Manly coach Geoff Toovey has made sure the bad old days around 1978, engineered by Western Suburbs coach Roy Masters, have returned: a different version of the battle of the fibros against the silvertails.
Toovey has suggested to the Manly faithful to boo and jeer Bulldogs coach Des Hasler tomorrow night at Brookvale for leaving Manly to go the Belmore just five days after winning last year’s NRL premiership.
Turn the clock back 34 years and before any game against Manly-Warringah at Lidcombe or Brookvale, Masters would pair off his squad and have them slap each other in the face, then spit on each other between the eyes.
It signified the intense social hate between the fibro-living Western Suburbs and the elite-living upper class of the North Shore.
It was all bullshit.
But Masters was a master at using social bias to make his team fired up to the max in the shed before they took to the field.
Magpies against Eagles were always brutal affairs, fibros and silvertails became cemented in rugby league folklore.
Toovey has sparked a dangerous repeat of that bias, even though the target is Hasler, not the Bulldogs.
This is especially poor as Toovey was Hasler’s assistant coach on the way to the premiership. Bad call, Toovey, virtually ensuring he will incite a riot.
Rugby league is better than that, and so too is Toovey.
But, as some commentators would say, any way you can get an edge in this tight competition, grab it.
This game in particular promises to be a blockbuster between the reigning premiers and the front-line pretenders who have won their last eight games playing entertaining and enterprising rugby league.
Roy Masters will be sitting back and enjoying every tension-filled minute of this game, reminding him of what he created in his side with the likes of Tommy Raudonikis, Les Boyd, Bruce Gibbs, and John Donnelly against Frank Stanton’s Max Krilich, John Gray, Terry Randall, and Graham Eadie – refereed by Greg Hartley, controversial enough in his own right.
Yesterday Roar expert, Tim Prentice, a Manly faithful, called on Manly fans to show Des Hasler his due respect for what he did for the Peninsula club through 255 first grade games and 11 years on the coaching staff that produced three grand finals and two premierships.
Prentice was right on the money; Toovey is way out of line.
But Toovey will win his point and Prentice, along with rugby league, will be the losers.
It will just reinforce the old saying: every rugby league fan supports his own team, and any team playing against Manly.
Pot Stirrer
Guest
The Dogs became the silver tails when Todd Greenback took charge, Seriously is this guy printing is own money or what ?
Mals
Roar Rookie
JVGO - which is the rich Leagues Club & which is the poor Leagues Club? It's got nothing to do with house prices!
Rabbitz
Roar Guru
Keep ya cotton picking fingers well away from Rat Park. We had enough trouble with the shin grabbers and hooligans when they wanted to try and take over. We ain't lettin' no mungos onto the hallowed turf. And before the abuse starts my tongue is firmly in my cheek...
David Heidelberg
Guest
I blame WSW, for stealing the Bears jumpers.
Larry
Guest
How lazy! eagleJack bang on the money, ridiculous article to represent Toovey's quote devoid of any context whatsoever! DL can be more ill-considered than many posters on this site with his almost stream of consciousness, reactionary opinion pieces.
JVGO
Guest
If anyone thinks there is not a trace of fibros v silvertails about all this they are kidding themselves. Just check the difference in house prices between the Northern beaches and say Greenacre. Just inevitable.
c
Guest
maaaate missed you welcome back :)
tonysalerno
Roar Guru
It will be a top game on friday- i hope there is a fight but it is unlikely. The Dogs to get up in a close one i feel...
onside
Guest
'Toovey revives the old fibros versus silvertails hatred' Should read, 'David Lord tries to revive the old fibros versus silvertails hatred' Trite stuff.
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
Or maybe they too were sick of the issues that were occurring at board level and when the opportunity to join Des in a much more professionally run club was available, they took it.
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
Point still remains, you can argue over 1 year, but making the finals for 7 straight years, and being in the Grand Final three times, winning two, should mean you are doing a lot better off the field than you are. I think you guys really need to abandon Brookie, and get that money that is being thrown at it, pushed to either developing Rat Park properly which has heaps of room and could bring in more locals through the gate with up to date facilities, while still retaining a hill at either end for that old school feel, or exploring what it would take to develop Manly Oval so more visiting fans attend as it's much easier to get to. Brookie is the noose that hangs over the clubs head, and with Warringah council being very unhelpful, big decisions need to be made. Is your board strong enough to make that decision? Otherwise your club will just fall further and further behind by denying revenue that other clubs are able to achieve, and the difference in income will only get worse in another 10 years as most other clubs grow their pie.
Mals
Roar Rookie
Manly didn't make the top 8 in 2004. Try 13.
apaway
Guest
Having read the article which David has based this story on, I can find no reference to Toovey encouraging Manly fans to boo Des Hasler tomorrow night. The vast majority worship Des and what he did for the club, and as Dogs Of War has pointed out, their vitriole is more aimed at the Manly board for allowing him to slip through their fingers. I sincerely hope that a packed house at Brookvale gives Hasler a tremendous reception because it wouldn't have been the packed house it almost surely will be without Hasler's guidance from 2004 to 2011. Of course, the "Des-love" won't extend to being happy with a Bulldogs win...
Andy
Guest
Manly could not match the prices your club was throwing at our staff and thats why most of them left.
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
So that then begs the question, why is a team that has made the top eight since 2004 struggling. It's not like Manly didn't make a very large offer to keep Des after the horse had bolted. So once again, start pointing fingers at management, and make them accountable. Otherwise it will happen again and again till it's fixed.
Haradasun
Guest
Hard to agree to a pay rise when you dont have the cash. Manly just don't have the funds that the Bulldog$ command.
eagleJack
Guest
Haha yeah I used to hate being told about KPIs. That's why I went out on my own! In relation to Manly from a business sense our 2009 and 2010 seasons were pretty poor. We limped into the finals and were duly beaten convincingly. Des came to them at the end of the 2010 season and said he wanted a payrise. The Board would have said yes, we can see what you did in 2007, 2008 and we are very happy with that. But let's see if you can match that in 2011 first. You are contracted until the end of 2012. We will look after you at the end of 2011. Des and his ego didn't like that. I, too, would have been annoyed. But I understand it. Im not backing the board. I think they stuffed up. They had a chance to nip in the bud immediately but chose to drag it out. But it always takes 2 to tango.
The Barry
Roar Guru
I was surprised to see this article. Toovey (and most Manly fans) have been very respectful of Hasler. No doubt the Manly fans will boo him and no doubt if Manly win there will be a few jeers directed towards the visitors coaching box - but so what.
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
BTW when I say KPI's like that, I mean it in jest, it's just management speak for we don't want to pay you what your worth. He helped the club out when it was down on it's knees, and now the club is doing a lot better off the field, he felt he should get some of those rewards.
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
KPI's? As I said, he had got you to two grand finals winning one, and you guys never missed the finals with him running the show. So how I see it, he wanted to be rewarded per market rates, which you guys were paying unders for. It would have been easy to fix, and come half way when the issue first came up and provide some more cash immediately bringing him closer to what he was after, with more bonus's built in for performance, but you guys played with fire and got burnt. What Bellamy is doing is different, he is already very well paid, so your comparing apples with oranges.