It's the spiritual home ground of the Sea Eagles that Manly fans just cherish and opposition teams hate to play at.
And tonight, the historic Brookvale Oval (now known as 4 Pines Park) will reach a special milestone when the 700th Manly first grade game is played when the Sea Eagles take on the Gold Coast Titans.
Fondly known as 'Brookie' or 'The Fortress', the oval has certainly undergone a transformation since the days when Warringah Shire Council acquired a smaller parcel of land from Miss Jane Malcolm (later known as Jane Try) on the provision that it only ever be used for public recreation purposes. Brookvale Park was officially opened in 1911.
More than 50 annual shows were held at Brookvale Park with trotting and ring events regular activities in the early shows at Brookvale.
However, the entry of the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles to the then NSWRL first grade premiership in 1947 soon saw Brookvale Park become a permanent fixture for rugby league.
Manly's first ever premiership match was played at Brookvale Oval against Western Suburbs Magpies on April 12, 1947. The Sea Eagles, wearing the adopted maroon and white colours of the local Freshwater Surf Life Saving Club, lost 15-13 with the team captained by Max Whitehead.
Since that history making first day, Brookvale Oval has played host to 699 first grade games, with the Sea Eagles winning 475 of those matches.
The hallowed turf has been played on by some wonderful Manly players, many of who have gone on to play state and international matches, headed by former premiership winning player and coach in Club Immortal, Bob Fulton.
The ground has also been home to many cheers and tears, and some great rivalries. It was also the home of the now infamous 'Battle of Brookvale' in 2011.
Today, the Sea Eagles are one of the most successful rugby league clubs in the game, winning eight premierships from 19 Grand Finals.
The Sea Eagles also hold the record for the highest rugby league grand final margin following the famous 40-0 premiership victory over the Melbourne Storm in 2008 and have proudly never claimed the dreaded wooden spoon.
| Manly Warringah Sea Eagles at Brookvale Oval | |
|---|---|
| Games played | 699 |
| Games won | 475 |
| Games lost | 210 |
| Drawn | 14 |
| Win% | 68.0 |
| First game | April 12, 1947, lost 15-13 to Western Suburbs |
| First ever tryscorer | Keith 'Meggsy' Kirkwood vs Western Suburbs, April 12, 1947. |
| First win | May 31, 1947 vs Parramatta, won 15-7 |
| Most games played there | Cliff Lyons 144 |
| Highest points scorer | Graham Eadie 952 |
| Most tries | Brett Stewart 87 |
| Most tries in a match | 5 Les Hanigan v Cronulla, May 14, 1967. |
| Most goals in a match | 12 Graham Eadie v South Sydney, August 24, 1975 |
| Most points in a match | 30: Ron Rowles (4T, 9G) v Canterbury, July 24, 1954; 30 Matthew Ridge (2T, 11G) v Wests, August 25, 1996 |
| Biggest win | 61 61-0 v St George, July 3, 1994 |
| Longest Home winning streak | 16 Matches 13/8/95 – 20/4/97 |
| Biggest ever crowd | 27,655 vs Parramatta Eels, August 31, 1986 |
| Source: David Middleton (League Information Services) |
