1988 I was 8 years old and there at the new SFS. I could cop the loss as Doggies were the best team all year, Balmain came from nowhere to reach that GF. It would have been interesting if Ellery was not taken out, because he was a constant threat all finals series and Balmain were becoming specialists at broken play as the match wore on.
But 1989 was supposed to be "the year", under the old adage that you first need to lose a GF to understand how to win one. We couldn't get tickets for '89.
Raiders had a slick team that actually got better after 1989, but Balmain had established rep players and old heads, a few young gems and comfortably moved through the Finals after beating Penrith then dismantling the minor premiers Souths.
As others have said, definitely one of those GFs where if Balmain had taken just one more of several opportunities, the match would have been won. By contrast, Raiders had few opportunities but they all came late and they were all taken - the spilt bomb, Daley's handoff to Chicka who cuts multiple times against tired defenders, the basic dominance of extra time via early field goal then that famous Steve Jackson try.
I was only 9 years old, I couldn't bring myself to watch extra time live and I never have since. I have seen footage but never sat through the whole thing. Heart-breaking at the time and ultimately even worse looking back, knowing that Balmain faded dramatically afterwards. Made the finals in 1990 but knocked out by Manly, then didn't play finals again until 2005 (and never again as Balmain).
Balmain were highly competitive in the 1980s but once those most famous players started to retire, Balmain dropped to the bottom of the pile, out of favour during the Super League war and leading to the merger.
The saving grace is for the 2005 Grand Final, Tigers instead took all the main chances and that's what broke the back of the Cowboys - the Gibbs try off a loose pass, the Marshall flick, the Laffranchi and Fitzhenry tries to keep the lead beyond a converted try.
