Round 23 - Rabbitohs vs Sea Eagles

This game was always going to be a tough game. South Sydney were sitting second on the ladder after some easy wins over the lower ranking teams. Fortunately for us Greg Inglis was still out on suspension, although the team have been winning without him I really thought that this was one of the key reasons we were able to win. South Sydney have a massive forward pack, sitting on the sideline and watching them live really opens up your eyes to that, they're huge!

Round 22 - Cowboys vs Sea Eagles

What a game, nail biting, edge of the seat, holding my breath type of game. We were able to come up with the win in the end but boy was it a tough game for both teams. Jason King was omitted from the final 17, so we weren't quite at our full strength team, but we are getting closer, week by week.

Finding motivation and Round 22 Preview

I think my absence speaks for itself. It is hard trying to find motivation to write about the games that I've been to and the things that I felt when I really don't want to relive the feelings again. There have been a few losses this year, and I have been happy to write about them, but in the last few weeks the last thing I have wanted to do was update this blog. I have thought about it, I have pictures to put up, but I always found something else to busy myself with. Writing a blog should never become something that you feel you have to do, so I decided not to push myself and just let the interest creep back into my life and motivate me. So here I am.

Manly vs Newcastle - Rivalry Round

So it's taken me a few days to work up the motivation to write about last weeks game. It did not even feel like I was watching Manly play, they were way off their game, there was no spark, no excitement and certainly not a whole lot to cheer about.

I felt utterly disappointed with the performance that I saw. All I could think was 'this is not the Manly side I know', I'm fairly certain that was the worst game I have watched all season. I have been thinking all week about how to write about a game that I wanted to forget about and I am still at a loss. I feel like I have writers block.

I turned off the TV after the game had finished and forced myself not to go straight to bed or straight for the Vodka bottle. Instead I decided to cheer myself up with a movie. Except the movie didn't have a happy ending either so I felt even worse. The next morning I couldn't get up, I was not ready to face the world, face those Manly-haters. So I stayed in bed. A bit melodramatic I know, but I have moved on - almost.


So this weeks game, well tonights game now. Sea Eagles vs Bulldogs. Geoff Toovey vs Des Hasler. I'm excited. I'm excited because this is the chance to let the NRL world know that we are still a great team, and a team that will make into the finals this year. I'm excited because it certainly cannot get any worse than last Saturday night. Finally, I'm excited because it's game day and it's a home game. I love getting back to Brookie! 


News is that Brett Stewart is out and Glenn Stewart will most likely play. Keep updated by following me on twitter @MaroonWhiteBlog and..


Happy Footballing!

Rivalry Round - Manly vs Newcastle

Welcome to Round 19 - the Rivalry Round

After two fantastic games and a bye week we head up to Newcastle's Hunter Stadium to hopefully keep up the winning streak in the run to finals. If we remember back to last years game up at Newcastle, the Sea Eagles scored a try in the opening set. If last weeks game is anything to go off I'm sure we're set for another ripper opening few sets that hopefully bag us a few tries as well!

With Newcastle not travelling so well we are expected to grab the two points in this game. In saying that, it is not the time for complacency and the team should be looking to score as many tries as possible and end up with a large points differential. We need to cement a spot in the top four and scoring as many tries against, the lower-ranking teams is one way to climb the ladder.

We have just heard that we signed Richie Fa'aoso for two years from 2013 which is an enormous boost and with Matt Ballin also recently secured until 2015 the lead up to the finals seems almost trouble-free. Our team looks ready and the most fired up I think they have been all year.

While last weeks game against Parramatta was a great win, we copped another blow in the form of injury to our fullback Brett Stewart. Manly seem fairly certain it's just a small injury, and he should be back for our game against the Bulldogs in round 20. Let's not forget the last time they down-played an injury for Kieran Foran, he was out for six weeks. There is hope that Glenn Stewart will be back, but Daniel Harrison has been named on an extended bench to move into lock if needed. Dean Whare will play fullback going up against Darius Boyd, who while his time at Newcastle hasn't been the greatest of his career, is still an unreal fullback who cannot be underestimated.

Good Luck to the boys and Happy Footballing!

Round 18 - Sea Eagles vs Eels

What a game, no let me rephrase that, what a first half!! 


So we came into the round only one week away from having a complete team back, only to end the round with two players injured and to what extent we are unsure yet. We were lucky enough to have David 'Wolfman' Williams back on the team following a hamstring injury and besides a few niggles from our Origin boys we were ready and fired up to make sure those slippery eels wouldn't have a taste of victory at our expense.

It was an exciting game, a match that had almost everyone at Brookvale smiling. The third minute saw a try to the returning Wolfman and everyone was on their feet cheering, smiling and clapping! Little did we know that Wolfman was on the prowl. I think the fans thought we had this one in the bag but we didn't realise how easy a game it really was going to be. Jamie Lyon converted the try and the score was 6-0. It wasn't long until a small biff broke out involving none other than the fiery Steve Matai and Eels captain Nathan Hindmarsh. This gave a penalty to Parramatta which Steve Matai was desperately unhappy about. Fortunately for us they came up with an error only a few plays into the set.


The crowd was a bit riled up as well. I'm pretty sure Section WF almost got into a biff themselves. You see, we had about 5 Parramatta supporters behind us, not to mention some of the U20's families there as well, and as in any football game there was a bit of heckling which the Eels supporters took personally as if we were attacking them. Fortunately it all worked out in the end and I'm pretty sure we left on good terms.


It seemed to be all over for the Parramatta Eels from that point. 10 minutes later and Wolfman adds another four points to Manly from a beautiful right side play that seems to be a trademark of ours. This took the score to 10-0 and the try remained unconverted.

Less than 10 minutes later Jorge Taufua broke through the Eels defence -like it was hard- and a timely pass saw Brett Stewart cross the line. I think Manly fans were stunned at this point. We know we have it in us, but it's been a long time since we've seen the boys play like this at Brookvale. Only a few minutes later Brett Stewart broke through the defence and the Wolfman put his hand up to collect another try bagging himself a hat-trick before half time.

