I was there, as a Balmain fan. Had seats in the sunshine, eastern side, right on the halfway line about 15 rows back. Even in the first half it never really felt like the Tigers were in control, even when Sirro crashed over just before half time. It just always felt like the dam wall was about to break. That Meninga ankle tap on Mick Neil....how does he not score. Just incredible. Was just not meant to be. So many young players in that Canberra team on the of precipice of becoming outright superstars. What a team they were. Despite the result i'm still proud to be able to say i was there that day. It's gone down in rugby league folklore.
So weird growing up in the modern game and watching a game like this. Actual backline moves, deep backlines, centres that passes to centres, skillful forwards, props that play 80 minutes. Much more exciting.
@J G So why isn't it the most popular sport in the biggest market in the world, the USA????? China hasn't exactly got a top soccer team. nations like Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Wales, Ireland, and Taiwan aren't exactly huge soccer loving nations. Populous nations like Indonesia, India and China have under performing national sides, so having lots of people in a country doesn't equal popularity of a particular world sport. People love rugby League, they also love AFL, which isn't really played outside of Australia, Ireland plays a different version of it, so really a very popular sport in Australia that generates millions for the local economy equates to a high degree of love and satisfaction. That mean "WHO CARES" if soccer is the most popular game in the world? Everyone knows that soccer is the most popular sport, has been for a long time, but so many, especially in Australia and New Zealand don't give a toss.
So many legends on the field that day. I remember watching this on a sunny Sunday afternoon as a 15 year old and being totally amped as the game went on. Bradley Clyde one of the best!!! What an athlete!
I was at the 2015 GF, it was mostly boring, a real grind, if it wasn't for that fast finish, it would've gone down as one of the dullest GFs in history. 1997 was a great game, poor Manly were very unlucky the ref had a shocker but maybe the Knights would've prevailed anyway, who knows? Another terrible GF I went to was the 2004 GF, Roosters V Bulldogs both sides were awful, they dropped the ball about 50 times I reckon. 1990 was a pretty good one too. 2017 was boring, one sided. No one can beat the glorious 2008 GF 40-zip to the Mighty Sea Eagles.
Balmain led the Grand Final until the last 20-30 seconds of normal time!!. Unbelievable!!. So heartbreaking for Balmain after extra time when Canberra scored the winning try. Anyway what an brilliant Grand Final 1989 was.
Unlucky for Junior. He suffered a serious eye injury in the early eighties which left him without vision in the far side of his left eye. If you add to this the setting sun in the second half, you will understand why Junior dropped the ball a few times on the second half.
@MUFC Hello Muppet good to see you on here with your usual gaff. Just glad your mom let you use the internet again. Say hi to all up there in Sunny England.
@@ash80510 Well then please watch both again cos 1989 was great all match. 2015 was a dour game with negative kicking by the Broncos to protect their lead. Was only close at the end with some Morgan Magic. Golden Point to finish a Grand Final is also a disservice to the game. Play 10 minutes a half extra-time like the 1989 boys had to.
Tigers centre Andy Currier & Tigers fullback Gary Jack's failed near simultaneous attempt to catch the last tackle high bomb kick by Raider's five eighth Chris O'Sullivan at the end of regular time cost the Balmain Tigers the 1989 NSWRL Premiership. A single fundamental error by the Tigers duo changed rugby league history.
What’s so cool about this game is these are regular guys. One guy is a police officer. A bunch of local guys. This is what sports should be. Money may make the quality and athletes better. But there just isn’t any heart as is the case here.
@@briansergeant Yeah mate I have good memories watching the Illawarra Steelers, St George Dragons, North Sydney Bears, Western Magpies and Balmain Tigers. Gary Jack one of my heroes when I was a young runt playing full back in the 80's
Wayne Pearce had an absolute shocker but so did Warren Ryan by taking off Blocker and Siro, stupidest coaching decision ever. Your two strongest forwards off the field, very silly.
True Dat, nailed it, not just the strongest, but the most feared in the game, when they got replaced, the Raiders forward grew in confidence and rumbled thru the ruck without any problem.
Balmain did not make one clean break in this game except for the lead up to Sironens try, and even then they needed an outrageous bounce to capitalise. It was only close on the score board
Good night all I just viewed this video. Just want to ask if there's a video for David Wesley and Bruce mamando. I think they played for cambera raiders in the past..
