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The South Sydney District Rugby League Football Club, also known as the South Sydney Rabbitohs, is an Australian professional
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
football club based in the
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
suburb of Maroubra that competes in the
National Rugby League The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...
(NRL). They are often nicknamed ''Souths'' or ''the'' ''Bunnies''. The club was formed in
1908 This is the longest year in either the Julian or Gregorian calendars, having a duration of 31622401.38 seconds of Terrestrial Time (or ephemeris time), measured according to the definition of mean solar time. Events January * January ...
, as one of the founding members of the
New South Wales Rugby Football League The New South Wales Rugby League Ltd (NSWRL) is an Australian rugby league football competition operator in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory and is a member of the Australian Rugby League Commission.It was registered on 21 ...
, making it one of Australia's oldest rugby league teams. It is one of only two NSW foundation clubs still present in the NRL, the other being the
Sydney Roosters Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club, known as the Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Eastern Suburbs. The club competes in the National Rugby Lea ...
. 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 ground is currently
Stadium Australia Stadium Australia, currently known as Accor Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the suburb of Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The stadium, which is sometimes referred to as Sydney Ol ...
in
Sydney Olympic Park Sydney Olympic Park is a suburb of Greater Western Sydney, located 13 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Australia, local government area of the City of Parramatta, City of Parramatta Council. It i ...
. South Sydney is the most successful professional team in the history of
Australian rugby league The Australian Rugby League Commission Limited (ARL), formerly the Australian Rugby Football League Limited known as the Australian Rugby League is an Australian rugby league football competition operator. It was founded in 1986 as the Australi ...
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 The Redfern Town Hall is a landmark sandstone civic building located in the heart of , New South Wales, Australia. built in 1870 and designed in the Victorian Regency style by George Allen Mansfield. It was the seat of the Municipality of Red ...
when administrator J. J. Giltinan, cricketer
Victor Trumper Victor Thomas Trumper (2 November 1877 – 28 June 1915) was an Australian cricketer known as the most stylish and versatile batsman of the Golden Age of cricket, capable of playing match-winning innings on wet wickets his contemporaries found ...
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 The New South Wales Rugby League Ltd (NSWRL) is an Australian rugby league football competition operator in rugby league in New South Wales, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory and is a member of the Australian Rugby League Co ...
, defeating
North Sydney North Sydney is a suburb and commercial district on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. And is the administrative centre for the local government area of North Sydney Council. History The Indigenous people on the s ...
11–7 at Birchgrove Oval on 20 April
1908 This is the longest year in either the Julian or Gregorian calendars, having a duration of 31622401.38 seconds of Terrestrial Time (or ephemeris time), measured according to the definition of mean solar time. Events January * January ...
. The team went on to win the inaugural premiership then successfully defended its title in the 1909 season, winning the
Grand Final Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Synonymous with a championship game in North Ameri ...
by default."The Balmainiacs of 1909"
''RL1908.com'' by Sean Fagan.
During these early years
Arthur Hennessy Arthur Stephen "Ash" Hennessy (24 September 1876 – 19 September 1959) was an Australian pioneer rugby league identity. He was a seminal figure in the creation of the South Sydney Rabbitohs for whom he played and later coached. He was a state an ...
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 This year saw the beginning of what became known as the First World War, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip ...
and
1918 The ceasefire that effectively ended the World War I, First World War took place on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of this year. Also in this year, the Spanish flu pandemic killed 50–100 million people wor ...
, South Sydney won seven of the eight premierships from
1925 Events January * January 1 – The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria (1925–1930), State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini m ...
to
1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
, missing out only in
1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be on J ...
. The 1925 side went through the season undefeated for 12 games.Season 1925
from th

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

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 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...
to 1955, and losing the
1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025 * January 2 – Luis ...
Grand Final against
St. George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...
, and also the
1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...
Grand Final against Western Suburbs in controversial circumstances. The
1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...
side's point scoring feat in its 42–14 victory over Manly-WarringahSeason 1951
remains the highest score by a team in a Grand Final and "the miracle of '55"1955 season summary
South Sydney Rabbitohs.
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 Bernie Purcell (1928–2001) was an Australian rugby league premiership winning footballer and coach. He was a goal-kicking second-row forward of the 1950s for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, the Australian national representative and the New S ...
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 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...
to
1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...
, during this time receiving the
1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...
wooden spoon.


More premiership success (1965–1971)

In
1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...
a talented young side made the Grand Final against
St. George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...
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 The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is a sports stadium in the Moore Park, New South Wales, Moore Park suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is used for Test cricket, Test, One Day International and Twenty20 cricket, as well as, Australi ...
, it went down narrowly 12–8.Season 1965
from th

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 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...
to
1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...
, winning four.
Bob McCarthy Robert James McCarthy MBE (born 5 August 1946) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and coach. He played for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, New South Wales and for the Australian national si ...
, John O'Neill, Eric Simms,
Ron Coote Ronald Joseph Coote (born 1944) is an Australian former rugby league player. His club career was played with South Sydney and the Eastern Suburbs Roosters, with both of whom he won premierships, and he played 23 times for Australia. He is con ...
,
Mike Cleary Mike Cleary (May 19, 1858 in County Laois, Ireland – September 5, 1893 in Belfast, New York) was an Irish-American Irish Americans () are Irish ethnics who live within in the United States, whether immigrants from Ireland or Ame ...
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 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
onwards unravelled the star studded pack. From this period comes part of South's and Australian Rugby League folklore when in the
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...
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.See the reference t

