HE was the kid who used to travel from his home in Blacktown to sit on the Brookvale Oval hill to cheer on his beloved Sea Eagles.
And on Monday night Jamie Buhrer will be rewarded for all that loy
alty when he plays his 100th NRL game for the club against St George Illawarra at WIN Jubilee Oval.
"I'm pretty stoked, it was always a dream of mine to play for Manly," he said.
"To bring up 100 games is something that is truly special not only for me but my family."
When his dad Robbie, was a big Manly fan, didn't drive to Brookvale, Buhrer and his mates would make the trip by public transport.
"We'd get the train into Wynyard, then I'd catch the bus to the golf shop down at Brookie, walk across, grab a hotdog on the way in and make my way to the hill," Buhrer said.
"We used to make those signs just like the fans now who do the same
He would cheer on the likes of Steve Menzies, Ben Kennedy and his coach Geoff Toovey.
"Even blokes I play with now like Choc (Anthony Watmough) Gifty (Glenn Stewart) and Snake (Brett Stewart) I watched sitting on the hill as well," he said.
"We used to make those signs just like the fans now who do the same
And the milestone could have taken place a few weeks earlier.
On the first two occasions Buhrer was selected in the first grade squad against the Storm and the Titans he didn't get onto the field.
"All my family had come down to Melbourne to see me play," he recalled.
It was third time lucky when he debuted against his old junior club Parramatta at Brookie on May 17 2010.
"It's been five years of really good moments on and off the field," he said.
There are set to be more of those good times ahead with Buhrer revealing he was close to finalising a new deal with the club.
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Jon Geddes
Manly Daily
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/northern-beaches/big-manly-fan-jamie-buhrer-to-become-sea-eagles-centurion/story-fngr8iii-1226993805050