A brilliant break by Steve Matai and then a pass to Taufua, who just tore the defence right open, decided it was time to help another brother over the line, this time the lucky team mate was Daly Cherry-Evans. The Eels had a hard time catching up to him, but when he had attracted a few he offloaded to DCE and sent him over the line with a massive cheshire-style grin on his face.

Gobsmacked. I'm not sure who was more in shock, the Manly supporters or the Eels players. The cheering and whistling and hi-fiveing could be seen across the park with almost all of the 17000 that showed up cheering and jumping around like excited five-year olds at their birthday party. At this point Jamie Lyon had only missed one conversion and Parramatta were yet to be seen anywhere near their own try line, so the score was 28-0 with less than 10 minutes on the clock in the first half.

Just when we were getting ready to cheer our boys off at half time the Wolfman becomes greedy and bags himself another try. Yes, that is four tries for the Wolfman in forty minutes, making David Williams the first in sixty years to score four tries in the first half. The score at half time was a whopping 34-0 and the boys walked into the sheds with massive smiles on their faces like we had already won the game. We thought that we were headed for another awesome second half full of tries.

The second half was a bit less fantastic. We lost players to injury and with them went our spark and enthusiasm. Brett Stewart suffered a hamstring injury and Jorge Taufua had a problem with his hip and they both walked off into the dressing rooms shortly after the second half was underway. Not sure about the severity of the injuries yet.

Jorge Taufua left the field first and Jamie Buhrer took his place on the wing, for a player who spends the majority of his time in the centre of the field being on the left wing would have been an interesting challenge. Then Brett Stewart left the field not long after half time, fortunately for us he was kind enough to put in one last run through the massive gap that had opened in the Eels defence and grabbed a try before walking off.

This is where it all seemed to go downhill. Buhrer is on the wing, Steve Matai, who usually plays centre,  shifts to fullback and Tony Williams moved into the centre. Our left side was very vulnerable to attack. While they did the job reasonably well, I think they forgot where they were positioned on the field and we often saw Williams and Buhrer back in the centre of the field and Kieran Foran was left to cover for the two M.I.A players.

It was a short while before Parramatta realised how vulnerable we were on the left side and their winger kept calling for the ball. They crossed twice in that corner. Perhaps it was just a lucky corner today? Ten minutes after Brett Stewart left the field, they crossed through their debuting fullback, Jake Mullany. Disorganised defence from Manly left a gap which he tore through placing the ball over the try line.

Ten minutes later and they attack again, this time in the right hand corner. Jamie Buhrer was about 10 meters in from the sideline and the winger, Ken Sio called for the ball and landed a soft try. Ten minutes later and the exact same thing happened again, Ken Sio scored in the right corner. Steve Matai was close to stopping that play but unfortunately was just too late. With less than a minute to go, the Parramatta Eels secured yet another try, this time over in the left hand corner and through Luke Burt. 


With all Burt's conversions successful the full time score was 40-24. While it was a victory and we won by 16 points, I left Brookvale oval feeling defeated, and as though we had lost. We had plenty to celebrate but the majority of reasons were from the first half. Somehow without our 'Prince of Brookvale' and Taufua we lost our way, lost our spark and lost our ability to play good football. 


I could spend the next paragraph justifying this feeling by saying that we did have quite a few players out of position, but I just think we were complacent, we felt we had won and we decided to settle for a good win, rather than a phenomenal win. 


Perhaps next week against the Newcastle Knights we will play phenomenal football for a full 80 minutes, rather than for only 40 minutes. Cheers to the boys on the victory and


Happy Footballing!

Origin 3

Gutted, absolutely and truly gutted. There are no other words to describe the feeling I have right now. I thought we had it, I thought this game was ours and I'm fairly certain the rest of New South Wales felt the exact same way.

I am only one fan, if I feel this way the NSW boys must feel awful. Credit to them as they played their little hearts out and put on a fantastic game for us all to watch. We all cheered them on but QLD just proved to be one point better - or better at kicking a field goal - than us.

Perhaps 2013 will prove to be our year.

Bye Week #2

So this week we had another bye week and I took the time to relax, rejuvenate and regroup myself. I figured if the Manly boys got some time off, us fans should take some time off too! Last bye week I challenged myself to find something, or someone, excellent, intriguing or interesting about each game. I tried really hard to open my eyes and mind to the possibility that other teams out there have players and skills just as good as my boys do. It was a great eye opener and I thoroughly enjoyed watching each game.

However this bye week I decided to head off on a short trip away. I followed the sun and boy was it glorious. I spent the days wandering around the beaches up north, soaking up the sun and enjoying the views. I watched a pod of dolphins swimming only 10 metres out from the headland I was on. I saw whales jumping out of the big blue and creating splashes that could be seen miles away. It was truly magical.

This week brings with it the BIG ORIGIN DECIDER. Everyone who is anyone is talking about it, posting about it, tweeting about it, and I thought I would jump on the bandwagon too. Many football greats have been heard commenting on the feeling in NSW that we have this one in the bag. I'm hoping they're right, but will some of the glory be taken away from the win because Billy Slater is out?

I'm curious and nervous to see how tomorrow night goes. I look forward to "sticking it" to Queensland and breaking their winning streak, but I am not really sure if it is all going to work out as planned. Fortunately I am not playing for NSW and those who are really believe that this game is theirs to win.

In Manly Sea Eagles news, we have another one of our beloved heading to another club. Daniel Harrison signed with the Parramatta Eels last week sometime. So that makes two going to the Eels, one to the Bulldogs, one to the Panthers and one to the Roosters. I am curious to see how we are going to replace these players. We heard that we've signed young Warriors forward, Ligi Sao, but that is all.

This Sunday we play the Eels out at Fortress Brookvale. It should be a good game and hopefully we will grab the two points. We lost to the Eels in Round 5 of this season and will not be wanting to make the same mistake. Glenn Stewart and David Williams may be rejoining us, but I am not too hopeful of either of them returning as we tend to err on the side of caution when it comes to injuries.

I look forward to the game and cannot wait to get back out to Fortress Brookvale with my flag!
Happy Footballing and Good Luck to all NSW State of Origin players!