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 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...
. The club captured victories in the mid-week Tooth Cup competition in
1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...
Glenn 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 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
. 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 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
when it won the pre-season competition, defeating the
Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Red Hill, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos compete in the National Rugby League (NRL) and play their home games at ...
27–26 in the final. The
Super League War The Super League war was a commercial competition between the Australian Rugby League (ARL) and the Australian Super League to establish pre-eminence in professional rugby league competition in Australia and New Zealand in the mid-1990s. Sup ...
and the eventual formation of the
National Rugby League The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...
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. A number of well attended public rallies took place during this time, as supporters from many different clubs got behind South Sydney's case. Upon appeal to the Federal Court in 2001, 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 Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor and film director. Russell Crowe filmography, His work on screen has earned him List of awards and nominations received by Russell Crowe, various accolades, including an Academy Award, two Gold ...
and businessman
Peter Holmes à Court Peter Holmes à Court (born 1968) is an Australian businessman. He is the eldest son of the late billionaire businessman Robert Holmes à Court and Janet Holmes à Court. He was joint owner of the National Rugby League team South Sydney Rabb ...
in 2006. 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 Peter Holmes à Court (born 1968) is an Australian businessman. He is the eldest son of the late billionaire businessman Robert Holmes à Court and Janet Holmes à Court. He was joint owner of the National Rugby League team South Sydney Rabb ...
. 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 The 2008 NRL season was the 101st season of professional rugby league club competition in Australia, and the eleventh run by the National Rugby League. For the second year, National Rugby League teams, sixteen teams competed for the 2008 Telstr ...
. That year the club were named the
National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...
'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 Gregory Paul Inglis (born 15 January 1987), also known by the nickname of "G.I.", is a retired Indigenous Australian professional rugby league footballer, who regularly played as a centre, fullback, five-eighth and wing. From 2011 to 2019, Ing ...
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 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
and
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
, 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 Clover Margaret Moore (née Collins, born 22 October 1945) is an Australian politician. She has been the Lord Mayor of the City of Sydney since 2004 and is currently the longest serving Lord Mayor of Sydney since the creation of the City of Sy ...
at a reception at Sydney Town Hall. On 23 October 2014, Holmes à Court sold his 50% share of Blackcourt League Investments, and consequently his 37.5% stake in South Sydney, to James Packer's
Consolidated Press Holdings James Douglas Packer (born 8 September 1967) is an Australian billionaire businessman and investor. Packer is the son of Kerry Packer, a media mogul, and his wife, Roslyn Packer. He is the grandson of Frank Packer. He inherited control of the ...
. After elimination early in the 2015 finals series, a nine-game winning streak in 2018 saw South Sydney return to premiership contention. This season marked the start of five consecutive preliminary finals appearances in the late 2010s and early 2020s. After losses in consecutive years to the Sydney Roosters, Canberra, and Penrith, Souths defeated Manly in 2021 to advance to the
grand final Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Synonymous with a championship game in North Ameri ...
against Penrith. With the game poised at 8–8 in the second half, Cody Walker threw a pass that was intercepted by Panthers winger Stephen Crichton who scored untouched. Souths scored in the final five minutes of the match, but halfback Adam Reynolds missed the conversion from the sideline and a subsequent field-goal attempt, either of which would have seen the game tied. Penrith won the game 14–12. Penrith would also defeat South Sydney in the 2022 preliminary final, ending Souths' season for the third year in a row. Prior to the 2022 season,
Atlassian Atlassian Corporation () is an Australia, Australian-United States, American proprietary software company that specializes in collaboration tools designed primarily for software development and project management. Domicile (law), Domiciled in ...
founder
Mike Cannon-Brookes Michael Cannon-Brookes (born 17 November 1979) is an Australian businessman who is the co-founder and chief executive officer of the software company Atlassian. Since 2018, he has been involved in the Australia-Asia Power Link, a huge electri ...
became a partial owner of the Rabbitohs by buying one third of the management firm alongside Crowe and Packer. Together, these three own 75% of the Rabbitohs; the remaining 25% of the club is owned by fans. Despite sitting 2nd at the midway point of
2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
, Souths only won four of their remaining thirteen fixtures to miss the finals series. South Sydney started the
2024 NRL season The 2024 NRL season was the 117th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 27th season run by the National Rugby League (NRL). The season consisted of 27 competition rounds, followed by a finals series contested by the top eight ...
poorly winning only one game from their opening seven matches. On 30 April 2024, head coach Jason Demetriou was sacked by the club with Ben Hornby replacing him as interim head coach. South Sydney would finish the 2024 NRL season in 16th place on the table managing only eight wins all year.


Club symbols


Emblem

The club mascot is the ''rabbitoh'', a now-disused term that was commonly used in the early 20th century to describe hawkers who captured and skinned rabbits and then sold the meat at markets, so named because they would shout "rabbit-oh!" around the markets and suburbs to attract buyers. The club is also informally referred to as the ''Rabbits'', ''Bunnies'' or ''Souths''. Exactly how South Sydney came to be known as the Rabbitohs is unknown. According to one version of events, dating from pre-
schism A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...
days at the turn of the 20th century, some of the club's players earned some extra money on Saturday mornings as rabbit-oh men, staining their jerseys with rabbit blood in the process; when they played in those blood stained jumpers that afternoon, opponents from wealthier rugby clubs did not always appreciate the aroma and would mockingly repeat the "Rabbitoh!" cry. Another version was that the term was a disparaging reference by opposing teams to South's home ground being plagued with "rabbit 'oles"; in those early days Redfern Oval was then known as Nathan's Cow Paddock. A third version claims the Rabbitoh name was adopted from that of the touring
Australian rugby union Rugby Australia Ltd, previously named Australian Rugby Union Limited and Australian Rugby Football Union Limited, is an Australian company operating the premier rugby union competition in Australia and teams. It has its origins in 1949. It is a ...
teams of the early 1900s who were nicknamed "Rabbits" prior to discarding the name in 1908 in favour of the moniker "Wallabies"."Club Histories – New Speculations"
''RL1908.com'' by Sean Fagan.
The "Rabbitoh" emblem, a running white rabbit, first appeared on the team's jersey in
1959 Events January * January 1 – Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 – Soviet lunar probe Luna 1 is the first human-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reaches the ...
. The Rabbitoh emblem has in various forms been carried as the club's crest on every player's jersey ever since. The original "Rabbitoh" emblem design that appeared on the team's jerseys throughout the 1960s and 1970s has now been incorporated on the current jersey. The South Sydney Rabbitohs celebrated its centenary year during 2008. The club released a centenary emblem to commemorate the occasion. To also coincide with the centenary year, Souths opted to alter the logo by removing the red and green oval from the emblem for a solid white rabbit with the words ''South Sydney Rabbitohs'' set in uppercase type.


