News - Mar 1998
27 Mar 1998: Swamped by the Tigers
Manly were out-classed and out-enthused by Balmain earlier tonight,
going down 18-4 in front of a big Leichhardt crowd. A bad pass 10
metres out from the Manly line early in the game gave the Tigers a
great opportunity, and weak defence on the far side of the field saw
Balmain go ahead 4-0. The Sea Eagles clearly miss the defence of Craig
Innes, another hole opening up in the same part of the line not long
after resulting in another Balmain try. After just 20 minutes Manly
were already down 8-0, and with the sin-binning of Scott Fulton things
were looking grim.
Two penalties, one on either side of the break, saw Balmain's lead
extended to 12-0. A late try by Terry Hill was quickly
answered by Balmain's Ben Duckworth, wrapping up another poor performance
by the Eagles.
So Manly slump to just one unconvincing win from three games.
Without Carroll or Gillespie, and with Tierney injured,
the Eagles seem to lack the power in the forwards to wear down the opposition,
and were consistently swamped by the Balmain forwards in attack. Mistakes
in the play the ball, missed tackles and countless dropped balls
did not help matters. Craig Field tried hard whenever he had the ball
in his hands, but was closely marked by the opposition. Luke Phillips
was safe at the back, while Daniel Gartner made an impressive return
from injury with some incisive running.
With Hopoate and Tierney returning to the side, Manly will be trying to
finally put some form on the board against Parramatta next Friday night.
A big Brookvale crowd could certainly give the side a lift!
26 Mar 1998: Garts returns
Daniel Gartner makes his comeback from injury tomorrow night against
the Tigers. Neil Tierney was injured last week against Adelaide
and will be replaced by either Corey Underwood or Adam Peters.
Kick-off is at 7.30pm.
Balmain: Nevin, Withers, Kennedy, Webber, Milford, Gillett, Dunley,
Duckworth, O'Neill, Stimson, Sironen (c), Senter, Walker. Res: Gannon,
Smith, Nable, Donaghey
Manly: Phillips, Hunter, Olejnik, Hill, Torrens, Toovey (c), Field,
Kosef, Gartner, Menzies, Colella, Serdaris, Underwood, Peters (one to
be omitted). Res: S Fulton, Hancock, Lyons, Costelloe, Browne (one to
be omitted).
FootyTAB: Balmain +10.5
22 Mar 1998: Scratchy win over the Rams
Six thousand listless fans saw Manly defeat Adelaide 22-6 at Brookvale
earlier today. Manly led 10-2 at half time, but put on two quick tries
after the break to ensure the win. Both sides played poorly, the game
dominated by a plethora of dropped balls and penalties. Best for Manly
were Geoff Toovey, Terry Hill, Albert Torrens and Luke Phillips. Cliff
Lyons' appearance was his 263rd first grade game for the club, equalling
the record of Alan Thompson. The Sea Eagles next face Balmain at
Leichhardt Oval on Friday night.
21 Mar 1998: Hopoate suspended
Manly will take the field against the Rams tomorrow without John Hopoate,
who was found guilty earlier in the week of a charge of contrary conduct.
He will miss the next two matches. Geoff Toovey was also found guilty,
but was not suspended.
16 Mar 1998: Not a good start
Manly were convincingly beaten 22-6 by Brisbane on Friday night. Most
of the focus from the game has been on Bill Harrigan's refereeing:
he-of-the-long hair caned Manly 17-6 in the penalties, and
ended the game by sending off Geoff Toovey
and John Hopoate. The NRL will be investigating the match.
The Sea Eagles are probably best off trying to put the whole
debacle behind them, and to do their talking through their
football. Hopefully things will turn around on Sunday, when
Manly have their first home game of the season against the
Adelaide Rams.
11 Mar 1998: New sponsor
Manly have finally announced FAI as their major sponsor for the
next three years. In other
news, Bob Fulton has been appointed coach of the Australian side,
while Daniel Gartner will miss round one of the NRL due to an arm
injury. Teams for Friday's game at ANZ Stadium are:
Brisbane: Lockyer, Hancock, Renouf, Smith, Devere, Walters,
Langer (c), Ryan, Thorn, Tallis, Webcke, Plath, Gee. Res: Walker,
Civoniceva, Lee, Carroll, Campion, Driscoll (two to be omitted)
Manly: Phillips, Hunter, Hopoate, Hill, Hancock, Toovey (c),
Field, Kosef, Colella, Menzies, Costelloe, Serdaris, Tierney.
Res: S Fulton, Olejnik, Underwood, Torrens
FootyTAB: Manly +6.5
Referee: Bill Harrigan
Kick-off is at 7.30pm (AEST).
05 Mar 1998: Blake calls it a day
After trialling with Manly in their last three games, legendary
utility and Manly junior Phil Blake has decided to retire.
02 Mar 1998: Beaten by Parra
Manly were defeated by Parramatta 12-4 on Saturday, in terrible
weather at Narrabri. The NRL competition kicks off on
Friday 13th March, when the Sea Eagles head north to take
on Brisbane.
Earlier stories: [Jan-Feb 98]
Back to the Sea Eagles home page.
27-Mar-1998
Bryan Gaensler
bgaensler@dunlap.utoronto.ca