1987 NSWRL season

1987 NSWRL season
Teams	13
Premiers	Manly-Warringah (5th title)
Minor premiers	Manly-Warringah (6th title)
Matches played	162
Points scored	5294 (total) 32.679 (per match)
Attendance	1,658,354 (total) 10,237 (per match)
Top point scorer(s)	Ross Conlon (196)
Top try scorer(s)	Terry Lamb (16)

The 1987 New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the eightieth season of professional rugby league football in Australia. Thirteen clubs competed for the J J Giltinan shield and Winfield Cup during the season, which culminated in a grand final between the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and the Canberra Raiders. This season, NSWRL teams also competed for the 1987 National Panasonic Cup.

Season summary

This was to be the last season that the moniker "New South Wales Rugby League" would be actually correct, as the following season two teams from Queensland would be introduced, heralding a new era of interstate club participation in the Winfield Cup premiership (although the name wouldn't be changed to the Australian Rugby League until 1995). This would also ultimately lead to the decline of the already-diminishing Brisbane Rugby League premiership of Queensland.

Twenty-six regular season rounds were played from February till August, resulting in a top five of Manly, Easts, Canberra, Balmain and Souths who battled it out in the finals.

Parramatta's captain and halfback Peter Sterling made a clean sweep of the 1987 season's major awards, winning the Rothmans Medal and Dally M Award as well as being named Rugby League Week's player of the year.^[1]

Western Suburbs moved their homeground to Campbelltown (Orana Park) this season.

Teams

The lineup of clubs remained unchanged from the previous year, with thirteen contesting the premiership, including five Sydney-based foundation teams, another six from Sydney, one from greater New South Wales and one from the Australian Capital Territory.

Balmain Tigers 80th season Ground: Leichhardt Oval Coach: Bill Anderson Captain: Wayne Pearce	Canberra Raiders 6th season Ground: Seiffert Oval Coach: Don Furner & Wayne Bennett Captain: Dean Lance	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 53rd season Ground: Belmore Oval Coach: Warren Ryan Captain: Steve Mortimer	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 21st season Ground: Caltex Field Coach: Jack Gibson Captain: David Hatch	Eastern Suburbs Roosters 80th season Ground: Henson Park Coach: Arthur Beetson Captain: Hugh McGahan
Illawarra Steelers 6th season Ground: Wollongong Stadium Coach: Brian Smith Captain: Perry Haddock	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 41st season Ground: Brookvale Oval Coach: Bob Fulton Captain: Paul Vautin	North Sydney Bears 80th season Ground: North Sydney Oval Coach: Frank Stanton Captain: Mark Graham	Parramatta Eels 41st season Ground: Parramatta Stadium Coach: John Monie Captain: Peter Sterling	Penrith Panthers 21st season Ground: Penrith Stadium Coach: Tim Sheens Captain: Royce Simmons
	South Sydney Rabbitohs 80th season Ground: Redfern Oval Coach: George Piggins Captain: Mario Fenech	St. George Dragons 67th season Ground: Sydney Cricket Ground Coach: Roy Masters Captain: Craig Young	Western Suburbs Magpies 80th season Ground: Orana Park Coach Steve Ghosn Captain: Ian Schubert

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 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 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 sole survivors of the 1983 loss to Parramatta were Noel Cleal and club captain, Paul Vautin. 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. 1986 Rothmans medallist, winger-turned-hooker, Mal Cochrane a reliable goalkicker and a deceptive open runner was also an asset to the side. 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. 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. 50,201 fans were on hand to watch the last rugby league grand final played at the SCG and the first to involve a club from outside the Sydney area. 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. Lyons stepped inside the Raiders' defence and after a seventy-metre burst found Noel Cleal stampeding on to the ball but Cleal's final pass to Des Hasler was ruled forward. 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.

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.

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. 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.

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 Henjak 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. 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. Manly became the first non-Canterbury-Bankstown or Parramatta club to win the grand final since St. George in 1979.

For Manly coach and treasured son Bob Fulton, premiership glory in a nine-year coaching career was finally achieved. 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.

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.

Manly vs Wigan

Main article: 1987 World Club Challenge

Having won the premiership, the Manly side travelled to England to play British Champions Wigan on the 7th of October. This was only the second match of its kind, since the first time the Australian and British premiers faced off in 1976. 36,895 spectators turned out at Central Park, Wigan to see the Sea Eagles go down 8 to 2.

References

1. ^ Toby Creswell and Samantha Trenoweth (2006). 1001 Australians You Should Know. Australia: Pluto Press. pp. 714. ISBN 1864033614, 9781864033618. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=QqtinbjO0oEC&vq=rugby&source=gbs_navlinks_s. 

• Rugby League Tables - Season 1987 The World of Rugby League.
• Pace, Class and Lots of Guts Soaring Sea Eagles.
• Results:1981-90 at rabbitohs.com.au
• 1987 J J Giltinan Shield and Winfield Cup at rleague.com
• NSWRL season 1987 at rugbyleagueproject.com