Round 16 - Roosters vs Sea Eagles

WOW!!! That game was epic. I wish I had been there to witness it live!!! What a massive turn-around Manly had after so many low scoring games. Tony Williams comes back into the side and we have an absolute blinder of a game. Those injured team members would have found it unbearable to sit on the sideline during such an epic game!!

Where do I start? The beginning I suppose. So late mail is that T-Rex is back in the side. Do you need any more info than that? We come on, grab the ball and make the most of it almost instantly. Matai ploughs through a gap and runs down the field but gets tackled not far from the line. Tony Williams (T-Rex) gets the ball and pushes several Roosters away from him, he offloads to Brett Stewart who throws a stellar pass and sends Jorge Taufua over the line in the 3rd minute. Jamie Lyon successfully converts the try opening the score to 0-6. We seemed to take the energy that we had in last weeks game against the storm and make something of it. The tries just kept coming after that.

A few minutes late Matt Ballin pulls out a sneaky grubber kick into the in-goal area and Anthony Watmough pounces on it. The referees hand it over to the video ref to make a call, but it is clear that we have another one here! Lyon converts and away we go 0-12 in the opening 10 minutes. This is the team that I know, the team I cheered on last year, a far cry from the struggling team we have seen in previous weeks, just grinding out a marginal win.

It's a few more minutes before we see another try from either team, but Manly are really lit up, they are surging, all guns blazing at this Roosters pack, and the Roosters are growing weary of containing them. Although, it's not a one-sided game here, the Roosters are playing some sort of football, but making a few errors trying to keep the pace with Manly. The Roosters were worried about containing T-Rex and the Sea Eagles are having a hard time trying to contain Mose Masoe, an even battle I'd say!

In the 21st minute Steve Matai gets his chance to cross the line. Tony Williams pops a little kick through the defenders, the ball is collected by Steve Matai who flies to the try line and picks up another 4 points for us. With Lyon converting the try, the score jumps to 0-18. Almost 10 minutes later Anthony Watmough comes powering through the defensive line and runs away toward the goal posts, he only had one Rooster to get past, makes a swift pass to Cherry-Evans who then scores a try. The Sea Eagles are now on 24 points after a successful conversion and the Roosters are still on nil.

The Roosters have their chance to get their name on the scoreboard in the 34th minute. After a previous set saw them go over the line only to pass the ball out into touch, they get their chance in the right hand corner. They out-ran and out-passed our defence. Braith Anasta converts the try and it is 6-24 with 5 minutes left in the first half, and remains at that till half time.

The second half is underway and within the first minute the Roosters open up the scoring again, Tom Symonds grabs the ball after a kick from Mitchell Pearce and places the ball down over the line. Kieran Foran tries to stop him, but the ball just scrapes over the line. Anasta misses the conversion.

It's now 5 minutes into the second half and the score is 10-24. The Roosters seems to have had a taste of the momentum we had in the first half and are going all out to get a glimpse of the lead. We've had some difficult calls against us but we still have some points in us. I can feel it. Then, Moga runs through a gap and is off running around many Manly players. Brett Stewart runs at him and makes the tackle, but you can tell that the Roosters want, or need to score off this set. Fortunately, they don't.

Jamie Buhrer gives a penalty away and we see the Roosters score off a repeat set. They score over in the corner after drawing in several Manly defenders. Braith Anasta fails to convert the try and the score remains 14-24. It's looking a bit dangerous at this stage, we need to find some more of that magic from the first half.

The Roosters lose the ball after a kick from Cherry Evans and we get a scrum feed just outside the 10 metre line. This is our chance to get back om the board. We do, a classic Manly, left to right play sees Dean Whare over the line to take the lead to 10-28. Lyon misses the conversion. This seems to be the turning point in the game. The Roosters make a short restart and grab the ball, they get close to scoring again, but we hold up and hold them out.

Less than 5 minutes later Steve Matai kicks on the 5th and it moves towards the dead ball line but curves around staying in play, Anthony Minichello fails to bat it dead, meanwhile, Brett Stewart is soaring down the ground and places the ball down for a try. What a brilliant try! Lyon converts and the score is 14-34. A penalty sees us gain some metres before Buhrer pushes through two Roosters players to win the chase to a kick from DCE and place the ball down inches before the dead ball line. Jamie converts and the score is 14-40!!! I'm sure this is the biggest lead we have had all season!


There is still more in us as we head into the final 10 minutes. We get close, but Taufua fumbles the ball. Then DCE comes off the field, and our worst nightmare is taking place. Fortunately it's just a corked knee and with the bye next week, there should be no dramas. Jamies Lyon makes a beautiful intercept and takes off down the paddock to score under the white posts. He converts his own try and the score is 4 points shy of 50 with 3 minutes left in the game.


To seal the deal, Manly decides that they would like to get past that 50 point mark and Kieran Foran kicks and Brett Stewart gathers it up and passes it to Ballin, before he drops it to his boot and kicks toward the in goal, to be chased by none other than Jamie Lyon and we grab those crucial points to make it over the 50 point mark. He converts a few seconds before full time and we have won. A massive win for the boys 14-52!!! WOOOHOOOO


Happy Footballing!!!  

Round 15 - Sea Eagles vs Storm

Well, we lost. I never like losing, there always seems to be a dull mood at Brookvale after the game... Ah not to worry. We'll beat them when it counts...

So the Manly Sea Eagles had tweeted and facebooked to let us all know that there would be a free flag for the first 5000 through the gates. Naturally, I was there almost as the gates opened. I picked up my flag like an excited child and beamed a smile from ear to ear. In fact, I got two, one for game days and one to keep in my study alongside my framed jersey. Winning!

So I have my flag and I'm sitting in my seat cheering on the NYC, I'm freezing like I am living in Russia in the middle of winter, but that's OK, I'm about to watch my boys play for the first time in what feels like years, but in actual fact it has only a couple of weeks. I look over to my left to the Sea Eagles 'bunker' and there is Anthony Watmough chilling out with his headphones on his ears, and at half time Geoff Toovey pops out onto the field. Now, this may not seem interesting to you, but I love watching people, watching the little things they do when they are out of the limelight. I also love seeing how events come together and the people that flit around behind the scenes to make them happen.

