South Sydney Rabbitohs

Sean Fagan of RL1908.com

The South Sydney Rabbitohs began in October 1907 when star Rugby Union hooker, Arthur Hennessy, covened a small gathering of locals who were supportive or directly involved in the creation of the new professional rugby game in Sydney.

The meeting was held in Hennessy's home (Chapman Street, Surry Hills) shortly after Baskerville's ‘All Blacks' had played the rebel NSW rugby team. The object was the formation of a Rugby League club in the South Sydney district. It was a humble beginning for what would soon become one of the world's greatest ever football clubs, of any code.

The first public meeting was held at a packed Redfern Town Hall on 17 January, 1908 where a vote to seek club registration with the NSWRL was endorsed ‘overwhelmingly'.

The club has never strayed far from its local community. The first training sessions were held at Moore Park, and the club's first social and business head-quarters was a hotel in Foveau Street, Surry Hills.

More significantly, the club's home games were held in Redfern at a playing field known as Nathan's Cow Paddock. Ultimately it came to be Redfern Oval and directly opposite where the South Sydney Leagues Club stands today.

Ninety years later, as the club fought for reinstatement to the premiership, this same location would become the centre-point of South Sydney's "call- to-arms". Unwilling to merge, fade away or leave their local community, South Sydney stood on its ‘paddock' as its supporters cried, despaired and then joyously celebrated.

The South Sydney Rabbitohs, so often called the "pride of the League", have had three golden eras. In their near century long history, Souths have won 20 first grade premierships - more than any other club.

From 1925 to 1932 South Sydney won seven premierships in eight seasons, and from 1950 to 1955 the club captured five titles in six years. There was triumphant period from 1967 to 1971 as John Sattler's players brought four titles back to Redfern in the space of five years.

No Sydney club has such a colourful history or produced as many football greats as the club in the red and green (officially cardinal and myrtle) jerseys. Magical names like Clive Churchill, Howard Hallett, Harold Horder, Cec Blinkhorn, Benny Wearing, Johnny 'Wacker' Graves, Len Cowie, Jack Rayner, Greg Hawick, Bob McCarthy, Ron Coote and John Sattler.

The most oft repeated version of the origin of the ‘Rabbitohs' name has it that many of the players used to catch and sell rabbits, calling out ‘Rabbitoh!" as they walked the neighbourhood in search of income. Many claimed that players selling rabbits began during The Depression of the 1930s, but the club's stalwart administrator S.G. Ball maintained the practice began in the old Souths rugby union days well before 1908.

A less favoured version has the 'Rabbitoh' term as a derogatory reference to Souths home ground and surrounds being littered with "rabbit ‘oles" (holes). Whatever the origin of the name ‘rabbitohs' it is instantly recognisable, uniquely Australian, and synonymous with no other sporting club on the globe.

The 1908 season saw Souths win through to the Final against Easts, though both teams were depleted as the Kangaroos had already set sail for England. In a close and spirited match Souths raced to a 14-9 lead until late in the game. Easts scored a last-ditch try in the corner to narrow the gap to two points, but the conversion was unsuccessful and Souths hung-on grimly to win the first rugby league title in Australia.

In 1909 Souths recorded their second title after Balmain forfeited the Final amidst a dispute with the NSWRL - it was thought both clubs would not take the field and a bitter rivalry with Balmain was born of the events that day. The Rabbitohs drew the Final of 1910 with Newtown, but the Bluebags were awarded the premiership as they were Minor Premiers.

In 1914 Souths secured their third premiership with a team that employed an unforgiving defensive line, conceding less than six points a match! Before the decade was over South Sydney had won yet another title (1918) to leave their tally one behind Balmain who had clinched five.

After finishing the regular season as equal first in 1923 and 1924, the South Sydney Rabbitohs lost both Finals to finish as runners-up. Souths then unleashed an avalanche of titles winning every season from 1925 to 1929 in its first glory period. Only St. George would ever surpass this run of success in the history of the Sydney premiership.

The heroes of the 1925-32 era were mostly local-born players as at that time the district residential rule applied. The 1925 side went through the entire season unbeaten. For much of this period Souths employed a tactic of playing with a five forwards, utilising two five-eighths. Their pack with great forwards like Alf O'Connor, Dave Watson and George Treweeke held their opponents' six to allow Souths to run with the extra play-maker, opening up both sides of the field. They even had no specialist hooker, utilising Dave Watson, Eddie Root and Harry Cavanough for the rake's job.

Benny Wearing, the high-scoring winger, was in his prime and the wily Alf 'Smacker' Blair was captain. Those old-timers who saw Wearing play still speak in awe of his speed and demoralising swerve, plus his knack of scooping up a loose ball one-handed. Redfern born and bred, he played 196 games for Souths for a tally of 163 tries and 207 goals - a total of 903 points.

The South Sydney Rabbitohs did not win a premiership again until 1950. In 1946 the club reached the depths of despair as it failed to win a game all season - yet in this forlorn time, success was much nearer than any could have hoped for.

Built around Jack Rayner, a hard taskmaster but an inspiring captain, the Rabbitohs soon included Clive Churchill, Len 'Chicka' Cowie, Bernie Purcell, Ian Moir, Ernie Hammerton, Greg Hawick, Johnny Graves and Col Donohoe.

In 1949 Souths were the front-runners for the majority of the season and finished as minor premiers. However, the club lost the Final and Grand Final to St. George. The disappointment was soon forgotten as the Rabbitohs won four of the next five premierships in a glorious period for the great club. In 1950 and 1951 Souths easily accounted for the opposing clubs, largely being untroubled.

