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 :)