Vlasnik
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Since popular opinion believes that we are destined to cop a hiding this coming Sunday at the hands of the Panthers and be thrown out the finals in the first week. I thought we should take a look at the top 9 chokes of all time. To those who are thinking why not the top 10 well just wait till Sunday. 
THE NINE GREATEST FINALS CHOKES OF ALL-TIME
By Rocco Luca
WE’VE seen some great finals moments throughout the years filled with displays of individual brilliance and remarkable committment to succeed.
But what about the other end of the spectrum? When the moment becomes too much and individuals and teams tighten up and buckle with their shot at glory beckoning.
So, with the preliminary finals less than a week away, we at RLW have trawled through the archives and put our heads together to bring you the nine greatest finals chokes of all-time.
Enjoy . . .
9. South Sydney v Manly, 2013 preliminary final
Playing in their second grand final qualifier in as many years, Souths looked odds-on to reach their first grand final since 1971 when they raced to a 14-0 lead early in this high-stakes encounter against the Sea Eagles. However, the occasion once again got the better of the Bunnies as the Sea Eagles produced a remarkable second half recovery to chalk up a strong 30-20 win and qualify for their forth grand final in seven years.
8. South Sydney v Balmain, 1969 grand final
In one of the greatest boilovers in grand final history, a Balmain side full of rookies and no-names managed to topple a star-studded Rabbitohs side to the tune of 12-2 to take out their 11th premiership title. Souths were minor premiers that year and had beaten Balmain two weeks earlier in the major semi-final but had no answer to the Tigers’ stifling defensive display.
7. St George v Canterbury, 1985 grand final
In 1985 Saints were on the verge of emulating the heroics of their 1963 squad by winning all three grades in the NSWRL competition. Both their Under 23s and Reserve Grade sides got up, but firsts faltered, mainly due to Warren Ryan’s ingenious game plan which involved Canterbury halfback Steve Mortimer continually bombing Saints fullback Glen Burgess in-goal, forcing numerous line drop outs and starving Roy Masters’ side of the ball. An Andrew Farrar field goal proved the difference in the 7-6 score line, but this wasn’t a true indication of Canterbury’s dominance.
6. Parramatta v North Queensland, 2005 preliminary final
Many members of Parramatta’s 2005 team still consider this the lowest point of their careers. Minor premiers in 2005, Parramatta cruised into the grand final qualifier after a comprehensive win over Manly in opening week of the finals. However, they had an absolute shocker in the preliminary final going down to a red-hot Cowboys side 29-0 at Telstra Stadium. According to former hooker Mark Riddell, the fact that the Wests Tigers ended up winning Premiership that year proved particularly painful.
“The worst thing was that we had watched the Dragons lose to the Tigers the night before. We had comfortably beaten Wests twice that year and thought we were morals for the Premiership,” Riddell told RLW earlier this year.
5. Manly v Sydney Bulldogs, 1995 grand final
In 1995 Manly were on fire. Minor premiers, they started the year with 13 consecutive victories and ended up just dropping two games in the lead up to the last Sunday of September. The Bulldogs on the other hand had scraped into the finals in sixth place after being almost torn apart by the Super League war. Manly had crushed the Dogs 26-0 last time they met, but that meant nothing as the Terry Lamb led Blue-and-Whites completely shut the minor premiers out of the game, chalking up an impressive 17-4 win.
LOOK @ DES HAHAHAHAHA
4. Parramatta v Newcastle, 2001 grand final
Brian Smith’s Eels were one of the great sides of the modern era. Attacking dynamos, they smashed the record for most points scored by an individual team during a season racking up 948 points, 72 more than the previous record-holders, the 1998 Broncos. However, they choked big time in the grand final, allowing the Andrew Johns-inspired Knights to race to a 24-0 lead by half time. Parramatta performed valiantly during the second half getting back within six points late in the second half, however the Knights always seemed to hold the ascendency.
3. Parramatta v Canterbury, 1998 preliminary final
Canterbury’s dream run to the 1998 grand final from 9th place looked all but over late in the preliminary final against the Eels holding an 18-2 advantage with just over 10 minutes to spare. However, in one of the greatest comebacks in modern history, Canterbury managed to draw level by the end of regulation time, helped in part by a couple of calamitous mistakes from Eels fullback Paul Carige. Halfback Craig Polla-Mounter starred for the Dogs in extra time scoring one try and kicking two field goals to lift Canterbury to an unlikely 32-20 win.
2. Balmain v Canberra, 1989 grand final
Overwhelming favourites leading into the 1989 decider, Balmain took the early ascendency with two somewhat fluky tries to James Grant and Paul Sironen, giving them a 14-2 lead at the break. The Tigers had three clear opportunities to put the game to bed during the second half but failed to convert. These included; five-eighth Mick Neil being ankle tapped just short of the try-line by Mal Meninga, Wayne Pearce dropping the ball with the line wide open and Benny Elias’ field goal attempt hitting the crossbar. Ageless winger Chika Ferguson forced the game into extra time with a try in the 79th minute, before the Raiders sealed the final with a field goal and try during extra time.
1. St George Illawarra v Melbourne, 1999 grand final
St George Illawarra looked on their way to scoring a premiership in their inaugural season after tries to Nathan Blacklock and Craig Fitzgibbon saw them lead the Storm 14-0 at half time. However, a bombed try from Anthony Mundine 10 minutes into the second stanza triggered a horror collapse from the Saints with Melbourne grabbing three quick tries, including Craig Smith’s 78th minute penalty try, to steal one of the most controversial grand finals in history.
http://rugbyleagueweek.com.au/henry-needed-surgery-april/
THE NINE GREATEST FINALS CHOKES OF ALL-TIME
By Rocco Luca
WE’VE seen some great finals moments throughout the years filled with displays of individual brilliance and remarkable committment to succeed.
