Finals Fever

[Norris Lurker]

What a cracker of a grand final that was! Certainly the noisiest I can remember, and plenty of twists & turns.

Congratulations to Manly on their win. Taking out Premier Division in their first season is an amazing achievement. I was one of the doubters who thought they'd struggle to be competitive when they went up, but they certainly gave me and others plenty of humble pie.

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What a cracker of a grand final that was! Certainly the noisiest I can remember, and plenty of twists & turns.

Congratulations to Manly on their win. Taking out Premier Division in their first season is an amazing achievement. I was one of the doubters who thought they'd struggle to be competitive when they went up, but they certainly gave me and others plenty of humble pie.

[justabaraker]

I had staked my reputation on a Penno win in the RWO footy tipping contest, but I'm happy to congratulate Manly on their success this year.

Great day at BISP - terrific atmosphere, especially from the Manly fans and the cheer squad who welcomed us to the carpark with their banner. The team played enthusiastic and disciplined footy and were obviously well coached.
The game was played in good spirit and both groups of supporters got into it (and I say that after hearing reports of my suburban Melbourne team's grand final where there were serious fights between players and supporters yesterday).

A great day at BISP and a credit to the SFL, to Baulko who did the catering and moved the furniture on the field for the presentations, and to both teams who put on a cracker of a match.

Hawks and Freo next Saturday but buggered if I know what I'll do for the next six months of weekends !



And PS - can't wait for the blaze of colour on Saturday when the yellow and browns take on the purples. Like a dirty baby's nappy after prunes.

[Mug Punter]

Congratulations to Manly on their win. Taking out Premier Division in their first season is an amazing achievement. I was one of the doubters who thought they'd struggle to be competitive when they went up, but they certainly gave me and others plenty of humble pie.

Massive achievement and just goes to show what can be done when a club gets its off field house in order.

Good junior development, a solid team of volunteers and a fertile catchment area. As far as I am aware they have basically achieved this as an amateur outfit with a couple of "franchise style" signings and more or less the same side as last season (think Armitage winning the Phelan).

Can they take the next step and become a real super-club. The potential is there - surely the opportunity exists to set up an Academy style centre of excellence on the Northern Beaches, possibly a partnership with Narrabeen Sports High (AFL already on the curriculum) and/or the NSWIS with Swans/NSWAFL funding? They already have three very strong junior clubs in their area and you would have to think they will form the basis of their future.

That's all for the future of course but well done Wolves. Not traditionally my favourite club but they have turned the powerbase of Sydney football on its head in one year. Scary thing is they will only get better.

[DLH]

Well done to Manly, I must admit having seen them dominate Div 1 I thought they'd contend for a spot in the finals. Never did I think they'd win the flag.

One can only imagine what they would have done if they had Kovacevic at full-forward as well, a seriously good player.

[Norris Lurker]

The RWO Wrap of Grand Final Day is now online.

I've also uploaded some photo galleries of the day, for those who missed it or those who want to re-live the glories of the day.

Under 18s Two - Manly v Holroyd-Parramatta
Under 18s Two - After the Game
Under 18s One - Pennant Hills v UNSW-ES
Under 18s One - After the Game
Division One - Southern Power v UNSW-ES
Division One - After the Game
Premier Division - Manly v Pennant Hills
Premier Division - After the Game

[Pekay]

A great read Norris, very enthralling.