The Rabbitohs were ‘beaten' 22-12 by Wests in the 1952 Grand Final in a controversial match, with Jack Rayner livid over the questionable performance of referee George Bishop. It forever ‘stuck in the craw' of Rayner as this dominant Souths side won further titles in 1953, 1954 and 1955 - to his mind South Sydney should have had six premierships in a row.

The final premiership win of this great South Sydney Rabbitohs side (1955) was arguably the most dramatic in the history of the game - before or after! Mid-season Souths run was over, they were dead last and needed to win every remaining game. The Rabbitohs turned around their form and a week from the finals they were still alive.

In the final round game against Manly at Redfern Oval they were behind by 7-4 as the fulltime bell was about to sound. The Rabbitohs conjured a try in the corner to level the scores, before Clive Churchill (who was enduring the pain of a broken arm) kicked the unlikely sideline conversion to win the game. Souths then defeated Manly and St George in semi-finals before meeting Minor Premiers Newtown for the premiership.

With six minutes remaining Newtown was ahead by 11-7. However, inside the Newtown quarter, Rayner moved into marker and kicked the ball towards the try line. Newtown fumbled in the back-play and Rayner got his boot to it a second time. The Rabbitohs' Col Donohoe dived on the loose ball right next to the goal posts to give Souths a 12-11 win - it was the most remarkable premiership assault ever.

Souths looked on for the next decade as St George dominated like no other club had ever before, and it was not until the Dragons run was nearing its end that the arch-rivals would meet in a Grand Final - and didn't the public lap it up! A crowd of over 78,000 took up every vantage point at the SCG to witness the Rabbitohs' team of rising stars take on the St George side looking for premiership #10 in a row.

Coached by Bernie Purcell, the Souths side included fresh names - John Sattler, Eric Simms, Ron Coote, Bob McCarthy and John O'Neill. The Saints were ahead by 5-4 at the break, before their experience told and they won 12-8 keeping Souths tryless.

With the Dragons run ending in the 1967 Final, it was left to Canterbury and Souths to fight out the premiership. In a close game, a first half intercept try by McCarthy was enough to see the Clive Churchill coached Rabbitohs win the premiership. It was title #17 for the South Sydney club, leaving them four titles ahead of the Dragons.

Souths were to feature in the next four Grand Finals, winning in 1968, 1970 and 1971 in a triumphant period for the club. When this era came to end the Rabbitohs held 20 premierships, almost a third of all that had been played. An astounding success rate that regretfully has not yet been added to. The financial realities of rugby league in the '80s and '90s have restricted the resources of the club.

The Rabbitohs best season of the latter part of the century was 1989 when it took the Minor Premiership and Club Championship. However, injuries to key players including Ian Roberts proved costly and Souths lost both semi-finals, missing the Grand Final.

Success did not again return to Redfern until the 1994 pre-season Tooheys Challenge Final in Albury. Facing the Brisbane Broncos (who had won the 1992 and ‘93 premierships) was a daunting task for a young Rabbitoh side coached by Bob McCarthy.

With nine Kangaroos in the Broncos side, the plucky Souths team rallied behind half-back Craig Field to take a 23-10 lead before the inevitable Brisbane comeback. Late in the game Souths were behind by 26-23 before Field scored the winning try for a 27-26 boil-over.

For Souths though an even bigger battle soon loomed - survival in the game itself.

On October 15, 1999 the NRL announced that the pride of the game of rugby league in Australia since 1908 - the South Sydney Rabbitohs - would not be invited to participate in the 2000 competition.

Fuelled by a remarkable club spirit and tenacity, the Rabbitohs fought on in the courts, in the public domain and on the field in fund-raising matches across NSW.

On July 6 2001 the Federal Court found in favour of South Sydney and the NRL immediately announced the Rabbitohs would return in a 15 team competition in 2002.

The South Sydney Rabbitohs returned to field in a Charity Shield game in early 2002 to unprecedented interest across the rugby league world.

In what was essentially a trial match, the Sydney Football Stadium was sold-out weeks before, leading to a media frenzy that ultimately saw TV show the game live across the nation and into New Zealand and Great Britain.

The club's 'living treasure' Albert Clift welcomed Souths to the field in the first game of the season. With the assistance of actor and Rabbitoh supporter Russell Crowe, Clift rang out the bell that had been used in the first Souths' game of 1908.

The initial seasons back in the NRL produced few highlights for Souths. For all involved with Souths though, just having the Rabbitohs back in the game covered over the on-field disappointments. The 2003 season saw captain Bryan Fletcher as a stand out. He gained Origin selection and restored the proud tradition of having a red-and-green man in the Australian Test side.

However, by the end of the season all Souths could show was a very disappointing last place finish. Something they unfortunately repeated in 2004 - a season where the coach was sacked and a new CEO, in Shane Richardson from Penrith, joined the club.

With the honeymoon period over, the thirsty yearn for success is back. With that comes pressure and demands from Souths' expectant fans. If some measure of improvement does not eventuate in 2005, the future of the club will (unfortunately) be again on the agenda.

The club will relocate away from its traditional venues of Moore Park and Redfern Oval in 2006, with Stadium Australia in Homebush becoming its new home ground.

A resurgent South Sydney would bring great excitement to the NRL competition. For the moment, it seems a long way in the future.

Copyright © 2006 - Sean Fagan. All rights reserved - the article above may not be reproduced (in full or part) in any form without written permission.