Too much made of Tiger's coach replacing Roach & Sironen, they looked done, I guess the replacements were just tackling machines, especially Hardwick who just tackled, didn't know how to do anything else, would've been better having big guys come on who could march the team up through the middle with big runs, different game back then obviously in hindsight. Stuart's kicking game forced the Tiger's back all game forced them to play out of their corners. The 2 tries they scored were very lucky ones. The Tigers otherwise had nothing in attack, plenty in defence, Warren Ryan's style.
Roach was doing nothing in the 2nd half, so fair call. But given he'd left Sironen on so long that he was still on the field when Ferguson scored, he shouldn't have replaced him.
Was there no offside during a kick back in 1989? at 6:00 the bloke kicks it with people 30 metres ahead of him but they were never called offside. Confused - Jonah
Bruul619 only had to be behind the play the ball not the kicker, but you werent allowed to touch the receiver until he had moved 10 yards or so, so basically it was an unchallenged catch unless the chaser was behind the ball.
“[Arthur] Beetson, in his recent autobiography Big Artie, said, "there is one club which has no doubt whatsoever that it was beaten by a steroids-fuelled team in a Grand Final, and the players of that club will never come to terms with their belief that they were beaten by a team that had cheated".
Yeh, you do realise the raiders had the advantage of the institute of sport to rely on for training. And anyway he'd have a point if steroids helped you catch a ball, Wayne Pearce dropped the ball 4 times in this match.
I tend to regard such accusations as true. I'm a Victorian AFL fan but got obsessed with NSWRL during the 'channel 10 era'. The players have not spoken up, though; so it remains what it is until they do. What I hate is that one of the clubs doesn't even exist now. AFL did that to Fitzroy, but the NSWRL does it so haphandedly.
If they knew how to catch the ball (Jack, Pearce), how to kick the ball (Elias, Currier) how to coach (Ryan) , how to hold a lead (the whole team) they might have got the money. Just like my Dragons in 99, the reason they lost could be found in the mirror, not in the officiating. Some of my fellow Saints were like you after 99, constantly blaming the referee and not the multiple blown chances and weak defending that characterised our collapse from a totally won position.
I was there, as a Balmain fan. Had seats in the sunshine, eastern side, right on the halfway line about 15 rows back. Even in the first half it never really felt like the Tigers were in control, even when Sirro crashed over just before half time. It just always felt like the dam wall was about to break. That Meninga ankle tap on Mick Neil....how does he not score. Just incredible. Was just not meant to be. So many young players in that Canberra team on the of precipice of becoming outright superstars. What a team they were. Despite the result i'm still proud to be able to say i was there that day. It's gone down in rugby league folklore.
Yeah couldn’t help but think the raiders were unlucky with those first 2 tries to balmain. Mick Neil sheesh, sleight oc hand from Meninga there.
Awesome
@user-vk2wp4ot8h No one cares.
And why'd they lose 😮
The greates😢
The intensity of the players and the crowd are 100x better than today. This is when real men came to play football.
So weird growing up in the modern game and watching a game like this. Actual backline moves, deep backlines, centres that passes to centres, skillful forwards, props that play 80 minutes. Much more exciting.
The turf was dirt
@J G So why isn't it the most popular sport in the biggest market in the world, the USA????? China hasn't exactly got a top soccer team. nations like Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Wales, Ireland, and Taiwan aren't exactly huge soccer loving nations. Populous nations like Indonesia, India and China have under performing national sides, so having lots of people in a country doesn't equal popularity of a particular world sport.
People love rugby League, they also love AFL, which isn't really played outside of Australia, Ireland plays a different version of it, so really a very popular sport in Australia that generates millions for the local economy equates to a high degree of love and satisfaction. That mean "WHO CARES" if soccer is the most popular game in the world? Everyone knows that soccer is the most popular sport, has been for a long time, but so many, especially in Australia and New Zealand don't give a toss.
How can centres pass to centres?
@J G seriously get a new line!
Contested scrums too.
32 years on; the camerawork and commentary is still better than 2021
Hughes and Maurice were fantastic, Rex Mossop's colour commentary was pretty ordinary.
