Top 5 Bulldogs Grand Final Moments

Wahesh

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Well it certainly looks like 2020, for the time being at least, will be a year regarding reflection and our proud history. I found this article from 2014, although published in the Daily Telegraph, is a Canterbury-Bankstown Express local newspaper article.

NRL grand final: Top 5 grand final moments for Canterbury Bulldogs

Oliver Murray, Canterbury-Bankstown Express

October 1, 2014 12:00am

Canterbury Bulldogs have a proud recent history when it comes to grand finals, with five premierships in the past 30 years.

From The Entertainers in the 1980s, the win against all odds in 1995 and their most recent success in 2004, The Express look at the Bulldogs’ great grand final moments.

Victory against all odds

1995 - Sydney Bulldogs defeated Manly Sea Eagles 17-4

The Bulldogs, then known as the Sydney Bulldogs, had no right to win the grand final in 1995.

For a start they finished the regular season in sixth spot, which would have meant they missed the finals the year before.



But with the newly formed Australian Rugby League competition expanding to 20 teams, the Bulldogs qualified for the top eight.



Sydney Bulldogs fullback Rod Silva after scoring winning try of 1995 Winfield Cup grand final against Manly.
It was also the year the Super League war broke out, with the Bulldogs signing with the rebel league.

But four high profile Bulldogs players - Dean Pay, Jim Dymock, Jason Smith and Jarrod McCracken - decided to stay loyal with the ARL and were set to join Parramatta in 1996.

By mid-season the club was in trouble and were easily defeated by a weak Eels outfit.

But after making the finals they won sudden death games against St George, Brisbane and Canberra to play hot favourites Manly in the grand final.



Sydney Bulldogs chief executive Peter ‘Bullfrog’ Moore hugs captain Terry Lamb after victory in 1995.
In a grand final that will be remembered for an infamous half-time entertainment where the large Optus Vision TV broke when being hovered over the field by a helicopter, there were also some poor referee calls.

The first try to a young Steve Price came from a forward pass and Steve Hughes scored on the seventh tackle.

But the Bulldogs scored thw 17-4 win to send club legend Terry Lamb out a winner (before he decided to return for one more season).



Geoff Robinsonand Steve Gearin celebrate victory in 1980.


Video still of Steve Gearin taking a high ball and about to score try.

That try

1980 - Canterbury Bulldogs defeated Eastern Suburbs 18-4

Known as The Entertainers, the Ted Glossop coached Bulldogs team played an entertaining brand of football in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

It led to the club’s first premiership since 1942 with a convincing win against the Roosters at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

But this game will always be remembered for the classic try scored by winger Steve Gearin.

STEVE GEARIN TRY IN 1980

Five minutes from full-time fullback Greg Brentnall put up a high kick. Gearin followed through at speed and outjumped opposing winger David Michael, catching the ball on the full to score and secure a Bulldogs victory.

And it was little surprise the club was known as The Family Club back then, with three Hughes brothers and three Mortimer brothers playing in the grand final.

It also included Chris Anderson on the wing, who coached the Dogs to the 1995 victory.



Ellery Hanley is assisted from field during 1998 Balmain against Canterbury grand final at the SFS.

Baa Baa sends Hanley to ga ga

1988 - Canterbury Bulldogs defeated Balmain Tigers 24-12

The first grand final at the Sydney Football Stadium will be remembered for a high shot by Bulldogs five-eighth on the Tigers’ British import Ellery Hanley.

The Tigers led 6-4 after 30 minutes when Hanley was collected high by Lamb and he was helped off the field by the Balmain trainers.



Bulldogs great Terry Lamb and Tigers legend Ellery Hanley meet each other for the first time in 2012 after the infamous tackle performed by Lamb on Hanley in the 1988 Canterbury v Balmain grand final.

Years later Hanley said: “I have no malice towards Terry Lamb. It’s just one of those things, what happens on a football paddock. You’ve just got to move on. It was just unfortunate it happened that particular time because we had a wonderful run.”

