| New South Wales Rugby League season 1987 | |
 | |
| Teams | 13 |
| Premiers |  Manly-Warringah (5th title) |
| Minor premiers | Manly-Warringah (6th title) |
| Matches played | 162 |
| Points scored | 5294 (average 32. The Manly - Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional Rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney The Manly - Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional Rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney 679 per match) |
| Attendance | 1,658,354 (average 10,237 per match) |
| Top points scorer(s) |  Ross Conlon (196 points) |
| Top try scorer(s) |  Terry Lamb (16 tries) |
The 1987 New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the eightieth season of professional rugby league football in Australia. Ross Conlon (born in Murwillumbah New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league footballer Terence "Terry" John Lamb OAM, (born 15 September 1961) is an Australian former Rugby league player of the 1980s and New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first Rugby league football club competition established in Australia History See also History of rugby league The grass roots of rugby league can be traced to early football history, through the playing of ball games The lineup of clubs remained unchanged from the previous year, with thirteen contesting during the season for the Winfield Cup, including five Sydney-based foundation teams, another six from Sydney, one from greater New South Wales and one from the Australian Capital Territory. Winfield Cup was an Australian Rugby league trophy awarded to the winner of the New South Wales Rugby League premiership 's (NSWRL Grand Final from 1982 Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 } The Australian Capital Territory (ACT is the Capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and its smallest self-governing internal territory During the season, NSWRL teams also competed for the 1987 National Panasonic Cup. The National Panasonic Cup was a mid-week Rugby league competition held in Australia.
Contents |
Teams
 Balmain Tigers |  Canberra Raiders |  Canterbury Bulldogs |  Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
 Eastern Suburbs Roosters |  Illawarra Steelers |  Manly Sea Eagles |  North Sydney Bears |
 Parramatta Eels |  Penrith Panthers |  South Sydney Rabbitohs |  St. George Dragons |
 Western Suburbs Magpies |
Ladder
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manly-Warringah | 24 | 18 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 553 | 356 | +197 | 41 |
| 2 |  Eastern Suburbs | 24 | 15 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 390 | 353 | +37 | 35 |
| 3 |  Canberra | 24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 441 | 325 | +116 | 34 |
| 4 | Balmain | 24 | 14 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 469 | 349 | +120 | 33 |
| 5 |  South Sydney | 24 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 310 | 342 | -32 | 31 |
| 6 | Canterbury-Bankstown | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 353 | 316 | +37 | 30 |
| 7 |  Parramatta | 24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 417 | 411 | +6 | 28 |
| 8 |  Cronulla-Sutherland | 24 | 11 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 390 | 433 | -43 | 27 |
| 9 |  St. George | 24 | 10 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 394 | 409 | -15 | 26 |
| 10 |  North Sydney | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 368 | 401 | -33 | 26 |
| 11 |  Illawarra | 24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 372 | 449 | -77 | 20 |
| 12 |  Penrith | 24 | 6 | 1 | 17 | 2 | 274 | 399 | -125 | 17 |
| 13 |  Western Suburbs | 24 | 5 | 2 | 17 | 2 | 339 | 527 | -188 | 16 |
Finals
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Crowd | |||||
| Qualifying Finals | ||||||||
 Balmain Tigers | 12-15 |  South Sydney Rabbitohs | 5 September 1987 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Greg McCallum | 22,134 | ||
 Eastern Suburbs Roosters | 25-16 |  Canberra Raiders | 6 September 1987 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Mick Stone | 15,852 | ||
| Semi Finals | ||||||||
| Canberra Raiders | 46-12 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 12 September 1987 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Mick Stone | 24,744 | ||
 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 10-6 | Eastern Suburbs Roosters | 13 September 1987 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Greg McCallum | 36,399 | ||
| Preliminary Final | ||||||||
| Eastern Suburbs Roosters | 24-32 | Canberra Raiders | 20 September 1987 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Mick Stone | 26,790 | ||
| Grand Final | ||||||||
| Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 18-8 | Canberra Raiders | 27 September 1987 | Sydney Cricket Ground | Mick Stone | 50,201 | ||
Grand Final
Manly's Plotted Premiership
