Best Grand Finals that never were..

[horrie hastings]

Roosters received a massive flogging from them in the preliminary final that year. Parra and the knights definitely could’ve challenged them.

Roosters beat Melbourne then Newcastle who finished above them on the table but then got belted by Brisbane in the preliminary final. Roosters did have a team that could have challenged them that year, they had won earlier in the year up at QE 2 stadium, unfortunately for the prelim the Roosters handed in a very lackluster performance.

 

[horrie hastings]

Souths winning margin I think would have been higher if PENRITH! made it instead of the Dogs. It was just their year, our GF was the QF v Roosters.

I still shake my head when i see that match between the Roosters and Penrith, that try that Penrith scored with 3.5 minutes on the clock was so freaky, looked liked Mini had the ball covered and somehow the Penrith player kept the ball in play while in mid air over the sideline and batted it back in for Penrith to score, then Soward calmly converts from the side line to level the scores then kicks a field goal with 12 secs left on the clock. Its been a while since i have watched the game in full, i didn't see it live as i was in LA at the time but i seem to remember at some stage of the game Remy Casty got the ball down on the line for the Roosters and they didn't even look at it again, looked like it was a fair try but i think Ray Warren saying something stupid like that's not how you do it in Australia, i haven't seen the whole game in full for so long so my memory is a bit hazy but the last 4 mins i remember so clearly.

 

[Marshall_magic]

No I get that, but I can't see how anyone who lost in a finals series would feel robbed. Did the Warriors deserve to make the GF? Maybe not given they got belted by Brisbane. But neither did anyone who lost to us subsequently.

the refs did everything in their power to get us over the line against you blokes in week two but it wasn’t enough. Had they done so then the storm would have trounced us in the prelims. Whilst we were on a winning run leading into the finals, our performances had not been that great in the weeks leading in. 2010 was the year we should have won it, but it wasn’t to be. 2012 was a shout too, but Tedesco blew his knee in round 1, and a few others threw their toys out of the cot because their mates moved on.

 

[Marshall_magic]

2010 - Tigers vs Dragons. If we had just picked up the f**king ball from the scrum we would of beaten Easts in week 1 and probably faced the Dragons in the GF setting up a rematch of the 2005 Prelim, would of been some atmosphere.

to this day I still don’t know what the f**k we were trying to do there, it’s common knowledge a ref wont blow a penalty in the final few minutes of a finals game, especially when the game is on the line. Just pick the ball up and run down the clock.

We close that game out and we get a week off before a likely home game against the Panthers or the Titans before the grand final. Instead we have to play 20 minutes of golden point, an away trip to Canberra, before then playing a fresh Saints and only being edged out by a single point. Grand final would have been against the Dragons, although at that point in time they couldn’t beat the Raiders for love nor money, so who knows what happens

 

[anjado]

Brisbane vs Penrith in 1992.

Penrith after losing their opening two games of the 1992 season. Penrith went 7-3 in their next 10 games including beating Brisbane at Lang Park 24-10, Illawarra at home 24-12. Easts who started that season on fire 23-12.

Penrith were in 6th place 2 points off of second. Then Ben Alexander died in a car accident and the club fell apart.

Penrith still only finished 3 points behind the top 5, they went 4-6 to finish the season. Winning the next game against Wests so really ending up 3-6 a brave effort since we used 38 players that season. I'm positive it would have been a Penrith vs Brisbane grand final that year. We were better than St George on paper and smashed Brisbane at Lang Park.


Other than the 93 Raiders vs Broncos was a big one.

 

[pennywisealfie]

Brisbane vs Manly 2008, Brisbane vs Parra 2009. Cheated by the cheats twice in a row.

 

[This Year?]

1909 Souths v Balmain.

 

[soc123_au]

I still shake my head when i see that match between the Roosters and Penrith, that try that Penrith scored with 3.5 minutes on the clock was so freaky, looked liked Mini had the ball covered and somehow the Penrith player kept the ball in play while in mid air over the sideline and batted it back in for Penrith to score, then Soward calmly converts from the side line to level the scores then kicks a field goal with 12 secs left on the clock. Its been a while since i have watched the game in full, i didn't see it live as i was in LA at the time but i seem to remember at some stage of the game Remy Casty got the ball down on the line for the Roosters and they didn't even look at it again, looked like it was a fair try but i think Ray Warren saying something stupid like that's not how you do it in Australia, i haven't seen the whole game in full for so long so my memory is a bit hazy but the last 4 mins i remember so clearly.

The Remi Casty try should have been given. I thought it was hilarious at the time though. I just pictured @Tommy Smith crying into his saucer of milk while regretting making the RL gods smile on us with his easy draw thread.

That and the ref's second job being Albert Rosenfelds stop masturbating therapist.

 

[some11]

1909 Souths v Balmain.

@BunniesMan

 

[Marshall_magic]

Brisbane vs Manly 2008, Brisbane vs Parra 2009. Cheated by the cheats twice in a row.

You would have knocked them off in 08 had Ashton Sims not done Ashton Sims things at the end of the finals week 2 game.

 

[thenrlphinsider]

It has been covered, but those early to mid 90s Brisbane Broncos and Canberra Raiders teams were the Grand Final match ups that we missed out on as rugby league fans. Alfie vs Stuart, Daley vs Walters, Renouf vs Meninga etc.

 

[firechild]

Brisbane vs Manly 2008, Brisbane vs Parra 2009. Cheated by the cheats twice in a row.

Could have been Manly vs Parra in 2009. The purple scum knocked Manly out in the 4v5 final in week 1.

 

[BunniesMan]

@BunniesMan

That grand final was. One team showed up. That team won. Simple.

 

[yobbo84]

2013 should have been Souths vs Roosters. Two best teams in the comp by a mile. In fact, I'd say we were a more complete side in 2013 than we were in 2014. In 2014, everything came up Milhouse for us.

I still can't get over how much we shat the bed vs Manly in the 2013 prelim.

 

[PARRA_FAN]

Watching league in the 90s the two big ones wouldve been Brisbane Vs Canberra and Manly Vs Norths.

In recent times it would be interesting to see a Souths Vs Roosters GF.