The Manly Sea Eagles and the Melbourne Storm have been going at it for the good-side of 20 years, building a fierce rivalry that has produced plenty of fireworks over the seasons. The two foes played back-to-back Grand Finals against each other in 2007 and 2008, a rare circumstance that has yet to be done since.
The Storm was victorious in 2007 and, quite frankly, by far the best team in the competition, who sat six-points clear in first place. They met with the second-placed Manly, who lost their star fullback Brett Stewart early, and the side wasn't able to get out of second gear, letting the Storm run rampant in a 34-8 win.
12 months later, revenge was on the Sea Eagles' mind, producing one of the most complete demolition efforts ever in a Grand Final, winning 40-0 and sending the retiring Steve Menzie off as a Grand Final-winning legend. The Sea Eagles were a much silkier attacking outfit this time round, winning all three of their finals matches with a combined result of 110-12 points.
Here are some of the best showdowns that highlight why this rivalry is so special.
1. Round 25, 2011 - Battle of Brookvale
This match is a fan-favourite for a reason: two teams at the absolute best at their game going head-to-head, while an iconic fight breaks out between some of their biggest stars. It was chaos, and pressure was built after Manly got out to a fast start. An elbow to Darcy Lussick in the 20th minute sparked a stoush, where cameras picked up an uppercut thrown by Adam Blair in the middle. Tipped off by the video referees, Blair was sent to the sinbin, along with Glenn Stewart for his work running in.
The two then met just outside the Brookvale tunnel and started exchanging blow for blow while a fired-up Sea Eagles crowd cheered on. Manly reinforcements came in to collect Blair, and players and match officials appeared from the bench to try to stop the all-out brawl. The result left Blair and Stewart sent off the field, with Manly running downhill for the remaining hour of the match.
Although Manly went on to win the title this year, everyone will remember this year as the Battle of Brookvale clash in Round 25, and remains a time capsule for an iconic era of NRL before mass rule changes came in to change the shape of the game.
The Sea Eagles will host the Melbourne Storm at Brookvale Oval this Saturday, donning a special 2008 Grand Final heritage kit to signify the importance of their rivalry with their foe.
