Bearfax
Grizzly old fart
Easy to talk about Manly favourites of the past like Fulton, Eadie, Randall, Reilly, Gibbs etc. But there are many other almost forgotten heroes that deserve to be remembered.
The first I remember is Dennis Ward.
Dennis played a couple of seasons with Canterbury Bankstown before switching to Manly in 1969. A solid will of the wisp player, he gave Manly a solid halves combination sometimes with Ian Martin, other times with Bob Fulton at five eighth. He was a little dynamo on the field, tough as nails in defence, clever in attack and eventually won a Kangaroo jersey. I remember one game in the wet against the Berries (Dogs) when he was tackled and did a three sixty landing on his feet and running as if he hadn't been stopped.
Ward played in the '72 side and in fact won the Man of the Match honours for Manly's first Grand Final. He left Manly after that and moved to coach and play in Newcastle, yet was still selected for a Kangaroo tour while playing in the Newcastle comp.
I had the good fortune to later meet and talk with him in Newcastle because by then we were in the same employment. He was highly under rated in discussing Manly's best half backs over the decades and deserves more recognition than he gets.
The first I remember is Dennis Ward.
Dennis played a couple of seasons with Canterbury Bankstown before switching to Manly in 1969. A solid will of the wisp player, he gave Manly a solid halves combination sometimes with Ian Martin, other times with Bob Fulton at five eighth. He was a little dynamo on the field, tough as nails in defence, clever in attack and eventually won a Kangaroo jersey. I remember one game in the wet against the Berries (Dogs) when he was tackled and did a three sixty landing on his feet and running as if he hadn't been stopped.
Ward played in the '72 side and in fact won the Man of the Match honours for Manly's first Grand Final. He left Manly after that and moved to coach and play in Newcastle, yet was still selected for a Kangaroo tour while playing in the Newcastle comp.
I had the good fortune to later meet and talk with him in Newcastle because by then we were in the same employment. He was highly under rated in discussing Manly's best half backs over the decades and deserves more recognition than he gets.