Colours

South Sydney has used cardinal red and myrtle green colours on its playing jerseys for the vast majority of the club's history. Prior to the establishment of the rugby league club in 1908, the South Sydney
rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
team originally wore a red and green hooped jersey. Some sources have suggested that this combination of colours was due to the local rugby union club being nicknamed the "Redfern Waratahs". The first British inhabitants had often called the
waratah Australia’s famous waratah (genus ''Telopea'') is an Australian-endemic genus of five species of large shrubs or small trees, native to the southeastern parts of Australia (New South Wales, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, and Tasmania). The be ...
a "red fern" instead, hence giving the suburb its name, and ultimately the local rugby club its emblem. Red and green dominate the colours of the waratah and hence, possibly, the South Sydney Rugby League Football Club adopted these colours for its jerseys. However, the suburb of Redfern was named in honour of
William Redfern William Redfern (1775 – 17 July 1833) was the Surgeon’s First Mate aboard HMS ''Standard'' during the May 1797 Nore mutiny, and at a court martial in August 1797 he was sentenced to death for his involvement. His sentence was later commuted ...
, one of the first doctors of the colony, who treated convicts and poor settlers as well as the wealthy. The club's jersey has been a hooped-styled one comprising alternating red and green, and has been used for the vast majority of the club's history. In
1945 1945 marked the end of World War II, the fall of Nazi Germany, and the Empire of Japan. It is also the year concentration camps were liberated and the only year in which atomic weapons have been used in combat. Events World War II will be ...
and
1946 1946 (Roman numerals, MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1946th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 946th year of the 2nd millennium, the 46th year of the 20th centur ...
the club broke with this tradition and used a green design with a red "V" around the collar, before reverting to the original hoop style. From
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...
to
1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
the team played in a strip which saw the inclusion of white hoops within a predominately green design with a central red stripe and was affectionately known as the "Minties" jersey (so-called due to its apparent similarity to the wrapper design of the popular sweet). With the introduction of "away" jerseys towards the end of the 20th century, the club initially introduced a predominantly white jersey for away matches which was changed to a predominantly black one for the 2006 season. Before the start of the 2007 season, the club announced that the away jersey would be styled identically to the traditional home jersey, with the exception of sponsorship and the rabbit emblem, which has been styled similarly to the one that initially featured on jerseys in the 1960s. For season 2009, the rabbit emblem is black for home matches whilst the emblem is the original white for away matches. The playing shorts worn were historically black, though in the late 1970s the club adopted green shorts with a red vertical stripe. This was then superseded by the white shorts of the "Minties" outfit. When the club subsequently reverted to the traditional playing strip, the decision was made to wear black shorts once more. In 2008 the Rabbitohs wore white shorts to match the white stripe running down the side of the jersey. Image:South Sydney Jersey 1908.png, 1908 Image:South Sydney Jersey 1930.png, 1909–1944, 1947–1958 Image:South Sydney Jersey 1945.png, 1945–1946 Image:South Sydney Jersey 1959.png, 1959–1964 Image:South Sydney Jersey 1965.png, 1965–1974 Image:South Sydney Jersey 1975.png, 1975–1976 Image:South Sydney Jersey 1977.png, 1977–1979 Image:South Sydney Jersey 1980.png, 1980–1984 Image:South Sydney Jersey 1985.png, 1985–1993 Image:South Sydney Jersey 1994.png, 1994–1996 Image:South Sydney Jersey 1997.png, 1997–1999


Geographic area

The South Sydney District Rugby League Football Club (precursor to the current corporate entity) was formed, under the original 1908 articles of association with the NSWRL competition, to represent the Sydney municipalities of Alexandria, Botany, Mascot, Waterloo, Redfern and Darlington and the southern parts of the City of Sydney. Souths have a proud history of Indigenous players from the local district clubs including La Perouse United, Redfern All Blacks and Indigenous recruits from Country NSW.


Stadium

During the early years of the
New South Wales Rugby League premiership The New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first rugby league football club competition established in Australia and contributor to today's National Rugby League. Run by the New South Wales Rugby League (initially named the New Sout ...
, "home games" were not assigned very often. However, South Sydney played most of its games at the Royal Agricultural Society Ground (Sydney Showground) from 1908 until the club's departure in 1920. From 1911 onwards, the Sydney Sports Ground was also used interchangeably with the Agricultural Ground over a decade for hosting matches. In 1947 the club played its final season at the Sports Ground, before relocating to Redfern Oval in 1948. It was here that team played in the heart of the club's territory and played the vast majority of its allocated home matches. In 1988, the club began to play in the Sydney Football Stadium, just built upon the former Sydney Sports Ground and Sydney Cricket Ground No. 2 Oval. The side continued to play here up until 2005, with the exception of 2000 and 2001 when South Sydney was absent from the premiership. During 2004–2005, when the Rabbitoh's contract with Sydney Football Stadium was about to expire, new home grounds were investigated at Gosford, North Sydney Oval and Stadium Australia. Eventually the decision was made to relocate to Stadium Australia at Sydney Olympic Park. The move was generally not well received by the fans, but provided considerably more income for the club, which was several million dollars in the red at the end of 2005. In 2008, the club renewed its partnership with Stadium Australia to play NRL home games and home finals at the venue for the next 10 years. During 2008, the City of Sydney Council completed a $19.5 million upgrade and renovation of Redfern Oval. From season 2009, the upgraded Redfern Oval provided the Rabbitohs with training facilities and a venue for hosting pre-season and exhibition matches. In 2023, the Rabbitohs relocated its headquarters and first team training facilities from Redfern Oval to the Heffron Centre, a $58M community sporting complex in Maroubra owned by Randwick City Council. The South Sydney Rabbitohs’ $26M Community and High Performance Centre provides training facilities for the NRL, Women’s and NSW Cup teams, as well as facilities for the administrative, commercial and Souths Cares staff members.


