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28 June 2002 BULLDOGS chief executive Bob Hagan yesterday launched a stinging attack on Souths' supporters and called on the NRL to reduce the number of Sydney-based clubs ahead of his side's match with Parramatta tonight. Hagan was also adamant the NRL needed to reduce the competition to 12 teams if it wanted to attract crowds to club games consistently. His claims come with the Bulldogs leading the competition with a club record 11-game winning streak. Despite their success, the Bulldogs have averaged only 8000 people in their five home games at the Sydney Showground this year. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,4595554%255E5927,00.html 26 June 2002 Legendary South Sydney supporter Albert Clift is to be the inaugural inductee into the South Sydney Rabbitohs Supporter Hall of Fame. Albert, who now resides on the South Coast, has been a lifelong supporter of the Rabbitohs. Albert's generosity to the club over the years has been outstanding. Many will remember the fact that he donated the bell that signalled halftime and fulltime in the first ever game of rugby league played in this country between North Sydney and the mighty Bunnies. Albert was generous on many more occasions than you or I are privy to. In his later years, Albert still cherished going to the football to watch the Rabbitohs. With a keen eye and a sharp mind, Albert would make several pertinent observations on the game and the performance of the team. When contacted this week, Albert had some clear and precise words of advice on just how the team could improve! Albert will be a guest on Saturday night of George Piggins in the Chairman's Club at the Newcastle game and then be back at the Club Saturday night to receive his award. "Deeply honoured" was how Albert described the feeling when contacted during the week. You too have the opportunity to be passed into the South Sydney Supporters Hall of Fame by entering in the TV Week Fan of the Fortnight. Already the first winner has been decided by you, the people who visit our website. The next group of nominees will be posted tommorrow. http://www.souths.com.au/news/news.php?ID=78 25 June 2002 In a week when the Northern Eagles pulled out of Gosford for good, with money an issue, it's probably appropriate that central coaster Joel Penny step up to first grade. Penny, a recruit from the North Sydney Bears, will make his National Rugby League debut when he becomes the fourth halfback used in as many weeks by South Sydney. Penny, 22, has been in outstanding form for the Rabbitohs first grade side - playing nearly everywhere from hooker to fullback - and replaces Blaine Stanley from the team hammered by the Storm last week. South Sydney retains the pack that has been overpowered by the Warriors and Storm in recent weeks but coach Craig Coleman has reshuffled his backline, the Wade McKinnon experiment at five-eighth ending as he moves to fullback with last week's No.1 Andrew King going into the centres to replace Owen Craigie, who moves to five-eighth. Souths take on a wounded Newcastle side which slipped to an unexpected loss to Wests Tigers when undermanned due to injury and Origin absentees last week. http://www.nrl.com.au/s2002/news/static/article_3771.asp 16 June 2002 The Rabbitohs, who trailed 24-0 at halftime, crossed the line four times but were denied tries by video referee Chris Ward before Justin Brooker finally bagged one in the 67th minute. The four-pointer came shortly after Warriors prop Jerry Seuseu was placed on report by referee Tim Mander to a high shot on opposite number Paul Stringer. Lauiti'iti terrorised the defence tonight and his off-loads allowed the Warriors to get too much second phase play. In the 13th minute Lauiti'iti snatched a Stacey Jones bomb from the grasp of Souths fullback Andrew King and two minutes later his break helped set up winger Henry Fa'afili to score the first of his two tries. Justin Murphy scored his try from a Lauiti'iti grubber kick as the Warriors threatened to post 50 points. Tries to Mark Tookey (44th minute), Justin Morgan (50th) and Fa'afili (57th) enabled the visitors to skip to a 40-0 lead before Souths centre Russell Richardson set up Brooker for his four-pointer. http://www.nrl.com.au/s2002/news/static/article_3678.asp A CASHED-UP South Sydney have drawn up a hit list of stars they will target when the June 30 anti-poaching deadline expires. The Rabbitohs have promised to be the most active club in the marketplace and have their sights on internationals Bryan Fletcher, Tony Puletua, David Solomona and David Vaealiki. Also to be targeted are brilliant young centres Chris Walker and Ryan Cross, while the club had talks last week with St George Illawarra's in-form halfback Willie Peters. With the club expected to finish this year $600,000 below the $3.25 million salary cap and with up to 13 players to be shown the door at the end of the season, the Rabbitohs have more than $1m to spend and are serious about attracting elite personnel to Redfern. http://www.dailytelegraph.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,4518034%255E2771,00.html South Sydney coach Craig Coleman believes the NZ Warriors can win the National Rugby League premiership after the Auckland-based side wiped the Rabbitohs off the park on Saturday night with a 46-10 victory at Aussie Stadium. "I've said that from day one that they can (win the premiership)," said Coleman, whose side has now lost eight of its past nine matches. "They're big right across the park, they've got tremendous skills and they can all run - from the fullback to the front-rowers. http://sportswatch.com.au/news.php?id=64074 15 June 2002 If everything goes according to plan the Warriors will account for the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Saturday night and extend the club's record winning streak to eight matches. The Warriors are currently the form horse in the National Rugby League and two points from their trip to Aussie Stadium could quite conceivably have the Warriors sitting alone in second place come the end of round 14 this weekend. http://onesport.nzoom.com/sport_detail/0,1278,108511-2-19,00.html The Warriors have had plenty of problems over the eight years of their existence, but how to handle winning has not been one of them - until now. They are on a roll they have never been on before, and extending the club record to eight wins in a row against South Sydney tonight is more than likely. The Warriors have already won 10 of 12 games, two more than they won in all of the 2000 season and only two fewer than they won in 26 rounds last season. And there are 13 games to come. So what is different about this season's Warriors, and how do they keep themselves from slipping into the sort of inevitable decline their supporters came to expect in previous years? The side are still making plenty of errors, so there is room for improvement. