Reply to thread

Message: [QUOTE="Big Pete, post: 2720147, member: 1899"] We're well and truly into representative season, and what a busy rep season it was! Not only with the State of Origin, but there was also an Ashes series that was doubling as a World Cup pool game (more on that later). The State of Origin series may have been the Maroons best achievement since '84 where they wrapped up the series in terrible conditions down in Sydney. To crash the Blues unveiling of the SFS and out-class them minus Wally Lewis was a fantastic result for the Maroons and a real coming of age moment for Alfie Langer. One thing I really like about revisiting these old stories is that you're able to understand moments where players became legends and I definitely feel with performances like that, Alfie cemented himself in Rugby League folklore. In '87 he had proved the critics wrong, in '88 there was no second guessing, Alfie was a quality football talent. The first game and the Round 11 clash highlighted how good the Raiders were. That era from 86-95 was glorious from the Raiders and I know there's a rivalry there between us, but credit where it's due, that Raiders squad maybe one of the best this game has ever seen. So many legends of the game were involved with the club and like Manly before them, really played their part in Queensland Rugby League. Reading through that result reminds me of all the Storm/Broncos clashes in recent years where we'd flip the script and have to go up against Cam, Slater, Cronk, Chambers, Inglis and co and they would just out-class us each and everytime. Even last year when they were without Slater and Cronk, they really made us work for our two points (in a game that really shaped our run to the grand final). Game II is a classic game and as 'ugly' as the beer-can incident was, it really showcased how much the game meant to the Queensland public and their respect for Wally Lewis. I think it's fair to say the Maroons fed off of the passion and it proved a turning point in the contest, wrapping up another series for the Maroons. In between that, it appeared to be business as usual between the Steelers. These are the types of game as a fan that I like to revisit. For one thing, nobody really talks about that game, but also it gives you an idea what a typical afternoon was like as a Broncos supporter. One selection that I like here is Shane Duffy. I don't think I've ever seen Duffy play (I wasn't even born around this time) but it's interesting to see him chosen over Scott at points during the season. I think that goes to show that Bennett isn't afraid to blood new talent and give them a go provided they're ready. There's a section towards the end of these write-ups that illustrates this point, but I liked that Wayne didn't rely solely on old heads and made a point of bringing in so many young guys into the squad. Finally we got the Test match where the Poms put up a nice fight and really pushed the Australians, but the Kangaroos were just too strong. At this point, the Poms hadn't beaten Australia in over a decades time, so even a contest was something to get a little excited over. Plenty of Queenslanders on show as well, with 9/15 repping the Green and Gold. It was certainly happy days to be a Queensland fan. [/QUOTE]

Verification

Active Now

No members online now.

Total: 4 (members: 1, guests: 3)

Reply to thread

Log in

Active Now