Supporters

The South Sydney Rabbitohs continue to have a large supporter base in its traditional areas of South-eastern Sydney, despite having moved from Redfern Oval two decades ago, while also enjoying wide support throughout other rugby league playing centres around the country. The official South Sydney supporter group is known as " The Burrow". South Sydney at one stage had the highest football club membership in the National Rugby League, with membership exceeding 35,000 as of June 23, 2015. That member number also included more than 11,000 ticketed members, the highest of the Sydney-based NRL clubs. Following the conclusion of the
2021 NRL season The 2021 NRL season was the 114th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 24th season run by the National Rugby League. Teams The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 15th consecutive year. Regular season Ladd ...
, new figures showed South Sydney to have the second highest membership of Sydney NRL clubs behind
Parramatta Parramatta (; ) is a suburb (Australia), suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is co ...
. It was announced during the 2010 Charity Shield game that both St. George Illawarra and Souths had exceeded the 10,000 milestone, making the 2010 season the first time two Sydney clubs had entered the season with 10,000 ticketed members each. The club had members from every state in Australia and international members in 22 countries. Football club membership peaked at some 22,000 when the club was re-admitted to the National Rugby League for season 2002. "Group 14", a collection of club backers including businessmen, politicians, musicians and media personalities, was formed before the Rabbitohs' exclusion from the NRL in 1999. Members include
Anthony Albanese Anthony Norman Albanese ( or ; born 2 March 1963) is an Australian politician serving as the 31st and current prime minister of Australia since 2022. He has been the Leaders of the Australian Labor Party#Leader, leader of the Labor Party si ...
, Laurie Brereton,
Michael Cheika Michael Cheika (born 4 March 1967) is an Australian professional rugby union and rugby league coach, and former rugby union player. He is head coach of Leicester Tigers in England's Premiership Rugby. Cheika was the coach of the Australia r ...
,
Rodger Corser Rodger Corser (born 28 February 1973) is an Australian actor and TV host. Early life Corser graduated from Deakin University in 1996 with an Honours B.A. in Media Studies. He formed a band called Tender Prey when he was 16. They played their ma ...
,
Michael Daley Michael John Daley (born 1 November 1965) is an Australian politician and has been the Attorney-General of New South Wales since 28 March 2023. He was previously the Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of New South Wales from November 20 ...
, Andrew Denton, Cathy Freeman, Nick Greiner,
Deirdre Grusovin Deirdre Mary Grusovin (born 1 September 1938) was a Labor member of the New South Wales Parliament for over twenty five years. Grusovin was born Deirdre Mary Brereton in Sydney, and is the sister of influential former politician Laurie Brer ...
, Ron Hoenig, Ray Martin, Mikey Robins, and Mike Whitney. They contributed to South Sydney's bid for reinstatement, following the club's exclusion from the competition at the end of the 1999 season. A sustained campaign of public support that year, unprecedented in Australian sporting history, saw 40,000 people attend a rally in the
Sydney CBD The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main Central business district, commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or ...
in support of South Sydney's cause. In 2000 and 2001, public street marches took place in Sydney with in excess of 80,000 people rallying behind the Rabbitohs. The club also has a number of high-profile supporters as well, many of whom were dominant figures in Souths' battle to be readmitted into the premiership in 2000 and 2001. In 2007, supporters set a new club record for attendance with an average home crowd figure of 15,702 being the highest ever since the introduction of the home and away system in 1974. In 2023, 31st
Prime Minister of Australia The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister is the chair of the Cabinet of Australia and thus the head of the Australian Government, federal executive government. Under the pr ...
, Anthony Albanese, a lifelong South Sydney supporter, was named the club’s number one ticket-holder.


Reggie the Rabbit

Reggie the Rabbit is the Rabbitohs' mascot. The mascot first appeared in lifesize form in 1968 after celebrity fan Don Lane brought back a suit from the US in time for the 1968 grand final against
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Sydney's Northern Beaches. They compete in the National Rugby League (NRL). The Manly club debuted in the 1947 New South Wales Rugby Football League seaso ...
, won by the Rabbitohs 13–9. Perhaps the most notable of the early Reggies was the club's groundsman Reg Fridd. Standing just over four feet tall, the Rabbitohs lured the diminutive New Zealander from a touring production of ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarves'', the same troupe that had yielded the second Reggie, Roscoe Bova, killed in a car accident in the early 1970s. Most teams in the
National Rugby League The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...
maintain mascots. During 2000 and 2001, when Souths was excluded from the NRL, Anth Courtney was Reggie Rabbit appearing at the second Town Hall rally and at games at Redfern Oval as well as being active in travelling extensively around the state to attend fundraisers as Reggie Rabbit. Charlie Gallico has been South Sydney's Reggie Rabbit since 2002,


South Sydney Leagues Club


The Juniors

The Juniors aka Souths Juniors on Anzac Parade in Kingsford, New South Wales has been the club's leagues club since the old Souths Leagues closed in 2013. The club is owned by the
South Sydney District Junior Rugby Football League The South Sydney District Junior Rugby Football League is an affiliation of junior clubs in the South Sydney area. History When the South Sydney Rabbitohs first entered the NSWRL competition as South Sydney in 1908, Souths would become neighbo ...
.


Juniors at the Junction

Juniors @ The Junction (Since 2009) – The result of a merger with South Sydney Junior Rugby League Club (Kingsford) and the struggling Maroubra Returned and Services League (RSL) Club. The club is on the site of the former Maroubra RSL club on Anzac Parade and Haig Street.


The Juniors on Hawkesbury

The Juniors on Hawkesbury (Since 2008) – in the
Hawkesbury River The Hawkesbury River, or Hawkesbury-Nepean River (Dharug language, Dharug: Dyarubbin) is a river located northwest of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Hawkesbury River and its associated main tributary, the Nepean River, almost encircle ...


South Sydney Leagues Club

The South Sydney Leagues Club, colloquially known as Souths Leagues, was the club's official leagues club. The club closed in 2013 after being placed into administration with large debts.


Culture and tradition

In 1999 Russell Crowe bought the foundation bell at the Red and Green Ball for the club.


Team songs


Glory, Glory to South Sydney

The club's most well known song is played when the team runs out for home games and after victories at home. Originally recorded in 1967 by the Will Dower Sounds as "South's Victory Song" ic "Glory, Glory to South Sydney" is one of the best-known NRL team songs, prominently featuring in promotional materials, merchandise and even the #GGTSS hashtag. The original version was written when there were 10 clubs in the NSWRFL premiership, and predates the admission of Penrith and Cronulla-Sutherland for the 1967 season, despite its release date. The song is likely to have been inspired by Glory Glory (football chant), sharing
Battle Hymn of the Republic The "Battle Hymn of the Republic" is an American patriotic music, American patriotic song written by the abolitionist writer Julia Ward Howe during the American Civil War. Howe adapted her song from the soldiers' song "John Brown's Body" in N ...
's tune and coincided with the club's most recent "golden era". While the NSWRFL premiership had been won for 11 consecutive seasons by the St. George Dragons, the Rabbitohs had a strong team and won the 1967 NSWRFL premiership, going back-to-back in 1968 and winning all but one Grand Final between then and 1971. The song was heavily played and featured in the club's "fightback" effort when Souths were excluded from the 14-team NRL seasons in 2000 and 2001. In 2004, Allan Caswell wrote an updated and modernised version, referencing the 15 teams in the NRL Telstra Premiership at the time, which was played at home games for several years before being replaced by the original. Somewhat controversially, whilst sponsored by Real Insurance in 2005 and 2006, the club made its entrance to a version of The Real Thing as a tie-in. Upon the expiration of the deal, the club reverted to "Glory Glory", but this time a modernised pop version incorporating only the chorus and "South Sydney" chant sung by a female vocalist. As of 2023, the original 1967 version is used officially by the club and featured at the club's 2014 and 2021 Grand Final appearances.


