Kevin Ward 1987 to 1988

Saturday, 11 March 2006 05:00

In 1986 tough Castleford prop Kevin Ward stood tall for the Lions against the might of the undefeated Kangaroos captained by Wally Lewis. He willingness to get dirty in the trenches when taking on the talented Australian forward pack which contained the likes of Roach, Dowling & Sironen impressed the Sea Eagles and he was signed to play for the club the following season.

Due to the cross over of seasons between the Northern & Southern Hemisphere competitions, Ward did make his debut until well into the 1987 season. However he
In 1986 tough Castleford prop Kevin Ward stood tall for the Lions against the might of the undefeated Kangaroos captained by Wally Lewis. He willingness to get dirty in the trenches when taking on the talented Australian forward pack which contained the likes of Roach, Dowling & Sironen impressed the Sea Eagles and he was signed to play for the club the following season.

Due to the cross over of seasons between the Northern & Southern Hemisphere competitions, Ward did make his debut until well into the 1987 season. However he immediately made an impression through not only his bull like charges up the middle of the ruck and rugged defence but also his lily white legs which were a direct result of his time spent in the north of England.

His combination with giant prop Phil Daley and Ronnie Rambo Gibbs made the 1987 Sea Eagles team the most feared team in the competition. His arrival at the club coincided with an extended unbeaten run of 12 consecutive victories for the men in maroon and white.

As the season drew to a close Manly were the runaway competition leaders and minor premiers in waiting. However as Sea Eagles fans started salivating at the prospect of premiership glory Ward was forced to return to the UK due to his contractual obligations to Castleford.

After he left Manly were stung by a couple of upset defeats just as September and semi final football loomed. The losses did not prevent Manly from winning the minor premiership and as result they gained a week off and direct qualification for the major semi final.

Manly took on the Eastern Suburbs Roosters in the major semi and Mark Pocock filled in for the absent Ward in the front row. The Sea Eagles played strongly and won a hard fought battle, the victory saw them advance straight into the 1987 Grand Final which was to be last Grand Final played at the famous ground.

The question on everyones lips on the peninsula at that time was Would Kevin Ward be allowed to play in the Grand Final? Without his granite like body protecting the likes of Michael OConnor and Cliff Lyons the Sea Eagles were vulnerable.

Castleford were reluctant to release their star player back for 1 game on the other side of the world due to the risk of injury and fatigue. However some wheeling and dealing from Sea Eagles supremo Ken Arthurson saw Ward arrive at Sydney airport a couple of days before the decider against the Canberra Raiders.

In one of the hottest September days on record Manly took on the Raiders team which contained the like of Mal Meninga, Peter Jackson, Gary Belcher and Sam Backo.

Manly fans who made the trip over to Moore Park to watch the Grand Final in the heat of the midday sun doubted whether Ward would be effective in the almost tropical conditions after coming from cold English climate and enduring a 24 hour long flight.

These fears were allayed almost from the first few seconds of the game when Ward went on a damaging run on one of the first touches the Sea Eagles had with the ball. Despite the 30+ degree temperature Ward never stopped both in attack and defence in almost a super human effort.

His presence inspired his team mates and the Sea Eagles convincingly won the game and the Winfield Cup. Mercurial 5/8 Cliff Lyons won the Clive Churchill medal that day but he won it on the back of Kevin Ward winning the forward battle which provided Lyons with the room to move and display his magic.

Watching from the concourse in front of the OReilly Stand I gave Kevin Ward my Man of the Match despite Lyons dominant display.

He returned to England the very next day after a short but emotional Grand Final celebration.

In 1988 he toured Australia with the British team and he stayed on a played a handful of games for the Sea Eagles at the conclusion of the tour. However despite Wards presence the club could not repeat its effort of 1987 losing to eventual Grand Finalists in the first week of the semis.

During his stint in Maroon & White Ward played in 16 first grade games scoring 2 tries. He will always be remembered as one of the very best front rowers to have played for the club and he joined the likes of Malcolm Reilly, Phil Lowe, Steve Norton and Gary Stevens as pommy Sea Eagles who tasted Australian premiership glory.

Kevin Ward a granite Sea Eagle

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