And in 24
16:30 - Balmain penalty goal
18:53 - James Grant intercept try
32:36 - Meninga penalty goal
44:30 - Paul Sironen try
1:03:52 - Belcher Try
1:12:24 - Meninga ankle tap
1:19:23 - Balmain penalty goal
1:27:45 - Ferguson try
1:33:10 - O'Sullivan field goal
1:48:40 - Jackson try
1:52:20 - FT
@@harryhopworthy9600 lol calm down tiger
Thanks bro
cheers 👍
Thanks… I came here to watch the Sironen Try!
So many legends on the field that day.
I remember watching this on a sunny Sunday afternoon as a 15 year old and being totally amped as the game went on.
Bradley Clyde one of the best!!! What an athlete!
This feels like a different game today. Am not sure if the game is better but all I know these guys were the gladiators 😲
I used to have this on VCR tape. I taped a lot of footy as a kid in the 90’s.
Along with the 1997 and 2015 Grand Finals, this will go down as the greatest GF of all time.
I say add 91. Just watched it last week. 2015 still hurts.
2005 was good too
What a battle of a game between both the Tigers V Raiders 1989 grand final was.
Agree...add 1991 to your list.
Also the Parra Newtown GF 1981.
The 1970s had a bunch of great grand finals, lots of drama in them.
I was at the 2015 GF, it was mostly boring, a real grind, if it wasn't for that fast finish, it would've gone down as one of the dullest GFs in history. 1997 was a great game, poor Manly were very unlucky the ref had a shocker but maybe the Knights would've prevailed anyway, who knows? Another terrible GF I went to was the 2004 GF, Roosters V Bulldogs both sides were awful, they dropped the ball about 50 times I reckon. 1990 was a pretty good one too. 2017 was boring, one sided.
No one can beat the glorious 2008 GF 40-zip to the Mighty Sea Eagles.
The most famous RL Grand Final of all time. Raiders forever!
Probably the greatest match ever played
Best Rugby League match in history.
I snoozed while watching NRL highlights and woke up to this😱😱😱😱😱😱😱 when did the 6 tackles rule start? This is a mighty game 🙌 💪 though
Greatest match of all time
This is the very game that made me fall in love with league.......
Memories
Balmain led the Grand Final until the last 20-30 seconds of normal time!!. Unbelievable!!. So heartbreaking for Balmain after extra time when Canberra scored the winning try. Anyway what an brilliant Grand Final 1989 was.
Big Sirro charging in next to the posts holding Bradley Clyde in his hand like a mop handle. Brilliant!
Truth. Sirro had a back to back blinder in both 88 and 89 GF, unfortunately on the losing side.Oh well.
Clyde in his speech said he was happy with the 1 point win and thanked his captain Dean Lance haha
I wish I was old enough to remember these days - late 80s - early 90s was Rugby League at it height!
Yeah it was a crazy good period!
Wayne Pearce lost the game for the Tigers, dropped the ball 4 times, threw a pass over the sideline. Had a shocker.
He had plenty of mates. At least he was involved, Roach was missing in action in the 2nd half.
@J G what a flog...soccer is already nimber 1 sport in Australia....by participation.
Will never be number 1 sport by crowds
@J G so what ya flog. Popular in 4 countries hahahahahahahahaha
Siccer is a pussys game dont even go there bud
Unlucky for Junior. He suffered a serious eye injury in the early eighties which left him without vision in the far side of his left eye. If you add to this the setting sun in the second half, you will understand why Junior dropped the ball a few times on the second half.
Still the best grand final I’ve ever seen
The only thing that can make blocker cry is the memories of this day
1:23:24 Ben Elias missing the field goal, by hitting the crossbar, costing the Tigers the Premiership.
@MUFC Nutter !!!! Who let you out of the lunatic asylum ? FOOTBALL !!!!
@MUFC Hello Muppet good to see you on here with your usual gaff. Just glad your mom let you use the internet again. Say hi to all up there in Sunny England.
Never liked Balmain. Loved them losing this game. But watching this in 2020 I have to say I felt sorry for them.
What a epic battle this game was played at. I remember I was 12 years old when I watched this game in awe. The greatest grand final ever!
