Hard-fought not bought: Manly win premiership

Rumma - Beaver back as test captain? Why the hell didn't I think of that? Couldn't think of a better choice myself. The old man showed a few of those Storm upstarts how it's done on Sunday, there's still life in those old legs yet. And as for the league vs. union debate, I hear Robbie Deans has taken quite a liking to the peninsula and plans to buy around the Fairlight area, so I'm sure he loved it.

Agreed Link. And with most of them on long term contracts we are very very excited down here. I can't tell you guys how much it hurt to support Manly in the big one. But i thought it was a just result. Brett Kimmorley said on Fox tonight - Melbourne are a good team, not a great one. To be a great one they should have won at least two or three of the past grand finals.

Temba, you've gotta get that chip of your shoulder. Its a shame that an Australian Rugby fan can look neither internationally or domestically and see dominance. Probably indicates where your paranoia comes from, but don't take it out on the rest of us. Millster, enjoying your work. Cosmos, gotta get Alan Tongue to teach those youngsters how to hang on to the ball, but geez they've got some spark in them.

I got up at 7am in England to watch the game. I have no affiliation to either side (or any in the NRL) so I watched it purely as a neutral and thought it was a superb game. Of course it didn't have the excitement of a close contest but the skills on show were wonderful. It was a great game of rugby and a very well deserved win by Manly.

Cosmos - sorry for getting carried away before. I realise sometimes my aggro at someone can get the better of me. I for one loved the entertainment. Thought Noiseworks and the Living End both played really well.

And Skull - it gets so much better than that. The Noiseworks song that was chosen was written about a bloke whose girlfriend is killed in a car accident. So good to see Jonny Stevens belting it out surrounded by hot utes...

Love your work cosmos. As Roy & HG said the Rugby League sure showed China how an opening ceremony should be ut on. The utes and the BBQ's what a hoot.

You guys can be real losers, seriously. Code War aside - very exciting match. Raiders 20's certainly take our the Most Ironic Team award by scoring the winning try from an offside player taking the chip kick. Only decision to go our way all season in any grade! Thought the final was a one-sided score line but quite tense until the last 15 or so. A quality game all round. Storm completely ineffectual when not allowed to lay all over the player and left it up to individual brilliance which has been lacking for weeks (Ingliss - no tired, grappled opposition to turn the magic on against this week eh). Isreal and Crocker the only two to really show some guts. Nice end to the season. PS - as a result of a bet I had a butler for the whole day. Thank God the Raiders finished above the Panthers! Thanks Sammy - I appreciated that constant stream of beer and also thought you looked great in all that Raiders gear ;) The Priddis-Adamson Cup is yours for another year! Now, I'm going out the back to play a NoiseWorks medley on my kettle bbq

Temba - I've looked back for a ridiculous post before yours and cannot find one. The only reference to Union before your entry was quite oblique and referred to the GF having been a try-focused game and not reliant on a rule-set and scoring system that over-weighs the kicked goal. Given that I've heard over the past 5 years many expert Union commentators strongly agree that too much scoring in that code comes from the boot, I didn't think it was such an offensive or controversial comment. But... just taking your first post... your downright hysterical responses included... "Honestly I don’t know why you try, league will never make it to unions status as a sport." "No use in comparing them if u are a union supporter, league is similar to donkey racing in Mexico if you come from out side Australia." "checkers just seems so boring when you are use to chess." ...and the clincher again... "Maybe its a cultural thing?" So who was attacking who again? And are you still denying my right (even as a relative neutral in all this) to call your uppity arrogant approach towards League for the rubbish it is? Funny thing is I bet you're not even an old boy from one of those elitist schools Westy describes, which would be the one thing to partially excuse you. I'll bet you've picked up a taste for Union, along with one for bad chardonnay and cucumber sandwiches and linen suits with boatshoes, as a late-starter wannabe. No-one truly from the elite end of society would show so little class.

Very dramatic Millster, "attacking and puking" funny you dint defend anything when Ray before me spat out code vs. code stuff. Please stop being the hero... And you are calling me fraudulent? :) Relax mate, enough attacking me for one day I gota go home now.

Can i say something, i play chess and know the game well, but i do admit its boring, i love checkers 2 and its fast exciting and all over in minutes. So my thoery is that i can admit when something is boring, Even thow i like to play the game. I am only talking about Chess and checkers by the way. :) As for union i have only said it has trouble at the local end. Super14 and under. And i have said before this will not change here in oz while we have the n.r.l. The big money will come for the nrl and its juniors. That under 20's game was a ripper. Not alot of dropped ball. I also stand by my remarks about the local games selling there products around the world, the n.r.l and super league have good products to sell.

