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Best Grand Finals that never were..

flippikat

flippikat

First Grade
Messages
5,359
We've discussed the best teams never to win a Grand Final here before (eg late '80s Balmain Tigers).. but what are some of the great GF matchups that you wish had happened?

Here's a couple to start with..

1993 Broncos v Raiders
I could have said any match-up of these two on GF day in the early-mid 90s, but 1993 saw the Raiders hopes dashed by an injury to Ricky Stuart just before the finals.

1996 Manly v Norths
If Norths had only won that preliminary final vs the Dragons.. I think a northern Sydney derby GF would have been a fun occasion between 2 very skilled teams.. Norths last big chance to win a unified competition too.. funny enough both teams were in opposite preliminary finals in the 1997 ARL comp, but you really wouldn't have wanted Norths to have knocked out Newcastle that year.. right?
 
bad boy bubby

bad boy bubby

Coach
Messages
15,335
flippikat said:
We've discussed the best teams never to win a Grand Final here before (eg late '80s Balmain Tigers).. but what are some of the great GF matchups that you wish had happened?

Here's a couple to start with..

1993 Broncos v Raiders
I could have said any match-up of these two on GF day in the early-mid 90s, but 1993 saw the Raiders hopes dashed by an injury to Ricky Stuart just before the finals.

1996 Manly v Norths
If Norths had only won that preliminary final vs the Dragons.. I think a northern Sydney derby GF would have been a fun occasion between 2 very skilled teams.. Norths last big chance to win a unified competition too.. funny enough both teams were in opposite preliminary finals in the 1997 ARL comp, but you really wouldn't have wanted Norths to have knocked out Newcastle that year.. right?
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The funny thing about that 1996 year was that in the prelim games it was Norths vs Saints and Manly vs Cronulla. I remember hoping that either way it could be a local derby playing in the GF, and how unreal that would be. Also it would have been pretty cool if it was Norths vs Cronulla, the two longestt drought teams of the time.
 
flippikat

flippikat

First Grade
Messages
5,359
I Bleed Maroon said:
Broncos vs. Raiders in the early '90s is the one that got away.
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Souths v Balmain 1989 is another one - a rematch of the 1969 GF 20 years later, and Souths last big chance before their slide - although winning the 1989 GF may have helped avoid their decline - butterfly effect & all that.

Mind you, Souths v Balmain in 1989 would have denied the Raiders their first title.. and no guarantees the game would have been as good as what we got with Tigers v Raiders.
 
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flippikat

flippikat

First Grade
Messages
5,359
bad boy bubby said:
The funny thing about that 1996 year was that in the prelim games it was Norths vs Saints and Manly vs Cronulla. I remember hoping that either way it could be a local derby playing in the GF, and how unreal that would be. Also it would have been pretty cool if it was Norths vs Cronulla, the two longestt drought teams of the time.
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Yeah, I love the prospect of two "drought teams" clashing in a GF - at the moment, I guess that would be any combination of Eels, Raiders, Warriors & (at a stretch) Titans, given how the Gold Coast also had fruitless representation in the top tier between 1988 and 1998.

As a league, we're actually pretty fortunate that the longest active drought we have currently have is just 35 (nearly 36) years - a lot of competitions have it far worse.
 
Scott

Scott

Bench
Messages
3,802
1993 - Brisbane vs Canberra
1994 - Norths vs Brisbane

These would have been better games imo.
93 - StGeorge vs Brisbane was a so boring.
94 - Canterbury were terrible. Only thing the game had going for it was it was Meninga's last game in Aus.
 
Manu Vatuvei

Manu Vatuvei

Coach
Messages
17,231
I was fairly young at the time but it seems mental in retrospect that Saint George and the Bulldogs made every grand final from 1992 to 1996 while there was never a Manly/Canberra/Brisbane combination? Those Saint George teams in particular look pretty underwhelming on paper.
 
Fangs

Fangs

Coach
Messages
14,579
Roosters v Souths 2014.

Spoiled in week one by a Panthers outfit that just wouldn't lie down.
 
JamesRustle

JamesRustle

First Grade
Messages
8,183
Parra v. Cowboys in 2007 - Parra were beaten by Melbourne in the prelim, and we all know what cheating merkins the Storm were proven to be - and the hand of Foran cheated the Cowboys out of the chance of attempting to win their first premiership. Shayne Hayne, Paul Simpkins and Steve Clark still aren't on JT's xmas card list all these years later.
 
JamesRustle

JamesRustle

First Grade
Messages
8,183
moffla said:
Storm v Manly 2011

Warriors deserved their spot, don’t get me wrong - but the 3rd instalment of that rivalry would have been something else
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07 and 08 GFs were massive blow outs. A third instalment would have been just as putrid, and it would have been recognised as the first legal version, but still wouldn't have felt right with Storm in the GF the year after they were caught cheating.
 
JamesRustle

JamesRustle

First Grade
Messages
8,183
Sharks v. Manly in 2008 - sharks were beaten by Melbourne in the prelim, and we all know what cheating merkins the Storm were proven to be.
 
JamesRustle

JamesRustle

First Grade
Messages
8,183
Dragons v. Bulldogs in 2009 - Best teams that year, both exciting to watch. Broncos and Parra can suck my balls at getting beaten in the PF and GF by a filthy cheating Storm. Broncos were full of AFL double agents and future media dribblers, and 8th placed Parra was Hayne and he's a pest, at best.
 
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