So the game. Melbourne was the opponent, the odds, in my opinion, were neither for or against us. I thought we had a good chance to win but I never thought it would be an easy game. Melbourne aren't top of the ladder out of dumb luck. They play well... do I daresay dirty? I would just like to back up that last comment with one reason. Cameron Smith. Yes, he's a great player captains this, that and the other, but wow I have never seen a football player who can delay play as much as him. The amount of time he took to kick for conversion was unlike anyone else that I have seen. Several times the referees called time while he was 'setting up' for the kick. Hmm, back to the game.

It was looking really good for us in the opening minutes of the game. We were close to crossing the line several times but the Storm defence was just too good for us. We had a lot of ball and we were looking very dangerous. Then came the Storm, looking equally as dangerous and they were too good for our defence, coming up with a try in the opening 10 minutes. The score was 0-6. Then the score was 0-12 and the crowd was bewildered and left wondering when Manly would get that fire in their belly that they so often do when they are losing.

We got our chance in the 28th minute when Daly Cherry-Evans went over the line, smacking into the goal posts the ball was knocked out (or dropped depending on who you talk to) but came off a Storm player and bounced up and was put down to the grass by DCE. The crowd was on their feet and the sight was incredible. The flags around the place looked epic. There are no words to describe the pride that ran through my veins and the sight of thousands of flags flying high. Jamie Lyon converts and the score is 6-12.

The fire was alive and we saw Brett Stewart cross after winning the chase to a kick from Lyon. Even score. I like even scores. I like even more when we are in the lead and it wasn't long before Jorge Taufua crossed the line to take the Manly Sea Eagles to the lead. Our luck seemed to take a turn when Glenn Stewart was lying on the ground after a tackle, in pain. Glenn suffered a knee injury - and will be out for several weeks - and was assisted off the field only minutes before the half time siren sounded.

As I was tweeting about during half time I came across a heart-warming and uplifting piece of information. In the last 12 games between Manly and Melbourne the team leading at half time won the game 11 out of 12. I thought to myself, let's make it 12 from 13. Well, we all know that wasn't the case, that little statistic was wrong, it misled me!

The second half saw almost half as many tries as the first. Unfortunately for the Sea Eagles, two of them were against us. Melbourne opened the second half scoring in the 50th minute bringing the score to 18-18 after a messy play. More good, even football follows until Melbourne cross again and take the lead on the scoreboard. It's 18-22 and we're waiting a gazillion years for Cameron Smith to make the kick. Seriously, it's freezing, kick the bloody ball and get on with the game I can't feel my toes! The booing and heckling does not seem to have any affect on him, shame.

So we were now down 6 points but that's nothing. It's one converted try. We can do this. Penalty to Melbourne.. ummm what? Then, yes, they go for the two and they are right in front of the posts. There are 9 minutes left in the game and nobody is sure if Smith will kick this before the siren sounds. More booing, less flag-flying. Now a converted try and a penalty are separating the two teams. Two tries can definitely be scored within nine minutes as long as you have the ball.

The minutes are ticking away and the ball is going back and forth and no points are being scored. Our fate seems to have been decided and it is almost impossible for us to win. A little bit of dignity returns when Dean Whare crosses the try line in the 79th minute. The crowd is on their feet but we know it isn't a win for us. Lyon misses the conversion and the final score is 22-26 to Melbourne Storm. Sigh.

I thought we played well. I really enjoyed seeing Kieran Foran out there but he still seems a little below match fitness and I'm sure that is just going to keep improving. Next week sees the return of Steve Matai from suspension, but our team will still be missing players. David Williams is still not named for Sunday's game, with Dean Whare replacing him on the wing, not Michael Oldfield, and of course Glenn Stewart is out for a couple of weeks.

Photo's from the day, courtesy of Jasiah Ulbricht are here. And Happy Footballing

Round 15 - Battle of Brookvale -

- well, so they keep calling it!

This game has me absolutely amped! I am so excited (keen, pumped, anxious, expectant) for this game it has just been way too long since I have seen my boys play! Yes, I did watch Origin II and it was a enthralling games where one of our own went over the line TWICE, and our three representatives played brilliantly as expected, but it was the wrong colours. Now, don't think that I was cheering on the Queenslanders, I just mean that those boys belong in the maroon and white that is Manly Sea Eagles. Personally I think that all three deserve that sky blue jersey and I think Brett Stewart has done an amazing job this year as fullback for NSW.

Anyway, back to this weekend. I set myself a challenge, last weekend, to discover some talent outside the Northern Beaches. I was surprised enlightened to see that such a thing does exist, well not entirely but I am very bias towards this team! To my delight I discovered that watching other teams play was not only fun, interesting and enjoyable but I also realised the caliber of the players we have in our club. Sure there were some great games and there are definitely some great players out there but I often found the teams lacked exactly that, team or teamwork.

With some of the lower teams I found they lacked spark and, for want of a better word, initiative to get the task done. I am so glad that my team is a high quality team. With all the re-signings that are happening I just hope we have the same quality and stature of players coming in to replace them. I am confident that we do, because it is a culture that is developed by the club and should remain forever embedded in the players. For those clubs that will receive a Sea Eagle next year, you are getting much more than you deserve and I hope that the instilled culture will follow those players wherever they go.

Wait, I never really got back to this weekend. Take 2. So I look forward to seeing these two great teams compete against each other. Billy Slater looks to be out for awhile but that does not mean a win will be easy. He is not the only outstanding player in the Melbourne squad. We can be sure of an even match that will for sure be a nail-biter, an intense game that could really go either way. I am hopeful for a win, but anything is possible!

Good luck to the boys and be sure to follow me on twitter @MaroonWhiteBlog for live updates and other fun stuff. Apologies in advance if my tweets aren't as frequent as expected, firstly I get terrible reception at Brookvale, and secondly I often get caught up in the action and forget I have a twitter account.

Happy Footballing :)

Round 14 - Bye Week Part 2

So I've set myself a challenge for this bye week. I'm to watch as many games as possible over the weekend and comment on the performance of the teams and try to come up with an 'outstanding player' for each game. So far it's proved to be an interesting exercise and if anything has been gained from the challenge it would have to be adding players to my watchlist for Dream Team. I have enjoyed the challenge and enjoyed watching the games and my love and appreciation for Manly has grown. For games 1 and 2 check out part 1.

