1986 Grand Final: Parramatta 4 Canterbury 2

1986 Grand Final: Parramatta 4 d Canterbury 2 at SCG

Jack Gibson,
master coach
with Steve Gillis

Parramatta could have thrown away yesterday's Winfield Cup rugby league grand final by digging in late in the game.
That's the opinion of the most successful coach in the business, Jack Gibson, who said yesterday the Eels almost let Canterbury steal that victory lap from under their feet after they overcame a few bad decisions against them.
"Parramatta certainly curtailed their attacking ability, being content in trying to pick up a couple of yards from dummy half, and this resulted in poor field position for their kicking game," Gibson said.
"Parramatta had done a great job for the first 70 minutes but they shut up shop too early and fatigue set in.
"And with only two points in it Canterbury could have pulled it out of the fire."
Gibson said he was suprised when Parramatta tried to close the game up with less than 10 minutes to go.
"I was suprised when Parra starting taking the ball up from dummy half and one man off the ruck," he said.
" They were easy pickings for the Canterbury defence and at the same time the Bulldogs got a bit of a rest.
"Parramatta looked good when they threw the ball about-maybe that's what they should of kept doing."
Gibson's assessment was right on the mark.
With Parramatta clinging to a 4-2 lead, the Eels dramatically subdued their tactics, deciding to graft away from dummy half.
"Picking up a yard here and a yard there led them into bad field position in trying to pick up yardage from the kick.
"I don't know why Parra shelled up so early," Gibson said.
"Maybe Peter Sterling simply ran out of juice."
Gibson believes the Eels were the better side and deserved to win by a few more.
"Brett Kenny had at least one fair try disallowed," he said.
In the first half Kenny looked to score after Peter Sterling put a kick through.
"He had control of the ball until it got to the ground and that's all that's required."
Asked to nominate his most damaging Eels players, Gibson named Peter Sterling, Paul Taylor and Geoff Bugden.
"Sterling was everywhere he should have been," he said. "He's the best club and team player.
"Bugden probably made more ground with the ball than any other player while Taylor's defence was outstanding."
Champion Parramatta skipper Ray Price's decision to call it quits brought a suprising reaction from Gibson.
"I can't believe Price will retire," he said. "Price is the type of player who will make two or three comebacks in his career and he hasn't even made one yet."
In a match which provided both excitment and incident, Gibson said he felt Canterbury could have ended up with only 11 men.
"Andrew Farrar was lucky to play 80 minutes while the player he felled (Mick Delroy) only played 40 minutes."
Delroy was replaced at halftime after he was hit high by Farrar in a tackle in the first half.
"I thought the Sigsworth incident was worth 10 minutes. That would have been sufficient.
"And in one case I thought one of the touch judges might have been influenced by the replay before reporting an incident."

1986 Grand Final: Parramatta 4 d Canterbury 2 at SCG

By Electric Eel

The last 10 minutes was the most nervous I have ever been watching a Parra game. My heart was thumping!!!

The winner of the 1986 Grand Final was the right team though, cause that year the Eels beat the Bulldogs 7-6 at Belmore, 28-6 in the major semi and were the better team in the grand final. Parramatta did lose to Canterbury in their first encounter that year, 21-12 in round 10 at Parramatta Stadium.

The first 70 minutes of the game, Canterbury kept giving away penalties, trying to get under Parra's skin, I recall Paul Langmack being the main offender and had a number of run-in's with Parramatta skipper Ray Price.

The Bulldogs guided by Steve Mortimer who was by far Canterbury's best on the day, finally decided to play some football in that last 10 minutes and raid after raid came at the Eels, but it was really too late in the end.

The 1986 Grand Final was a game I thought Parra were going to win convincingly, but it was a defensive game where neither team gave the other an inch. It was also a game Brett Kenny had two disallowed tries, the first a possible try, the second an obvious double movement.

Ray Price

Mick Cronin