RLMD: Old boys reflect ahead of grand final showdown

They love to hate each other. Discover the reasons behind the fierce rivalry ahead of Saturday’s A-grade grand final, and hear from old boys including the great Steve Jackson.

The Magpies-Brothers rivalry is set to reignite on Saturday.

You may remember plenty of fierce clashes between Magpies and Brothers over the years, especially throughout the 80s and 90s.

This Saturday, however, will be only the fourth time in the past 43 years Magpies and Brothers have met in an A-grade grand final.

Queensland Maroon and infamous member of Raiders folklore Steve Jackson - who’s Magpies through and through - couldn’t believe it.

“When I looked back at the history, it shocked me,” Jackson said.

The last time the sides met in a grand final? 1997. The very day of the Roundhouse Shooting.

Brothers got the better of Magpies that day, but Jackson, who’s had three separate coaching stints with Magpies, believes the roots of the rivalry can be traced back to 1980.

“Marshall Colwell came down from Townsville and captain-coached Brothers in 1980, and then he came over to Magpies in 1981,” Jackson recalls.

Colwell may well have been a deciding factor, with Brothers prevailing in 1980, and Magpies in ‘81.

“1980 and 1981 really lit the fuse,” Jackson said.

“It really set a trend for a clash between these two clubs, even though we only ended up playing (in a grand final) again in 1997.”

Jackson was only 15 years old when he figured in the Magpies’ 1980 under-19s premiership.

Steve Jackson in his prime as a footy player.

But he remembers 1981 fondly.

“Brothers had all four grades in the grand final and all four lost … they had a big banner with a crane, saying ‘Brothers premiers in ‘81,’ and the crane fell down,” he said with a laugh.

Brothers’ Richie Irelandes, who played A-grade in 1995 and 1996, agreed there was indeed a strong rivalry.

“I guess because they’re two of the oldest clubs in the competition that rivalry’s always been there,” Irelandes said.

He also believes the historical success of Magpies plays into it.

“Magpies are one of the oldest clubs, they’re steeped in a lot of history,” Irelandes said.

“For example, if you go back to the 1980s, there was an old Daily Mercury headline back then, ‘The team of the 80s,’ because they won so many premierships.

“When you come into the 90s … to play them in a premiership or grand final it felt like you had a point to prove against Magpies.”

Irelandes likes what he sees from the current Brothers squad which is one game away from breaking a 15-year premiership drought.

“What I took out of my time at Brothers is success was always achieved off the back of hardwork and that team ethic, no person put themselves above the team,” Irelandes said.

“You look at the group of boys that you’ve got there now, and that’s what you see, that reflects what - to quote the term - being a ‘fish-eater’ is all about.

“We’ve got a sprinkling of 10-year players at the club that are only tasting their first grand final, and for a lot of the other boys it’s their first grand final.

“It’s an exciting chapter for the boys and I think that in itself is going to give them plenty of energy heading into the weekend.”

Victory would be particularly sweet for Magpies following last season’s grand final defeat. Picture: Supplied

While there’ll be plenty of feeling between the sides for a cutthroat 80 minutes on Saturday, Jackson spoke highly of the nature of the rivalry.

“At the end of the day it’s a game, and the rivalry just adds to the excitement of finals football, it’s a healthy rivalry,” Jackson said.

And the Raiders hero’s message to the current group of Magpies is reflective of his own grand final heroics.

“Every individual should have that thought that they’re the one to change the game, they’re the one to change the result,” he said.

“No regrets.”