1973 Grand Final

[mozgrame]

Was anyone there for this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScaBE5wNVNo

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

Yeah I think there were close to 50,000 people there.

 

[wedgetail eagle]

No, but I watched it on b&w TV, had my lace up jersey & man size Manly socks on with the heel 1/2 way up my leg, as kid size socks were hard to get. 🙂
When Rick Bourke scored I was worried,
(my brother goes for Cronulla)
as we all know, but the lads hung on. Phew!

 

[roscoe]

Yeah I was there, almost as exciting as in 72. My sister was front page of the Daily Mirror paper wearing the Manly jersy as a dress. I remember the cars sounding their horns all the way to the north side of the bridge, fantastic to be there for those first couple of wins even though I was too young to go and celebrate at the bar.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Yep my first one ( GF) , I had just turned 18 , came down from the bush by train and stayed with my brother in Penrith.

 

[PONTIAN SEA EAGLE]

I wasn't there but have seen the game on my magic of manly box set.Seriously most of those players in that game playing today would have copped 16 weeks for there foul play.

 

[rosco]

I was there. Can remember crowd being allowed on the field between games. There was nearly as many fights between the supporters as in the game. It was the first time the teams were given the opportunity to warm up on the field before the game and probably played a part in the fights that ensued.
Still remember Tommy Bishop punching whoever he could and then running behind his pommy mate Cliff Watson. Luckily Bozo was able to keep out of trouble and scored two solo tries.

 

[KOMORI]

I was an accident 2 years away from happening lol 😉

 

[eagle66]

My first grand final, 11 years old and snuck out at 4am to catch the first train into Central and walked to Moore Park. Lined up and I was 5th in line for the outer. Bloody rained on us before the gates opened. Stood under the Bradman behind the goal posts due to the early rain. I was ecstatic when we won reserve grade and vivdly remember Alan Thompson playing a good game. Got really worried when Mal Reilly went off in the firsts.

 

[Shoe1]

Smith and greenturd should look at this game and fine the surviving players for bringing the game into disrepute.

 

[Frank]

My first grand final, 11 years old and snuck out at 4am to catch the first train into Central and walked to Moore Park. Lined up and I was 5th in line for the outer. Bloody rained on us before the gates opened. Stood under the Bradman behind the goal posts due to the early rain. I was ecstatic when we won reserve grade and vivdly remember Alan Thompson playing a good game. Got really worried when Mal Reilly went off in the firsts.

Yes '62 was a great year. Watched it in B&W myself.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

@eagle66 we might have been standing next to each other, that's where I was as well.

It's so long ago that all I really remember was the rain , the crowds, and the fights ( in the game and between supporters ).

I didn't know a soul, fresh faced kid from the bush, I had only ever been to one other game ( Manly v Penrith out at Panthers), it was a bloody big deal for me at the time.

I had just turned 18 so could even have a beer ( not that they cared in those days).

I couldn't afford a jersey, or even a t shirt , so just went in my civvies, from memory a lot went like that anyway.

It's funny but even though I went to 73/78 I have more memories from 82/83, and can recall everything about 87/95/96/97 and of course the recent ones are like yesterday .

I'm just a little disappointed that I was unable to get to 72, my Dad said " no way at 17 are you going to Sydney for a football game".

Such is life !!

 

[southsideeagle]

Yep my first one ( GF) , I had just turned 18 , came down from the bush by train and stayed with my brother in Penrith.

So big 6 0 next year Mark? I will beat u by a few months. Not that is anything to cheer about.

 

[Shoe1]

@eagle66 we might have been standing next to each other, that's where I was as well.

It's so long ago that all I really remember was the rain , the crowds, and the fights ( in the game and between supporters ).

I didn't know a soul, fresh faced kid from the bush, I had only ever been to one other game ( Manly v Penrith out at Panthers), it was a bloody big deal for me at the time.

I had just turned 18 so could even have a beer ( not that they cared in those days).

I couldn't afford a jersey, or even a t shirt , so just went in my civvies, from memory a lot went like that anyway.

It's funny but even though I went to 73/78 I have more memories from 82/83, and can recall everything about 87/95/96/97 and of course the recent ones are like yesterday .

