Gus' Greatest Story: The (in)famous 1981 Manly v Newtown FIGHT! | Wide World of Sports

[@terryingram6755]

You can never accuse Tommy of lacking character. Great story. Thanks Gus, and thanks Tommy..

[@sebastiansaville2043]

That was just beautiful. So funny. Gus really should write a book. It'd be a best seller.

[@manbearpig7359]

Love him or hate him, the man is a raconteur extraordinaire

[@tureiharonga]

What a story, much respect to you Guys, what a guy, coach, player and commentator. Brilliant advocate for the game

[@yavuzsabuncuoglu]

Tommy… “Forget the ball….” Pack the scrum!! 😂😂😂👌

[@BlairSauer]

😂. R.I.P Tommy! Absolute legend.

[@jonasp6043]

Classic Tommy!! Legend!

[@brettsaville2762]

Tommy did feed the Scrum...Newtown won it...

[@timothyhowie6171]

I met Tommy and his missus in Darwin one night. He was up there to give a talk . Had a walker. Still a unit though.

[@warriorsfan1602]

RIP Tommy

[@sonnyblack6121]

Mark Broadhurst easily one of the best/toughest props to play for New Zealand

[@joelmonkley6177]

One of the best in the world at the time nz Australia or england were he played

[@graguitar6493]

No match for Steve 'headbutt' Bowden though

[@joelmonkley6177]

@@graguitar6493 still played the rest of the game Bowden only played for a few years Broadhurst used his fists

[@sonnyblack6121]

@@graguitar6493 More than a match, he was tooling Bowden up before getting headbutted and Bowden's face was pretty mangled....... Broadhurst had a broken nose and two broken cheek bones and when they told him he had to come off at half-time cuz he couldn't see he made the trainer cut his two eyes to relieve the blood pressure....... Now that's f****** tough mate.

[@graguitar6493]

@@sonnyblack6121 yeah I'm not sure where you got all that 🐂💩 from but at least youre creative. You must of watched the footy show with vautin saying Broadhurst asked to be cut open to see but the doctor said this ain't rocky. You've obviously overlooked the games on KZbin and your Broadhurst tooling Bowden's face to mangled can be easily proven as complete utter 🐂💩 as well. Broadhurst self confessed he king hit Bowden in the scrum. It's then evident Broadhurst was on the back foot from that moment onwards as Bowden went into killer mode. Broadhurst backs back throwing panzy punches. Eventually Bowden catches him, whacks him with a few hooks that put Broadhurst into the vulnerable position for Bowden too smash him with the headbutt and put him down. Broadhurst only broke 1 cheekbone and that's it. So good try at fake reporting but not good enough.

[@shanewilson199]

I don’t like Gould. I think he’s got too many fingers in too many pies, but I could listen to this stuff all day. Can’t deny his football brain.

[@chrisschwarten1140]

Yeah, I wish he came agenda free...

[@jameshermes5576]

Who cares what u like Gus is a legend

[@dionysus1016]

The good old days, still hard to beat the Wests v. Manly games from the late 70s; the Dallas Donnelly knee to the head of some Silvertail. Even as a Manly supporter, the bloodlust was unreal.

[@GodlyCarnage]

That was amazing. Thank you lads.

[@cousy65nc61]

What a tale that is . What a character aswell

[@stephen.oreilly-nugent8293]

Broady was a boxer in nz and I believe he had won a title. He came from the west coast I think. Saw him play for the kiwis at addington.

[@graguitar6493]

Might have been able to dodge fists but certainly not heads

[@GM-fx2jo]

@@graguitar6493 not that day obviously....but to play with both eyes closing...still a tough guy

[@graguitar6493]

@@GM-fx2jo no doubt

[@markp1549]

@@graguitar6493Heatbutts are a weak way to fight.

[@graguitar6493]

@@markp1549 lol. yeah the result on broadhurst doesnt suggest that

[@Snowman666]

Hell yeah and what a game that was when league was a different time and game the good ole days then back to work for most of them on Monday tuff blokes

[@joncaterson4294]

Great story GUS It's in the archives that game

[@perrymorris171]

I was at that game….whisper before kick off was they wanted Randall off by any means possible due to his brutal defence - worked a treat!

[@markpowell8856]

So many great footy players back in that era, just everyday knock around blokes playing cause they loved footy. Thanks for the story Gus, from an old Jets supporter.

[@jessiecuster3191]

Can find this game on You Tube, it's bloody amazing!

[@BlairSauer]

I'm sure there's footage of it somewhere. Channel 9 didn't do NRL telecasts back then. I think channel ten did. There's probably hundreds of archived nswrl and arl footage in a vault of some sort. NFSA (National Film and Sound Archive) may have some old NRL footage. I'm sure channel ten has old footage somewhere. Their website might have some clues as to whether they do or not.