Game 3 Cronulla Sharks vs Gold Coast Titans. Both sides missing players. Carney and Gallen out for Sharks and Prince and Bird out for Titans. I picked Titans, not realising that Scott Prince was out as well, because they have had a pretty good run in the last few weeks.

I guess in my obsession passionate support for the Manly Sea Eagles, I have really had the blinders on, so to speak, and taken little or no notice of other players in the NRL. So this little exercise has helped me to appreciate the talent there is out there aside from my beloved team.

I couldn't really pick an outstanding player for either side in this game, so instead I'll name a few that I thought played well. Chad Townsend, playing five-eighth for the Sharks did well, kicked well and even scored a try. Colin Best played a good game as well, often finding or creating space and also scored a try for Cronulla. Beau Champion I thought played well for the Titans often running a fair amount of metres and finding small gaps in the Sharks defence. Aidan Sezer was also on my 'well-played' list and I thought Matt Srama did especially well for Gold Coast. Overall there were a few players who I now have on my watchlist for Dream Team. 


So, game 5 - yes I missed game 4 - Penrith Panthers vs NZ Warriors at Centrebet Stadium. The final score was 16-30 to the Warriors. The first half was very interesting, good football and entertaining as well. The Warriors lead 12-0 until a powerful surge of momentum from the Panthers evened out the score line. For awhile I thought the Panthers were in it to win it, but couldn't quite get the win.


I thought there were some good players out there tonight. For the Panthers I thought Josh Mansour, and Travis Burns played well and were consistent throughout the match. For the Warriors the two halves, James Maloney and Shaun Johnson were outstanding, really guiding and directing their team and eventually leading them to the win. No outstanding player as such. I thought there was a real sense of team out there on the field again tonight.


These are just my opinions, I could be talking rubbish. I don't pretend to be an expert and I've only just started really watching football in the last few years so I'm still learning. I listen to a lot of the commentary and try to learn from that. So no hating if you think my choices are poor!

Well Origin II this Wednesday. Looking forward to it, up the blues!

Happy Footballing!

Round -14 - Bye week Part 1

As with every year, I get quite put out by each bye round. I have nothing to plan my weekend around. I always put the Manly game first, and do not like giving up watching it live for much at all. So this weekend, what am I to do?

I could re-live last years Grand Final win, or several games from this year that I have recorded, but there is something wanting when you already know the outcome of the game. It doesn't carry the same tension and suspense as a live game and I probably will end up critiquing the team - as if I know any better or could actually play any better.

So instead of criticising my own team, why not pick some of the teams I dislike the most, watch their game and revel in their mistakes, cheering on the opposing team just because I hate them a little less. Perhaps a challenge is needed to motivate me, and I think I may have just the challenge. 

I'm going to watch as many games as I can over the weekend - there is only four or five - and from those games I have to pick one outstanding player and say some nice things about him. 

So I didn't publish this before the first game, but I will now.... and I'll also give credit to some great players from tonights Melbourne vs Wests game:

First and foremost, what a great game from Beau Ryan. Man of the match in my eyes, as well as Keno's apparently. He played well at fullback considering he normally plays centre, Tim Moltzen was out injured, actually Tim Moltzen was ruled out after warm-up, so a great effort to play so well with so little prep.

Secondly, I thought that both sides played well considering they were missing players. Tigers have been on a winning streak and it did not surprise me that they won. I thought there were a few shady calls, but games are fast and sometimes you see things differently. I thought that Melbourne played well without their little trio of players and those filling in really stepped up to the challenge.

Finally, I don't think there could have been a finer example of the challenge I set than tonights game. I tipped Tigers to win but I am not a fan of that team at all. So there I was, torn between wanting to tip a good round and wanting Storm to win just so I could see the Tigers lose. I'm sorry to all the Wests fans out there, being a Sea Eagles supporter I understand what it is like reading about how much somebody else hates your team, but try as I may I don't know if I could ever cheer on the Tigers, please accept my apologies. Ahh, yes, I think that will do it for the Melbourne vs Wests review.

OK, so game two of the weekend was Newcastle Knights vs Canberra Raiders. Two teams who have not been fairing particularly well over the last few weeks. It was an interesting game and I thought it was a very even match. The commentating was focusing on the poor defence efforts by both teams. In contrast I think that the Raiders did a much better job of defending their own goal compare to the Knights. The score at the end of the match was 32-16 to the Canberra Raiders.

Outstanding player? This was a hard one, I didn't feel as though many players really 'stood out', but if I had to pick one it would be Willie Mason. He proved to be one of the best defenders for the Knights and scored his first try for the season and first try as a Newcastle Knight. This try as well as his many runs really seemed to lift Newcastles spirit and through the TV, an otherwise quiet crowd of 15000, was heard.

Unfortunately I had picked Newcastle, but I have no beef with either of these teams and was disappointed for Newcastle - and my tipping streak - as much as I was pleased for the Canberra Raiders win. I think either team could have used the confidence boost from a win and unfortunately for Newcastle that was not the case.

Stay tuned for my 'outstanding player' for the rest of the games to come this weekend.... 

Round 13 - Manly Sea Eagles vs St George Dragons - Brookvale Oval 1st June 2012

Our first friday night home game of the season and the forecast was not looking good. Rain clouds hung darkly over Brookvale, but that did not deter me from going to cheer my boys on. Yes, I was going to be there rain, hail or shine. The wet weather gear was packed into the car, and we were prepared for a wet night on the Western Concourse.

Last night's match was a bit of a grudge match for me. My dad has, for as long as I can remember, been a Dragons fan and is definitely not too keen on the Sea Eagles. So, I knew coming into the match that whatever way the match was to go, we most likely will never speak of the game EVER.

I had the day off so we got to Brookvale Oval a little early and watched the last 25 minutes of the NYC Toyota cup game. Unfortunately we came off with a loss in that game. But I have some photos you can check out on the photo page. It was nice to get out and check out the up and coming talent.

