Silver Tales: Sea Eagle #204 - Malcolm Reilly

The incredible legacy of Englishman Malcolm Reilly still lives on at the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles more than 50 years since his arrival at Brookvale.

A member of the Great Britain side that won the 1970 Ashes and a World Cup player, Reilly played 89 games for Manly from 1971-75 after being signed by Manly club secretary Ken Arthurson. It proved to be one of ‘Arko’s greatest signings.

Beaten grand finalists in 1970, the team that Reilly joined was full of talent with the likes of Bob Fulton, Graham Eadie, Terry Randall, and Fred Jones to name a few.

Reilly’s skills and toughness added to an already strong Manly forward pack.

A magnificent ball player from Castleford, Reilly played with plenty of aggression and his playing style helped Manly to their first premiership title in 1972 under coach Ron Willey.

Then, in 1973, Reilly was heavily involved in Manly’s grand final victory over Cronulla, one of the most brutal games ever to be played. Reilly only lasted 25 minutes after suffering a kidney injury from a late tackle.

Former 1973 team-mate and long serving Manly official/commentator, Peter ‘Zorba’ Peters, had no hesitation in where Reilly stood amongst the club’s greatest players.

“Malcolm is Manly’s best ever forward, without a doubt,’’ Peters said.

“He was very tough, very skilful and a great all-round player. There wasn’t a skill that he didn’t have. He could do chip kicks over the top and regather on the full.

He was fiercely protective of his team-mates and the best team player that you could find.

Peter Peters Teammate & 1973 Premiership Winner

“Malcolm was young when we got him. His best football was in front of him and if it wasn’t for a chronic knee problem, he would be even more of an idol than he is now.

“He is the best English player that I've seen in Australia. He was just a class above. He was that far ahead of most people in terms of his football brain.

“He read a game that well. He would say to me ‘two rucks right’, meaning to be on the lookout on the right, and he would put me through a hole. That’s how good he was. I was just in awe of him.”

Manly great, Max Krilich, agreed with Peters on Reilly being the club’s greatest forward.

“I wouldn’t disagree with that,’’ Krilich said.

“Terry Randall is hard to beat because of his longevity and was there a lot more years than Malcolm.

“The difference is that Terry was there for 12 years from 1970-82. If was on the shortness of it, I’d say Malcolm for sure.

“Malcolm could certainly dish out the rough stuff, but he knew how to handle it as well. And that’s attributes of a fantastic player.”

Upon retirement, Reilly coached Great Britain in 42 Tests. In 1995, he returned to Australia to coach of the Newcastle Knights.

Two years later, Reilly became the first Knights coach to lead the club to a premiership, beating his former club, Manly, 22-16.

Peters added that the 1997 grand final loss still hurts Manly supporters.

“I felt sick the way we lost that game. We were never going to lose it,’’ Peters said.

“One of the stories that has only come out in recent years is that (Knights half-back) Andrew Johns had an injury prior to the grand final and it flared up during it. Johns actually left the game and walked off.

“As he was walking off, Malcolm told his sideline people to put the headphones on Andrew so he could talk to him.

“He just said ‘turn around and go back on. You’re not coming off. We can’t win this game without you. Get back out there’.

“And he did, setting up the match winning try for Darren Albert.”

Manly and Newcastle still honour Reilly’s legacy, with the Malcolm Reilly Trophy contested between the two clubs each season.