Channel: 10 TV Australia
Commentators:
Ian Maurice
Graeme Hughes
Rex Mossop
Bill Anderson
Wayne Pearce
Peter Sterling
My dad was there. Tigers fan. Still gutted to this day.
I can feel it. Some losses haunt supporters for the rest of their lives. That’s the beauty of the game.
@@user-uw4yb3oj7c The awful, painful Truth.
The reason I fell in love with league lffl
south sydeny in 2014 or 2015 cowboys are 2 of my fav GF
Some awesome attacking football from both teams backs and forwards.
I wish I could play this well someday
Still the greatest GF of all time.
Wrong 2015 is
@@ash80510 Nah
@@ash80510 Go away. You know nothing about Rugby League.
@@MartyMcFly3 been watching since 88 actually
@@ash80510 Well then please watch both again cos 1989 was great all match. 2015 was a dour game with negative kicking by the Broncos to protect their lead. Was only close at the end with some Morgan Magic. Golden Point to finish a Grand Final is also a disservice to the game. Play 10 minutes a half extra-time like the 1989 boys had to.
This is 1 of the greatest grand finals of all time
Remember this like yesterday! My two fave teams evee
Tigers centre Andy Currier & Tigers fullback Gary Jack's failed near simultaneous attempt to catch the last tackle high bomb kick by Raider's five eighth Chris O'Sullivan at the end of regular time cost the Balmain Tigers the 1989 NSWRL Premiership.
A single fundamental error by the Tigers duo changed rugby league history.
Belcher always reminded me of Goose from Top Gun
I wanna know what happened to the kid who kicked off before the real kick off.
He ended up working at hungry jacks
Contested scrums in League. What a concept! Also, I swear the ball looks like a big soft-baked pretzel. Just need the honey mustard sauce to dip.
Thr GRANDEST of all GRAND FINALS
Both me and late sister cried that day when Balmain Tigers lost, still hurt today 😢.
1:27:51 - "Picked up by Daley!!" - as soon as I hear that the tears fall.
Greatest Grand Final ever!
This was the most unbelievable game I have ever seen.
These guys are tough
Real scrums. Love it.
I wonder if blocker and Siro would have made a difference🤔👈🏾
You’d be spewing if you were a Tiger player or supporter. So goes the great game of footy.
Gary Freeman,Brent Todd,Kiwi Legends
the best final i ever seen..was awesome
Some very tough penalties against the tigers.
What’s so cool about this game is these are regular guys. One guy is a police officer. A bunch of local guys. This is what sports should be. Money may make the quality and athletes better. But there just isn’t any heart as is the case here.
I thought League players were paid well by the 80s?
Thank you so much for this
Steve Roach is the man of steel.
Wests Tigers? Maybe change it to Balmain
Don’t say that to a Western Suburbs Magpies fan.
St George and Illawarra were separate teams! The kids on here won’t understand that!
Also North Sydney Bears although they were garbage that year.
@@briansergeant Yeah mate I have good memories watching the Illawarra Steelers, St George Dragons, North Sydney Bears, Western Magpies and Balmain Tigers. Gary Jack one of my heroes when I was a young runt playing full back in the 80's
1989 Ladder
1. South Sydney Rabbitohs
2. Penrith Panthers
3. Balmain Tigers
4. Canberra Raiders
5. Brisbane Broncos
6. Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
7. Newcastle Knights
8. Parramatta Eels
9. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
10. St. George Dragons
11. Eastern Suburbs Roosters
12. Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
13. Western Suburbs Magpiesi
14. Gold Coast Chargers
15. North Sydney Bears
16. Illawarra Steelers
I really love the Tigers, and Magpies too.
Wayne Pearce had an absolute shocker but so did Warren Ryan by taking off Blocker and Siro, stupidest coaching decision ever. Your two strongest forwards off the field, very silly.
True Dat, nailed it, not just the strongest, but the most feared in the game, when they got replaced, the Raiders forward grew in confidence and rumbled thru the ruck without any problem.
Every player here are still alive including the coaches.
Balmain did not make one clean break in this game except for the lead up to Sironens try, and even then they needed an outrageous bounce to capitalise. It was only close on the score board
The Greatest Grand Final played.
Those were the days. Winfield cup.
At 1:56:43 in the green top is former Penrith player and coach Barry Harris.
