NRL 2021: The 100 players who started the Roosters, Rabbitohs rivalry
Revealed: The real reason why the Sydney Roosters and South Sydney Rabbitohs have hated each other for more than 100-years.
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
This is a tale about hate, jealousy, confusion, envy and spite. It’s also about being disrespected and downtrodden – and it stretches back to 1908.
It’s a story about more 100 players who became rugby league renegades by switching between mortal enemies the Roosters and Rabbitohs, the two clubs involved in rugby league’s greatest and longest rivalry.
Some of rugby league’s finest have moved between Redfern and Bondi, most taking with them a chunk of hatred from disgruntled fans.
And all those emotions will return again this Friday night when the Sydney Roosters and Souths collide once again at Stadium Australia.
Watch The 2021 NRL Telstra Premiership Live & On-Demand with No Ad-Breaks During Play. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now >
Hooker Sean Garlick left Souths for the Roosters in 1994 before returning to the Rabbitohs four years later.
“When I was at Souths, there was a whole lot of jealousy. The Roosters were the silvertails. They got all the players, David Gyngell was on the board back then and he was getting all the Channel 9 celebrities to the games,” Garlick said.
“Souths were battling and you came to hate that sort of thing. The Roosters always had track suits which were a bit better. Their gear was better. There was always a lot to envy. It did supply a lot of motivation. It was always us against them. The ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’.
“It’s easy to get yourself up for a game where you feel you’re disrespected and downtrodden. It’s very confusing for a player because when you’re at Souths, you hate the Roosters. You never dream you could ever play there, ever, not in a million years.
“But then when you get there, you get so engrossed you can’t believe you were ever at the other place. It’s confusing on your emotions because everyone around you expects you switch so quickly.
“You ask a Souths fan, they enjoy the Roosters getting beat more than the Rabbitohs winning. That’s how bad it got.”
In a past era, when Souths were poor, the Bunnies would look at their more glamorous eastern suburbs counterparts with desire and resentment.
“The Roosters always had track suits which were a bit better. Their gear was better. There was always a lot to envy. It did supply a lot of motivation. It was always us against them. The ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’,” Garlick said.
“The fans get confused when they see you. You run into people in the street and wonder if they are a Roosters fan or Souths fan. It’s easy to offend either way.
“I’m a Souths junior and have a soft spot for the Rabbitohs but I still like the Roosters to go well too. It’s all very confusing. The Roosters have been strong for so long now. It’s been 30 years since they’ve had a dud team.”
Former Rooster and Rabbit Bryan Fletcher believes the rivalry increased further when Souths won the 2014 grand final.
“I’ve certainly noticed the increase in spite since Souths won the comp. The Roosters fans are now more vocal whereas before I don’t think Roosters supporters saw Souths as a threat. Souths hadn’t won a comp since 1971 before 2014,” Fletcher said.
“After Souths won the comp, they knocked Easts out along the way, the two clubs became more equal. That’s what I’m saying.
“I had nine years with the Chooks and in that era, Souths weren’t very good. We didn’t lose too much to Souths. The competitiveness between the teams, from my point of view, happened more after I left.
“Then when I went to Souths for those three years, the Roosters were so dominant and I was on the other side of it then. We struggled during my years at Souths. Back then there wasn’t really a competitive fire between the two.
“I went to Souths because I was offered a three-year deal. Saints were pretty keen but there was a little bit of history there for me as I played there as a kid. Did I regret it? When the Roosters made those grand finals in 2003 and 2004, that was hard to watch.”
One of rugby league’s greatest, Ron Coote quit Souths for Easts in 1972.
“It was a geographical decision for me,” Coote said. “I lived at Maroubra in those days. It wasn’t far from Redfern Oval or the old Sydney Sports Ground. Six one way, half a dozen the other.
“In those days, Souths also ran out of money. Their offer to me was half of what Easts were offering. I took the better offer. As a player, you only have a limited amount of time to earn a quid. It builds your life for the future.
“When I transferred, there was a lot of prejudice against each other but I don’t think it was that bad back then. It was just playing another game – you did your best - although a lot of other blokes didn’t.”