Soon the crowds started pouring in. I was a bit unsure how big the crowd would get considering it was a friday night and it was meant to rain. As usual the crowd was electric. Absolutely alive. The boys ran out to warm up and it was so good seeing Kieran Foran back on the field, running and warming up with the team.

I was a little concerned as Nick Skinner and Liam Foran (18th and 19th man) were also warming up in their jerseys. I have never noticed more players than the listed 17 warming up before a match, if anyone has some insight, please share! I thought perhaps there might have been some doubt for Kieran or Anthony Watmough and maybe they were there just in case warm-up did not go according to plan.

At about 7:30 the rain started. I donned my wet weather gear as the boys were running back to the sheds. When I'd finally sorted myself out, the rain stopped. It stayed away most of the night, with the occasional sprinkle here and there.

St George ran out onto the field to a rather loud disapproving "boooo" from the crowd. Then our boys ran out on to the field with Jamie Lyon leading them. On an aside, one habit I have seen is that every time Jamie Lyon leads the boys on to field, just before he leaves the undercover shed he takes a swig of a drink and spits it as he takes his first steps onto the field. Just saying....


The crowd explodes with a massive cheer as they enter the field and prepare for kick off. We're facing north and we have the first kick off. Daly Cherry-Evans lines the boys up and starts the game off. From the whistle to the end Manly supporters are cheering on their team - or in the case of section WF, heckling St George and poor Ben Creagh. Unfortunately it was Creagh who copped an absolute onslaught of abuse from the crowd. I feel I must tell you that section WF is right behind the away teams bench, so every week some poor member of that team cops an absolute mouth full. I'm not so sure how much is in good Aussie heckling spirit, and how much is due to the alcohol the crowd has had.

Anyway, the game is underway and the Manly chant is sounding out across the field. The boys have a fire in their belly and they are out there all guns blazing. We get the ball close to the try line but can't seem to break the Dragons defence. We seem to be dominating possession in the opening minutes and it is looking promising for us. About six minutes in, the Dragons take the ball all the way down the field and are awarded two penalties in a row. The first penalty they decide to go for another six, on the blow of the second whistle they make the interesting decision to go for a penalty goal. Soward takes the kick and is successful opening the scoring.

Several sets are played and you can tell the Sea Eagles are itching for a try, itching to take the lead. We are awarded a penalty in front of the goal posts and choose to restart the tackle count. "Good!" we all cheer, "We know how to get real points!" Jamie Lyon puts a grubber kick in for Michael Oldfield who dives on it and picks up the first of his three tries for the night. Lyon successfully converts the try bringing the score to 6-2 to Manly. The crowd is ballistic!

The next 20 minutes pass without either side adding to their points. Watmough comes awfully close to getting the ball down, but it comes loose as he is tackled in goal. St George also have a close call when Vidot goes over the line, but is held up by Foran and company. As the video ref checks the footage out, the crowd are in uproar, "No try!", "Held up!" I think the video ref heard us all. The decision was, thankfully, no try.

Half time and the score is still 6-2. It is resembling a number of our previous games at half time. Low scoring, and not much distinguishing the two sides. During the first half, poor Kieran Foran looked as though he was about to pass out from exhaustion, he was seen limping a bit and breathless more often than not, however, that did not seem to deter him and he kept at it. He was involved in 22 tackles and proved why we are so glad to have seen him sign with Manly for a few more years.

The second half began and only four minutes in Oldfield scores another in the right hand corner. The crowd is on their feet cheering, clapping and encouraging our team on! Lyon misses the conversion and the score remains close at 10-2. There are still 35 minutes left in this game, and we all know it is not over yet. It's too close for anyone to be sitting comfortably, we are all on edge, waiting for the next try.

The next try does not come to us, Brett Morris breaks through our forward pack and runs a good 30 or 40 meters down the field before he is stopped by Brett Stewart. With our team struggling to get back onside, St George take their chance and are rewarded with a try as winger Daniel Vidot breaks through the line and places the ball down. The Dragons supporters are loud, it's really the first time that we have heard them all night. Soward converts the try and brings the score to a very, very uncomfortable 10-8. Manly still hold the lead but with more than 20 minutes on the clock, it is anybody's game.

The game gets a little slow and a little quiet. Both teams are playing good football and both teams are itching for that next try. In the 72nd minute Manly kicks on the 5th and Vidot takes the ball. About 5 Sea Eagles force him back into the in-goal area before being called held, this means a line-drop out for Manly and a crucial opportunity to extend their lead.

Oldfield secures his hat trick off a Brett Stewart ball and the fans explode into cheers. I, however, am losing my voice from all the yelling, screaming, cheering and heckling. My cheers are more like whispers at this stage, but it's the thought that counts, and I am sending telepathic congrats to my team. What can I say, we're tight like that! Another unsuccessful conversion and the teams are only separated by one converted try.

There are still four long minutes left in this game and the thought that is playing on everyones mind is golden point. I can't remember the last time we played for golden point. I do, however, remember the last time we tried to get a field goal, and failed. Soward and the Dragons have a good record with field goals as far as I know, they love their sneaky, sly one-pointers. Anything, anything but golden point.

St George try to take advantage of these four minutes with a short kick off, correct me if I'm wrong but I think it comes off the boot of Ben Hornby. Fortunately for us, and very unfortunately for St George it goes out on the full and the Sea Eagles, get their chance to extend the lead with a penalty. Darcy Lussick powers through the Dragons defence and lands himself neatly over the try line. It's done. We have won the game. Victory, sweet victory is ours, and everyone knows it. Jamie Lyon converts this one, for good measure and the next few sets are played out until finally the siren sounds.



The boys are all smiles as they do the rounds and the majority of the crowd is smiling as well. Nothing is sweeter than victory. After last weeks horrid effort against the Penrith Panthers, we needed this victory to prove something, if not to the world, to ourselves. We still have it, we are most definitely a force to be reckoned with, despite our depleted side week in and week out. Cheers to the freaking weekend!

