The eighties. A time were Hulk Hogan was the wrestling champion of the world, Paul Hogan introduced as to the best and most iconic character this country has ever known and Michael Jackson was the king of pop.
Now this list required a bit of sit down time (being that I was too young to remember all but one of these finals), but the internet is a wonderful thing.
So here is my list of the top four grand finals of the 1980s
4. 1984 Canterbury v Parramatta
As Parramatta had won three in a row in the previous years and they where looking to go for four in 1984, but minor premiers the Bulldogs had other ideas.
The ruthless game plan of coach Warren Ryan saw Canterbury trump Parramatta in a tough encounter. The Bulldogs mastered the art of the “gang-tackle” under Ryan and it was executed superbly by Peter Tunks, Peter Kelly, Mark Bugden and Brian Battese.
Parramatta had a 4-0 half-time lead after Mick Cronin scored from a neat Peter Sterling pass.
An ingenious moment from Canterbury hooker Bugden won the day. Seeing an injured Ray Price on the ground, he ran from dummy-half at the place where Price would have been defending to crash over and score the winning try.
Cronin later missed a close range penalty goal attempt which would have levelled the scores close to full-time.
This was a close encounter with the Bulldogs winning their first title since 1938 breaking a 46-year drought and starting their dominance of the next four years.
2. 1986 Parramatta v Canterbury
Eels coach John Monie had stepped into the large shoes left by Jack Gibson in 1984 and was under pressure to ensure Parramatta did not fall short for a third year.
Eels legends Ray Price and Mick Cronin were in their farewell seasons and the Eels fans at least wanted to see them go out on a winning note. Everything had augured well right through the season with a Parramatta victory in the pre-season competition, the midweek National Panasonic Cup and the minor premiership.
The Bulldogs on the other hand were building a dynasty under the Warren Ryan-coached style of uncompromising defence that had changed the game.
In prop Peter Kelly, hooker Mark Bugden and three-quarter Andrew Farrar, Ryan possessed a number of defensive hitmen capable of carrying out his game plan.
Parramatta’s Mick Cronin required a police escort to the match after being stuck in a traffic jam.
The grand final was fifteen minutes old when Eels winger Mick Delroy was knocked out by a high shot from Farrar while Price suffered a constant barrage from Kelly throughout the first half.
Referee Mick Stone appeared reluctant to send anyone off and Farrar and Kelly benefitted.
Stone also disallowed two near tries in the first half to Eels five-eighth Brett Kenny who was ultimately frustrated in his attempt to replicate the two tries per grand final statistic that he’d maintained in each of the 1981, 1982 and 1983 deciders.
It wasn’t until Kelly was sin-binned for ten minutes for a high tackle on Price that the Eels started to find gaps in the Bulldogs line.
Two minutes before half time and still with 12 men, Canterbury looked in trouble when Eric Grothe, Sr. set off down the sideline with a clear path.
A desperate Steve Mortimer cover-defending run brought Grothe down metres from the tryline. A minute later Cronin opened the scoring for the Eels with a successful penalty goal.
Twelve minutes into the second half, Canterbury five-eighth Terry Lamb levelled the scores with a penalty goal after Peter Sterling was penalised for a late tackle on Steve Mortimer.
With eighteen minutes remaining, Canterbury replacement forward David Boyd was penalised for a high tackle on Price who had by now suffered an hour of ferocious Bulldog attention.
Price appeared concussed and the Parramatta trainers unsuccessfully tried to convince him to leave the field. Cronin kicked the resultant penalty and the Eels again took a two-point lead.
After Canterbury fullback Phil Sigsworth was sent off for a high shot on Kenny, the 12 remaining Bulldogs lifted a level and continued with attacking surges.
Farrar was stopped by the Eels defence centimetres from the line, Lamb missed an opportunity to level with another penalty attempt and then right on the bell Parramatta forward Michael Moseley, in a career highlight moment, cut down Bugden as the Bulldogs hooker appeared certain to score.
Parramatta had avenged their lost of 1984 to the Bulldogs and made the win with the lowest scoring games in the history of the NRL – only grand final without tries.
2. 1988 Canterbury v Balmain
Three teams were added to the competition that year with the introduction of the Newcastle Knights, Gold Coast Seagulls and the Brisbane Broncos.
With Balmain’s extraordinary late season run, 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.
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 4-0. 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 ten 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 didn’t 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 Bulldogs’ 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.
1. 1989 Canberra v Balmain
This was the best grand final not just the of the eighties but of all time. The Raiders had future representative stars Laurie Daley, Bradley Clyde, Ricky Stuart, Steve Walters and his younger brother Kevin along with Glenn Lazarus, as well as established stars Gary Belcher, Brent Todd and John ‘Chicka’ Ferguson. Canberra were coached by Tim Sheens.
Their opponents Balmain, beaten grand finalists in 1988, boasted a Test-strength pack including Steve ‘Blocker’ Roach, Paul Sironen, Ben Elias, Bruce McGuire, and inspirational captain Wayne ‘Junior’ Pearce.
They had a backline that included Garry Jack, goal-kicking English import Andy Currier, New Zealand halfback Gary Freeman, former Wallaby rugby union winger James Grant, and schoolboy sensation Tim Brasher. The Tigers were favourites to win.
The Tigers were again coached by former Canterbury-Bankstown dual premiership winner Warren Ryan.
Balmain led 12-2 at half time, having scored two tries against the run of play. The first came after an intercept by winger James Grant, snatching an offload from Raiders prop Brent Todd.
The second was a great team effort with Sironen steaming over under the posts after lead-up work from Andy Currier and Grant. It all started from a kick ahead by Currier after he had received a perfect offload from Steve Roach.
Canberra had looked marginally the better side in the first half and coach Tim Sheens spoke effectively to his players at the break, stressing that they could be considered unlucky to be trailing.
Fifteen minutes into the second half ‘Chicka’ Ferguson set up the Raiders’ first try when he escaped an attempted tackle by Currier, passed to Belcher, who also beat Currier to score. The gap was narrowed to 12-8.
Twice in the last twenty minutes Balmain nearly wrapped up the match. Michael Neil was ankle-tapped five metres from the line in a desperate dive by Mal Meninga. Then Tigers’ captain Wayne Pearce lost the ball with the line wide open and centre Tim Brasher unmarked.
Canberra would eventually come away with the win giving them their first title.
Do you agree with my list? what is you favourite 1980s grand final. Look for my next list, the four best grand finals of the 2000s.
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