2006 Grand final...Not that bad to watch

[The Mauritian]

I just watched the 2006 Grand Final last night having never watched it since that fateful night.  And I have to tell you it was a cracking game.  We dominated Brisbane.  They got down our end twice and scored both times.  Referees were disgraceful as we know. 

Some standouts for me were:

1.Billy Slater should have been MOM by a mile.
2.Scott Hill with both our try assists.  The first one was one of the greatest ever.  360 spin off Lockyer then pass round the corner to Zapper.
3.David Kidwell; I have never seen a man tackle with so much venom.  Think Nikau in 1999 x 2
4.Cooper Cronk with a great line break 2 mins in and a 40/20
5.Watching a skinny Greg Inglis who actually knew how to step back then instead of try to run over the top.
6. damaging Forward pack(makes me realise that the pack now ain't as strong)

Some Lowlights:

1.The referees Simpkins, Video Harrigan and touch judges woeful
2.How the hell did Karmichael hunt become QLD fullback ahead of Billy.  I shake my head at that.  K was useless in the no. 5
3.Justin Hodges at his peak wasn't even in the same class as Billy.  He was No.1 in this game & Billy destroyed him
4.Billy Slaters half Mullet.  I bet he looks back and thinks 'what was I thinking'
5.Matt Geyer had a bit of a shocker with his hands.
6.Not sending Scott Hill and David Kidwell out on a winning note.  Because those two played their arses off

In Summary This team or our 2007 team would have to be our best in my opinion.  Just the flow and damaging forward pack.  Some of the passing was sublime.  We were like a well oiled machine.

[Ice]

I still haven't watched it and never will there's no point in seeing it again. For me that one actually hurt more than the 40-0 drubbing and was the one that got away, not really all our doing either. I've also gotta add the bronco's fans were a hell of a lot more gracious in victory up there than the Manly fans, though not entirely surprising given i'm sure even the Broncs admit they were for the most part gifted a GF from the ref and the Manly ferals were giving a bit of payback from the year before.

[The Mauritian]

I still haven't watched it and never will there's no point in seeing it again. For me that one actually hurt more than the 40-0 drubbing and was the one that got away, not really all our doing either. I've also gotta add the bronco's fans were a hell of a lot more gracious in victory up there than the Manly fans, though not entirely surprising given i'm sure even the Broncs admit they were for the most part gifted a GF from the ref and the Manly ferals were giving a bit of payback from the year before.

I was the same Ice I thought I'd never watch it but I stumbled over a blank tape thinking it was the 2007 Grand Final.  Realized it was 2006 but got enthralled in it and couldn't turn it off.  2008 I will never watch.  Seeing Izzy cry was very sad.  He  wanted to stay with storm by that point, but it was too late he had already signed months earlier.  He had finally got over his homesickness and was liking independence.

[routy21]

I still haven't watched it and never will there's no point in seeing it again. For me that one actually hurt more than the 40-0 drubbing and was the one that got away, not really all our doing either. I've also gotta add the bronco's fans were a hell of a lot more gracious in victory up there than the Manly fans, though not entirely surprising given i'm sure even the Broncs admit they were for the most part gifted a GF from the ref and the Manly ferals were giving a bit of payback from the year before.

I can't even watch highlights of 08... I feel sick thinking about it now

[Ice]

Yep i know what you mean. I don't watch any loss let alone a grand final.

[bula]

The memories of the 08 final unfortunately can't be forgotten.
06 was a good game, Scott Hill did play well and Cronk in his first GF played like a veteran.
Our 07 side only lost 3 games, that's our best side by far.

[Cowbell-Mark]

Anyone else find it hard to watch last years Granny after what has happened?

[glennb]

Yes, I can not aven watch the 2007 &2009 season highlights anymore

[absentee]

My local JB Hi-Fi has the 2008 Manly victory pack on their shelves.  Even seeing the spine of the box is more than enough for me.

[The Mauritian]

Anyone else find it hard to watch last years Granny after what has happened?

No way! As soon as I watched it(2009) I felt better.

[stormy bill]

When I get depressed about our fate I roll out the 99 tape put on my shirt and marvel at how we won this in our 2nd year.(No one can take this off us,I think).

[simo]

I was at the 06 GF, was a tought night.. some moments that went in brisbanes favor..
that King no try.. and when Hodges i think it was made contact with the ball before it went over the
sideline, and Bisbane gettin the feed in the scrum.

Scott Hill was absolutly brilliant in that game though.

[Stormtrooper9]

Anyone else find it hard to watch last years Granny after what has happened?

No way! As soon as I watched it(2009) I felt better.

Agreed, we won it, we all saw the Storm win it, and the fact we were outside of the cap, has nothing to do with the performance we put in on the day........... clinically coached and the team had the mentality to win it.