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sports/sportsstorydisplay.cfm?storyID=2046805&thesection=sport&thesubsection=rugbyleague&thesecondsubsection=warriors South Sydney coach Craig Coleman has compared the New Zealand Warriors with rugby league benchmarks the Brisbane Broncos. Speaking ahead of his team’s clash against the Warriors, who are rated along with Newcastle, the Bulldogs and Brisbane as the leading contenders for this year’s premiership, Coleman can’t praise the Kiwis enough. They're a good team, certainly a top four side, Coleman said. They have been in the top four the whole season. They're a bit like the Broncos - you give them too much ball in your side's half and they make you pay. Coleman’s counterpart at the Warriors, Daniel Anderson, is in charge of a team that has won seven straight matches, and he says he hopes the performances of his players this season have won them deserved respect. http://www.austarnet.com.au/feeds/sport_report.asp?display=4&story_id=28011&category=news 11 June 2002 As Owen Craigie attempted to convert South Sydney's sole try just three minutes from full-time yesterday, referee Bill Harrigan asked video referee Peter Filmer to check the score from the corresponding round-one clash. "Well look at it now," Harrigan remarked, after being told that result was 40-6 in favour of the Roosters. "He's going to get this, too." Midway through their return season and little appears to have changed in 13 rounds for the Rabbitohs, the team formerly known as Eastern Suburbs piling on seven tries to one as they did in the premiership opener. "It's like Groundhog Day," Souths chief executive Paul Dunn said afterwards. But Rabbitohs coach Craig Coleman believes his side has improved since the start of the season - it's just that the Roosters have, too. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/06/10/1022982819778.html THE Sydney Roosters consolidated their place in the National Rugby League's top six with a 42-6 caning of South Sydney at Aussie Stadium. Roosters centre Shannon Hegarty did his chances of a State of Origin call-up for Queensland no harm, scoring two tries while second-rower Craig Fitzgibbon finished with an 18-point haul. The win puts the Roosters three points behind fifth-placed Parramatta on the table, while the Rabbitohs remain second last following their ninth loss for the season. http://foxsports.com.au/common/story_page/0,5000,4484265%255E5927%255E%255Enbv,00.html CRAIG Wing's transformation from Rabbitoh to Rooster is complete but there's still a way to go before he graduates as a first grade halfback. Not that anybody noticed after his inspirational performance in the No. 7 jumper for the Roosters at Aussie Stadium yesterday. To South Sydney fans Wing will always be the young Rabbitoh who escaped a few kilometres east when Souths were out of the league for two years. He could have come back but his decision to stay with the Roosters was vindicated for the second time this season yesterday. A typical Wing solo try early in the first half sparked a scoring spree that left the Rabbitohs routed by halftime. At 30-0 there was no way back and the final scoreline of 42-6 was almost the same as the season's opening result when the Rabbitohs were taught a few home truths about life back in the big league. http://www.dailytelegraph.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,4485897%255E2771,00.html 10 June 2002 George Piggins labels himself a "commoner", fellow Rabbitohs great John Sattler says "everyone knows he's a run-of-the-mill bloke from Mascot". Now he must settle for George Piggins AM after being honoured in the Queen's Birthday list for his services to rugby league and the South Sydney community. Hundreds of thousands of league fans will be forever indebted to Mr Piggins for his tireless deeds to have the Rabbitohs reinstated to the NRL. "What he's done to get Souths back is marvellous. No-one else could have done it, with the help of his wife (Nolene)," Mr Sattler said. "He's a dogmatic little bugger. That's why he's achieved what he has. "Everyone knows he's a run-of-the-mill bloke from Mascot. He's picked himself up and made his life. "If George thinks he's right, he'll fight for what he believes. But the great thing about him is the respect and love he has for other people's thoughts. http://optusnet.com.au/sport/nrl/news/story/aap/20020610/07/sports/honours-piggins-rugby_league.inp 9 June 2002 South Sydney captain Adam Muir believes the Rabbitohs are finally ready to deliver on their promise to claim one of the National Rugby League's top scalps tomorrow. The Rabbitohs head into tomorrow's game against the Sydney Roosters at Aussie Stadium with only three wins this season - two over Canberra and one against the Northern Eagles. Thanks to the vagaries of the draw and the benefit of two byes, the club remains within shooting distance of the top eight. But another loss tomorrow would cut the Rabbitohs four points adrift of the finals contenders, something their loyal supporters and stubborn players refuse to consider at the halfway point of the season. "We're looking forward to it," Muir said today. http://www.nrl.com.au/s2002/news/static/article_3639.asp |