Manly dominated the 1987 season with a 12-match winning sequence between May and July and Bob Fulton's elusive goal of coaching a side to Grand Final victory began to look a possibility. The Manly - Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional Rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney The Sydney Roosters is a professional Rugby league club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, Australia. The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in the city of Canberra Australian Capital Territory. The Balmain Tigers (also known as the Sydney Tigers from 1995-96 were one of the founding rugby league football clubs of the New South Wales Rugby League premiership The South Sydney Rabbitohs, also known as Souths, The Bunnies, SSFC or The Rabbits, are an Australian professional Rugby league The Bulldogs Rugby League Football Club (formerly Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and "The Berries") are an Australian professional Rugby league The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional Rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks are an Australian professional Rugby league team based in Cronulla New South Wales in the Sutherland Shire, south of Sydney The St George Dragons were a team in the National Rugby League competition in Australia The North Sydney Bears are an Australian Rugby league football club based in Sydney who currently compete in the New South Wales Cup. The Illawarra Steelers are an Australian Rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong New South Wales. The Penrith Panthers is an Australian professional Rugby league football team The Western Suburbs Magpies are a Rugby league football club in Sydney Australia The Balmain Tigers (also known as the Sydney Tigers from 1995-96 were one of the founding rugby league football clubs of the New South Wales Rugby League premiership The South Sydney Rabbitohs, also known as Souths, The Bunnies, SSFC or The Rabbits, are an Australian professional Rugby league The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG is a sports Stadium in Sydney. The Sydney Roosters is a professional Rugby league club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, Australia. The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in the city of Canberra Australian Capital Territory. The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG is a sports Stadium in Sydney. The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in the city of Canberra Australian Capital Territory. The South Sydney Rabbitohs, also known as Souths, The Bunnies, SSFC or The Rabbits, are an Australian professional Rugby league The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG is a sports Stadium in Sydney. The Manly - Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional Rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney The Sydney Roosters is a professional Rugby league club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, Australia. The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG is a sports Stadium in Sydney. The Sydney Roosters is a professional Rugby league club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, Australia. The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in the city of Canberra Australian Capital Territory. The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG is a sports Stadium in Sydney. The Manly - Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional Rugby league club based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in the city of Canberra Australian Capital Territory. The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG is a sports Stadium in Sydney. Robert "Bob" Fulton AM (born 1 December 1947 in Warrington, England is an English-born Australian Rugby league identity
The path to glory had been four years in the making. In 1983 Fulton had returned to the club as coach, the second year running that they lost to Parramatta and he set about pursuing a stable of players needed to win a premiership. The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional Rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta.
The sole survivors of the 1983 loss to Parramatta were Noel Cleal and club captain, Paul Vautin. Noel Harvey "Crusher" Cleal (born in Warialda New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league player who also had a successful coaching Paul "Fatty" Vautin (born 21 July 1959) is an Australian former Rugby league player coach and more recently a media personality Cleal had by now developed into one of the most menacing forwards in the game and although Vautin had been largely overlooked by the Australian selectors, his leadership of the Sea-Eagles was an integral factor in the club's success.
In 1984 young halfback Des Hasler who had spent several seasons warming the bench at Penrith trialled with the club, became a mainstay of the Manly side and achieved Test selection the following year. Des Hasler (born 16 February 1961 in Gosford, New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league player during the 1980s and early 1990s and is 1986 Rothmans medallist, winger-turned-hooker, Mal Cochrane a reliable goalkicker and a deceptive open runner was also an asset to the side. The Dally M Medal is the premier individual award in the National Rugby League, which is given to the player voted by commentators as the best and fairest in the competition
The forwards were led by 1986 Kangaroo Tour prop Phil Daley and English import, Castleford's Kevin Ward who was flown back out to Australia specifically for the grand final. Kangaroo Tour is the name given to Australian Rugby league tours of Great Britain and France Phil Daley (born 1964 is an Australian former premiership winning and representative Rugby league player Manly's masterstroke was the signing of former Rugby Union international Michael O'Connor from St George who was regarded as one of the most gifted attacking backs in the game.
Their opponents were to be the Canberra Raiders who, after 5 years of competition, had reached their first Grand Final. The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional Rugby league football team based in the city of Canberra Australian Capital Territory.
