Twenty years after winning a premiership with the silvertails, Dubbo’s Ron Gibbs will be cheering for his beloved Manly Sea Eagles in tomorrow’s NRL grand final against the Melbourne Storm.
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Gibbs and his family will join as many as 80,000 fans in the stands at Telstra Stadium while TV coverage will reach 50 countries.
It is building up as one of the most anticipated contests in recent years and Gibbs agreed not much splits the two sides - but his heart is with Manly to weather the Storm.
“Manly has always been my team since I was a kid and now my kids are Manly supporters,” Gibbs said.
“We’ve been to four games at Brookvale this year, but this will be the first time I’ve taken them to a grand final.
“These two sides have been the form teams all year and both have been outstanding in the last few weeks. I think it will go down to the wire but I’ve got my money on Manly.”
In 1987 Manly defeated Canberra Raiders 18-8 in front of 50,201 spectators in the last grand final held at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Gibbs packed into the second row with Noel Cleal, Clive Churchill Medal winner Cliff Lyons played five-eighth, English prop forward Kevin Ward flew back from Castleford to play and the half-back was current Manly coach Des Hasler.
Hasler also played in Manly’s last grand final appearance, when he and Lyons both came off the bench in the 20-8 win over St George Dragons in 1996.
“For Des to win a grand final as a player and then 20 years later as a coach would be really special,” Gibbs said.
“He was a real gentleman and was probably too kind-hearted and quiet to be considered a future coach but he’s adapted over the last couple of years.
“He’ll have a few things to say before the game but he won’t go overboard - then he’ll leave it up to the players.”
Gibbs said flashbacks of grand final glory often came flooding back during September.
“The game is completely different to our day but it’s still the same feeling,” he said.
“Being on the winning end made all the sacrifices, injuries and hard work worth it.
“It wasn’t about the money then. What made it was not only that we were showmen for rugby league - it was a reward for all our families and supporters.”
In those days teams didn’t have 12 interchanges up their sleeves - just substitutions - and the big forwards were expected to last the 80 minutes.
Gibbs was twice rendered to the blood bin in that grand final - a rule that he said his coach Bob Fulton used smartly.
“I didn’t like that rule - I believed you stayed out there until you dropped and the last man standing wins and we played it that way,” Gibbs said.
“But it was a really hot day and the SCG trapped the heat. I took a few knocks and while it was stressful waiting on the bench it gave me a rest that perhaps I needed.
“Bozo (Fulton) saw fit to give Mark Pocock (for Cleal) and Paul Shaw (for Gibbs) a run and he used the blood bin rule to a tee. I think the current rules evolved from that sort of thing.”
At the time, Canberra’s Mal Meninga was in his prime, and this Sunday Manly will have to contend with Israel Folau - a centre being likened to the Queensland great.
Meanwhile, Manly’s lone survivor from the 1996 premiership is second leading try scorer of all time Steve Menzies.
“On paper it’s evenly matched and both teams have top players in key positions,” Gibbs said. “It will be a good tussle between Cooper Cronk and Matt Orford.
“I hope Menzies will be sitting on the bench again next year because he knows how to find the try line and he is good for the morale of the young blokes.”