TERRY LAMB TRY IN 1988
Balmain had won four straight finals to make the grand final, but the Bulldogs proved too strong, with Lamb scoring a try.

Phil Gould also became the youngest coach to win a premiership, beating former coach Warren Ryan, who had taken the Bulldogs to three grand finals in the 1980s.



Brothers Steve, Chris and Peter Mortimer with their children do lap of honour after Canterbury defeated St George in 1985 first grade Grand Final at SCG.

1980s dominance

1985 - Canterbury Bulldogs defeated St George Dragons 7-6

Debate still reigns on who was the number one club in the 1980s - the Bulldogs or Parramatta Eels.

The two clubs won four premierships each in the 1980s, with only Manly and Canberra able to break their dominance.

In 1985, the Bulldogs dumped the Eels out of the NSW Rugby League season with a huge 26-0 win in the preliminary final.



Bulldogs coach Warren Ryan won two premierships with the club in 1984 and 1985.
In the grand final the Dogs beat the Dragons 7-6 to claim back-to-back titles after a win against the Eels in 1984.

The Warren Ryan-coached Bulldogs team in 1985 featured five players who would go on to coach in first grade - Steve Folkes, Andrew Farrar, Paul Langmack, Michael Potter and Michael Hagan.



Injured captain Steve Price celebrates the 2004 premiership.

Redemption for salary cap scandal

2004 - Canterbury Bulldogs defeated Sydney Roosters 16-13

In 2002 the Bulldogs lost only three games but their season included no semi-finals or grand final appearance.

Leading the competition by a long way, the Bulldogs had won 17 straight games before being stripped of 37 points because of a massive salary cap breach.

The club finished with the wooden spoon.

Two years later the Bulldogs finally tasted premiership success with a 16-13 victory against the Roosters.



Hazem El Masri celebrates the match winning try in 2004.
The Bulldogs trailed 13-6 at the break, before winger Matt Utai scored in the second half to reduce the deficit to one points.

Record pointscorer Hazem El Masri scored a controversial try to seal with win, with opinions divided if the winger was held up or not.

Bulldogs captain Steve Price missed the game through injury, but Jonathan Thurston, who was on the bench for the Bulldogs, gave his skipper his premiership ring.
 

Wahesh

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Will always remember that Andrew Ryan tackle in 04, what a play
It never got as much love as it deserves considering the Scott Sattler tackle 12 months earlier.
 

Rodzilla

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this is a negative bulldogs article, highlighting how we were lucky to win almost each time

1995 claiming we scored fake tries not mentioning that we had a clear try disallowed and were all over manly anyway
1988 mentioning the hit on hanley and that the tigers were up when it happened then lamb scored a try later
2004 mentioning el masri winning try as being controversial and the salary cap breach for no reason than to remind people about it
 

Spoonman84

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Glen Hughes’ 7th tackle matching sealing try is up there some Manly fans still aren’t over it. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway Manly didn’t score a try.
 

Howard Moon

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It never got as much love as it deserves considering the Scott Sattler tackle 12 months earlier.
bloody oath mate, if Crocker gets through they likely score
 

Rodzilla

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Glen Hughes’ 7th tackle matching sealing try is up there some Manly fans still aren’t over it. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway Manly didn’t score a try.
normally they would have a point even if they didn't score a try because if they knew they only needed to score only 1 try they would have tried harder to try instead of give up earlier

but we had a try disallowed so that diffuses any controversy
 

Wahesh

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this is a negative bulldogs article, highlighting how we were lucky to win almost each time

1995 claiming we scored fake tries not mentioning that we had a clear try disallowed and were all over manly anyway
1988 mentioning the hit on hanley and that the tigers were up when it happened then lamb scored a try later
2004 mentioning el masri winning try as being controversial and the salary cap breach for no reason than to remind people about it
That's what make it a fairytale. We win against all odds.

