Jack Rayner: The Whole-Hearted Rabbitoh

Sean Fagan of RL1908.com

South Sydney's Jack Rayner

Jack Rayner was the man who raised South Sydney from the dark days of the mid-1940s, to the club's second 'golden era'.

Arriving at the conclusion of World War Two, Rayner's strong captaincy and intelligent forward play saw Souths win five premierships in the first half of the 1950s.

League news reporter Tom Goodman wrote of Rayner in 1955 of "his driving leadership and his example of whole-hearted play."

Jack says it should have been six titles in a row, if not for the 'actions' of the referee in the 1952 Grand Final loss to Wests.

Rayner also played for New South Wales and Australia, including the 1948 Kangaroos to England where he was selected for three Tests against Great Britain.

Until well into his 80s Jack continued to attend Rabbitohs matches, and was present at the club's and the code's centenary functions in early 2008.

Jack Rayner passed away in May 2008, aged 87.

The interview below was kindly given by Jack at his home in southern Sydney in 2002.

RL1908: Where did you first take up rugby league?

Jack Rayner: I learned to play football in my school days, before I took up cricket with Paddington. Then I went into the army (WW2), and I played a few football games there against different units and that's where it really started. After the war I came back and played football with Souths.

RL1908: There is talk that Souths tried to sign you while you were in the Australian Army in Papua New Guinea?

Jack Rayner: Yeah, when I was in the Army in New Guinea we used to play rugby league against different regiments and battalions and brigades and everything. We played a game in Port Moresby and Eric Lewis from Souths was in it. Lewis said if we come out of this alright, he means to say that we got out with no injuries or anything, no deaths, would I consider playing football with Souths. I said, we'll see if I'm good enough to play.

So in 1946 we were back in Sydney I was approached and asked would I try out for Souths. I went in the trial match and as a result I was graded in the first grade side. So I went to the Rabbitohs and never regretted it. I never actually played lower grades with Souths or anyone ever. I played all my football with Souths, I think about 195-196 games.

RL1908: Souths were at the bottom of the table in those days?

Jack Rayner: After 4 or 5 games for Souths in '46 I was chosen in a possibles/probable game for the Tests against the Great Britain side. But I broke my ankle and I was out for pretty well for the rest of the season. I don't think we won a game at Souths in 1946. But that wasn't the end of the road.

We had an old chap by the name of Arthur Hennessy as coach but he didn't stay long because he was pretty old. By '47 and '48 we finished in the middle of the table and the side was improving with the team. We had some good players by then.

RL1908: Your representative career soon started?

Jack Rayner: I was chosen for NSW around that time. We used to fly up to Brisbane for matches against Queensland, usually a few days before. I was in the Police so I organised my work or sometimes I had to take leave.

I was picked for Australia in the First Test of 1948 against New Zealand. It was just another game to me. I had no ambitions of being a representative player when I first started off. I just wanted to play and I wasn't worried about money or anything like that. As long as I liked the company. I wasn't chosen in the 2nd Test - you can never account for selections.

RL1908: You made the 1948 Kangaroos to England - what do you remember of being selected?

Jack Rayner: I was in Brisbane with the NSW side when the Kangaroos were announced. We were all at a party and it was half over so I went via a cab back to the hotel. I didn't know about who was in the the side until Fred de Belin came back - we roomed together - and he told me about it. I got the surprise of me life when Fred told me our captain Len Smith wasn't selected.

RL1908: Why was Len Smith left out of the Kangaroos?

Jack Rayner: I've got my own thing that I keep to myself.

RL1908: What do you recall of trip over to England?

Jack Rayner: We sailed from Sydney to England, which was a long trip. We played a game in Adelaide, but the ship was that slow we didn't play in Perth as scheduled.

We were so far behind time at each port - in France we flew from Marseille to England to catch up.

RL1908: You played the first two Tests against Great Britain?

Jack Rayner: I really enjoyed the tour, the football and the people. I played the first couple of club games and the first two Tests. I was chosen for the Third Test at Odsal Stadium but it was cancelled because of fog.

It had a speedway track there, the bikes used to race there, but you're right down in a hollow and this fog just sat there. After they called it off, 10 minutes or so before we all got dressed again, the fog was all gone.

Then we went to France. We kept mostly to ourselves in France I suppose. But you were moving about and playing football and that was all you were interested in. The crowds were very supportive of their own. The referees were too! You have to put up with those sort of things, but they were all friendly.

RL1908: For the rescheduled Test you missed out?

Jack Rayner: When we came back to England for the 3rd Test I wasn't chosen. One of the Englishmen asked me if I had been playing up. I said no I don't drink, I don't play up at all. He said I wondered what happened to you.

The Tour was good though. None of us had toured England before, and I thought that as we played and progressed, we improved. We didn't have a good record but towards the finish we were improving all the time because we were playing a better game. I honestly don't know whether Len's presence would've made it any better.

RL1908: At the end of 1949 you went to New Zealand to play Tests?

Jack Rayner: Yes, that's right. After 1949 season I was in the Australian side that went to New Zealand - a 10 match tour or something. I played in both Test matches there, we won one and lost one. We were over there for about 6 weeks, it was good.

RL1908: By then, you had Souths performing much better?

Jack Rayner: Yes, that season Souths had got to the top of the competition. St. George though beat us in the semis and the Grand Final. They were a pretty good side and we were beaten fair and square.

