Rabbitohs say all Sydney clubs should be protected in NRL expansion debate
If any club knows the pain of fighting for survival it is South Sydney — and the Rabbitohs are prepared to fight to stop any Sydney NRL side paying the price for NRL expansion.
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South Sydney chief executive Blake Solly believes no other club should feel the pain of being kicked into “oblivion”.
The comments from Solly, whose Rabbitohs were booted out of the competition in 1999, come after Channel 9 controversially urged the NRL to consider axing or relocating a Sydney club to make way for a second team from Brisbane.
In a passionate defence of all nine Sydney clubs, Solly said: “We would never want any other club to go through what we did.
“Rugby league’s history and traditions are part of Sydney’s history and traditions.”
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Twenty years and one week ago, Souths were kicked out of the competition during the Super League war.
Now, Manly, Wests Tigers and Cronulla have been mooted as being in the firing line but Solly said all Sydney clubs should be protected.
“Our supporters and members know what it’s like to face that oblivion,” Solly said as the Rabbitohs prepared for Thursday’s big match against the Sydney Roosters at ANZ Stadium.
“We would never want any other club to go through what we did.
“The memories of our supporters and members of what it felt like are still very vivid.
“No one wants to go through that again here. And no one wants the members and fans of any other Sydney club to go through it, either. No club should.
“South Sydney members know more than anyone what it’s like to potentially lose your team. We would never wish that on any of our other NRL clubs.
“Sydney is a rugby league town and we would never want it not to be. Sydney is the beating heart of rugby league and the commercial engine for the country.
“The popularity of rugby league in this country owes much to the great rivalries like the Rabbitohs and the Roosters.
“We should be looking at how we can strengthen in Sydney and make more of these rivalries rather than talking about which Sydney club is going to move.”
Sydney clubs are united in their desire to retain their location, history and identity. There is a hidden frustration at Channel 9’s agenda.
Solly said the long heritage and traditions of all Sydney clubs should never be dismissed.
“One of our membership categories is we have a baby membership,” Solly said.
“The number of times a grandparent or a parent will buy that membership on the day their son, daughter, grandson or granddaughter is born is extraordinary.
“That is because they want that child to grow up as a rugby league fan but, first and foremost, a Rabbitohs fan.
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“You can’t replicate or substitute that. That passion is real and part of the fabric of Sydney.
“And it’s why when the Rabbitohs, or the Dragons or the Eels, play in Brisbane, Melbourne or Newcastle, we draw their biggest crowds of the year because rugby league was built on those wonderful inner-city rivalries.
“Not only are they important in our history, they are just as important to our future.
“We all benefit from the strengths of those traditions because every Rabbitohs member or fan will have a friend who is a Parramatta fan or a Canterbury Bulldogs fan or member.
“That’s important because there is a bit of pride in the team you follow and there is some competitiveness in trying to beat your rival and your mate.
“They are the conversations, loyalties and passion that sustain our sport.”