[@jessiecuster3191]

@@BlairSauer yeah I rewatched it yesterday. Don't think Gus's memory is 100% but he was close enough. Mark Broadhurst gets dropped by Mark Bowden headbutt.

[@BlairSauer]

@@jessiecuster3191 I found the footage last night myself. Haven't watched it yet. It was posted by retro NRL. As of last night it said it was posted 1 day ago. I've saved into my watch later list. It goes for a fair bit so I'll be making sure I'll have enough spare time to watch it.

[@graguitar6493]

@@jessiecuster3191 Steve Bowden not Mark. Yeah alot of poor recollection from Gus. Just about everything he said was incorrect.

[@useruseruseruseruser790]

@@graguitar6493 Come on. Most of us understand that it’s about entertainment and having a laugh at the tough old days. Not a forensic dissection of the incident. And there was more than enough of the truth in there, I mean we can all watch the footage ourselves.

[@cerunos]

Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

[@SilentHotdog28]

What are you talking about?

[@johnn7350]

Lol mate it was legit

[@jonasp6043]

What part of that wasn't the truth in your opinion? Tommy had stories like that throughout his whole career.

[@graguitar6493]

​@@jonasp6043Newtown kicked off not manly for a start. Sigsworths first touch he knocked on not made 50 metres. Eadie did kick but it didn't roll into touch. Bowden definitely deliberately headbutted Broadhurst. Those were the things Gould didn't get right.

[@useruseruseruseruser790]

@@graguitar6493He didn’t say that Sigsworth made 50m with his first touch. He said that early in the game he made a break. Are you saying that didn’t happen ?

[@barryjames544]

Was a pretty even fight before Bowden landed those headbutts, that finished it.

[@graguitar6493]

Wasn't that even. Broadhurst was always on the back foot and ran out of puff. Bowden landed a few easy hooks that put Broadhurst in the vulnerable position to be headbutted has good as he was. Even if Bowden didn't headbutt, he would have still punched Broadhurst out very easily

[@joelmonkley6177]

​​@@graguitar6493 i doubt it ask Craig Young and the Queens land hooker he knocked them both out on their arses Broadhurst played the whole game with a fractured cheek one and one eye closed he wasnt knocked out

[@werl789]

@@graguitar6493 No way, check the replay again, closely. The Wikipedia article has it exactly right. IMO Bowden should have been suspended for at least the whole of '82. Real coward acts

[@graguitar6493]

@@werl789 he was fired up and wanted to do as much damage as possible to the coward who king hit him in the scrum. The real coward

[@werl789]

@@graguitar6493 If you've got the vid evidence, point it out. Much more likely is the Newtown pack, urged on by Tommy, did what Tommy had been firing them up to do all week. Had pre-planning written all over it. Did you not hear what Gus just spent 8 mins talking about??

[@hoggers7572]

Gus Gould could play don't doubt it he had skills ..I'm not saying superstar but he was no mug

[@SilentHotdog28]

He was a smart man. Like you said: not a superstar, but you don't need to be, just need to use your brain.

[@mercurycid]

better coach an manager than plyer, dont gloss over the fact he was good enough to be there, and tough enough to stay there!!! Radounikas was a leader and one of the best units around!

[@jonasp6043]

He was one of the better ball distributing forwards of his day. His inclusion into the Newtown pack was a huge plus. He complemented the other 5 perfectly.

[@werl789]

@@jonasp6043 Totally agree. Gould lacked the star status of Ray Price, Wayne Pearce or Paul Langmack, but scratching my head for a 4th contemporary of Gus' who was better. Youngest captain for a NSW 1st grade side (at age 20, Penrith), since Dave Brown (Easts) from the '30's

[@banjopiggottwright1802]

Absolute Gold 😂

[@andyleleisiuao58]

Keep pushing Mr Gould, so many fantastic stories.

[@anthonyc4812]

Back when concussion was cool. Gus: where's my keys 🤷

[@shanewilson199]

I hear Robbie O’Davis has probable CTE as well. Mario Fenech, the king… poor old Paul green.

[@anthonyc4812]

@@shanewilson199 tip of the iceberg

[@SilentHotdog28]

@@shanewilson199 So many old boys coming out of the woodwork with it. People want to 'bring back the biff' like that's a good idea......What and see more players get CTE? Sure they are entertaining, who doesn't love watching a good scrap, but damn man......I don't want to see legends of the game at 50 in a wheelchair and drooling because they got hit in the head 1 too many times.

[@useruseruseruseruser790]

@@SilentHotdog28Bring back the biff is a joke. People having a laugh at how ridiculously tough and anything goes the old days were. We all know there is zero chance of it coming back.