Victory song

The Rabbitohs' victory song (also known as the "player's song") appears to be of pre-WWII origin, but awareness has grown over the years and especially around the passing of club legend John Sattler, whose performances of the song around the club's
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
and 2021 NRL Grand Final in various media have become somewhat iconic within the South Sydney community and were played after the club's win the week after his passing. The lyrics have varied over the year in a form of
Oral tradition Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication in which knowledge, art, ideas and culture are received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another.Jan Vansina, Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (19 ...
- the current version sung by the players after a win only features the first verse/stanza, preceded recently (in 2023) by a player or special guest calling out "
If You're Happy and You Know It "If You're Happy and You Know It" is a popular traditional repetitive children's song, folksong, and drinking song. The song has been noted for its similarities to "Molodejnaya", a song appearing in the 1938 Soviet musical film '' Volga-Volga'' ...
", responded en masse with claps. The tune of the song differs by segment - the main part as still sung, according to John Sattler's version, is based on the melody of The Stars and Stripes Forever.


"Botany Road"

The Burrow began singing a chant to the tune of "
Take Me Home, Country Roads "Take Me Home, Country Roads", also known simply as "Country Roads", is a song written by Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert and John Denver. It was released as a single performed by Denver on April 12, 1971, peaking at number two on ''Billboard''s U ...
" during the club's resurgence in the 2010s, generally reserving this chant for when victory was assured within 5 minutes of full time. Flags, banners and scarves bearing " Botany Road" are found throughout South Sydney's supporters at games, referencing the eponymous road that runs through the heart of the South Sydney geographical area. The song is now an iconic part of the Rabbitohs fan experience, especially during rivalry and Finals Series games. The early repetitions are normally sung at a slow and deliberate pace ''a capella'', with the pace increasing closer to full time and supporters clapping along as the time runs down.


Other club songs


= The Burrow chants

= The Burrow have numerous
Football chant A football chant or terrace chant is a form of vocalisation performed by supporters of association football, typically during football matches. Football chanting is an expression of collective identity, most often used by fans to express their ...
s, both in support of the club and its players as well as against rivals. Some of the most prominent songs and chants, as found in their songbooks, include "South Sydney 'Til I Die", "Rabbitohs", the aforementioned "Botany Road" and several player-based songs, including a version of Whole Again in appreciation of Damien Cook. The Burrow also gather in their bay to sing their own version of Under the Southern Cross I Stand after Rabbitohs victories, adapted from the Australian national cricket team.


= Fightback-era songs

= During the club's exile, numerous supporters of the club contributed songs to raise awareness of their plight and to serve as a fundraiser through the sale of "The Glory of South Sydne

CD and VHS. Allan Caswell and Mark Egan penned "Souths Can Stand Alone", which was performed at several fundraisers and protests. The song claims "if they dump South Sydney, they're dumping Rugby League" and thanks George Piggins for his efforts. A music video featuring a montage of South Sydney moments and heroes was included on the VHS versio

Caswell himself became a prominent figure in the campaign, creating several satirical or parody versions of well-known songs, including the club's own "Glory Glory", in protest of
News Corp Australia News Corp Australia is an Australian media conglomerate and wholly owned subsidiary of News Corp. The group's interests span newspaper and magazine publishing, Internet, market research, DVD and film distribution, and film and television prod ...
and the
National Rugby League The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...
's decision to exclude South Sydney from the 2000 and future seasons. Other contributions included "Glory in their Eyes", a song by John Maclean that touches on the long period since Souths' last premiership and the struggle of long-time Souths supporters having to accept the loss of their club, "Rabbitohs" by Daniel Lissing which concludes with the line "South Sydney marches on" in defiance of the club's exclusion, as well as "Calling All Rabbits" which was constructed from commentary and news soundbytes relating to famous moments on-field, the fight to remain in and return to NRL competition and the like.


= Other songs

= One of the more famous South Sydney inspired songs in recent years is
The Day John Sattler Broke His Jaw
by Perry Keyes and later covered by
The Whitlams The Whitlams are an Australian Indie rock band formed in late 1992. The original line-up was Tim Freedman on keyboards and lead vocals, Andy Lewis on double bass and Stevie Plunder on guitar and lead vocals. Other than mainstay Freedman, the ...
and the Black Stump Band, referencing not only the famous heroics of John Sattler in the 1970 Grand Final, but also life in 1970s Australia and inner-city Sydney. The song's chorus incorporates Frank Hyde's famous "if it's high enough, if it's long enough, it's straight between the posts" commentary. A Rabbitohs fan covered
Eddie Vedder Eddie Jerome Vedder (born Edward Louis Severson III; December 23, 1964) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and one of three guitarists for the rock band Pearl Jam. He was previously a gues ...
's song
All the Way
, adapting the original's references to the
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
' century-long struggle to win its next
World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
to South Sydney's exclusion and long premiership drought, and the ending of that drought in 2014. The Cubs would win its first World Series since 1908 (also the year Souths participated and won in the inaugural NSWRFL competition) in 2016. Several supporters have written songs of their own, occasionally garnering some interest within the community. Pre-game, Souths often have a hype package put together as well as team lineups presented to music. Previous choices for these have included "
Cochise Cochise ( ; Apache: or , ; later or , ; June 8, 1874) was the leader of the Chiricahui local group of the Chokonen and principal nantan of the Chokonen band of a Chiricahua Apache. A key war leader during the Apache Wars, he led an upri ...
", "
Kryptonite Kryptonite is a fictional material that appears primarily in Superman stories published by DC Comics. In its best-known form, it is a green, crystalline material originating from Superman's home world of Krypton (comics), Krypton that emits a u ...
" and " Hail to the King", often interpolated with the "South Sydney" chant just prior to the entrance of the players.