Every current NRL player weren’t born yet.
Bill Harrigan played well for Raiders.
FkN A, some of his decision's late in the game against the tigers were crucial and macchavillian, and definately affected the result.
@@theprinceoftides6836 that bruce macguire penalty made no sense.
Wonder what became of that kid that kicked off
Lol rex someone will have a heart attack at this pace
The day Steve Roach started his long hatred of the Raiders. 😅
Good night all I just viewed this video. Just want to ask if there's a video for David Wesley and Bruce mamando. I think they played for cambera raiders in the past..
Too much made of Tiger's coach replacing Roach & Sironen, they looked done, I guess the replacements were just tackling machines, especially Hardwick who just tackled, didn't know how to do anything else, would've been better having big guys come on who could march the team up through the middle with big runs, different game back then obviously in hindsight.
Stuart's kicking game forced the Tiger's back all game forced them to play out of their corners. The 2 tries they scored were very lucky ones. The Tigers otherwise had nothing in attack, plenty in defence, Warren Ryan's style.
Roach was doing nothing in the 2nd half, so fair call. But given he'd left Sironen on so long that he was still on the field when Ferguson scored, he shouldn't have replaced him.
The greatest rugby league grand final of all time, sorry Benny 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣💚🤣
He can wave his arms around if he wants mossip
Best GF ever
Game hughes was the best commintater ever
Malmenninga🤙
Watched this match eating chocolate paddle pops with good mates during Stuvac at Coffs Harbour. Walshie and Woodsy, hey blokes.
Bring back daytime GFs..why Warren Ryan subbed Roach and Sironen..
Is this under 85kg comp?
My poor Balmain 😢
THIS is rugby league! I don’t know what game they are playing nowadays 😫😫😫
Touch.
1:20:30
Why can't I see the scoreboard
Go Wayne Pierce
1990 GF, please.
Still hurts watching this
Does Old Mal have a broken arm?
Footy and product generally better then . Aus. too. They try to over analyse the game these days. Scrums were ok here.
worst coaching decision in history.
Saved fernet origin
Was there no offside during a kick back in 1989? at 6:00 the bloke kicks it with people 30 metres ahead of him but they were never called offside. Confused - Jonah
Bruul619 only had to be behind the play the ball not the kicker, but you werent allowed to touch the receiver until he had moved 10 yards or so, so basically it was an unchallenged catch unless the chaser was behind the ball.
1:35:28 Would that word be F@&k Up??? 😂😅
lets go raiders
35yrsstilllbest to me 2024
Go jacko
Why don’t players pass more these days?
7 idiots who either don't like the Tigers, don't like the Raiders or don't like Rugby....and they're watching because......
What a f...en nightmare
Grand Final BBQs
Not one tiger player wanted the ball w Pierre could never catch a ball never rate him
P
“[Arthur] Beetson, in his recent autobiography Big Artie, said, "there is one club which has no doubt whatsoever that it was beaten by a steroids-fuelled team in a Grand Final, and the players of that club will never come to terms with their belief that they were beaten by a team that had cheated".
Arthur Beetson didn’t know who to represent.
Yeh, you do realise the raiders had the advantage of the institute of sport to rely on for training. And anyway he'd have a point if steroids helped you catch a ball, Wayne Pearce dropped the ball 4 times in this match.
I tend to regard such accusations as true. I'm a Victorian AFL fan but got obsessed with NSWRL during the 'channel 10 era'. The players have not spoken up, though; so it remains what it is until they do. What I hate is that one of the clubs doesn't even exist now. AFL did that to Fitzroy, but the NSWRL does it so haphandedly.
I rest my case
@@docgonzales
Tigers got robbed.
This is your second comment here, referring to the refereeing. I would wish you stop crying about a grand final 32 years ago, ya flop.
If they knew how to catch the ball (Jack, Pearce), how to kick the ball (Elias, Currier) how to coach (Ryan) , how to hold a lead (the whole team) they might have got the money. Just like my Dragons in 99, the reason they lost could be found in the mirror, not in the officiating. Some of my fellow Saints were like you after 99, constantly blaming the referee and not the multiple blown chances and weak defending that characterised our collapse from a totally won position.
Balmain 😅 only too short 😅