All photos courtesy of Jasiah Ulbricht Photography

Round 11 - A very, very belated wrap up

Firstly, apologies for leaving this post for so long but there has been no time for me to write up last week's game. This will be brief, but I will add a fair few photos from the game taken by Jasiah Ulbricht Photography.

It was meant to be a cold and rainy day, that Sunday, so naturally I was rugged up and had my wet weather gear, Fortunately the rain stayed away most of the game, only a sprinkle here and there and just before the game started a rainbow appeared. A positive omen perhaps!

It was a very emotional game for me, which sounds a bit tragic, but it's just how I felt. We finally see Kieran Foran return to the field after being off with a hamstring injury and 16 minutes in he gets up from a tackle, limping. My heart dropped in my chest! He limps off the field on 'the hill' side and limps the entire way back to the sheds. After a few seconds of watching him limp alone, someone finally comes around to help him. I was so disappointed for him and hoping it wasn't his hamstring again and it was nothing too serious. Luckily coach Geoff Toovey had Liam on the interchange bench and he slotted in nicely to the already depleted side.


With Origin looming we had lost Brett and Glenn Stewart, Jamie Buhrer and Tony Williams, not to mention David 'Wolfman' Williams was also out injured, so the loss of Kieran during the game was not optimal. However we held on and got the victory in the end. At the game, the crowd seemed absolutely outraged at some of the calls that were made against them! We were all very vocal and not at all afraid to speak our mind. I sit behind the away teams bench, and the Roosters sure copped a mouthful from the crowd.

The try scorers for the match were Sea Eagles: Michael Oldfield, Daniel Harrison and Steve Matai. Jamie Lyon converts 3 from 4. Roosters: Sam Perret and Daniel Mortimer. Braith Anasta converts 1 from 2.

Welcome to Round 11

What a fantastic round we had last week! To top it off 5 of our boys were chosen to represent their State for the State of Origin games. Well done to Jamie Buhrer, Brett Stewart, Glenn Stewart and Tony Williams for being selected as part of the NSW team and our beloved Daly Cherry-Evans was called upon as 18^th man for QLD – we won’t hold that against him!

As happy and proud as I am for those team members, it does mean that a large chunk of our usual starting team is going to be missing for this Sunday’s clash against the Sydney Roosters. Fortunately we will see DCE on the field and the big news is that Kieran Foran will be back in the number 6 jersey after 6 weeks on the sideline due to a hamstring injury. Anthony ‘Choc’ Watmough was unfortunate to not be chosen, but aren’t we grateful that he will be part of the team on Sunday. Even though there is a large chunk – almost ¼ - out this week, we are fortunate to have great depth and many of the regular ‘work-horses’ will still be around and will be looking to get their fourth victory in a row.

There is some doubt about David ‘Wolfman’ Williams after a possible hamstring injury last week – according to twitter. That is yet to be confirmed by the Manly Sea Eagles and I am curious to see who might come in to take his position. Dean Whare will be playing fullback in the absence of Brett Stewart, so it won’t be him. Possibly, maybe Michael Oldfield? He has filled in on a number of occasions on the wing, although I have no knowledge of his current form or match fitness. I’m also hoping to see another appearance from Liam Foran, I think he did our team proud in the absence of his younger brother and I am interested to see if he might get more of a chance to play in the NRL in a different role.

So, our competition? Well the Roosters have done almost the exact opposite of us in this last month, we have won 3 out of 4 of our last matches and they have lost 3 out of the 4. They are also missing halfback Mitchell Pearce to origin, but other than that their lineup remains relatively the same. So who do I think will win? Well, while we are missing many of our key players, we see the return of Foran, and we are almost used to missing key players. However, our track record while we were missing those players isn’t so crash hot! I am confident we can beat the Roosters, but it depends on how they pull together without their playmaker. It could very well be another close game, a grinder as they’ve been calling them lately.

Follow me on twitter @MaroonWhiteBlog I'll be at the game on Sunday with live tweets.

Round 10 - Brisbane vs Manly - Suncorp stadium

Wow what a game. It was such a high quality football game that had both teams on the edge of their seats almost from the starting whistle.

In the opening 3 minutes a great play from Glenn Stewart to Jamie Lyon who ran through a gap and then passed to Wolfman and then back to Lyon ended in a try. A succesful conversion meant that we were 0-6 in front, a good way to start. A penalty to Manly in the 6th minute gave the Manly Sea Eagles a penalty goal and brought the score to 0-8.

It seemed to go all downhill from there and Manly conceded three penalties and the Broncos capitalised on that scoring a try off each awarded penalty. All three tries remained unconverted and the difference between the two teams stood at only 4 points.

With only three minutes before half time there was a brilliant play from Liam Foran to Brett Stewart and then to Steve Matai who reached over the line and planted the ball. It was a brilliant play that was just too quick for the Bronco's defence. Lyon, who converted 4/5 tonight, did not let us down and this brought the score to 12-14 to Manly just before half time.

Three minutes after half time Corey Norman kicked a ball high, landing straight into Gillet's arms. Gillet slipped through the gap with ease and placed the ball down. Their first try that did not come from a penalty. Corey Parker had an absolute shocker with the conversion kicks and this one was no exception. The try only landed Bronco's 2 points ahead on 16-14.

Corey Parker had me holding my breath for awhile as he plummeted toward the line, only to be held up by about 4 Sea Eagles. Another close call when the ball was kicked high to Reed only for it to slip through his arms and the ball rolled dead.

The Manly Sea Eagles had several close calls during a set in the 50th minute. Liam Foran almost got over, then Anthony Watmough and then a kick from Daly Cherry-Evans almost saw Wolfman over the line. If we can't score a try, we'll have a line drop out thanks Broncos! Another close set and a double knock on saw a scrum feed to Manly.

From the scrum feed another great play from Manly. Jamie Buhrer offloaded the ball and it went from the right hand side over to the left. A brilliant pass in front of a charging Jamie Lyon who passed the ball behind him to Wolfman and Wolfman went over the line. Another successful conversion brings the score to 16-20 to Manly Sea Eagles.

After a knock on from Manly gave a scrum feed to Broncos less than 10 metres from the Bronco's line the Bronco's set up well and scored a try on the 5th tackle. A change in kickers and Corey Norman converts the try brigning the score to 22-20 with less than 20 minutes left on the clock.