ROOSTERS TO RABBITS
1909: Harry ‘Hack’ Thompson, W Fry. 1910: Arthur Hennessy. 1911: Johnno Stuntz. 1916: George McGowan. 1918: Edward Coyne. 1919: Rex Norman. 1922: Bill Cameron. 1923: Bob Linklater. 1925: Arch Thompson. 1926: Harry Finch. 1932: Hugh Byrne. 1935: Harleigh Hanrahan, George Shankland, Harry Thompson. 1936: Bill Halloway. 1937: Hilton Delaney. 1940: Johnny Parker. 1950: Milton Atkinson. 1953: John Sellgren. 1955: Malcolm Spencer, Col Donohoe. 1957: Ray Thomas, Ron Taylor, Jim Campbell. 1958: Danny Byrnes. 1973: Jim Hall. 1975: John Dykes. 1977: Ian Mackay. 1978: Robert Laurie, Eric Ferguson, Arthur Kitinas, Trevor Barnes. 1981: Russell Fairfax, Gary Metcalfe, Paul Jelfs, Kyle Connor, Michael Mosman. 1982: Ken Wright. 1984: Marty Gurr. 1985: Royce Ayliffe, Matt Cruickshank. 1986: Lindsay Johnston. 1987: Luke Beasley. 1991: Sandy Campbell, Jason Paul Williams. 1994: Dennis Beecraft. 1995: Jason Tassell, Jason Keogh. 1996: Craig Salvatori. 1997: Michael Ostini. 1998: Terry Hermansson, Sean Garlick. 2002: Shane Rigon. 2003: Bryan Fletcher, Mark Minichiello. 2004: Scott Logan, Mark Leafa, Steve Skinnon. 2005: Shannon Hegarty, Peter Cusack. 2006: Stuart Webb. 2008: Craig Wing. 2016: Michael Oldfield, Joe Burgess. 2020: Latrell Mitchell.
RABBITOHS TO ROOSTERS
1909: Arthur Hennessy. 1916: Herb Gilbert. 1917: Ray Norman, W Tijou. 1918: Rex Norman. 1920: Rex Norman, Les Arthur, Bill Cameron. 1921: Harold Holmes. 1922: Arthur Oxford Snr. 1925: R Booth. 1927: Tom Barry. 1934: Tom McLachlan. 1942: Johnny Parker. 1944: Alan Schafer. 1946: Alan Quinlivan. 1948: Vic Anderson. 1949: Jim Hunt, Ian Verrender. 1951: Ray Thomas. 1952: Len Haskins, Keith Aitken. 1953: Malcolm Spencer. 1955: John Sellgren. 1959: Bruce Ranier, Bob Sait. 1960: Brian Wright. 1962: Merv Cross. 1970: Jim Morgan, Chris Armstrong. 1971: Michael Cleary. 1972: Ron Coote. 1974: Elwyn Walters. 1977: David Grant, Peter Reed. 1980: John Berne, Steve Sydenham. 1981: Terry Fahey, Robert Laurie. 1982: Grant Jones. 1983: Wayne McPherson, Joe Reaiche. 1984: Kelvin Eirth, Robert Simpkins. 1985: Kyle Connor, Corey Adams. 1987: Russell Bartlett, Tony Rampling. 1991: Terry Hill. 1992: Ross Harrington. 1994: Sean Garlick. 1995: Darren Maroon, Terry Hermansson. 1997: Jacin Sinclair. 1999: Darren Burns. 2000: Ian Rubin, Craig Wing. 2003: Chris Walker. 2006: Glenn Hall, Ashley Harrison. 2008: Brent Grose. 2017: Paul Carter, Luke Keary. 2019: Angus Crichton.
Broncos cult hero set to make NRL history
Former Brisbane Broncos hardman Sam Thaiday has issued a blunt warning as he prepares to step outside of his comfort zone.
Inside the gruelling camp driving Storm’s NRL success
For the last 10-years, the Melbourne Storm have spent two weeks in Geelong for a gruelling pre-season camp, and the results speak for themselves. Skipper Harry Grant opens up on his time in the trenches.