The premiers that never were: Balmain Tigers 1989

As part of a series on some of the best teams never to win a premiership we take a look at the 1989 Balmain Tigers, who had an array of champion players in the prime of their careers but fell to the Raiders in one of the greatest grand finals of all time...

If the 1989 grand final between the Raiders and Tigers wasn’t the greatest of the modern era then it is surely in the trifecta alongside the Newcastle-Manly 1997 classic and the 2015 golden point epic between the Cowboys and Broncos.

Two of the three went beyond the 80 minutes to determine a winner while Darren Albert’s moment in the setting sun came with seven seconds remaining at the Sydney Football Stadium in ’97.

For dashing Darren, Canberra’s Steve Jackson and Cowboy Johnathan Thurston, the memories of coming up big on the biggest stage of all will last a lifetime – a photo to go straight to the pool room and a story to be told and re-told over a couple of quiet ones whenever the topic of ‘best ever grand finals’ is raised.

And then there’s the men who played their own special part in the grandest of grand finals but are left with only ‘what ifs’ and ‘if onlys’.

Men like Ben Elias, Wayne Pearce, Cliff Lyons, Mark Carroll, Darius Boyd and Justin Hodges.

For Sea Eagles legends Lyons and Carroll, they can at least dust off the portrait of Manly’s 1996 premiership side and see 'Bozo', 'Beaver' and 'Tooves' beaming back at them after a 20-8 win over St George.

For Broncos icons Boyd and Hodges, there’s the 2006 triumph to reflect on, when they went in as underdogs against the might of Melbourne and emerged with a 15-8 victory built on unwavering self-belief.

For Benny and 'Junior' and fellow lords of Leichhardt Steve Roach, Garry Jack and Paul Sironen, the anniversary of the 1989 grand final probably can’t come and go quick enough.

As the Panthers and Rabbitohs charge onto Accor Stadium to chase their place in this year’s grand final, it will mark 33 years to the day since the Tigers and Raiders slugged it out for 100 minutes on the SFS dustbowl to decide who would be the champions of 1989.

The Tigers had finished the regular season in third place with a 14-7-1 record, the Raiders a rung below them on the ladder with 14 wins and eight losses.

At the top of the tree were the Mario Fenech-inspired South Sydney Rabbitohs, collecting the club’s first minor premiership since 1970 courtesy of 18 wins, three losses and a draw.

The Panthers, who would go on to play in the next two grand finals, slotted into second spot with 16 wins and six losses, while Dally M Medal winner Gavin Miller’s Sharks rounded out the top five after beating Wally Lewis’ Broncos in a midweek play-off.

Among a host of bruising encounters between these star-studded sides during the season had been Balmain’s 15-8 win over Brisbane at Lang Park in Round 3 and their 18-12 victory over the Green Machine at Seiffert Oval in Round 15.

The Tigers would enter the finals on the back of wins over Brisbane, Parramatta, Wests and Penrith and a 10-10 draw with Manly in the last five rounds, enough to instil belief that a first premiership in 20 years was within their grasp.

Under the astute coaching of Warren Ryan, who had led the Dogs of War to back-to-back glory in 1984-85, the Balmain boys boasted a potent mix of skill and toughness that was made for finals footy.

Leading the way up front were Test and Origin regulars Roach, Sironen, Elias and Pearce, while Bruce McGuire had made his Aussie debut earlier that year against New Zealand.

Fullback Jack’s decorated career had already yielded him a Golden Boot as the game’s best player in 1986 and three Dally M Fullback of the Year gongs, teenager Tim Brasher was enjoying a stunning debut season at centre and combative Kiwi Gary Freeman took a backward step to no one.

Brasher and Freeman were among the tryscorers as the Tigers launched their finals campaign with a 24-12 win over Penrith before accounting for Souths 20-10 to march into their second consecutive decider.

The Raiders, meanwhile, had charged past the Sharks, Panthers and Rabbitohs to progress to the club’s second grand final after going down to Manly in 1987 in the last ever decider at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

With no fewer than 21 internationals gracing the paddock, the stage was set for a grand final for the ages, and that’s exactly what transpired.

Having come so close the previous year, and with so many of their stars in the sweet spot of their career, the Tigers were entitled to feel their moment in the sun had arrived, especially after tries to James Grant and Sironen gave them a 12-2 half-time lead.

When Pearce dropped a pass with a try beckoning, Mick Neil was ankle tapped by Meninga with the line open and Elias clattered a field goal shot into the upright, it seemed Lady Luck had left Balmain’s favourite sons at the altar.

As the Tigers tired, the Raiders rallied, Gary Belcher grabbing his fourth try of the finals series before John Ferguson scurried over and Meninga converted to send the game to extra-time.

A field goal to Chris O’Sullivan put the Raiders in front 15-14 before Jackson seemingly beat half the Balmain side before reaching out to score, etching his name in grand final folklore.

The Tigers would finish fifth the following year and then languish outside the finals for a decade before merging with Western Suburbs in 2000, closing the book on 91 years of history that had delivered 11 premierships and another nine runners-up medals, including one for the Class of ’89 on a day of heroes and heartache at the old SFS.