RL1908: In 1950 you won the premiership with Souths?

Jack Rayner: We came back in 1950 and easily beat Newtown in the semi-final and then Wests in the Final. I don't remember much about particular games I played. Once they were ‘run and won' I left it on the field.

You see there were quite a few of us that came out of the services and we understood life and how to behave and how to live according to what's expected of you and what's important. To us football was just football.

RL1908: What about the 1952 Grand Final loss? Does that still irk you?

Jack Rayner: I get so annoyed about the whole thing. We won in ‘50, ‘51, then again in ‘53, ‘54 and ‘55. We should have '52 as well. We were thrashed in the penalties and there were a few other incidents in the game. I just can't recall what the penalties were but I've got it documented - they were very, very bad.

We were hammered and if you get penalties in the right position it puts you up in a better position on the field and that's what stuck in my craw. I never spoke to that referee again. Wests were coached by an ex-referee McMahon and the referee was Bishop. I never ever spoke to him again.

You see when you go on the field you all want is some fair go and play to the rules. Wests had a good side but not as good as ours though.

Kenny Macreadie scored a try early - Frank Threlfo he was smart, good footballer - Frankie passed the ball to Macreadie and he is in under the posts. Bishop brought us back for a forward pass. He must've been miles behind the play and there's some 5 points they knock off you.

But the game was won and run. You couldn't do anything about it. But he never refereed any more after that game.

He became a selector. We were in the room one day at the Sports Ground and he came in there and Ernie Hammerton was there with me. Bishop came in, the selectors would come in and say how's your team. He came in and said to hello to Ernie, he said g'day to me and I never answered him. Ernie said ‘Hey Jack, he said g'day to you' and I said ‘Mate, I wouldn't talk to him if he was the last man on earth.'

As far as referees are concerned all you want the referee to do is play the rules. You don't want to start. You want to play the rules.

RL1908: You met Newtown when they had a good side?

Jack Rayner: Every game was a hard game playing for Souths - there were no easy games. We beat Newtown in ‘54, they had tough blokes like Dick Poole and Brian Clay.

RL1908: Can you take us through '55 - you came from last place to win the Grand Final?

Jack Rayner: We were near the bottom of the table and had to win every game from then on. I just can't quite recall it, but we just couldn't work it out why we were going so bad. But we had a bit of a talk and from then on we went right through. Churchill scored a last minute try in the corner against Manly in that final home game at Redfern. Then he kicked the goal to win the game.

RL1908: Why didn't you let your regular kicker Bernie Purcell take the shot?

Jack Rayner: I don't know why I gave Churchill the kick. That was one of the hardest things that I had to judge on the field at Souths - who was going to kick the goals. We had about 4 or 5 fellas that were all good goal kickers and it's pretty hard. You don't know what to do. Not that your mind's blank. If they've done a lot of work - well you wouldn't expect him to kick a goal.

I didn't know Churchill's arm was broken, I just gave him the kick. They make such a big story about Bob McCarthy's intercept in 1967, but that goal kick was more important to Souths than anything.

RL1908: What do you recall most from that Souths era?

Jack Rayner: As I say, I don't remember specific games and what happened. The only thing I worried about was going on the field and come out a winner. The only thing I was worried about was the scoreboard.

You know in those days the timekeepers were on the side of the ground on the field, so I always knew how much time there was to go. When someone in my team would say 'how we going for time?', I would say 'don't you worry about that, that's my worry - just get in there, and don't drop the ball, don't make any mistakes' and that was it.

We had a great team. Everyone says Churchill was that much better than the rest, but I don't. He had a lot of ability and he came through a City/Country game. But the situation was he came into the side which was developing and he developed with them.

I'd say Churchill was like the rest of us - lucky to play with a good team. And it makes a big difference. Its easy to play in a great side. I'm not jealous or envious of Churchill - he was a great player, but so were the other twelve players on the same side.

RL1908: Souths used to travel to Queensland and country NSW?

Jack Rayner: Souths went away on playing trips during the season or after it. We went away to Queensland and we were up at Toowoomba a couple of times. We played at Coffs Harbour and Lismore, which is near where I came from.

We'd often go away for a weekend - we played on Saturday afternoon and played again on Sunday. Most of the time we would fly. It was paid for out of the gate. No one wanted to complain, we just enjoyed it. They all wanted to see the way we played football.

RL1908: You said you lived in Paddington - that was in the Eastern Suburbs' residential area?

Jack Rayner: I actually lived in Easts area when I played with Souths. Back then there was a residential qualification - I was playing cricket for Paddington and playing football with Souths. I had to front the judiciary a couple of times, but everyone cheated.

I was on the electoral roll for Surry Hills. But Easts give up as they had half their players from Souths playing with them. I used to have my red and green jersey hanging up in the backyard at Darlinghurst. The neighbour was an Easts supporter, but he didn't say anything.

RL1908: What did you enjoy most about rugby league?

Jack Rayner: I think with rugby league there's nothing more exciting than seeing a back, particularly in the centre, running down the field and he's got support and you don't know what he's going to do, whether he's going to kick, whether he's going to step, going to pass it, what he's going to do. You just don't know. But in the little bit of time he's got, he's got to do it right - he's got to know. There's nothing better in sport."

Jack Rayner Interview: Sydney, NSW - May 2002