How The League Clubs Will Face Up To The New Season
Sydney Morning Herald
Thursday March 3, 1988
BALMAIN
Location Leichhardt Oval.
President Tom Middleton.
General manager Keith Barnes.
Coach Warren Ryan.
First-grade premierships 1915, 1916, 1917, 1919, 1920, 1924, 1939, 1944, 1946, 1947, 1969.
Midweek competition wins 1976, 1985, 1987.
Finances Balmain are in a sound position with solid financial backing from the well-run Balmain Leagues Club.
Barnes is also secretary-manager of the licensed Leagues club, which enables him to keep a careful watch on the football club's spending.
Sponsors The main sponsor is Philips, which recently signed a two-year agreement with a third year option. Minor sponsors include 2GB, Sylvania Marine, the Captain Cook Hotel, Canon copiers and Goodyear tyres.
1987 record What began as a good year became a disappointment at the finish when Balmain, leading the premiership at one stage, were bowled over by South Sydney in the preliminary semi-final.
Playing strength and prospects Balmain should be stronger than last season, but everything will hinge on the call to representative duty and injuries.
Injuries cut the heart out of the Tigers last year and they were without their big Test prop, Steve Roach, for most of the season.
The signing of the tough and crafty Kiwi Test player Gary Freeman will be a major asset.
A key figure in the team will again be Scott Gale, an explosive, attacking player who will probably be used in the centre where Balmain desperately need some pace to capitalise on the solid work inside.
In Garry Jack, Balmain have one of the best fullbacks in the world. But whether he can maintain his form after playing in the off-season in England, on top of Kangaroo tour and an intensive 1987 season, only time will tell.
Jack did not shirk the heavy workload in his stint at Salford and this, coupled with a tough season here, which includes eight representative matches, will give him his greatest challenge.
Balmain have a strong pack, spearheaded by the remarkable Wayne Pearce, and with hooker Benny Elias over his groin muscle strain there should be more variation and skill around the rucks.
A worry for Balmain last year was the slump by Paul Sironen, who was dropped to reserve grade.
The talented Kangaroo forward has been hit by a slight case of glandular fever and it will be some weeks before he will be able to regain his endurance.
Coach Warren Ryan will take some time to mould the team into the pattern he prefers but he does have quite a bit of talent to work with.
The start of the competition is all important considering that the Tigers are in the toughest draw against the premiership heavyweights, Brisbane, Manly North Sydney and Parramatta.
One asset Balmain has is the deadly accurate right boot of Ross Conlon, who can generally be relied on to land the majority of his attempts at goal.
BRISBANE
Location Lang Park, Brisbane.
Management A four-man consortium of outstanding businessmen headed by Barry Maranta ensures that the club will be run on strict business lines.
General manager John Ribot.
Coach Wayne Bennett.
Finances The money is guaranteed and the consortium is not out to make a profit but intends to plough back the returns into the game.
It has been stunned by the apparent belief by some of the old guard that the group has an unlimited supply of finance.
Brisbane have paid heavily for their home ground, Lang Park, and in transfer fees for some of their key players, including $20,000 for Allan Langer.
Sponsors The Power brewing company is the major sponsor, which has created an early problem because of the Queensland league's involvement with the XXXX brand of another major brewery.
This has meant that Power cannot have its signs strategically placed around the ground to catch TV exposure at home matches.
Obviously, the Maranta group will come up with an idea to ensure that Power obtains exposure, apart from carrying the name on the team's maroon, gold and white jumpers.
The Broncos have also been acknowledged as the official ambassadors for Expo '88, which put a few sporting noses out of joint in Brisbane.
Playing strength and prospects The Brisbane team will be a force in this year premiership.
Forget suggestions that the players will be unable to back up week after week in the most intense competition they have played in.
The reasoning behind this belief is that players of the calibre of Wally Lewis and his key teammates, Gene Miles, Greg Dowling and Langer, usually play a handful of tough matches each season.
The general opinion is that they will be unable to produce top-calibre football week after week.
Certainly, it will be a lot different next season when Brisbane take on the teams in the toughest competition there is, but they will handle it.
To bolster the local players, Brisbane have bought Billy Noke, Chris Johns, Brad Tessmann and Terry Matterson.
Brisbane have an asset in the appointment of Wayne Bennett as their coach for the year. The consortium could not have snared a better man for the job.
Bennett is an outstanding coach. The players he has have a lot of respect for him.
Bennett's main message to his players is that they should not believe the publicity about themselves and that they must work hard if they hope to do well in the premiership.
Any team that has Wally Lewis at five-eighth and captain and players of the calibre of Gene Miles, Langer, Dowling, Bryan Niebling and Greg Conescu in the side has the foundation for success.
