Surely 08 is manly's best ever GF win. There is an argument that that team was the best ever. Seriously who beats a salary cap cheating team 40 nil!?!? No one has achieved what that team achieved and it's likely that no one ever will.
In saying that the 11 team was immense and were destined for a GF win the second they belted Melbourne in the Battle of Brookvale.
Just a question for the older guys on the forum. Whats the general consensus on the 08 team? Best Manly side ever or does the one of the 70's or 90's teams beat them?
Hard to compare them really different game, different positions, different tactics and different opposition.
The mid-nineties team was one of the best all round Rugby League teams you will ever see, every player bar one or two stand-in hookers was up amongst the best in the competition at the time, as a team they were incredible. That back-row, was just so skillful and so good to watch, the forwards were all monsters who churned forward, and the halves were brilliant, then you look at our outside backs and you have class across the whole field. They were so good that at one stage more than half the team were out on rep duties. State of origin had us scrambling for players as we had 7 or more participants across the comp. We should have won more than we won in that period, though I wont bring up the debate on whether we were robbed of those finals or not. It irks me that the Roosters team from that era gets mentioned more than us, they had one golden year and put it to us all year (Adrian Lam tore us up at brookie) but we were untouchable and would have stayed that way if it were not for super league)
That team just had so much class.
The 80's I only just remember the 87 Grand final and the team was gritty and skillful but not sure I would put it as good as the mid-nineties team.
The 70's was before my time but they were just tough as nails.
That brings us to the 2008 and 2011 teams.
The 2008 team was good, but not as great as the 90's team the 2008 team just refused to be beaten, we went into that game, knowing we were going to win and making sure that we did, every tackle had meaning and ever thing every player did was just perfectly put together and they played one of the most complete games of football you will ever see, ever, I dont remember a time before or a time since, that any team has ever performed that flawlessly there was just an intent about them, most of the year it was there, but nothing like that game. Purely on Grand Finals this is impossible to go by as our best ever win for purely just owning it and it had everything you could want as a fan. But the 90's team was a better team, and the grittiness of the 78 GF was amazing as well.
As for the 2011 we had to win that one, that was about sticking it to the man, Brett had been through hell and we had been screwed over for years.
What was great about that win was we had so many new amazing halves and potential mixed with senior talent, we had the potential for many more years of greatness, in hindsight other things tore us apart. This one doesnt stand out for any reason other than it was a good game, and I was there, there was some fate to it, it felt like it was our game.