Kit sponsors and manufacturers


Rivalries

A book, '' The Book of Feuds'', chronicling the rivalries of the Rabbitohs with its NRL competitors was written by Mark Courtney at the instigation of Russell Crowe. It has been used as a motivational tool before Souths matches and was later released on sale to the public.


Main

Sydney Roosters – South Sydney and its fans have built up rivalries with other clubs, particularly the
Sydney Roosters Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club, known as the Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Eastern Suburbs. The club competes in the National Rugby Lea ...
(Eastern Suburbs), the only other remaining foundation club. While South Sydney were historically strongly working class, the Roosters were viewed by South’s supporters as ‘Silvertails’ - supported by upper class folk from Sydney’s Eastern suburbs. South Sydney and the Roosters share inner-Sydney territory, resulting in a strong rivalry since 1908 when Souths beat Eastern Suburbs in the first grand final 14–12. Games between the neighbouring foundation clubs have since formed part of the oldest "
local derby A sports rivalry is intense competition between athletic teams or athletes, affecting participants, management, and supporters all to varying degrees. One of the first known sports rivalries occurred in the Roman Empire between the Blues and th ...
" in the competition. The rivalry increased further after 1950 due to conflict between junior territories and since the 1970s escalated once more as both clubs drew key players away from each other (Souths lost internationals
Ron Coote Ronald Joseph Coote (born 1944) is an Australian former rugby league player. His club career was played with South Sydney and the Eastern Suburbs Roosters, with both of whom he won premierships, and he played 23 times for Australia. He is con ...
, Elwyn Walters and Jim Morgan to Eastern Suburbs from its last era of premiership winning teams, whilst more recently Souths lured key forwards Bryan Fletcher, Peter Cusack and centre Shannon Hegarty away from the Roosters 2002 premiership winning side) and later Michael Crocker. Other players to run out for both clubs include Ashley Harrison, Luke Keary, Angus Crichton, Daniel Suluka-Fifita and Latrell Mitchell. In round 1, 2010, South Sydney and Roosters became the first clubs to play 200 matches against each other. The Sydney Roosters 36–10 victory put the ledger at 105 games won by South Sydney, 90 by the Roosters (Eastern Suburbs) and 5 drawn. In 2014, Souths defeated the Sydney Roosters in the preliminary final to reach its first grand final in 43 years. In 2018, the Sydney Roosters defeated Souths 12–4 in the preliminary final at Allianz Stadium which was the last game to be played at the venue. The crowd of 44,380 was also a ground record. In 2019, the two clubs met in the qualifying final which was played at the
Sydney Cricket Ground The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is a sports stadium in the Moore Park, New South Wales, Moore Park suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is used for Test cricket, Test, One Day International and Twenty20 cricket, as well as, Australi ...
. South Sydney had beaten the Sydney Roosters only a week prior in the final game of the regular season but in the qualifying final, the Sydney Roosters won the match 30–6 in a dominant display. In 2020, the Sydney Roosters managed to record a victory over South Sydney 28–12 in round 3. In the final round of the
2020 NRL season The 2020 NRL season was the 113th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 23rd season run by the National Rugby League. Teams The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 14th consecutive year. ; Notes : : : Pre-season ...
, Souths defeated the
Sydney Roosters Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club, known as the Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Eastern Suburbs. The club competes in the National Rugby Lea ...
60–8. This was the biggest win South Sydney had ever recorded over its rivals eclipsing the previous score set in 1952 when Souths defeated Eastern Suburbs 52–0. In 2022, South Sydney had declared the club wanted to leave
Stadium Australia Stadium Australia, currently known as Accor Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the suburb of Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The stadium, which is sometimes referred to as Sydney Ol ...
and make the new Sydney Football Stadium as their home ground. Roosters CEO Nick Politis said to Fox Sports “I’ve heard other people say they want to play there because it’s their home, The point is we’ve been there since 1928. We started with the old sports ground and then 30 years with the old ydney FootballStadium, Nobody else has played there. For another club to say we want to go there because it’s our home, it’s not their home. The Roosters are the only people that belong there. It’s our true home and it’s very sacred". Despite Politis' claims, the South Sydney club had used the Sydney Sports Ground as a home ground before Eastern Suburbs and the two clubs often ground shared for the first 30 years of its existence at the venue. In the 2022 elimination final between the South Sydney and the Sydney Roosters, seven players were sin binned, setting a record for the most in an NRL-era game. In the last round of the
2023 NRL season The 2023 NRL season was the 116th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 26th season run by the National Rugby League. The season consisted of 27 competition rounds, the longest in league history, followed by a finals series ...
, the Sydney Roosters defeated South Sydney 26–12 to end their season and deny them a finals spot. Before the match started both sides knew whoever lost the game would miss out on the finals. In round 3 of the
2024 NRL season The 2024 NRL season was the 117th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 27th season run by the National Rugby League (NRL). The season consisted of 27 competition rounds, followed by a finals series contested by the top eight ...
, the Sydney Roosters recorded their second biggest win over South Sydney since 1908 beating them 48-6. To celebrate the rivalry, South Sydney and the Sydney Roosters play for the
Ron Coote Cup The Ron Coote Cup is a rugby league series of two matches match contested annually in the National Rugby League between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Sydney Roosters. The Ron Coote Cup was introduced in 2007 in the name of Ron Coote who pl ...
annually.