Pre match entertainment
50,201 fans were on hand to watch the last rugby league match played at the SCG. The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG is a sports Stadium in Sydney. Network 10 televised a memorable pre-match entertainment involving a symbolic building of a huge model of the Sydney Harbour Bridge by representatives of the Navy's apprentices.
Match report
| Manly-Warringah | Position | Canberra |
|---|---|---|
| Dale Shearer | FB | Gary Belcher |
| David Ronson | WG | Chris Kinna |
| Darrell Williams | CE | Mal Meninga |
| Michael O'Connor | CE | Peter Jackson |
| Stuart Davis | WG | Matthew Corkery |
| Cliff Lyons | FE | Chris O'Sullivan |
| Des Hasler | HB | Ivan Henjak |
| Paul Vautin (c) | LK | Dean Lance (c) |
| Ron Gibbs | SR | Ashley Gilbert |
| Noel Cleal | SR | Gary Coyne |
| Kevin Ward | PR | Sam Backo |
| Mal Cochrane | HK | Steve Walters |
| Phil Daley | PR | Brent Todd |
| Mark Pocock | Reserve | Kevin Walters |
| Paul Shaw | Reserve | Terry Regan |
| Bob Fulton | Coach | Don Furner and Wayne Bennett |
From the outset Manly's Cliff Lyons attempted to find gaps out wide in Canberra's defence and kept the Raiders hemmed in on their own side of half-way with his astute kicking. Dale Shearer (born 25 July, 1965 in St George Queensland) is an Australian former Rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s of A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Gary Belcher (born 28 May, 1962 is an Australian former Rugby league footballer and commentator A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Malcolm Norman Meninga AM (born 8 July 1960) is an Australian Rugby league personality Michael David O'Connor (born 1960 Nowra New South Wales) is a former Australian Rugby league and Rugby union player - a dual international A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Peter Jackson (born 19 April, 1964, died 5 November 1997) was an Australian professional Rugby league player who represented both A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Cliff Lyons (born 19 October, 1961 in Narrandera New South Wales) is an Australian former international-level Rugby league footballer A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Des Hasler (born 16 February 1961 in Gosford, New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league player during the 1980s and early 1990s and is A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Ivan Henjak born in Croatia is a former Rugby league player and current National Rugby League coach Paul "Fatty" Vautin (born 21 July 1959) is an Australian former Rugby league player coach and more recently a media personality A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Noel Harvey "Crusher" Cleal (born in Warialda New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league player who also had a successful coaching A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Gary Coyne (born 30 September, 1961) was a Rugby league player for the Canberra Raiders. A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Sam Backo (born 1 January 1961) is an Australian former professional Rugby league player who represented Queensland and Australia A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Steve Walters (born 28 August, 1965) is an Australian former Rugby league footballer who at the peak of his career was considered the best Phil Daley (born 1964 is an Australian former premiership winning and representative Rugby league player A typical Rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field plus four substitutes on the bench Kevin David Walters (born 20 October 1967 in Rockhampton Queensland) is an Australian former Rugby league player whose on-field career Terry Regan (born 21 May 1958 in Cessnock New South Wales) is an Australian former professional Rugby league player who was New South Robert "Bob" Fulton AM (born 1 December 1947 in Warrington, England is an English-born Australian Rugby league identity Don Furner (born 26 February, 1932) is an Australian former Rugby league footballer and coach Wayne James Bennett AM (born 1 January, 1950) is an Australian Rugby league football identity Cliff Lyons (born 19 October, 1961 in Narrandera New South Wales) is an Australian former international-level Rugby league footballer Lyons stepped inside the Raiders' defence and after a seventy-metre burst found Noel Cleal stampeding on to the ball but Ceal's final pass to Des Hasler was ruled forward. Noel Harvey "Crusher" Cleal (born in Warialda New South Wales) is an Australian former Rugby league player who also had a successful coaching Another promising Manly raid broke down when Lyons' reverse pass to O'Connor was put to ground.
