Souths in the footsteps of history
Roar Guru By Curtis Woodward, 3 Jan 2013 Curtis Woodward is a Roar Guru & Live Blogger
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- NRL, Rugby League, South Sydney Rabbitohs
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The National Rugby League is one almightily torturous season. Each year is tougher than the last and one good season can be forgotten very quickly if things go awry.
Sustaining and improving after one impressive campaign is a test for any emerging NRL side.
South Sydney Rabbitohs coach Michael Maguire had his side rolling in 2012. But the acid test for a rookie coach is always the second season. When things are supposed to get easier, new challenges arise.
Souths have qualified for the playoffs four times since 1987. On all four occasions, the club failed to back up any momentum they had created from the previous season. They missed grand final day on all four occasions.
Granted the mighty Rabbitohs are the most successful rugby league club this country has ever seen. But modern history suggests that when things get tough, Souths falter.
Has coach Maguire instilled enough grit in this side to back up what they did in 2012?
There is a nucleus there for Souths to build on. A talented group other players will follow.
But, as has been the success of this club since 1908 and its eventual decline, there will always be question marks hovering over the cardinal red and myrtle green. That’s until they start making the playoffs on a frequent basis.
Expectations continually brew at Redfern.
At the beginning of the 2012 season, the pressure was on John Sutton to step up and help rookie halfback Adam Reynolds.
A funny thing happened though. It was Reynolds who relieved the pressure on Sutton. The combination grew and the Rabbitohs were off and running.
There are no guarantees in the NRL, but sooner or later, things will get tough for Reynolds. Sutton’s leadership and talent will truly be tested at this time.
The Rabbitohs have a terrifying pack under the strict rule of Sam Burgess and Isaac Luke – two men who lead from the front like the world depends on it.
Then there are two words which strike fear into all opponents. Greg Inglis.
Everything points to a new age of success for a team that once boasted the likes of Clive Churchill and John Sattler.
“I want to win a grand final,” Michael Crocker told The Daily Telegraph in late November.
“I think that’s why everyone plays.
“You don’t want to come into a season not wanting to win the premiership.
“We’ve got a really good club here and a really good group of guys.
“So that’ll be our goal as I’m sure it will for most of the other clubs.”
Time will tell if the expectations of a giant fan-base and a little thing called history are too much to handle.
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The Crowd Says (11) | Page 1 of Comments
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- NRL, Rugby League, South Sydney Rabbitohs
January 3rd 2013 @ 10:32am
betts said | January 3rd 2013 @ 10:32am | Report comment
On the money Guru..Souths will probably fall over again
January 3rd 2013 @ 11:35am
Rab4life said | January 3rd 2013 @ 11:35am | Report comment
The difference between Souths of today and Souths of the 80s is that they don’t lose every decent player they had. Dont forget Souths wasn’t a REAL professional club till 2007 and now 6 years has past the club has built a strong roster and madge is the final piece (I like to believe anyway) to bring success. We were a hamstring injury away from a gf birth this year.
February 2nd 2013 @ 12:16pm
robbo's rabbit's said | February 2nd 2013 @ 12:16pm | Report comment
I love my South Sydney……but I can’t agree with your comment on Reynolds injury just prior to half time as the reason we didn’t make the G/F….we were struggling and the Dog’s were on fire. Yes the injury didn’t help our cause but I doubt if it made the difference between the 2 teams on that day……it’s all about opinions I suppose.
January 3rd 2013 @ 11:48am
Novice said | January 3rd 2013 @ 11:48am | Report comment
I think alot will depend on how Reynolds handles the 2nd year syndrome but from what i saw last year i think he will be an even better player this year. They have a star studded side the bunnies and i think they are a real chance to make the GF. Replacing Taylor with Teo only strengthens them and with an experienced forward pack with Burgess,Teo,Asotasi.luke they are going to be one of the teams to beat i think.
February 2nd 2013 @ 12:20pm
robbo's rabbit's said | February 2nd 2013 @ 12:20pm | Report comment
I too worry about the dreaded 2nd year syndrome……..
Even if Reynolds does hold his form, the opposition are one year wiser to his antics, the coaches will be mentioning Reynolds up there with the likes of Luke, Inglis etc….
I wish him well and look forward to what he and Sutton can do to improve even more..
January 3rd 2013 @ 8:07pm
Zee said | January 3rd 2013 @ 8:07pm | Report comment
Great Article. As a rabbitohs supporter Failure is what we come to expect. 2013 will show if 2012 was a fluke or the real deal. The way the boys have been training in pre season shows that 2012′s hardwork has continued
January 3rd 2013 @ 11:32pm
Dragons Forever said | January 3rd 2013 @ 11:32pm | Report comment
Will finish top 4, Madge doesn’t cop sh** and Reynolds is a gun. Throw in GI and a massive pack and they’ll be knocking on the door again. Would have beat the Dogs if Reynolds didn’t do his hammy
January 4th 2013 @ 9:13am
B.A Sports said | January 4th 2013 @ 9:13am | Report comment
Will be interesting to see if they get the easy ride from officials they got last year with the new ref’s boss.
Souths lived off of penatlies that had them starting sets in the opp 20.
February 2nd 2013 @ 12:22pm
robbo's rabbit's said | February 2nd 2013 @ 12:22pm | Report comment
Ha! Ha! Ha!
You more then likely believe Mundine won as well….
January 8th 2013 @ 5:36pm
Micky Mac said | January 8th 2013 @ 5:36pm | Report comment
Great observations Curtis. The real difference I think this year will be that the less experienced players will have seen how the real pros in the team like Crocker and Inglis dealt with the pressure of the finals. The difference between their mental toughness and most of the rest when they met the really ‘hard’ sides like the Storm and to a lesser extent the Dogs (my son and I were there for both games) let them know up close and personal how far they still have to travel as a ‘finals’ football team. Madge has been really flogging them in training I hear and he won’t slacken up for the whole season. And I agree with the previous comment that Reynolds is unlikely to suffer second year syndrome: he has been too focused and level-headed for too long to suddenly shift in attitude so dramatically. As well, the (re-)addition of Beau Champion after two very useful years away gaining extra experience and the addition of Ben Teo can only improve an already impressive roster. I’m not getting my hopes up too much (after all, I am a bunnies supporter of long experience) but the omens are genuinely positive!! Go the Bunnies!!
January 20th 2013 @ 8:00am
Macho man randy savage said | January 20th 2013 @ 8:00am | Report comment
Maguire has built a culture at the club, work hard or get lost. This mentality is unreal, the roster is outstanding and every position has competition for spots. Obviously the Reynolds injury cost us the game against the bulldogs. If Madge identified the flaws in our 2012 campaign and fixes them up over this off season, coupled with our new and improved roster 2013 could be the year we finally accrue that 21st premiership