[@johnnypepper881]

How has the literal Origin commentator not heard that story before or watched the documentary

[@jameshermes5576]

Because maybe he wasn't born yet

[@roosters1711]

Who got sent off ? You’d expect the host should have known . It’s only been replayed 1000 times.

[@lastcenturyclassics]

Reminds me of the Paul Harragon days. 😁 Started watching Tommy in 1974.

[@steveenoka7454]

Sad truth of the matter is Mark Broadhurst is suffering now from all those blows.

[@graguitar6493]

Wouldn't have been just from that belting. Accumulative of he's boxing as well is my guess

[@michaelboyce7079]

@@graguitar6493 Yes, he's having big problems with his memory. To think that I once thought that nothing could hurt this bloke. I was so sure he had a brick in his head!

[@paulmartin3962]

Gus your gold love listening to you an great commentator 👍

[@ronaldwhite5670]

That’s when football was football 🍻 lol 😂

[@davidminer7233]

A lot of guys from that era reached middle age suffering badly from those illegal beltings. Quite a few became damaged in the head & met their end vfar too soon. These days long term health is taken seriously.

[@paulmorro5200]

I played in that

[@werl789]

Legend! Paul Morris #6. Congrats on an awesome win, you & the Newtown boys played great!

[@martinholroyd7605]

😂🤣😂...Absolute Quality

[@peteroverell7207]

I rememberTomy well about 66 or 67 Pratten park I thought I would tryout for a game there I thought i could run so they put me on the wing I was about 5 minutes in with the ball Tommy came flying in knocked the windout of me rolling around on the ground couldn’t catch my breathe Tommy leans over get up you f### wos played soccer after that 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@Youser57]

🤣

[@Ross-e9o]

Tommy didn’t start at Wests until 1970, after Wests had left Pratten Park and gone to Lidcombe. He probably only played three or four games at Pratten in all his time at the club.

[@peteroverell7207]

@@Ross-e9o it was a under 17 year game

[@matcole1975]

Tommy was the biggest character of the game. No one comes close. 💯💪

[@johnanthonycafe2993]

One of Gus’s more entertaining rants.

[@Sonofabeach2006]

Classic TR story… Them were the days…

[@arthurcharlesharrison1361]

Thanks Gus

[@lanceMollenhauer-mf1xz]

Aaàaahhhhh the 80s

[@davestatic3]

Great story

[@RCT1963]

Hilarious. It was a great time when sports had character AND characters

[@tasmaniancaptain7768]

Fibros v silvertails great dvd to watch tommy wests victa magpies john donnelly roy masters its a must see documentary to you all

[@shanewilson199]

It’s fantastic

[@Alekosdw]

Matt Thompson is the man for getting it out of him ! Good commentator His like Vossy in many ways

[@SilentHotdog28]

I don't like Matt Thompson, Bracey is far better.

[@Alekosdw]

@@SilentHotdog28 you like bracey cos he’s constantly laughing at 💩 jokes Dan ginnane is one of the best commentators GOODBYE!

[@Swannerator]

@@robocop5935 Mat Thompson is not a patch on Dan Ginnane - he (Thompson) has fallen into the all-too-common trap for most commentators these days of basically just yelling through a whole match on commentary. Ginnane actually puts nuance into his commentary, and is the best commentator going around.

[@justinngariki]

Maybe the "Cattle dog" call was misheard and he was really saying "Cat or dog!"...

[@dazhwood]

Brilliant ❤️❤️

[@davidminer7233]

Just think of the price paid by these "heroes" in irreparable damage to their bodies - particularly their brain.

[@martinpye549]

" he said that every Monday " ....lol

[@tonymarsh1644]

KZbin the brawl Gus was standing on the outside with a terribly scared look on his face the whole time. Very hilarious, Gus wanted no part of it!

[@graguitar6493]

You had Randall, Boyd and Broadhurst in the manly pack. Gould new he would have got totally smashed if he got stuck in. He new only Bowden and O'Grady could match those blokes

[@useruseruseruseruser790]

Rubbish, he did not have a terribly scared look on his face. What a weak comment. Anyone who took the field in first grade deserves respect. Too easy for keyboard tough guys to criticise these days with no chance of having to back it up.

[@teariki-barefist2932]

Woodford prison team 1986 crims smashed the screws and won the competition.

[@michaelhogan2071]

😂 😂 love it

[@ChrisCorbett-re2xl]

I believe that Broadhurst is now a CTE sufferer

[@hutuguru81]

if you watch the game, it doesnt happen anything like this no sigsworth break, no kick into touch, the scrum came from Sigsworth drop ball

[@jonasp6043]

I think Gus thought of the first semi final against Parra where Sigsworth fielded the ball from the first kickoff near his own line and finally got tacked inside the Parra half! Ol Gus might have those moments different, although Sigsworth did make plenty of breaks that day against Manly but the story about the intent of the fight was the main focus and events leading up to it. The Newtown/Parra semi final game Is on youtube if you ever care to view it.

