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One of rugby league’s most celebrated rivalries will continue on Saturday night when the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles welcome the Melbourne Storm to Brookvale Oval.
Since the turn of this century, both the Storm and Sea Eagles have been among the most consistent clubs in the NRL, with nine of 13 grand finals since 2006 featuring either club, including back-to-back deciders in 2007 and 2008.
The first of those saw the Storm – with a squad that no-one knew was illegally assembled at the time – thrash the Sea Eagles by 34-8 with Greg Inglis winning the Clive Churchill Medal in what was just his third NRL season.
The turning point came when, just after half-time, Michael Crocker ironed out Brett Stewart with a perfectly executed tackle as the latter caught a high bomb from Inglis, leaving the Sea Eagles to play the second half without their custodian.
His absence proved telling as the Storm dominated the second half en route to winning a title that would later be stripped from them due to significant salary cap breaches uncovered in 2010.
In 2008, the Sea Eagles would return serve in brutal fashion, winning by a record score of 40-0 with winger Michael Robertson scoring a hat trick of tries.
While the two teams would not meet in another grand final since, they have met in a number of significant matches, including two finals (both won by the Storm by 40-12) as well as several spiteful clashes, including an infamous match at Brookvale Oval in 2011.
This was to be the first match attended by then NRL CEO David Gallop of either side after he suspended Brett Stewart for the first four rounds of the 2009 season for sexual assault allegations that he was later cleared of, and after he stripped the Storm of two premierships for salary cap breaches in 2010.
The match itself, which was billed as a grand final preview, turned violent in the first half when a brawl occurred at the northern end where the Storm were defending their line.
Following this, firebrands Glenn Stewart and Adam Blair were sent to the sin bin, and on their way to the sheds, another brawl broke out, involving nearly all players from both clubs. Both players were subsequently sent off, leaving both teams a man down for the rest of the match.
In the end, the Sea Eagles would prevail 18-4, with Storm fullback Billy Slater scoring at the death to prevent his club from being held scoreless for the first time since the 2008 decider.
So violent was the match that it was eventually given the nickname the Battle of Brookvale.
Both current captains, Daly Cherry-Evans and Cameron Smith, remain the only survivors from that infamous clash for their respective sides.
Both clubs seemed destined to reach the grand final that year, but while the Sea Eagles held up their end of the bargain, the Storm crashed out at the penultimate hurdle, losing to the New Zealand Warriors in the preliminary final.
Another spiteful clash between the two sides came halfway through last season, where the Sea Eagles took the points at AAMI Park by way of a 24-4 win against a Storm side that was missing suspended captain Smith, with Slater acting in his position.
In that match, Curtis Scott was sent off for punching Dylan Walker, who along with Apisai Koroisau was sin-binned for his role in the ensuing brawl that took place.
Fast forward to this Saturday night and you can expect that the passion will be there as the Storm look to officially lock up the minor premiership, while the Sea Eagles will be hoping to secure the double chance for the first time since 2014.
While the Storm remain a consistent premiership contender under Craig Bellamy, the Sea Eagles have rediscovered their mojo under Des Hasler, who returned to the club this year after a six-year stint coaching the Bulldogs.
Last week, the Storm came from behind to defeat the Gold Coast Titans by 24-8, just about securing the minor premiership in the process, while the Sea Eagles did likewise against the Raiders, hanging on to win by 18-14 in the nation’s capital.
Manly’s resurgence in 2019 comes after they finished second last on the ladder last season, and their poor training facilities as well as internal infighting prompted then coach Trent Barrett to walk out on the club with 12 months left on his contract.
It will also be the teams’ second meeting in just over a month, after the Sea Eagles defeated the Storm by 11-10 in golden point extra time after Cherry-Evans kicked the match winner in the final minute of extra time to give his side the victory.
This marked the second consecutive victory for the Silvertails in the Victorian capital, after that spiteful match last year, which they won 24-4.
Five weeks on, the Sea Eagles can take another step towards finishing with the double chance with a repeat victory over the Storm, something they haven’t done since 2015.
This would move them to third on the ladder ahead of the Canberra Raiders facing off against the Cronulla Sharks in the Shire on Sunday.
On that note, a Storm loss would see their lead at the top of the ladder possibly reduced to two points, with the Sydney Roosters expected to take care of the Penrith Panthers at the SCG later the same evening.
Otherwise, a win would see them officially wrap up the minor premiership with one round to play after this weekend.
So who will prevail in the Battle of Brookvale this Saturday night?
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