Langer was the outstanding young player to emerge last year. He did not lose anything in his battles with Peter Sterling and his performances stamped him as a player of great potential.
He is tough and smart - two essentials for a halfback.
Miles is all class while in Dowling and Niebling, Brisbane have two tough, no-nonsense forwards who will meet the challenge of the Sydney packs head-on and not take a backward step.
CANBERRA
Location Seiffert Oval, Canberra.
President Les McIntyre.
Secretary John McIntyre.
Coach Tim Sheens.
Finances The Canberra Raiders have strong financial backing from the wealthy Queanbeyan Leagues Club, the ACT Leagues Club and the Woodgers group, the club's major sponsor.
The two Leagues clubs have agreed to pay the operating deficit of the football club for the season.
1987 record Last season was the most successful in Canberra's six-year history when they finally did what they had promised - to become a real force in the premiership.
Crushing wins over South Sydney and Eastern Suburbs put them into the grand final against Manly but that is where the last page of the fairytale was missing when they were convincingly beaten by a better team.
Playing strength and prospects It has been an unhappy start to the 1988 season with a series of injuries robbing the club of two key players, Mal Meninga and Brent Todd, for at least three months.
Both broke their arms in early matches and with Ivan Henjak and Kevin Walters also sidelined Canberra will be hoping their bad luck is over.
Canberra will again be a power in the premiership with a very strong pack of forwards and a slick and impressive set of backs.
Big Sam Backo became one of the stars of the premiership with his great finish to the season and will again be a strong man around the rucks.
The skill will be provided again by Henjak and Chris O'Sullivan, who have worked up an outstanding combination, switching positions to utilise their talents.
In Peter Jackson and Gary Belcher Canberra have two of the best attacking backs in the game.
Jackson is a magnificent centre, creative in his attacking work and capable of making a break himself or setting a team into the gap while his defence is power-laden.
Any team lucky enough to have Belcher has one of the outstanding footballers in the game.
So great is his talent that Garry Jack knows he has to produce his best in the lead-up representative matches or he could lose his Test spot to the Canberra-based Queenslander.
In Matthew Corkery, Canberra have an outstanding wing talent, a player who will be pressing for his representative opportunity this season. If he maintains the form he showed last year, when he scored 14 tries, he could get the selectors' nod.
Apart from the regular players, Canberra have an exciting prospect in Laurie Daley, who can fit in either in the centre or at five-eighth.
Canberra will give a lot of cheek again this season.
MANLY
Location Brookvale Oval.
President Roy Bull.
Secretary Doug Daley.
Coach Bob Fulton.
Finances There are never any financial worries at Manly, who have the solid support of the powerful Manly Rugby League Club and an on-going sponsorship from Wormald.
Quietly in the background is the imposing figure of Kerry Packer, a personal friend of coach Bob Fulton and a man who wants to stay out of the Rugby League limelight.
It was Kerry Packer who negotiated for Wally Lewis and Gene Miles when the club was keen to entice the two to Sydney and they would have been with Manly had Brisbane's entry to the premiership been rejected.
Record First-grade premierships 1972, 1973, 1976, 1978, 1987. Midweek competition wins 1982, 1983.
Playing strengths and prospects Manly will again be the team to beat in the 1988 premiership.
The loss of Great Britain Test prop Kevin Ward and the fiery Ron Gibbs is a double blow but one that can be partially overcome.
Manly will still have a very strong pack of forwards, headed by tough-tackling Paul Vautin and with strong support from the damaging Noel Cleal and hard-working Phil Daley.
The signing of Don McKinnon will fill a vacancy in the front row, where there is a lot of wear and tear.
McKinnon, after 277 games with North Sydney, is a born-again Rugby League player if his form in the trial against South Sydney can be taken as a guide.
He has a big pair of shoes to fill because Ward was probably the best prop in Sydney at the end of last season.
Gibbs's ability to terrorise the opposition with his defence and his fearless running in attack cannot be matched.
It is interesting that Fulton has been experimenting with Ian Gately in the second row and, as usual with Fulton, the experiment has worked out well.
The forwards are a strong unit who will by working to lay the foundation for the brilliant backline to operate.
If the pack is successful, few teams can match Manly when it comes to brilliant attacking play. But if the opposition forwards more than hold their own then even the brilliance of the Manly backs will be dulled.
Given half a chance, however, the remarkable talents of Michael O'Connor, Dale Shearer, Cliff Lyons and Des Hasler cannot be contained.
There are few better footballers in the game than O'Connor, who seems to shine whether he is in the centre, on the wing or even in the unaccustomed spot of fullback.
One of Manly's biggest problems will be the fact they have so many good players, which means they will be without some of their star players for eight matches during the season.
© 1988 Sydney Morning Herald
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