But what about the other end of the spectrum? When the moment becomes too much and individuals and teams tighten up and buckle with their shot at glory beckoning.
So, with the preliminary finals less than a week away, we at RLW have trawled through the archives and put our heads together to bring you the nine greatest finals chokes of all-time.
Enjoy . . .
9. South Sydney v Manly, 2013 preliminary final
Playing in their second grand final qualifier in as many years, Souths looked odds-on to reach their first grand final since 1971 when they raced to a 14-0 lead early in this high-stakes encounter against the Sea Eagles. However, the occasion once again got the better of the Bunnies as the Sea Eagles produced a remarkable second half recovery to chalk up a strong 30-20 win and qualify for their forth grand final in seven years.
8. South Sydney v Balmain, 1969 grand final
In one of the greatest boilovers in grand final history, a Balmain side full of rookies and no-names managed to topple a star-studded Rabbitohs side to the tune of 12-2 to take out their 11th premiership title. Souths were minor premiers that year and had beaten Balmain two weeks earlier in the major semi-final but had no answer to the Tigers’ stifling defensive display.
7. St George v Canterbury, 1985 grand final
In 1985 Saints were on the verge of emulating the heroics of their 1963 squad by winning all three grades in the NSWRL competition. Both their Under 23s and Reserve Grade sides got up, but firsts faltered, mainly due to Warren Ryan’s ingenious game plan which involved Canterbury halfback Steve Mortimer continually bombing Saints fullback Glen Burgess in-goal, forcing numerous line drop outs and starving Roy Masters’ side of the ball. An Andrew Farrar field goal proved the difference in the 7-6 score line, but this wasn’t a true indication of Canterbury’s dominance.
6. Parramatta v North Queensland, 2005 preliminary final
Many members of Parramatta’s 2005 team still consider this the lowest point of their careers. Minor premiers in 2005, Parramatta cruised into the grand final qualifier after a comprehensive win over Manly in opening week of the finals. However, they had an absolute shocker in the preliminary final going down to a red-hot Cowboys side 29-0 at Telstra Stadium. According to former hooker Mark Riddell, the fact that the Wests Tigers ended up winning Premiership that year proved particularly painful.
“The worst thing was that we had watched the Dragons lose to the Tigers the night before. We had comfortably beaten Wests twice that year and thought we were morals for the Premiership,” Riddell told RLW earlier this year.
5. Manly v Sydney Bulldogs, 1995 grand final
In 1995 Manly were on fire. Minor premiers, they started the year with 13 consecutive victories and ended up just dropping two games in the lead up to the last Sunday of September. The Bulldogs on the other hand had scraped into the finals in sixth place after being almost torn apart by the Super League war. Manly had crushed the Dogs 26-0 last time they met, but that meant nothing as the Terry Lamb led Blue-and-Whites completely shut the minor premiers out of the game, chalking up an impressive 17-4 win.
LOOK @ DES HAHAHAHAHA
4. Parramatta v Newcastle, 2001 grand final
Brian Smith’s Eels were one of the great sides of the modern era. Attacking dynamos, they smashed the record for most points scored by an individual team during a season racking up 948 points, 72 more than the previous record-holders, the 1998 Broncos. However, they choked big time in the grand final, allowing the Andrew Johns-inspired Knights to race to a 24-0 lead by half time. Parramatta performed valiantly during the second half getting back within six points late in the second half, however the Knights always seemed to hold the ascendency.
3. Parramatta v Canterbury, 1998 preliminary final
Canterbury’s dream run to the 1998 grand final from 9th place looked all but over late in the preliminary final against the Eels holding an 18-2 advantage with just over 10 minutes to spare. However, in one of the greatest comebacks in modern history, Canterbury managed to draw level by the end of regulation time, helped in part by a couple of calamitous mistakes from Eels fullback Paul Carige. Halfback Craig Polla-Mounter starred for the Dogs in extra time scoring one try and kicking two field goals to lift Canterbury to an unlikely 32-20 win.
2. Balmain v Canberra, 1989 grand final
Overwhelming favourites leading into the 1989 decider, Balmain took the early ascendency with two somewhat fluky tries to James Grant and Paul Sironen, giving them a 14-2 lead at the break. The Tigers had three clear opportunities to put the game to bed during the second half but failed to convert. These included; five-eighth Mick Neil being ankle tapped just short of the try-line by Mal Meninga, Wayne Pearce dropping the ball with the line wide open and Benny Elias’ field goal attempt hitting the crossbar. Ageless winger Chika Ferguson forced the game into extra time with a try in the 79th minute, before the Raiders sealed the final with a field goal and try during extra time.
1. St George Illawarra v Melbourne, 1999 grand final
St George Illawarra looked on their way to scoring a premiership in their inaugural season after tries to Nathan Blacklock and Craig Fitzgibbon saw them lead the Storm 14-0 at half time. However, a bombed try from Anthony Mundine 10 minutes into the second stanza triggered a horror collapse from the Saints with Melbourne grabbing three quick tries, including Craig Smith’s 78th minute penalty try, to steal one of the most controversial grand finals in history.
http://rugbyleagueweek.com.au/henry-needed-surgery-april/
