Manly NRL star Tom Trbojevic remembers exactly where he was during the Battle of Brookvale.
“I wasn’t at the game but I can still remember it clearly,” he said.
“I was actually driving home and it was on my phone and you could see this massive fight.
“I was annoyed at myself for not being there to watch it.
“Manly and Melbourne were going through, for 10 years or so, the two best sides in the comp.
“Obviously, there has been a lot of players move on from back then but there is still a lot of history between the two clubs.”
Eight years on and the Sea Eagles will be renewing hostilities with the NRL ladder leaders when they visit AAMI Park on Saturday.
While many have pegged the premiership as a three-horse race between the Storm, Sydney Roosters and South Sydney, the Sea Eagles shape as dark horses.
Two-time premiership-winning coach Des Hasler has guided Manly to four wins in their past five to sit just outside the top four in fifth spot.
And that includes a resounding wipeout of Parramatta in their last start.
However, Trbojevic is adamant he and his teammates must find another level if they are to challenge Melbourne.
“They’re the benchmark,” he said.
“You’ve got to go to another level to compete with them.
“We played a really good first 60 minutes (against Parramatta) but our last 20 wasn’t good enough.
“Against Melbourne, you can’t have those patches in games and you can’t expect to win unless you play for the full 80.”
Trbojevic shapes as the key.
The Kangaroos and NSW State of Origin representative has yet to taste defeat in eight games across NRL and Origin level this season.
And he torched the Eels on Sunday with 250 metres, a try and try assist.
It came a week after he was rested for a hamstring issue that sidelined the 22-year-old for eight weeks earlier this year.
“Personally, I didn’t want a rest but there are a lot of people here who are a lot smarter than me and they thought it was the best idea,” he said.
“They didn’t want something to happen to a particular muscle in my body that could have caused me to be out for the back half of the year.
“I do feel better but I just want to play footy. They made the call and you just have to back them. With hamstrings, you’ve got to manage them.”