1978 Cronulla v Wests Rd 22 Bash

Last round of the season. The winner takes out the minor premiership. Both clubs need the prizemoney. Or should I say the purse for winning the fight.

[@stewartdavies929]

2:17 ‘let’s look at that again…”well, I reckon that’s a bit of a mix up” lol oh Rex

[@fantomghost6213]

Ah, what a great spectacle. Seeing Tommy lead a star-studded lineup brings back some great memories for me. Loved going to Lidcombe Oval to watch them play. I was just a kid back then. Les Boyd, for all his dirty play, really had some great talent!!

[@eagleeric2598]

Like him or not but Tommy always led.

[@christouvelos4897]

Hopefully more games from 1978 will come to light

[@mrbanjopete]

Tough game, hard men. And no one trying to milk penalties. Great stuff.

[@davidmarsalis1522]

This is the sharkies i remember. I used to sit in the grandstand with my grandfather every home game the big silver grandstand. I think this is endeavour field if I remember rightly. Great memories. My grandmother used to work in the canteen next to the dressing room at the back. So we sat with a lot of the players families And Matt Rogers was only about five or six years old. He used to sit with us. We used to sit with Eric archer ,and John mcMartins family . I was 15 at the time .

[@eagleeric2598]

Great memories

[@jackwalsh7906]

Tough game of footy 👍 - it’s fair to say Sorenson didn’t miss!

[@eagleeric2598]

Funny that Rex thought it was a tough call on Sorenson. Unless he had eyes only for Kneen's elbow

[@fantomghost6213]

Thanks, Eagle Eric for this video!!

[@eagleeric2598]

No worries!

[@glencoe1266]

two deliberate elbows at the same time only one send off. Geez louise haha.

[@eagleeric2598]

What an end on shot.

[@glencoe1266]

The synchronicity was perfect..almost like a dance routine @@eagleeric2598

[@poitor9217]

No bunker 😂

[@poitor9217]

Cronulla in the 70’s always started the fights 😅

[@lukewise1227]

I was at this game as a 14 yr old. Still love the Sharkies to this day.

[@waggafletcher]

Some hard men in that Magpies team. Greg Pierce was a great servant for Cronulla and a successful Kangaroos skipper.

[@tmm8521]

.....or kneen...............🤕

[@eagleeric2598]

Pierce also had a good style of coaching. His first year, got the Sharks into the semis with an attractive style of footy.

[@DEATHSTARER]

Did I just see Tommy kick an opponent at the 1:20 mark?

[@eagleeric2598]

Sure did, only stopped when he noticed the ref

[@anchoritecyclist]

Games back then were tough and dirty. Boyd was the worst. But this game shows he did have skills. Too bad he didn’t use them more.

[@Ccssww]

Good to see West's were grubs with all teams and not just manly

[@eagleeric2598]

Oh yeah, I thought that too when I dug this game up

[@glencoe1266]

It would have sucked if you had to play West that week and you knew they were just going to play as dirty as possible. They had the talent to not be dirty but Masters got into their heads and turned them into vicious thugs which hampered their chance to win Grand Finals.

[@fantomghost6213]

Our Wests hated Manly because they used to steal all our stars in the off-season. Whenever we played them, I used to love seeing our guys give it to them....Ah, the good ol' days!!

[@Ccssww]

@@fantomghost6213 ah sorry but you carried on like grubs BEFORE Boyd and co went to Manly. Oh and BTW if you do your research you will find the Rugby League Week article about how those 3 wanted out of wests and wanted to go as a package. I often drive past the 9ld Lidcombe oval and the burn out marks out of the carpark from when Tom ridiculous and Roy boy masters were given blank cheques from St Geotge and Newtown. Oh BTW we won the comp that year and let us not forget the 3 grubs who took on Steve Knight and he flattened all 3 of them.

[@eagleeric2598]

They nearly had it right. During games, they won the fight then played footy whilst other teams were still either trying to get into a fight or retribution.@@glencoe1266

[@matcole1975]

Tommy Raudonikis Is a immortal in my opinion.

[@CamperKev]

General play was much faster under the 5 meter rule, than it is today under the 10 meter rule.

[@eagleeric2598]

Agree however it gave the ref the power to pull a penalty out of nowhere to penalise the attacking team in the 5.

[@glencoe1266]

Boyd just cant help himself as per usual. And he is so obvious. Cumb Dunt.

[@eagleeric2598]

Sometimes you wonder, is it the coach or is it the club's mentality. I have often heard that Boyd and others, there eyes roll to the back of their heads when they are fired up.

[@tmm8521]

Frightening. Even though this game wasn't there, I have fond memories of Lidcombe oval and the 'tough' way the game was played back then. Steve Kneen was as hard as any forward back then but, that elbow that the ref missed....shit, in 2023 he would be suspended forever (unless he was a player the media love) Great to revive the memories but, when they got rid of the Magpies they got rid of me. Yeah, I know, who cares, but, look a the 'shit fight' that's there now......Wests Tigers. What a joke. A joke that the Western Suburbs 'Magpies' have being paying for . All those old maggie supporters ever got was ex Balmain players like Benny 'the most abhorrent sledge ever given to a rival' Ellias, wanking on about the 'Tigers' like he knew where Campbelltown was. Ironic that the 2023 Jersey has 3 Magpie club badges on it, whilst the 'leeches' have 2 tiger badges................... Says it all really Go you pies', more tries.

[@eagleeric2598]

Got to be tough for the supporters squeezed out by the NRL. The plan I reckon was to create a market for the young'uns as they will spend more money. But they aren't always there , week in week out. Only turn up for the big game. Always wonder about the West Tigers. 3 clubs in, one non existent. The Balmain Leagues suffered when the Casino started up but so did Wests Leagues, big time. Worst decision a Club make, shut down down for a renovation and in this case not keeping control of the asset but selling it off to cover debt. I read somewhere that Wests Campbelltown was an ally of Balmain. I can't see why.

[@deanswift4114]

Was that Kurt Sorensen putting that hit on the ball carrier at exactly the same time as Dane Sorensen hit that guy with his elbow?

[@eagleeric2598]

No, Steve Kneen by memory

[@jackson76724]

I'd ever prefer Rex to the rubbish commentary on 9 at the moment.

[@eagleeric2598]

He still made mistakes but I do prefer his call of the games

[@bonzapelican]

Bring back Graeme Hughes I reckon 91 GF - "Geyer, Roycie Simmons! The Grand Final is gone!"

[@douglasharlow4155]

Voss, Smith,Fittler, Thurston Piss John's off personally.

[@glencoassin9969]

I agre i agree i agree i agrre i agree

[@christouvelos4897]

wests got out of Jail, it looked like Cronulla were going to hang on and win with 12 men

[@eagleeric2598]

Sure did. All those penalties in the first half and Rogers booted 5 goals

[@jackson76724]

League needs a Father and Son rule like the AFL Sorensons should be at Cronulla not Penrith.

[@williamwebb8908]

I wish they'd go back to these jumpers instead of the skin-tight t-shirts they wear now.

[@chopperdown9114]

The reason the game has gone soft nowadays is because current players have to look more beautiful than their gfs on social media. Today's players would prefer to play soccer instead of facing the magpies 100%

[@stevesma2443]

Raudonikis kicking. Not cool.

[@eagleeric2598]

part of the era

[@stevesma2443]

@@eagleeric2598 No it wasn't, I played in that era, almost at the top level and kicking was a dog act.