[@hutuguru81]

@@jonasp6043 it’s unreal what’s on KZbin! They got the last game @ Cumberland- final round v manly. Did Parra play easts in the wet at SCG that year?

[@jonasp6043]

@@hutuguru81 Can't recall. I was a Jets supporter!

[@werl789]

@@hutuguru81 I'm an Easts fan and was at that last Cumberland game between Parra and Manly in '81. Brilliant game, had it all. It was '82 where we got thrashed by Parra in the wet 33-0.

[@TgWc29]

Geez that other bloke is a pain

[@lukesimpson3080]

Didn’t happen off a kick though. The scrum was due to a Newtown knock on.

[@sandorclegane3658]

That dude has got a ski slope for a nose. Go the warriors.

[@markcurran6766]

That is pure gold rip Tommy

[@gizzmo667]

Gee I wish these guys would stop playing with there phones while these clips are being done

[@tonymarsh8436]

You can see in Gus' comments these days he still longs for the old days. But time marches on regardless. Wasn't that a great punchup? Umm. It ain't the 70's no more.

[@floodwaters8887]

Back when men were men

[@SilentHotdog28]

Back when no one cared about concussion. I sure don't want to see legends of the game like Wally Lewis coming out with CTE because of fights and high tackles. Do I love watching a good scrap? Who doesn't, but at what cost?

[@lanceMollenhauer-mf1xz]

@@SilentHotdog28 UFC

[@MRTonyt8868]

I 😂love it

[@ashdanger]

@5.45 ‘and who won the game?’ How embarrassing

[@werl789]

Gus, you're supposed to be the astute one. Of course you've seen the replay countless times. Bowden headbutted Broadhurst at least 3 times, at least twice in the initial fight, then again after they were separated less than a minute later. Accident, my ass! Total coward acts. The only way Bowden could beat a proper boxer

[@paulmorro5200]

😮

[@rogerbrooksfilms]

He asked Gus who won... WTF!

[@Ardeng22]

If you are a footy commentator worth your salt, you already know this story. Amateur

[@rabbits77]

Thats before money fuc%@^the game now it's afl pushes

[@davidfife-nm7uy]

Money?

[@bb198]

​@@davidfife-nm7uythe game used to be semi-pro and low paid most guys had jobs during the week

[@Giveme1goodreason]

@@bb198and the game was slow and the skills were low. Just look at the difference between rugby league game in 1988 and 1992

[@jameshermes5576]

Takes too long...😅

[@robertgroves391]

Nobody got sent of after that fight, the referee awarded a penalty to Newtown. All players remained on the field

[@tony.benfield8499]

Dunno what game you were at, but Steve Bowden and Randall both got sent off. Bowden got 5 weeks.

[@robcousins231]

Exactly. Two we're sent off, the game is on youtube.

[@graguitar6493]

​@@tony.benfield8499Randall 7 weeks

[@jaytee198]

I was there as a 21 year old, I think Manly were leading 16 -0 and after that fight Newtown came back to win the game

[@Ross-e9o]

Score was nil all at the time. The fight happened in the first three minutes of the game. The Blue Bags really turned up that day.

[@jaytee198]

@@Ross-e9o Great, thanks for that

[@MERCURYSUNSET]

Mate the score was 0-0 all and then Newtown shot out to 13-0 at halftime . In the 2nd half The Jets got to 16-0 before Manly started to claw back a bit but Newtown ended up winning 20-15 .

[@jaytee198]

@@MERCURYSUNSET Thanks for that 👍

[@MERCURYSUNSET]

@@jaytee198 Cheers jaytee 👍

[@ft4641]

The exaggerated laughs by the other bell end make Goulds story telling even more annoying.

[@thesolipsismdilettante6498]

No no no no. Sigsworth got crunched first touch & lost the ball. Scrum = brawl. Gussy has dementia. 😅

[@Lucab204]

It was 40 years ago mate

[@Giveme1goodreason]

It’s a story, not a documentary.

[@graguitar6493]

Goulds memory is shi+. Newtown kicked off. Manly had their set of 6. Eadie did kick the ball but Sigsworth gets the ball and knocks on when hes tackled. Bowdens headbutt was fully intentional

[@brettsaville2762]

John Dorahy Number 3 kicked it downtown...

[@graguitar6493]

@@brettsaville2762 you are correct. I just double checked the replay. Cheers

[@paspascalis4467]

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