Semi-Final Showdown & "The Battle of Brookvale"

 

GO MANLY!!!

THE DRUM - By Dave Keogh

What a year... if you’d told me in March that the Sea Eagles would finish two points behind Melbourne in 2nd place on the premiership ladder come September, in all honesty I’d probably have given you a knowing smile and thought: “There’s another diehard like me.”

But here we are, ready to take on the Cowboys this weekend with a real chance of being only two games away from yet another Grand Final appearance. But how about those last two weeks of the season?!!

I was at the ‘Battle of Brookvale’ against the Storm… and forget the brawl/s. What stood out for me was how comprehensively we thrashed our great rivals, the Minor Premiers. Melbourne was never in with a chance. They only got on the scoreboard with less than a minute to play!

The atmosphere at dear ol’ Brookie that night – the last home game of the season – was electric. You could feel the tension in the air the moment you entered the ground… and I’m sure the players could too. I sat right beneath the rival coach as he sweated through a painful night in the box, tormented every five minutes by a rabid Manly crowd, baying for blood. Little wonder that young Darcy Lussick responded when he copped a whack (accidental or not) from Hinchcliffe.

What followed wasn’t a great look for the game – granted. But I was hugely teed off that every article written in the ensuing week was centred solely on the biff and not on the brilliant performance by the Sea Eagles. It was nearly as comprehensive as the 2008 Grand Final. I’m not kidding. We out-muscled the Storm… we out-played them… and we out-scored them. It was undoubtedly Manly’s best game of the season.

Of course, the fallout was terrible for both sides. Losing Glenn Stewart for three matches - two of them vital games – is a huge loss. He has undoubtedly been our best and most consistent player right throughout 2011.

Our brilliant young five-eight Kieran Foran probably needed the rest against the Broncos last weekend, but losing Dussick for the semis. is tough, given we’re already without co-skipper and fellow prop. Jason King for the season. The Melbourne game was Lussick’s best in the maroon and white. He’s definitely a player of the future… but we could do with him now.

And Brett Stewart ran so fast to help out his brother in the brawl that he could have injured his troublesome knee again. Like Foran, the Snake needed the week off against the Broncos, but let’s hope he’s back for the Finals.

And the poor Wolfman… back to his very best after a horror run with injuries… and he breaks a vertebra in his neck! A wholehearted thank you to great athlete and equally great sportsman Billy Slater for caring for David in those crucial minutes after the injury. Without Billy the Kid’s care and consideration, The Wolfman may have played his last game of football. Let’s hope he recovers and is back on the paddock next year.

So it was on to Brisbane in the last round for the great Darren Lockyer’s last regular season game. Without King, Williams, both Stewarts, Hopoate, Foran, Lussick and others, it was always going to be an uphill battle. The game had no bearing on where we finished, but I just wanted the team to put up a good showing and thus continue the fabulous momentum we had going on the eve of the big games. And did we what!

That second half against the Broncos was great. Our young guns like Cherry Evans and Buhrer were sensational (especially Jamie, considering he was marking the great man in the No. 6 jersey!). And the old hands like Watmough and Gulavao led the way up front. It was a great effort ahead of the Finals.

Of course, the drama continued either side of that match with the famous Peter ‘Zorba’ Peters first suspended and later sacked as Sea Eagles Media Manager – a role he’s played with distinction for four decades. This has the potential to hurt the team in ‘the new comp.’ that starts this Friday night… or it may give them further ammunition to band together and send Zorba out a winner in 2011. (He deserves it.)

So what are our chances of winning our second premiership in the 21st Century? There’s no doubt the loss of Glenn Stewart for the semis. hurts us big time. He’s been a colossus on that right hand side all season. But I get the feeling this team believes there’s nothing they can’t achieve.

This week we get back Foran, Robbo and hopefully Hoppa. We can beat the Cowboys at the SFS… no doubt. If Brett Stewart’s back the week after and we hang on for one more win, we get his brother back for the big one… the decider.

If we play Melbourne again in the Grand Final, can you imagine the build up? And if we do, I’d say we’re a great chance of belting them again (figuratively speaking of course). If we play Brisbane… we’re more than capable of spoiling Lockyer’s dream day. I really don’t think the Dragons will be there to defend their title, even though they’re obviously out of their ‘slump’.

It could well be the Sea Eagles Vs the Tigers on that first Sunday in October. That too would be one helluva game… but I’d back Manly’s consistency over Benji’s attacking flair in a tight one.

I think we will be there on Grand Final day… and if we are, there’s no reason we can’t win it. (Of course… I am a diehard.)

GO MANLY!!!

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