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South Sydney: The ultimate rags to riches tale

The Bunnies' 2014 win was one of rugby league's great moments. (AAP Image/Paul Miller)
Roar Pro
13th November, 2014
53

The South Sydney Rabbitiohs’ 2014 Premiership is one of the great sporting stories of recent years.

Whether or not your a fan of the club or the game itself, their rise to the NRL summit has to be admired.

Their battler status is well documented, but that is now history. They were long time paupers residing in the outhouse, now they are princes residing in the penthouse.

For all of the success the club achieved during the late 60s, early 70s and a good 80s, they really plummeted in the 90s.

Souths were a rabble, a bottom feeder. They were so bad, they became extinct as an NRL playing entity. After their readmission in 2002, they were still just making up the numbers until their breakthrough semi-final appearance in 2007. That was the first year under the ownership of Russell Crowe and Peter Holmes-Court.

These two men have instigated an incredible turnaround, ably assisted by Chairman Nick Pappas, CEO Shane Richardson and the missing piece of the puzzle – coach Michael Maguire.

Maguires signing in my view is the most pivotal in the club’s recent history. Greg Inglis would be second, and the Burgess brothers third.

Under John Lang, the Rabbits improved and were competitive each week. He set up a solid platform for Maguire but probably doesn’t receive any credit for doing so.

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However Maguire has taken the players to a different level in all facets of the game. Most notably self belief, mental toughness and fitness. Madge instilled confidence in the players, club and fans that they could achieve greatness. They players will run through brick walls for him.

The Rabbitohs are now an NRL juggernaut. Success on and off the field has set up the foundations for a prosperous future. I’m not predicting they will repeat in 2015 as history suggests that is darn near impossible.

However, as long as Maguire is coach they will be contenders and or top-eight material. They have a young roster full of great talent mixed with experienced heads, perennial strong juniors coming through and now most importantly they have established a winning culture.

The icing on the cake was James Packer becoming a co-owner and dramatically increasing the value of the club.

It just keeps getting better for the Bunnies.

The squad head off on the weekend to the USA for a two-week camp to begin their pre-season campaign. This is the first time they will embark on such a camp, again illustrating how far they have come and the standards now set.

It really is a fantastic sporting story, that of the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

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Glory, Glory indeed.

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