NRL 2020: South Sydney Rabbitohs smash 110-year club record
It’s official, South Sydney has produced one of the most potent attacking displays in rugby league history, with their stunning three-game run smashing a host of points and try-scoring records.
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They play with an unrestrained excitement to match any thriller starring their Hollywood co-owner.
Russell Crowe’s breathtaking Bunnies have scored more points in a three-match window than any South Sydney team in the past 110 years to become the game’s most potent attacking force.
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The Rabbitohs have scored 144 points in their past three games and will look to keep up the momentum when they meet Penrith at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night for a place in the grand final.
They have scored 24 tries in their past three games, which equates to one try every 10 minutes. They thrashed the Sydney Roosters 60-8 in the final round of the regular season, then beat Newcastle 46-20 in week one of the finals and triumphed 38-24 over Parramatta on Saturday night.
Only the South Sydney side of 1910 has done better with 154 points in three games.
They beat Annandale 34-8, Western Suburbs 67-0 and North Sydney 53-4 — all at the old Sydney Showground.
Arthur Hennessey was Souths’ captain-coach in 1910, when centre Howard Hallett was a star. However, that Rabbitohs side lost the decider that year to Newtown.
A 4-all draw was enough to secure the title for the Bluebags after they finished higher on the competition table.
The present Bunnies have become as electrifying as the 1910 version.
“History will always remember the great South Sydney sides of the formative years and their determination to play a ‘no kick’ brand of football,” rugby league historian Ian Collis said.
“The ‘new game’ of rugby league in 1908 needed a breath of fresh air to capture the sporting public away from the constant kicking in rugby union.
“And the running game Souths adopted, keeping the ball moving by running and passing and backing up the ball carrier, proved to be an instant hit and helped soon establish the new code which, by 1910, was firmly entrenched.
“With first grade titles safely under their belts in 1908 and ’09, the 1910 team looked unstoppable with consecutive mid-season wins over Annandale by 34-8, Wests 67-0 and Norths 53-4.
“And with players of the calibre of Howard Hallett, Jim ‘Barrow’ Davis and AJ McCabe, they were desperately unlucky to be denied a third title.
“Again in the 1950s, late 1960s and early ’70s, a similar style brought even more success to Redfern.
“These great teams included champion players Jack Rayner, Ian Moir, Johnny Graves and the great Clive Churchill in the ‘50s, and John Sattler, Bob McCarthy, Ron Coote, Mike Cleary and Eric Simms in the ‘60s.
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“Moving on to this year, Souths are again fast becoming a pointscoring juggernaut with their powerful running game supported by speed and back-up. That sounds like a winning formula to me.”
Legendary Rabbitohs halfback Craig “Tugger” Coleman reckons all fans should appreciate Souths’ strike power.
“When they get into gear, they are very slick,” Coleman said. “They go straight into overdrive.
“They have been fantastic to watch, very exciting. Even people who don’t support Souths would have to marvel at the way they play.
“Adam (Reynolds, halfback) is running a whole lot more and when he runs the ball, he is a different player.
“It’s got a lot to do with the halves but the unsung heroes are the forwards — Bayley Sironen, Mark Nicholls and Junior Tatola — the blokes you don’t really hear about.
“They are laying a really good platform for young Corey Allan at fullback and Jaxson Paulo on the wing.
“This is what the coach (Wayne Bennett) has been doing for the past three decades — putting self-belief in all the players.”