No-one can take away memories, and my lasting memory of '09 is Cam holding up that precious trophy !!!

[Bourbon Rat]

Watched 'that game' from level one amidst a few feral Broncos fans.
Memory tainted by even worse feral Broncos fans on the last train back to central 
Vowed never to go to another GF at Homebush.
Never been interested in watching replays of any of our GF's - Why re - live the past 

[The Eagle]

I cant watch the 07 grand final,that "legal" elbow to Stewarts skull is still etched in my mind
i know i know,it was declared legal but at the time i was almost in tears,i thought i was watching
a snuff flick,i litterally thought Stewwie was dead and was praying for the police to handcuff Crocker
and give him a good *lima lima lima duck* with a baton wrapped in barbed wire,thats the same day i started
hating Bellamy seeing him as the instigator in the dressing room during halftime

1997 was almost as bad,Drugcastle stomping Tooveys face was even more disgraceful than a
Crocker hit,i will admit i love seeing him on the sideline injured for this entire year,ive never hated
a guy that ill never meet as much as i hate him,reason being i thought he was a Matai,big hits and
a bad rap/target on his head from the refs but my memory was Slater tackles low and Crocker from
5/10 metres back is leading with his elbow,u should have the box set,tell me if im wrong,i watched it
from a pub in melbourne that year,my state team was full of maroon and white even being NSW

2008 was a different animal all together,they appeared to attempted the stewwie takedown but
he managed to avoid it,setting up an expat melbourne player for the last try,god i miss Zoidberg(Bell) but
in the end defense just swarmed him,however that ankletapped flickpass was almost the most amazing
thing ive ever seen in my life,The terrorgraph declared it as the day the melbourne aura was forever broken
my god how mistaken they were,watching that game i think i damaged my kidneys,10minutes before kickoff
i had to pee,i looked down and said halftime,i would not leave my seat for nothing,8-0 at halftime im sure
you can see why i wouldnt move,finally the second half comes along and the floodgates open,Beaver goes
off for a rest,i think his finished his last game,10 minutes to go he runs back out and magic happens

Someone starts a move up the left hand side,Beaver to Robbo,Robbo steps he PASSES BACK TO THE BEAVER
AND TRY!!! i finally feel relieved,I was never foolish enough to doubt melbournes attacking force,before Beaver
scored i thought they still had a shadow of a chance and i thought they were going to *lima lima lima duck* Queensland us
By this time im absolutely sloshed,having already broken the seal i decide my uncles back fence will do as i can
still see the screen from there,then Brett Stewart,the most notable tryscorer possibly in manly history makes a break
(he'll be back one day),as i walk to the tv im kind of managing a stumble towards my seat,his sliced them and i think
he's in,i think Slater ankletaps him and his going down and from nowhere a speculator flick pass to seemingly noone
who catches the ball and scores a going to england present,Rabs starts talking about 40 being a record,Guss for the last
10-15 minutes repeats "Trained to the minute",alot of drinking and darts preceded the game,the next morning i wake up
at about 12 midday,i cannot find evidence of what i thought was a dream,besides a pesky pain that will stay for about a month
right in the kidney area,i race down the street for the paper and pick it up,hoping the games been played to my memory

I turn it around in a kind of nervous manner,i dont believe the night before,i almost dismissed it as impossible and wondered
what in the blue hell was going on and why some seemingly random numbers and moments are scorched into my brain along
with the worst hangover in human history,the sunlight hurts like shit in my eyes,i brave the sunlight,i hadnt looked at the front
page for some stupid reason,as i see it i see to much maroon and scream out woohoo!!,the newspaper moron who whistles
to much like a faggot gives me a really stupid look and i give him a dollar for something that is hidden away somewhere in my
garage to this day,i think ive watched my dvd about......i couldnt hazard a guess

Now in defense of my feathered bogan friends i submit not only were they,well words cant describe that feeling but happy will do
because of theyre team that made history against what we seen as a team of grubs,revenge being taken not only on the scoreboard
but also Crockers ribs,that also gave us much pleasure after the year before,they also seen it as a square up,an excellent going away
present for a 1 club (Salford says 2 clubs,disconnecting Northern Eagles to MWSE,disconnecting them is absolute nonsense) hero and
a truely historic day,record set and return to a daytimish grand final timeslot and if that wasnt enough,Centennary year premiership

For a strange turn of events,i was actually hoping melbourne would win 2006 as i seen it as a great way to show that a team in Melbourne has
worked,not only have they worked but they had won theyre 2nd premiership in less than 10 years of existance,that said 2007 when they were
running out i was thinking "Well,you didnt win last year,maybe some other year,not this one"

That one,we played our grand final a week early vs cowboys,an unfortunate pimple on the ass of the manly club