The clock was counting down and getting way too close to the 80th minute for my liking, and it had me sitting on the edge of my chair. I almost tuned out because I wasn't sure we could pull together and win this game. We had a couple of good chances that ended in handling errors or just stopped by the Bronco's defence. In saying that the Bronco's had a good chance in the 69th minute but Manly's defence held strong and an early kick was caught by Watmough who ran down to the 30 metre line.

The last three minutes brought out the crazy in me and I started yelling at the computer screen - unfortunately no live coverage. First Brett Stewart makes a rookie mistake - and here I was only minutes earlier exclaiming how he deserved the Blues jersey - and knocks on. It looked as though we were set up to score off that set so it was a moment of infuriation. Shortly after ,Liam Foran and Anthony Watmough  seem injured and are really not looking so good. Foran gets up, but Watmough is taken off the field.

Then, the reason why I love my Manly Sea Eagles, we keep playing our best football even though there are only 2 minutes left on the clock and it's not even our ball. We are pumped, surging, ready to go and A late pass from Buhrer to Matai who sneaks through the defence and brings us to just outside our 20 meter. Manly is ecstatic as some brilliant quick passes from Daniel Harrison and Glenn Stewart, then to Jamie Lyon who runs almost to the try line before offloading it to Wolfman, and we are in!! With less than a minute to go we have won the game. Jamie Lyon kicks his only unsuccessful conversion and leaves the score at 22-24 to Manly Sea Eagles.

Three wins in a row. We are back on a roll, back in form, this could very well be another brilliant year from our boys. Back to back premierships? Perhaps!

Game Day - Round 10

ROUND 10


Another highly anticipated match will be played tonight up at Suncorp Stadium. It's the week of the double header and I am very keen for the boys to come off with another win. Unfortunately, I won't be able to see the live action, lucky I have a wide-screen TV at home...


So this weeks lineup sees Kieran Foran out once more, but Liam has been doing a brilliant job in his absence. I miss seeing him out on the field, not gonna lie! Fortunately we have David 'Wolfman' Williams back on the wing, not that Dean Whare had a bad game with two tries in Round 9, it's just nice to see him back.

With the NSW Origin team set to be named on Sunday I expect big performances from the contenders within the team, this will be the final chance to impress for the first game.

Follow me on twitter @MaroonWhiteBlog for tonight's game!

Happy Game Day

Round 9 Sea Eagles vs Raiders - Brookvale Oval

It was a beautiful day down at Brookvale, the sun was shining, the sky was blue and there were over 15000 people there, most of which were Manly supporters. It was hard to spot the few Raiders supporters that were there amongst the sea of maroon and white. The crowd was in a brilliant mood and the air was almost electric leading up to the game.


The first half saw a fair few handling errors in critical points of the game, several tries may have been scored if it had not been for the fumbled offloads and poor passes that escaped many a hand. Nevertheless we were able to get one over the line in the opening 10 minutes. Glenn Stewart took the ball to the line then lobbed it over towards Dean Whare on the wing, and you should have heard the crowd! Let's just say it was loud!

The mighty Manly chant was heard echoing through the crowds several times throughout the game, and at some points it felt as though the entire crowd were partaking in the chant. It was magic! Every time we would get close to the line, or break through the Raiders defence, the crowd would be standing, cheering, chanting, shouting and fist-pumping, ok maybe the only one fist-pumping out there was me....





It was a tough first half and although we seemed to defend our line fairly well, we did let one slide through before half time. Josh McCrone attracted several defenders before passing the ball to Josh Papalii who managed to slip through the hole. The first half was not easy and there were several moments when either side could have scored once more but both sides defended well leaving the score 6-6 at the half time break.


Coming out for the second half the crowd was looking to see some good football and a win, and the Manly Sea eagles delivered just that. The first 16 minutes of the second half saw three tries as well as several try attempts. Liam Foran took on several defenders just metres from the line and carried the ball - and the defenders - well over the line before the ball was stripped by Josh Dugan and then grounded by Raiders Shaun Berrigan. Then moments later, another outstanding pass, this time from Brett Stewart to Jamie Lyon then to Dean Whare, saw Whare over the line once more right in the corner. An unsuccessful kick brought the score to an uncomfortable 4 point lead of 10-6.



Several sets later and Josh Dugan wriggles his arm free from about four defenders to put the ball down for a try. A Successful conversion by Jared Croker and the Raiders take the lead for the first time this game. It is now 10-12. In true Manly form the boys decide that they do NOT like being behind, especially at Fortress Brookvale and manage to get a try in a very entertaining fashion. Steve Matai brilliantly breaks through the line for what must be at least the third time in the game and goes for a run down the paddock, he manages to side-step around the lone Raider and then offloads to Whare, who then tries to pass it back but it hits Josh Dugan, then somehow manages to come off the boot of Daly Cherry-Evans who then chases it to the in goal area but Dugan doesn't let him near the ball, BUT THEN Jamie Lyon comes charging down and manages to put the ball down. It was an exciting play to watch, and with a successful conversion the Manly Sea Eagles were in front once more with a 16-12 lead.

The 4 point lead was not enough to calm the nerves of the edgy supporters. With still over 20 minutes to go we knew that anything could happen, and it did. For those who were on the Western Concourse it was clear that the ball had been taken into touch but the refs let it play on. We were in hysterics while the ball was still in play, then it looked as though the Raiders had scored a try from it all. Nobody could believe their eyes. Fortunately after a very thorough look by the video ref, the decision was no try. The crowd went wild, but we still had 18 minutes left.



Back and forth went the ball for almost 10 minutes before Manly was awarded a penalty due to a strip. We decide to take a penalty field goal ensuring the difference between the two sides would be one try, 6 points. Still not comfortable but at least the Raiders could not win with just one more try. The next 10 minutes passed painstakingly slow but when the siren sounded - just after an attempted field goal from Daly Cherry-Evans - we had won. Victory was ours and we were excited. We managed to pull together in a tough game and come through with the win, two wins in a row, we are on a roll!

Photos from the game 

Courtesy Jasiah Ulbricht Photography