In the 27th minute Lyons eventually broke through on his third threatening attempt. Scurrying from a scrum win on the Canberra quarter-line, Lyons brushed off the tackle of Chris O'Sullivan and stepped inside Gary Belcher to score. Gary Belcher (born 28 May, 1962 is an Australian former Rugby league footballer and commentator
The Sea Eagles led 6-0 at half-time, with a crushing ball-and-all tackle by Belcher on Dale Shearer at the Canberra tryline preventing the lead being greater. Dale Shearer (born 25 July, 1965 in St George Queensland) is an Australian former Rugby league footballer of the 1980s and 90s of
From the restart kick-off Belcher fielded the ball in his in-goal but was penalised for shepherding behind Chris O'Sullivan as he ran the ball out. It was a gift penalty for Michael O'Connor to take Manly to an 8-0 lead.
The Sea Eagles kept the pressure on Canberra by charging down two attempted clearing kicks by a tiring Mal Meninga. Malcolm Norman Meninga AM (born 8 July 1960) is an Australian Rugby league personality Only occasionally did the Raiders break through. After a run by Peter Jackson, Manly's Phil Daley was penalised for a high tackle and Meninga's goal finally put Canberra on the scoreboard. Peter Jackson (born 19 April, 1964, died 5 November 1997) was an Australian professional Rugby league player who represented both
Fatigue and the heat began to take a toll. Meninga was replaced after 15 minutes of the second half and Manly's Gibbs, Cleal and Cochrane all went down hurt at different stages as the pace of the match slowed. Soon after a successful penalty goal from O'Connor, a Dale Shearer crossfield kick was grounded over the line by O'Connor in the Paddington corner. The Manly centre seemed to have been in front of Shearer's kick but the converted try cemented Manly's lead, 16-2.
A brief hope of a fightback loomed after an ingeniously constructed "trojan horse" move by Canberra. Chris O'Sullivan went down "injured" after being tackled and then miraculously popped up in the next passage of play to take the inside pass from Ivan Henjack and score. Gary Belcher converted to narrow the scores to 16-8.
Ron Gibbs' return from the head-bin helped snap the Sea Eagles out of their complacency. Daley's tackle on Canberra replacement Terry Regan and Dale Shearer's try-saving tackle on Ashley Gilbert three minutes from full-time ended any chance of a Canberra fightback. Terry Regan (born 21 May 1958 in Cessnock New South Wales) is an Australian former professional Rugby league player who was New South Paul Vautin led the charge back up-field with Hasler being bundled into the corner post after a run-around movement with O'Connor.
Right on full-time, O'Connor landed his fifth goal after the Raiders were penalised in front of their own posts. The 18-8 scoreline was a fair indication of Manly's supremacy on the day and a just result considering the Sea Eagles' consistency throughout the year.
For Manly coach and treasured son Bob Fulton, premiership glory in a nine-year coaching career was finally achieved. Robert "Bob" Fulton AM (born 1 December 1947 in Warrington, England is an English-born Australian Rugby league identity For the dual Canberra coaches it marked a milestone. It was a sad ending to the long coaching career of Don Furner, the man who brought Canberra into the competition. For his partner Wayne Bennett, the tactician behind the side, it was a disappointing exit but another door was about to open on his own stellar coaching career with Brisbane and Queensland. Wayne James Bennett AM (born 1 January, 1950) is an Australian Rugby league football identity
Manly Sea Eagles 18 (Tries: O'Connor, Lyons. Goals: O'Connor 5)
Canberra Raiders 8 (Tries: O'Sullivan. Goals: Meninga, Belcher).
Clive Churchill Medal Winner: Cliff Lyons. The Clive Churchill Medal has been presented to the man-of-the-match of the Australian first grade Rugby league Grand Final ever since 1986.
Manly vs Wigan
Having won the premiership, the Manly side travelled to England to play British Champions Wigan on the 7th of October. Wigan Warriors Rugby League Football Club is a professional Rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. This was only the second match of its kind, since the first time the Australian and British premiers faced off in 1976. The World Club Challenge (WCC (also referred to as the Carnegie World Club Challenge (CWCC for sponsorship purposes is an annual Rugby league match held between 1976 's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the sixty-ninth season of professional Rugby league football in Australia 36,895 spectators turned out at Central Park, Wigan to see the Sea Eagles go down 8 to 2. Central Park is a large public Urban park in New York City, with about twenty-five million visitors annually
References
- Rugby League Tables - Season 1987 The World of Rugby League.
- Pace, Class and Lots of Guts Soaring Sea Eagles.
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