Top 10 Most Memorable Grand Finals - Number 8
February 23rd 2011 08:38
Top 10 Most Memorable Grand Finals
Number 8
1975: Eastern Suburbs Roosters vs St. George Dragons
Featuring the likes of Beetson, Schubert, Mullins, Coote and Brass, the Roosters had only lost two games out of 22 in the regular season and were red hot favourites. Despite this though, it was only a week or two earlier that the Dragons had upset the star-studded Roosters line-up 8-5 in the major semi-final. On this day though, it was shown that anything can happen in a Grand Final.
Luck was against the Dragons even before kick-off. While preparing for the game, Langlands was offered a pain-killing injection to dull the discomfort of a groin injury that he had carried though the back end of the season. After having initially resisted the injection, Langlands had a change of mind just before kick-off.
As he stated in his biography ‘Larrikin and Saint’; ‘The injection went in where the nerves shouldn’t have been. They had moved because of all the injuries that I’ve had around the groin. The needle went straight into a nerve and I had no control over my leg’.
Langlands’ lack of control over his leg was clearly evident when an early kick went completely wrong after coming off the side of his boot. This proved disastrous for the Dragons as Langlands’ kicking game was the team’s main weapon in restricting the Roosters free-running style.
To their credit, the Dragons restricted the Roosters to one try in the first half, but it was in the second that Langlands realised the true extent of his situation. He was literally unable to run, leading to the often joked about theory that it was Langlands ‘white boots’ that had afflicted him. Of course this had been the first time anyone had worn anything other than black boots in Rugby League.
Langlands’ aliment left the Dragons demoralised and the Roosters ran riot. In a dramatic display of brilliance, the Roosters laid on a torrent of eight tries to nil in probably the clubs most famous victory.
Unfortunately for Langlands, who is possibly one of the greatest players of all time, the 20th September 1975 will always overshadow his stellar career. He was understandably inconsolable after the game.
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