The
1950 season started dramatically with key signing
Wally O'Connell having to stand down from playing and
turn his back on a flourishing test career to sign as
coach for Manly. [See Wally O'Connell.] The
following season summary is extracted from Smith
1991, pp 37-38.
'Putting
aside the off-field dramas, O'Connell began moulding
his new side into shape. Ron Beaumont was at
fullback, Johnny Bliss and Ron Rowles
on the wings, Gordon
Willoughby, Ray Black in the centres, Kelly
McMahon, Perce Pritchard and President's Cup graduate
Ken Arthurson in the halves,
Sandy Herbert, Jack Fields, Megsy Kirkwood, Jack
Hubbard in the back row, Fred Brown, Roy Bull and Kevin
Schubert in the front row.
"They
were very green and playing-coach was so important at
the time, you could get your message over much
quicker by explaining your motives on the
field," said O'Connell. "We became a
closely-knit mob and we were proud of our set-up and
we developed a lot of interesting attacking moves. To
see them come off was a great thrill for
everybody."
Manly
went down narrowly 20-16 to Newtown on the opening
day but followed up the following week with a
prestigious 13-12 win over St George at Brookvale
Oval, where the Sea Eagles' young pack was
outstanding with Test hooker Schubert winning the
scrums by a three to one margin.
That
set up a match-of-the-day meeting with Balmain at the
SCG where the Sea Eagles were sensationally pipped in
the last minute by a 45-metre penalty goal from
former Test skipper Joe Jorgenson. Balmain won 9-8,
but Manly was the moral winner — two tries by
Ray Black and Ron Rowles to Balmain's one and a
whole-hearted defence against a concerted Tigers'
second half offensive. Kelly McMahon and Rowles
missed three kickable penalty attempts.
There
was general agreement that Manly was on the rise. Tom
Goodman, of the The Sunday Herald wrote:
"Manly-Warringah will be back at the Cricket
Ground or yesterday's 20,898 spectators will want to
know why."
Alan
Hulls said in The Sunday Sun : "Manly players,
as soon as they settled down to the unaccustomed SCG
atmosphere, showed the benefit of Wally O'Connell's
coaching. It was the cleanest game seen on the SCG
for many a season. There wasn't a single incident.
Manly fullback Beaumont is going to be on the State
selectors' minds. There is nothing daring about his
play, but he's really sure and his try-saving tackle
on Balmain winger Harold Gwyer was
beautifully-timed."
The
next week Manly's classy backline put the skids under
Canterbury at Brookvale Oval skating to a 34-13 win.
Winger Gordon Willoughby had one of his best games
for the Sea Eagles with a hat-trick of tries, twice
skipping around the blind side to score after making
the extra man. Halfback Perce Pritchard cut the
Berries' defence to pieces and initiated several of
Manly's eight tries.
Outside
centre Rowles did well in attack, but could only
manage four goals from 11 attempts. Schubert
out-hooked Don Sinclair 25-16. Manly, after beginning
promisingly, would endure an eight-match losing
streak mid-season to dip out of semifinal contention,
but accounted for Easts, Norths and Parramatta in
three of its closing four games to finish eighth on
six wins. Indicative of Manly's growing appeal was an
increase of £280 in the club's share of gate-takings
from competition matches, up to £1,213. Rowles paid
a quick dividend on his off-season signing by heading
the club's scoring charts on 71 points, while Bliss
crossed for 10 tries — a strike rate of 27 tries
in 57 first grade appearances.
Fred
Brown, Jack Hubbard, Bliss and Beaumont played in all
18 competition games. Kevin Schubert, already the
established Test hooker when he joined Manly, played
in all three Tests against Ernest Ward's 1950 touring
British Lions. Roy Bull and Perce Pritchard
represented the State against Queensland and Great
Britain.
The
die was cast. Manly had altered its creed by
embarking on its embryo "silvertail" path,
it was entering a period that would become folklore
on the peninsula.'
1950 Results
1950 Players
Main source: Smith
1991.
