Blocker knocked Dowling out because Dowling cowardly dropped his knees onto Gary Freeman's face while he was lying on the ground, Freeman's teeth were busted up pretty bad.
Bruce McGuire was a tough nut, remember the final game of the '89 season at a ground-record Leichhardt Oval when John Cartwright shaped up to McGuire and swung one, Rex Mossop said "Johnny Cartwright…..the last of the straight-backs" and Bruce belted him once and Carty dropped like a hooker's knickers. That game would rank among my favourites, plenty of blues and Balmain wiped the floor with them 36-6 or something like that.
Real shame that '89 side never won on GF day, that forward pack was phenomenal.
Wasn't that when Freeman dove on a ball when we won the scrum and the scrum screwed around and Dowling ended up standing over Freeman b4 dropping his knees straight on Freemans face
Yes it was a deliberate act
I was only a young fella at that time, year 8 or something, but that's scrum packed down in front of me. I still remember the crack noise and seeing Dowlings head reel back. It was a great game. Laurie Nicholls walking around the path on the hill with his chants, Andy Courier bolting down the sideline, then I couldn't see him because of the crowd, then I saw him again, bringing the ball around near the sticks to make it easier for himself to convert. Great memories