TembaVJ............Also understand I support go to club rugby games . My club the Two Blues is like the Penrith Emus fighting for our existence in Western sydney. NZ rugby tries to save Northland but here where we are with nearly 3 million people still facing a difficult future. I may tend to distort or exaggerate my views but sadly there are some seeds of truth.

Temba - I think most people here can go back and look at your litany of snide remarks about League and judge for themselves. Also most people here who I speak to regularly will know that I defend any code against code-v-code stuff which I despise. Your "checkers and chess" stuff and attempt to pass off Union as more skilled and complex, combined with your fraudulent attempt to present that code as a truly international sport is what got me going. And the "maybe its a cultural thing" line you used to end your first post was condescending enough to make me - and I suspect other reads - puke.

TembaVJ......one other point that distinguishes NZ rugby from Australian rugby is that unlike in New Zealand, rugby has never been a game of the people. There are ordinary punters who play and support rugby in Australia but the game is weak in the areas it needs to be strong. This has not always been about money. We lost a majority of amateur rugby players here to amateur league by the late 1930's. Robbie Deans or any other New Zealander is not in a position to understand that rugby turned its back on some "people " long before money became an issue. The best analysis is that a New Zealander could proudly debate and pick a very stong Maori AllBlack team..........The AFL can pick a strong All Australian Aboriginal Team....and League can and has selected a very powerful Indigenous team of the century captained coach by Arthur Beetson all who played for the Kangaroos or their state........That there have been famous Indigenous players to play for the wallabies is true but 19 with their own coach .......Ah ...........we might get some .........but if you understand the difficulty get the picture...Australian Rugby is much better at picking a team of the century from one elitist private school....Joey's ...who Spiros proudly states have supplied 15% of all Wallabies. Says it all really. I support Rugby but like most of us have a league team and keep an eye on a game that appealled a little more to the ordinary punter not because it was more complicated just more welcoming across social classes.

Why on earth would you like to attack me Millster? Are you policing the internet searching for the wrong do'ers like myself and fight the good fight for all sports? Get over yourself, you got pissed off because I replied to a league supporters ridiculous post. I'm not even "attacking" you as you would say, just debating, its what these sites are for in the first place.

Westy... Good comments, it will aid me in my struggle to becoming a better "football" supporter. Millster, please... You are not defending the right of all that is good, I think its time you get your feet back on the ground. After all the negatives you spat out about union I find it funny you now try and be open minded and on mutual ground. I watched that game (not all of it) as I watched all the state of origin matches and I did say right in the beginning that I have seen some very talented players do amazing things. I didn't come here to pickup arms for union but when I see ridiculous remarks as some have made here I have to reply.

Westy - thanks for that knowledgeable and balanced view.

Just for clarification Temba I am a football follower which puts all other codes in perspective. So don't put me in with leaguies, just see me as someone who on principle though your comments were arrogant. But I do like all the other codes (yes even union) for what they are. What I objected to was your value judgement about the game itself. However much trouble the League's administration and structure is in, or how fragile its support base, farting on about it being intrinsically an inferior game is just crap - untrue and unhelpful. Also in most of the world you would of course realise that Union is also seen as nothing more than Mexican Donkey Racing - surely you have enough perspective to see that. Incidentally just so you know I'm attacking you and not Union I'd defend Union the same way against biased baseless drivel from the followers of any other sport. I'm arguing on principle.

TembaVJ.....your usual sound technical analysis and knowledge of Rugby ... may not help you here ....your view is predicated on the fact a game must be close to be exciting.......i thought South Africa played some excellent line/angle running rugby....that was technically very proficient.....genuinely exploiting not only Tahu but our entire lineout was pierced causing havoc to inside defensive backs............I saw Geelong last year play very skilful AFL in flogging Port Adelaide last year ......and I also find it difficult not to appreciate the skill on show on some of Manly skills. Hasler plays an old fashioned 5/8 and some of our Rugby monsters out on the wing would have found it very difficult to finish get in low at speed to finish their sometimes exquisite passing movements. They sometimes used used their hands as well as any rugby centre .....and with Crocker shooting out of the defensive line ...brave at times Different games or not League has some positional similarities in the backs and I have not seen a current Australian rugby fullback who can match Slater/Stewart or Hunt. This does not count the injured Bowen Hodgson or Minichello. We currently have maybe one and I forgot the Reds borrowed Schicovski from league's Raiders. I went to see Sydney Uni play Randwick in our Sydney First Grade Grand Final... closer game TembaVJ but the skill level was to say the least ordinary.In Australian rugby we have to be careful not to have sour grapes. It is alright not to like league but I have learned like the leaguies are learning in transferring to rugby now not to underestimate the skill level of any of Australia's 4 codes.

Skull (good nick by the way) you have hit the nail on the head. Complex is boring to you but to others it intriguing. Like I said Chess is more complex allowing for more tactical game play then Checkers a faster moving game. Like you said each to his own.