The South Sydney District Rugby League Football Club, also known as the South Sydney Rabbitohs, are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Maroubra that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL). They are often nicknamed Souths or the Bunnies.
The club was formed in 1908, as one of the founding members of the New South Wales Rugby Football League, making it one of Australia's oldest rugby league teams. It is one of only two NSW (New South Wales) foundation clubs still present in the NRL, the other being the Sydney Roosters.
South Sydney's traditional heartland covers the once typically working-class suburbs of inner-south Sydney. The club is based in Maroubra, where its administration and training facilities are located, however it has long held a wide supporter base spread all over New South Wales. The team's home grounds are currently Stadium Australia in Sydney Olympic Park, and Sydney Football Stadium in Moore Park. South Sydney is the most successful professional team in the history of Australian rugby league with twenty-one first grade premierships.
History
Origins The South Sydney District Rugby League Football Club was formed at a meeting on 17 January 1908 at Redfern Town Hall when administrator J. J. Giltinan, cricketer Victor Trumper and politician Henry Hoyle gathered together in front of a large crowd of supporters.Ian Heads, South Sydney, Pride of the League, Lothian, 2000. The club played in the first round of the newly formed New South Wales Rugby League, defeating North Sydney 11–7 at Birchgrove Oval on 20 April 1908.Season 1908 from the Rugby League Tables & Statistics website The team went on to win the inaugural premiership then successfully defended its title in the 1909 season, winning the Grand Final by default."The Balmainiacs of 1909" RL1908.com by Sean Fagan. During these early years Arthur Hennessy was considered the "founding father" of the South Sydney rugby league club. A hooker and prop forward, Hennessy was Souths' first captain and coach. He was also New South Wales' first captain and Australia's first test captain in 1908. S. G. "George" Ball became club secretary in 1911 after Arthur Hennessy stood down from the position, and he remained in that capacity for over 50 years, only retiring a few years before his death in 1969.
NSWRFL & ARL (1908–1997)
After further premiership success in 1914 and 1918, South Sydney won seven of the eight premierships from 1925 to 1932, missing out only in 1930. The 1925 side went through the season undefeated for 12 games.Season 1925 from the Rugby League Tables & Statistics website and is only one of six Australian premiership sides in history to have achieved this feat. Such was Souths' dominance in the early years of the rugby league competition that the Rabbitohs were labelled "The Pride of the League".In 1925 rugby league journalist Claude Corbett nicknamed the club the "Pride of the League" – see page 3 of Ian Heads' book South Sydney, Pride of the League, Lothian, 2000. On the internet Souths are referred to as the Pride of the League on the Sydney Olympic Park website: Sydney Olym hipic Park. Reference is also made in the official history of the South Sydney Rugby League Football Club by Tom Brock titled South Sydney, Pride of the League, published in 1994. This is mentioned in Mr Brocks' biography: Tom Brock Biography at the Australian Society for Sports History website.
South Sydney struggled between 1940–1948. South Sydney's longest losing streak of 22 games was during the period 1945–1947. In the 1945 season the club only managed to win one game while in 1946 it was unable to win a single game.
1950s golden era (1949–1957)
1949 would mark the beginning of almost a decade of great success for South Sydney, winning five of the six premierships from 1950 to 1955, and losing the 1949 Grand Final against St. George, and also the 1952 Grand Final against Western Suburbs in controversial circumstances. The 1951 side's point scoring feat in its 42–14 victory over Manly-WarringahSeason 1951 Rugby League Tables & Statistics remains the highest score by a team in a Grand Final and "the miracle of '55"1955 season summary South Sydney Rabbitohs.Glen Jackson (2002). "10 of the Best – 1955: The Miracle of '55". In Angus Fontaine (ed.). Souths: The People's Team, League Week, ACP Publishing. involved South Sydney winning 11 straight sudden death matches to win the premiership. Players that were involved in these years included Denis Donoghue, Jack Rayner, Les "Chicka" Cowie, Johnny Graves, Ian Moir, Greg Hawick, Ernie Hammerton, Bernie Purcell and Clive Churchill. Churchill, nicknamed "the Little Master" for his brilliant attacking fullback play, is universally regarded as one of the greatest ever Australian rugby league players.
In the late 1950s Souths began a run of poor form, failing to make the finals from 1958 to 1964, during this time receiving the 1962 wooden spoon.
More premiership success (1965–1971)
In 1965 a talented young side made the Grand Final against St. George who were aiming to secure its tenth straight premiership. The young Rabbitohs were not overawed by the Dragons' formidable experience and in front of a record crowd of 78,056 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, it went down narrowly 12–8.Season 1965 from the Rugby League Tables & Statistics website The nucleus of this side went on to feature in Australian representative teams for the next six years and ensured another golden period for South Sydney making five successive grand finals from 1967 to 1971, winning four. Bob McCarthy, John O'Neill, Eric Simms, Ron Coote, Mike Cleary and John Sattler from 1965 were later joined by Elwyn Walters, Ray Branighan, Paul Sait, Gary Stevens and coach Clive Churchill to form a fearsome combination before internal strife and poaching by other clubs from 1972 onwards unravelled the star studded pack.Mark Courtney (2000). "Premiers No More". Moving the Goalposts. Halstead Press. From this period comes part of South's and Australian Rugby League folklore when in the 1970 premiership decider against Manly, captain John Sattler inspired the side to victory playing out 70 minutes of the match with his jaw broken"1970 Grand Final, Souths v Manly" . History of Australian Rugby League – via Era of the Biff. in three places after being king hit by Manly prop John Bucknall.A full description of the famous incident is in Glenn Jackson (2002). "10 of the Best – 1970: The Jawdropper". In Angus Fontaine (ed.). Souths: The People's Team. League Week, ACP Publishing.See the reference to John Bucknall from the Soaring Sea Eagles website players' page.