I'm just a little disappointed that I was unable to get to 72, my Dad said " no way at 17 are you going to Sydney for a football game".

Such is life !!

You should have got the sneaky 11 year old @eagle66 to pick you up!

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Yes mate 60 in 2015

Oh how the years have flown

 

[eagle66]

@eagle66 we might have been standing next to each other, that's where I was as well.

It's so long ago that all I really remember was the rain , the crowds, and the fights ( in the game and between supporters ).

I didn't know a soul, fresh faced kid from the bush, I had only ever been to one other game ( Manly v Penrith out at Panthers), it was a bloody big deal for me at the time.

I had just turned 18 so could even have a beer ( not that they cared in those days).

I couldn't afford a jersey, or even a t shirt , so just went in my civvies, from memory a lot went like that anyway.

It's funny but even though I went to 73/78 I have more memories from 82/83, and can recall everything about 87/95/96/97 and of course the recent ones are like yesterday .

I'm just a little disappointed that I was unable to get to 72, my Dad said " no way at 17 are you going to Sydney for a football game".

Such is life !!

I wasn't allowed to go in 1972, so I made up my own mind in 1973. I did go to the major semi in 1972, what a game, sat in the stand betwen the members and the Bradman (if it was there at the time). Great view great result.
So you went to the MW v Penrith at Penrith. In 1973? what a game, I remember running to a mate's place after slot car racing to watch the second half live on the ABC. I seem to recall Johnny Mayes running in support in the middle of the field all afternoon.

 

[wedgetail eagle]

Yes mate 60 in 2015

Oh how the years have flown

..on Eagles wings. 😉

---

I went to the '78 replay when I was 16.
My boss gave me the day off.
A bit of blueing in the crowd then too.
I ended up with a corner post, tho' I don't know what became of it.

 

[HoldenV8]

From the video I've seen (I wasn't even born in 1973, that came.....later).....about 25 minutes in Tommy Bishop gave Lurch one across the chops and beat a hasty retreat behind a couple of Sharks forwards.

Shock horror that started another fight.

It wasn't hard to see what Bishop's game plan was. Bash us out of the game or at least to the point where we forget about football and start doing the dirty stuff.

Mal Reilly was taken out early by Rocky Turner. Rocky had two goes at him but didn't get him properly the first time. After the second "late tackle" (any later he'd have hit him the next day) Mal went off, had an injection and came back on with obvious instructions from Ron Willey to create as much havoc as he could until he couldn't go any further. A clearly hobbled Reilly did just that before he was replaced by John Bucknall near half time.

What Pommy Tommy didn't count on was that our boys could take and dish it out all it while still playing football. And they had no one to counter Bozo. Now if Tommy was smart, Fulton would have been the one who got flattened and not Mal Reilly. I bet over the last 41 years he wished they'd targeted Bozo.

Official attendance was 52,044.....2,493 less than 1972.

 

[EagleFromMay1967]

Yeah, i was there. 🙂 Over on the Hill side, vaguely i remember being somewhere near the northern edge of the eastern Hill, praps in front of the Doug Walters stand, or even in front of the Eastern Stand. But Hey ~ it was a long time ago. I do remember the match was ruff 'n nasty.

But Mainly i remember what Bozo did. I was there with a school mate, i think and i was in Year 9 (then "Third Form"). Bozo was soooooo DETERMINED. It didn't matter what they dished up - He wasn't having defeat. He turned so many games for MWSE over the years. This was just another.

I was there for '72, '73, '76 GFs, '78 - the entire finals series. I'm sure i was there for either '83 or 84' and came home very disappointed. '87, yep.

I missed '96 as i was living in Orange. 2008 i watched with my Dad, and the entire fam at his house on Nein. My brother and i were at the '2011 GF in fantastic seats. Despite the distance from the players, the SCG is still my preferred venue for RL Grand Finals. The facilities there now are amazing compared to 1972.

 

[mickqld]

Didn't get to my first GF till 1976. Old butter fingers Neville dropped it right in front of us. Didn't make up for sitting through that '82 '83 debacle. Some Parra scumbag poured scotch over us at fulltime in '83 so my mate just turned around and decked the cnt. Hated them ever since and always will. Hope Twatmough enoys the beatings.