Read between the lines and what the article doesn't state

1988: Terry Lamb does whatever it takes to win, look at his sin-sinning in 1995. The try he scored in 1988 show why he was one of the greatest support players of all time
1995: Manly never breached our defensive line and never looked like winning
2004: Even Roosters fans (and I mean true fans, not the grubs) all conceded El Masri's try was fair, watch it again, and the players attempting to hold him up didn't stop him - even the commentators said that.
 

DinkumDog

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Glen Hughes’ 7th tackle matching sealing try is up there some Manly fans still aren’t over it. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway Manly didn’t score a try.
Facts don’t matter to some. My Manly supporting neighbour still brings it up despite them winning 3 titles since! I simply tell him I expect that sort of bitterness from a Manly fan :-).
 

Nasheed

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Facts don’t matter to some. My Manly supporting neighbour still brings it up despite them winning 3 titles since! I simply tell him I expect that sort of bitterness from a Manly fan :-).
You seem to struggle with cause and effect.
Without the 7th tackle issue, Manly would have had more notice, time and opportunity to mount a comeback.

stop being smug and gloating and just be quietly appreciative we got the rub of the green that day, instead of putting others down.
 
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@Nasheed Its a legal thing. They all have the same mentality when they are low-level or mid range. You would never get the attitude from a Wench , Terracini or Alamadine professional
You seem to struggle with cause and effect.
Without the 7th tackle issue, Manly would have had more notice, time and opportunity to mount a comeback.

stop being smug and gloating and just be quietly appreciative we got the rub of the green that day, instead of putting others down.
 

Rodzilla

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That's what make it a fairytale. We win against all odds.

Read between the lines and what the article doesn't state

1988: Terry Lamb does whatever it takes to win, look at his sin-sinning in 1995. The try he scored in 1988 show why he was one of the greatest support players of all time
1995: Manly never breached our defensive line and never looked like winning
2004: Even Roosters fans (and I mean true fans, not the grubs) all conceded El Masri's try was fair, watch it again, and the players attempting to hold him up didn't stop him - even the commentators said that.
yeah that's my point, the article doesn't state these things, its a bullshit article

also they point out that we wouldn't have made the finals in 95 if the arl didn't change formats, saying we had no right to make the GF

I know a hit job when I see it
 

Scoooby

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Can’t do a top 5, so I’m saying all of them, thanks for this thread, good read.!!
 

Bazildog

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SG try in 1980 purely because Dr George told everyone in the runners up speech in 79 that 1980 would be the "year of the Bulldog" Fuckin awesome...
 

Wahesh

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yeah that's my point, the article doesn't state these things, its a bullshit article

also they point out that we wouldn't have made the finals in 95 if the arl didn't change formats, saying we had no right to make the GF

I know a hit job when I see it
I take comfort in knowing that people burn at us winning these things... it makes the taste of victory even sweeter.
 

James zac

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Many great moments in Gf wins
Gearins try
Look on sterlings face in 84 after we beat them
The field goal in 85 that’s pressure
Run away Nissan in 88 and wobbly Ellery
Backs to the wall win in 95 fuck Fulton and ridge
04 was great but what touched me most
Ryan inviting price on the stage to say a few words and JT offering his medal to price and ofcoarse Ryan’s try saver
 

James zac

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I take comfort in knowing that people burn at us winning these things... it makes the taste of victory even sweeter.
I luv it too the hate stems from 84/85/86 we were feared
 

Wahesh

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Many great moments in Gf wins
Gearins try
Look on sterlings face in 84 after we beat them
The field goal in 85 that’s pressure
Run away Nissan in 88 and wobbly Ellery
Backs to the wall win in 95 fuck Fulton and ridge
04 was great but what touched me most
Ryan inviting price on the stage to say a few words and JT offering his medal to price and ofcoarse Ryan’s try saver
All of our GF wins have special moments. I'm sure you've seen this already, but in case you haven't...

 

Howard Moon

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All of our GF wins have special moments. I'm sure you've seen this already, but in case you haven't...


How can people dislike Rabs

Great video, gets the adrenaline pumping
 
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