A stirring half-time speech touching on the ANZAC spirit was the catalyst for one of the great local derby comebacks as Manly ended a five-year drought at Rat Park with a thrilling 19-17 victory last Saturday.
Trailing 17-5 at the break, Marlins hooker James "Cecil" Hilterbrand called his team together and pointed out how easy they had it compared to those we honoured over the long weekend.
"A game of footy is obviously nothing compared to going to war and that was my point," he told us.
"The men and women who served us in battle endured months and years of hardship - we simply had to go out there and put our bodies on the line for 40 minutes. I just asked them to have a crack and leave nothing in the tank."
With Cecil's words ringing in their ears, Manly kept the Rats scoreless and grabbed two converted tries to snatch a late victory. It meant the Bayfield Cup - the prize each time the derby is played at Rat Park - is Manly's for the first time since 2017.
Harbord Harlequins junior Langi Gleeson, who beat three defenders to score the match-winning try six minutes from the end, credited Hilterbrand's speech as the turning point.
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"He's always got something good to say and is one of the older heads you want to listen to," he said.
"Even though we were down we knew we could get back into the game. This means a lot to a lot of people around the club. Just take a look at all the smiling faces."
Rats coach Mike Ruthven said: "It's always disappointing to lose a derby but credit to Manly. They played tough and took their opportunities."
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