAS Showground, the original venue in 1908.

The last SCG appearance was 1987 where Manly beat Canberra 18-8 in a cracker of a decider.

I was on touch for radio station 2KY, with Geoff Prenter and Roy Masters the callers. The atmosphere was so electric it sent shivers up the spine, and knowing that grand final was to be the last at the home of rugby league, made it even greater an event.

The teams that day, Manly first:

Fullbacks – Dale Shearer, Gary Belcher.
Wing – David Ronsen, Chris Kinna.
Centre – Darrell Williams, Mal Meninga.
Centre – Michael O’Connor, Peter Jackson.
Wing – Stuart Davis, Matthew Corkley.
Five-eighth – Cliff Lyons, Chris O’Sullivan.
Halfback – Des Hasler, Ivan Henjak.
Lock – Paul Vautin (c), Dean Lance (c).
Second-row – Ron Gibbs, Ashley Gilbert.
Second-row – Noel Cleal, Gary Coyne.
Prop – Kevin Ward,Sam Backo.
Hooker – Mal Cochrane, Steve Walters.
Prop – Phil Daley, Brent Todd.

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Reserve – Paul Shaw, Kevin Walters.
Reserve – Mark Pocock, Terry Regan,

Coach – Bobby Fulton, Don Furner-Wayne Bennett.

Referee – Mick Stone.

Manly 18 – Lyons and O’Connor tries, O’Connor 5 goals from 5 attempts.
Canberra 8 – O’Sullivan try, Meninga a goal from one attempt, Belcher one from one.

Crowd – 50,201.

It’s a very different SCG now compared to that historic day.

The famous hill has gone, replaced by a state of the art stand, making the current capacity 48,000 – all seated.

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That’s way below the ground record of 78,056 set in 1965 when St George beat South Sydney 12-8 during the Dragons’ record 11-year premiership winning streak from 1956 to 1966,

The crowd was literally hanging off the rafters that day, also packing the stairway on the Showground tower next door.

Amazing, unforgettable scenes.

One of the most memorable incidents at the SCG was the 1970 decider when South Sydney prop Johnny Sattler played 73 minutes with a badly broken jaw, the result of Manly’s John Bucknall’s punch away from play..

It was a courageous performance from the tough as teak prop, with the Rabbits winning 23-12.

So buckle up well in advance rugby league fans, the 2018 and 2018 grand finals will be more electric at the SCG, where sporting traditions are a lot longer and a lot deeper.

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