You will not have seen a better grand final than that, mostly because none exist and probably won't until, say, 2015, at a pinch. ... CANBERRA -v- BALMAIN 1989 Grand Final. A slither of wood 20 centimetres high. History was a heartbeat away. Pearce screamed to the sky in frustration. From the start of the day the only expression that cracked his face had been a growl or a glare. Get the ad-free and most optimal, full-featured Sporcle experience. They are forced to drop it out with seconds left in this first period of extra time... Stuart with the long field goal attempt... it’s long, it’s high.... it’s wide. Canberra would now have a scrum feed 15 metres out from Balmain’s try line. Then, with Steve Jackson pushing him from behind, he ducked under the giant frame of Paul Sironen and planted the ball over the try line. Wider out was livewire five-eighth Mick Neil who had been hovering around the middle of the field before sprinting out wide to be the extra man. “This is life or death stuff guys,” he urged. Stuart couldn’t believe it. REMOVE ADS. “He said ‘No, get f***ed, I’m not going’. In what is one of rugby’s greatest finals, the match between the North … Then, from out of nowhere, replacement prop Steve Jackson spoke up. There is no better feeling. Neil tumbled to the ground a metre out from the Canberra line. “He didn’t want to go,” Harrigan recalls. On the very next play Meninga’s great rival Wayne Pearce also felt the cold rush of grief go through him. “He had no intention of just running straight,” Garry Jack reveals. The Canberra players followed the ball with dread. On Pearce’s right in support stood Tim Brasher and James Grant. PART THREE: How a halftime speech and a Bill Harrigan penalty changed rugby league’s greatest ever grand final. Meninga was isolated. “We’ve all just got to dig in.”. “Look, I want to be clear. Once again they flung the ball from sideline to sideline with Clyde, Meninga and Daley all unsuccessfully trying to break through the Balmain defence. I said “have a look at them, they’re all over the joint! And I think I said ‘mate, we’re not playing until you do. The ball dribbled off his boot and into the arms of Meninga, who looked up to see the Tiger try line just 25 metres away. ... 1989: Canberra Raiders: 19-14 (aet) Balmain Tigers: 1988: Canterbury Bulldogs : 24-12: Balmain Tigers: 1987: Manly-Warringah: 18-8: ... NRL Grand Final; Sport Extra. Garry Jack still wonders what might have been. Other people might have a bit of explaining to do.”. It was dislocated. Many were unable to move. “They’re the moments you live for. We’ve got this boys, we’ve got this!”. Twelve months beforehand Balmain had flown Roach around the world to try and qualify him for a grand final. He is the hero for the Green Machine. The Tigers are beyond shattered. It was on the back end of four broken arms and, as a Queenslander, you never really get that recognition in the toughest competition in the world until you actually achieve something in Sydney. They won the premiership again in 1990, finished second in 1991 and won another title in 1994. Finds more good field position for the Raiders here as he drives it into touch deep in the Balmain end of the park. He’s been a cool head in extra time. Having broken his right arm earlier that year Jack, like Meninga, played with a heavy guard protecting his limb. Test your knowledge on this sports quiz and compare your score to others. What’s more, Balmain strike forward Paul Sironen was walking off the field after been replaced by tackling specialist Michael Pobjie. Commentator Graeme Hughes screamed out what everyone else was thinking: “WHAT ELSE CAN HAPPEN!?”. Blocker was absolutely filthy.”. That game still bonds us today. “I remember thinking to myself ‘I’m in for three here. At the very, very worst I would have made the corner in a jog.”. It wasn’t golden point back then. From a selfish point of view it was a moment in my footy career that enabled me to stand on a pedestal and say ‘well, I’ve done it’. Looking on from the sideline Paul Sironen thought he was “watching a car accident in slow motion. Pearce was emotionally and physically broken. Canberra hold on... just. As Freeman ran parallel to the try line Bruce McGuire loomed on his left with Garry Jack in support. One point would put Balmain out of reach. Benny Elias fired off a field goal attempt but Meninga came charging at him and blocked the ball as it came off Benny’s boot. The pass goes straight to Kevin Walters. “Maybe I should have called for the ball a bit louder,” he says. Follow the NRL. 1989 NRL Grand Final. I get a bit loud sometimes and, you know, in that kind of situation you try not to say too much but I remember saying “have a look at them. With less than five minutes until fulltime Canberra worked the ball forward until they ran out of tackles and a scrum was put down near the halfway line. The Tigers now had their two power forwards watching from the sideline. There’s no way in the world I want to blame Junior in any way, he’s the world’s greatest player and won so many games for us. Bill Harrigan, who was standing in the middle of the two packs, remembers the tension. As it came down near the goal posts Garry Jack, Andy Currier and Canberra’s “super sub” Steve Jackson jostled for the ball. A quality kicker should kick that goal. By Phil Lutton. They were also playing panic-free football. Not only was it acknowledged as the greatest grand final ever played, it was also the first time a side had won a premiership from fourth place. Well wide and Balmain get another chance. “He was just the first part of the play.”. The Raiders’ 1989 success was the start of a golden era for the ‘Green Machine’. On the defensive line Meninga could see Freeman coming across and also McGuire on the charge. IN the final instalment of our countdown to commemorate the 25th anniversary of rugby league’s greatest grand final, we reveal what really happened on the field as the epic encounter charged into overtime. Brett Kimmorley had never felt lower than when he trudged into the sheds at half-time of the 1999 NRL grand final. Hardwick with the flop and that could be costly. Cronulla and Brisbane, having finished equal fifth, played off for a semi-final berth. The players wandered around the field in a bit of a daze; the crowd buzzed and chattered with excitement; referee Bill Harrigan looked towards the tunnel for direction. On Ferguson’s left was the far corner post, but he could see the Balmain cover defence sprinting across to catch him. “It wasn’t the right play. The Raiders won the scrum and Stuart rocketed the ball to O’Sullivan who slotted a field goal over the black dot. I was watching the ball as it came into my chest but then Andy (Currier) came in a bit too close and the Canberra guy (Jackson) was there too …, “I’ve also wondered since if I should have tried to take it with my hands in the air like an AFL mark instead of on my chest. Thirty years on and the 1989 grand final must still hurt for Benny Elias. “For the team, the win was a reward for all the hard work you go through together with your mates. “I was that confident. Canberra’s belting at the hands of the Eels on Saturday has turned the blowtorch on one of the club’s biggest stars. He played the ball and, like the wheels of a clock clicking over, five Balmain runners on different parts of the paddock set in motion. I always struggled catching balls from that side, especially high balls. The whole stadium appeared to deflate as more than 40,000 hysterical fans let out a breath. I just couldn’t believe it. This has been a masterclass from the Raiders in extra-time. It was an infringement he, nor any other referee, had found fault with during the final series. ‘Arrgghhhh,” he winced to himself. So I dove. That was my role and that’s what I should do. Abbreviations key #=Jumper GM=Games played KI=Kicks MK=Marks HB=Handballs DI=Disposals DA=Disposal average GL=Goals BH=Behinds HO=Hit outs TK=Tackles RB=Rebound 50s A moment of utter relief because that was the game.”, PART 1: Secrets of the greatest NRL grand final, PART 2: The hits that rocked the 1989 grand final. Last roll of the dice for Warren Ryan as Pobjie leaves the field and is replaced by Wigan star Shaun Edwards, who is a great attacking player. 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