Major

St George Dragons The St. George Dragons are an Australian rugby league, rugby league football club from the St George, Sydney, St George District in Sydney, New South Wales that played in the top level New South Wales Rugby League, New South Wales competition ...
and
St George Illawarra Dragons The St. George Illawarra Dragons are an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing both the Illawarra and St George regions of New South Wales. The club has competed in the National Rugby League (NRL) since 1999 after a j ...
– The long-standing rivalry against St. George results in the annual Charity Shield match, originally played against the original St. George Dragons and now (since the joint venture formed with
Illawarra Steelers The Illawarra Steelers are an Australian rugby league football club based in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales. The club competed in Australia's top-level rugby league competition from 1982 until 1998. On 13 December 1980, they were the ...
) played against the current team, St. George Illawarra. South Sydney and St. George have met several times in grand finals prior to the joint-venture and being the north-eastern neighbours of St. George, had many fierce encounters. In 2001, South Sydney chairman and club legend George Piggins said there would be no chance of the Charity Shield being revived if Souths were to be included back into the
NRL The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...
saying "The Dragons: They sold us out". This was in reference to St. George signing an affidavit at the time which included that it would be detrimental if Souths were returned to the competition.
Balmain Tigers The Balmain Tigers (also known as the Sydney Tigers from 1995 to 1996) are a rugby league club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain, New South Wales, Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and on ...
– From 1908–1999, South Sydney had a fierce rivalry with Balmain. The rivalry with Balmain began in 1909 when both teams agreed to boycott the final which was being held as curtain raiser to a Kangaroos v Wallabies match. As agreed, Balmain did not turn up. However, Souths did turn up and were officially awarded the Premiership when it kicked off to an empty half of the field. South Sydney would later meet Balmain in the 1916 premiership final which Balmain won 5–3. In 1924, Balmain and Souths met in the grand final which is also the lowest scoring grand final in NSWRL/NRL History. Balmain ran out 3-0 winners with the match only seeing one try. In 1939, Balmain and Souths met once more in the grand final with Balmain winning 33–4. In the
1969 NSWRFL season The 1969 New South Wales Rugby League premiership, New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 62nd season of Sydney's professional rugby league football competition, Australia's first. Twelve teams, including six Sydney-based foun ...
enmity was again fueled between the clubs with Balmain's controversial victory against South Sydney in the grand final that year.


Minor

Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Sydney's Northern Beaches. They compete in the National Rugby League (NRL). The Manly club debuted in the 1947 New South Wales Rugby Football League sea ...
– South Sydney first met Manly-Warringah in the 1951 NSWRFL season's Grand Final. South Sydney would win the match 42-14 which as of 2022 is the highest scoring grand final in NSWRL/NRL history. Souths would then meet in the 1968 and 1970 grand finals which South Sydney both won. Manly have, since 1970, purchased many of Souths' star players including John O'Neill, Ray Branighan, Ian Roberts, and more recently Dylan Walker.
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the NRL Telstra Premiership, as well as competitions facilitated by ...
– A more recent feud that primarily developed in the years 2014 and 2015, following the 2014 NRL Grand Final and a controversial Good Friday match. Canterbury were also Grand Finalists in 1967 with South Sydney prevailing 12−10. Annually, South Sydney and Canterbury-Bankstown compete in the Good Friday game, competing for the Good Friday Cup.


Players


Current squad


Notable players


The Magnificent XIII (2002)

In 2002 on the Rabbitohs' readmission to the competition, ''The Magnificent XIII'',"The Magnificent XIII" in the article ''Hall of Fame''. In Angus Fontaine (ed.). ''Souths: The People's Team''. ACP Publishing, 2002. a team consisting of great South Sydney players over the years was selected by a panel of rugby league journalists and former Souths players and coaches. The team consists of 17 players (four being reserves) and a coach representing the South Sydney Rabbitohs Football Club from
1908 This is the longest year in either the Julian or Gregorian calendars, having a duration of 31622401.38 seconds of Terrestrial Time (or ephemeris time), measured according to the definition of mean solar time. Events January * January ...
through to
2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
.


Dream Team (2004)

The Rabbitohs announced the South Sydney Dream Team at a gala dinner held on 29 July 2004, at the Westin Hotel in Sydney. 17 players were selected in position as well as a coach to represent the South Sydney Football Club from 1908 through to 2004. The team was selected by a group of rugby league experts, historians and by Rabbitohs fans through a public vote.


Season summaries


NSWRFL (1908-1994)


ARL (1995-1997)


NRL (1998–present)


Club honours


Individual awards


Club Best & Fairest

The George Piggins Medal is the award given to the Rabbitohs player determined to have been the "
best and fairest In Australian sport, the best and fairest award recognises the player(s) adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition. The awards are sometimes dependent on not receiving a suspensi ...
" throughout an NRL season. The inaugural winner of the award in 2003 was Bryan Fletcher. In 2013, John Sutton and
Greg Inglis Gregory Paul Inglis (born 15 January 1987), also known by the nickname of "G.I.", is a retired Indigenous Australian professional rugby league footballer, who regularly played as a centre, fullback, five-eighth and wing. From 2011 to 2019, Ing ...
became the first joint winners of the award.


George Piggins Medal (first grade)


Clive Churchill Medal

The Clive Churchill medal is awarded annually to the player adjudged best on ground in the grand final. * Clive Churchill (
1954 Events January * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...
)* * Jack Rayner ( 1955)* * Eric Simms (
1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
)* * Bob Grant (
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...
)* *
Ron Coote Ronald Joseph Coote (born 1944) is an Australian former rugby league player. His club career was played with South Sydney and the Eastern Suburbs Roosters, with both of whom he won premierships, and he played 23 times for Australia. He is con ...
(
1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...
)* * Sam Burgess (
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
) ''* Retrospective medals''


Dally M Award Winners


Dally M Medal

Awarded annually to the player of the year over the course of the first grade regular season. * Robert Laurie (1980)


Rookie of the Year

* Jim Sedaris (1989) *
Chris Sandow Chris Sandow (born 9 January 1989) is an Indigenous Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a goal-kicking or , he could also play as a . Background Sandow was born in Kingaroy, Queensland. Sandow grew up in Quee ...
(2008) * Adam Reynolds (2012) * George Burgess (2013)


Coach of the Year

* Anthony Seibold (2018)


Team of the Year

* Robert Laurie (Five-eighth, 1980) * Nathan Gibbs (Second row, 1980) * Mick Pattison (Five-eighth, 1981) * Ian Roberts (Prop, 1987) * Phil Blake (Five-eighth, 1989) * Matt Parsons (Prop, 1999) *
Greg Inglis Gregory Paul Inglis (born 15 January 1987), also known by the nickname of "G.I.", is a retired Indigenous Australian professional rugby league footballer, who regularly played as a centre, fullback, five-eighth and wing. From 2011 to 2019, Ing ...
(Fullback, 2013) * Sam Burgess (Lock, 2014) * Damien Cook (Hooker, 2018) * Cameron Murray (Lock, 2019) * Cody Walker (Five-eighth, 2021) * Alex Johnston (Wing, 2022)


NRL Immortals

* Clive Churchill (1981) *
Ron Coote Ronald Joseph Coote (born 1944) is an Australian former rugby league player. His club career was played with South Sydney and the Eastern Suburbs Roosters, with both of whom he won premierships, and he played 23 times for Australia. He is con ...
(2024)


