After falling short of the grand final in the last two years, the South Sydney Rabbitohs finally got it right in 2014.
In the process they not only ended a 43-year premiership drought, but also completed rugby league’s biggest comeback story.
At the end of 1999 the Rabbitohs were excluded from the competition for failing to meet the criteria for inclusion in the 2000 season. Bunnies fans protested over the NRL’s decision to keep them out of the competition, but by 2002 they were back.
Limited success followed their return to the competition, but the turning point came in 2006 when Russell Crowe purchased 75 per cent of the club, leaving the remaining quarter to the members.
Slowly, but confidently, the club then started to build a team capable of not only being competitive, but also contending for a premiership, with this year’s success being the culmination of a decade of hardship and hard work.
South Sydney Rabbitohs
Final ladder position: third (15 wins, 9 losses, +224 differential)
After finals: first
What went right?
While the Rabbitohs have performed consistently under Michael Maguire since he took over from John Lang as head coach prior to the start of the 2012 season, it was only this year that they lived up to their tag as premiership favourites.
The last two years were used as building blocks to what the Bunnies achieved this year. They had fallen one match short of the decider in those two years and they were determined not to let that happen again this time.
And in going one better this year, it came at the expense of their bitter rivals, the Sydney Roosters, who edged them out in the final round of the regular season in the minor premiership decider.
Finally, the Bunnies justified their tag as favourites in their first grand final in 43 years, and after a slog lasting 70 minutes, put the Bulldogs to the sword in the final 10 minutes to end many years of heartbreak and failure.
What went wrong?
The Bunnies were slow to get going to start the season, dropping three of their first four matches including losing to the second last-placed Canberra Raiders at home in Round 4. At the time it exposed the club as premiership pretenders.
Other than that, there were no real lowlights for the Rabbitohs in 2014 except for the fact that one of their most important players, Issac Luke, was suspended from the grand final.
Best win: defeated the Bulldogs 30-6 in the grand final at ANZ Stadium
This by far ranks as the Rabbitohs’ best win for season 2014. The Bunnies entered the match as favourites despite boasting only two players (Greg Inglis and Lote Tuqiri) who had played in a grand final-winning side previously.
They lived up to expectations, with three tries in the final 10 minutes icing their best win all year. The performance of Sam Burgess, who played all but the opening four seconds of the match with a broken cheekbone, will go down as one of the bravest performances in recent grand final history.
And Greg Inglis, who previously featured in the Melbourne Storm’s stripped wins in 2007 and 2009, finally won his first premiership ring which cannot be taken away from him.
Worst loss: lost to the Canberra Raiders 30-18 at ANZ Stadium in Round 4
Questions were asked about the Rabbitohs’ premiership aspirations after they crashed to a third straight loss in Round 4, a 30-18 loss to the Canberra Raiders at home.
The Rabbitohs trailed 22-0 at half-time as the Green Machine, coached by Ricky Stuart, made the Bunnies look second rate and exposed them as premiership pretenders.
The result saw the Rabbitohs sit third last on the ladder after Round 4, but from there the only way was going to be up.
The future
Having now won their first premiership in more than four decades, the Rabbitohs’ next goal will be trying to become the first team since the Brisbane Broncos in 1992-93 to go back-to-back.
Defending the premiership has proven to be very difficult in recent years, as experienced by the Sydney Roosters this year.
It will be hard for the Rabbitohs themselves to attempt to defend their premiership in 2015, not only based on past experience, but also the fact that Sam Burgess and Ben Te’o have both left the club.
Apisai Koroisau, who filled in for the suspended Issac Luke at hooker in their grand final victory over the Bulldogs, has defected to Penrith, while Beau Champion has also packed his bags, heading off to Parramatta.
However, their losses have been offset by the big arrivals of Tim Grant and Glenn Stewart from the Panthers and Sea Eagles respectively, and it’s hoped that both will look to fill the voids left by the departures of Burgess and Te’o.
The Rabbitohs will enter 2015 with a huge target on their heads as 15 other clubs look to hunt them down. Can the Bunnies successfully retain their title or will another team rise above the rest? All remains to be seen.
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
Who are the hardest working big men in the NRL?
Over the last two weeks while I’ve been watching the footy I’ve been reminded of the career of Nick Kyrgios. He is an incredibly…
Help is on the way for under-fire South Sydney coach Jason Demetriou, with the club adding the experienced David Furner as his assistant, tasked…
The NRL 360 crew think 20-year-old Jye Gray may continue to play at fullback even after Latrell Mitchell returns from his suspension.
South Sydney, if you've had your head in the sand, aren’t in the best of shape. They looked better on Saturday night in defeat…
Jason Demetriou will get more time to turn South Sydney around with Bunnies bosses set to give the coach a stay of execution. The…