Financial trouble and exclusion (1972–1999)
Financial problems started to hit Souths in the early 1970s, forcing some players to go to other clubs. The licensed Leagues Club, traditionally such an important revenue provider to all first grade league sides, was closed in 1973 but a "Save Our Souths" campaign ensured the club survived. "Super Coach" Jack Gibson's arrival turned the club's form, winning the pre-season competition in 1978. The club captured victories in the mid-week Tooth Cup competition in 1981Glenn Jackson (2002). "10 of the Best – 1981: The Droughtbreaker". In Angus Fontaine (ed.). Souths: The People's Team. League Week, ACP Publishing. and in the pre-season "Sevens" competition in 1988. The Rabbitohs made the finals on five occasions in the 1980s, including a dominant season to finish as minor premiers in 1989. The 1989 season proved to be the club's most successful in years, but was also the last time the club reached the finals until 2007. The following season the Rabbitohs finished as wooden spooners.
The club stayed afloat in the 1990s despite major financial problems. Souths' only success came in 1994 when it won the pre-season competition, defeating the Brisbane Broncos 27–26 in the final. The Super League War and the eventual formation of the National Rugby League affected the club greatly when it was determined in 1998 that the newly formed competition would be contracted to 14 teams for the 2000 season. Following a series of mergers by other teams, and a planned merger with Cronulla-Sutherland that was met with staunch opposition from both clubs, South Sydney failed to meet the National Rugby League's selection criteria to compete in the competition and were subsequently excluded from the premiership at the end of the 1999 season.
Fight for readmission
In 2000 and 2001, South Sydney fought its way back into the competition following a string of high-profile legal battles against the National Rugby League and News Limited.See "Grassroots Ethics: The Case of Souths versus News Corporation", pages 216–229 of Remote Control: New Media, New Ethics by Michael Moller, edited by Catharine Lumby and Elspeth Probyn, Cambridge University Press, 2003 – via Google Books A number of well attended public rallies took place during this time, as supporters from many different clubs got behind South Sydney's case. One of the most influential people in the fight was then board member, current prime minister of Australia Anthony Albanese. Upon appeal to the Federal Court in 2001,See South Sydney District Rugby League Football Club Ltd v News Limited FCA 862 (6 July 2001), decision of the Full Bench of the Federal Court of Australia. South Sydney won readmission into the premiership for the 2002 season.David Shilburu (2003). "The Souths' Revival", page 150 of Strategic Sports Marketing by David Shilbury, Shayne Quick and Hans Westerbeek, Allen & Unwin, 2003
National Rugby League (2002–present) After being readmitted, South Sydney were initially unsuccessful in the premiership, finishing amongst the bottom three teams for five seasons straight including three wooden spoons. Following this, the club was taken over by actor Russell Crowe and businessman Peter Holmes à Court in 2006."Episode 2 – What happened at the Handover Ceremony?" South Sydney Story. In the 2007 season South Sydney played in its first finals campaign since 1989.
May 2008 saw the sudden resignation of the then current executive chairman and CEO, Peter Holmes à Court. He had been appointed to the role of CEO at the start of 2008. Reports suggested that Holmes à Court had been forced to stand down after his relationship with Russell Crowe had deteriorated beyond repair.
The South Sydney Rabbitohs celebrated its centenary year during the 2008 National Rugby League season. That year the club were named the National Trust's inaugural 'Community Icon', in recognition of the club's significant longstanding contribution to sport and sporting culture at both state and national levels.
Return to premiership success
The arrival of Sam Burgess and Greg Inglis to the club in the early 2010s saw South Sydney qualify for the finals. In April 2011, Souths announced Michael Maguire would replace retiring coach John Lang for the 2012 season, signing as head coach on a three-year deal. Following consecutive preliminary final exits in 2012 and 2013, it defeated the Sydney Roosters in the 2014 preliminary final to advance to its first grand final since the successful 1971 campaign.
Following a slim 6–0 lead in the first half of the 2014 grand final, Souths scored four second half tries to defeat Canterbury 30–6. This was South Sydney's first premiership win in 43 years. Sam Burgess received the Clive Churchill medal despite playing the entire match with a fractured cheekbone, suffered from a head clash during the first tackle of the match.
Following the premiership victory, South Sydney were presented with the Keys to the City of Randwick by Mayor Ted Seng at a presentation ceremony at Souths Juniors in Kingsford and later the same day awarded the Keys to the City of Sydney by Lord Mayor Clover Moore at a reception at Sydney Town Hall.