NRL Hall of Fame

The NRL Hall of Fame recognises the contribution to rugby league in Australia since 1908. * Clive Churchill (2002) * Harold Horder (2004) *
Ron Coote Ronald Joseph Coote (born 1944) is an Australian former rugby league player. His club career was played with South Sydney and the Eastern Suburbs Roosters, with both of whom he won premierships, and he played 23 times for Australia. He is con ...
(2005) * George Treweek (2006) * Harry Wells (2007) *
Cec Blinkhorn Cyril "Cec" Blinkhorn (18 April 1892 – 8 April 1977) was an Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1910s and 1920s. He played in the NSWRFL premiership for the North Sydney Bears, North Sydney and South Sydney Rabbitohs, South S ...
(2018) *
Billy Cann Wiliam A. Cann (1882–1958) was an Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s who later wrote for ''The Sydney Morning Herald''. A New South Wales rugby league team, New South Wales state and Australia national rugby league tea ...
(2018) * Herb Gilbert (2018) * Howard Hallett (2018) * Brian Hambly (2018) *
Bob McCarthy Robert James McCarthy MBE (born 5 August 1946) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and coach. He played for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, New South Wales and for the Australian national si ...
(2018) * John O'Neill (2018) * John Sattler (2018) * Benny Wearing (2018) * Sam Burgess (2024) *
Greg Inglis Gregory Paul Inglis (born 15 January 1987), also known by the nickname of "G.I.", is a retired Indigenous Australian professional rugby league footballer, who regularly played as a centre, fullback, five-eighth and wing. From 2011 to 2019, Ing ...
(2024) *
Benji Marshall Benjamin Quentin Marshall (born 25 February 1985) is a New Zealand professional rugby league coach and former player who is the head coach of the Wests Tigers in the NRL. He played at or for the Wests Tigers in two separate spells, St. G ...
(2024) * Wayne Bennett (2024, coach)


Other distinctions

* Nathan Merritt (2006, Ken Irvine Medal) * Nathan Merritt (2011, Ken Irvine Medal) *
Chris Sandow Chris Sandow (born 9 January 1989) is an Indigenous Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a goal-kicking or , he could also play as a . Background Sandow was born in Kingaroy, Queensland. Sandow grew up in Quee ...
(2011, top point scorer) *
Greg Inglis Gregory Paul Inglis (born 15 January 1987), also known by the nickname of "G.I.", is a retired Indigenous Australian professional rugby league footballer, who regularly played as a centre, fullback, five-eighth and wing. From 2011 to 2019, Ing ...
(2013,
Provan-Summons Medal The Dally M Awards are the official annual player awards for the National Rugby League competition. As well as honouring the player of the year, who received the Dally M Medal, awards are also given to the premier player in each position, the be ...
) * Damien Cook (2018,
Provan-Summons Medal The Dally M Awards are the official annual player awards for the National Rugby League competition. As well as honouring the player of the year, who received the Dally M Medal, awards are also given to the premier player in each position, the be ...
) * Adam Reynolds (2020, top point scorer) * Alex Johnston (2020, Ken Irvine Medal) * Alex Johnston (2021, Ken Irvine Medal) * Alex Johnston (2022, Ken Irvine Medal)


Statistics and records

South Sydney are the most successful club in terms of honours and individual player achievements in the history of NSW rugby league. The club achievements include: * The Rabbitohs have won the most first grade premierships ( 21) during the history of elite rugby league competition in Australia,List of Australian Rugby League Premiership Winners
from the Sports Australia website.
in addition to the most reserve grade premierships ( 21). * The club has the distinction of being the only team to win a premiership in its inaugural season (1908). * The club also has the distinction of scoring the most points (42), most tries (8) and most goals (9) in a grand final, all achieved against Manly in 1951. * South Sydney's 1925 first grade side is one of six New South Wales sides to ever go through a season undefeated. The club won the premiership in all three grades in 1925, a feat only repeated on three other occasions (Balmain Tigers in 1915 and 1916 and St George Dragons in 1963). * In 2008, the Rabbitohs equalled the second biggest comeback in Australian Rugby League history. After being down 28–4 after 53 minutes against the
North Queensland Cowboys The North Queensland Cowboys is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Townsville, the largest city in North Queensland. They compete in Australia's premier rugby league competition, the National Rugby League (NRL). Sinc ...
, the Rabbitohs won the match 29–28. The club's players have also achieved some notable individual game and point scoring milestones: * John Sutton holds the record for the most first grade games for the club, having played 336 matches between 2004 and 2019. * Jack Rayner holds the individual record of the most grand final successes as a captain (5) and coach (5) achieved between 1950 and 1955. * Adam Reynolds holds the club record for the most points, tallying 1896 points between 2012 and 2021.Rabbitohs Club Records
from the official South Sydney Rabbitohs website.
* Eric Simms scored 265 points on his own for South Sydney in 1969 and this tally remains unsurpassed by any other player at the club. * Eric Simms still holds a club and competition record for the most goals (112 goals and 19 field goals) in a season, most career field goals (86) and most field goals in a game (5). * Johnny Graves' tally of 29 points in a match against Eastern Suburbs in 1952 remains the club record for the most individual points in a match. Had this feat been scored as it is today it would have stood at 32 points. * Alex Johnston is the only player to score 30 tries in a single season in the NRL era. He achieved the feat in both the 2021 and 2022 seasons, the only player in Australian rugby league history to complete the feat twice. * During his career Bob McCarthy scored 100 tries for the club, the most by a forward. * Alex Johnston equalled the South Sydney club record of 5 tries in a 2017 match against Penrith at ANZ Stadium in a 42–14 win, joining greats such as Nathan Merritt, Harold Horder, Johnny Graves and Ian Moir. Johnston went on to score another 5 tries against the Sydney Roosters in a 60–8 win in the final round of the 2020 season. * Alex Johnston passed Nathan Merritt's all-time try scoring record in Souths win 44–18 against Wests Tigers in round 12 of the 2022 season, with 166 tries as of the end of the 2022 season.


Head-to-head records


Defunct teams


See also

* List of teams in the NSWRL/ARL/SL/NRL * List of rugby league clubs in Australia


Notes


References


Citations


Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links

* {{Sydney Sports Teams Rugby clubs established in 1908 National Rugby League clubs Rugby league teams in Sydney 1908 establishments in Australia Redfern, New South Wales Fan-owned football clubs Russell Crowe