Matty Johns: Better Than Lego shirt

1997 was the perfect Grand Final. It was the last year of the Australian Rugby League (ARL), with the NRL to kick off the following year.

The Manly Sea Eagles were hot favourites. They were the defending Premiers, they'd been Minor Premiers three years running and in the 1997 season they'd been top of the table since Gameweek 4. A fortnight before the Grand Final, Manly had beaten Newcastle 27-12 in a rather meaningless semi-final, at the same ground the final was held out.

So when the Sea Eagles went 16-8 up at the break, it seemed a foregone conclusion that they'd take the title again.

The boys in red and blue had a different idea. The Knights clawed it back and with 19 seconds to go the scoreboard read 16-16. Andrew Johns slipped the ball to Darren Albert who scored the match-winning try, which Johns then converted.

In a now legendary TV interview, brother Matty Johns, who may or may not have celebrated the win in style, declared that the win was 'better than Lego': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLY2F8uze0A

In the same year that BHP announced it was closing its Newcastle site, the victory (which was to be repeated in 2001 and... 2026?) was welcome news in the city.

Design by Nicola Fuller.

• 100% combed and ring-spun cotton
• Fabric weight: 4.2 oz./yd.² (142 g/m²)
• Pre-shrunk fabric
• Side-seamed construction
• Shoulder-to-shoulder taping

This product is made especially for you as soon as you place an order, which is why it takes us a bit longer to deliver it to you. Making products on demand instead of in bulk helps reduce overproduction, so thank you for making thoughtful purchasing decisions!

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