The ongoing torture of South Sydney fans

While I'm all for traditional teams remaining in the comp, when wests, norths and balmain were given the ultimatum to merge or fold, they took the merger / takeover option as a last resort otherwise it was oblivion. Why does souths deserve to come back after folding, after refusing to merge? Then they get re-instated only because some influential people with money throw some their way and a huge rally of fans, who never seem to turn up to watch the actual games 10-15,000 in a 80,000 stadium. Souths failed the criteria in 1999 and they have shown nothing since to prove they are worthy of remaining in the comp. Why not dissolve the merged teams and bring back the Fibros??

onthetryline, you've just emphasised beautifully the point of this piece re the expectations of Souths fans. The club is doing very well off the field, but that hasn't translated into on field success yet. They are the only club to have not made the finals since 2008 and have only been there once in around 20 years. Hopefully Maguire will fix that culture up, but the facts point to Souths being the worst in the comp.

NSWRL/ARL/NRL 1992-2011 South Sydney Rabbitohs Premiership record. They have made the top 8 once in 20 years. 1992 - 14th/16 1993 - 14th/16 1994 - 9th/16 1995 - 18th/20 1996 - 19th/20 1997 - 11th/12 1998 - 18th/20 1999 - 12th/17 2002 - 14th/15 2003 - 15th/15 2004 - 15th/15 2005 - 13th/15 2006 - 15th/15 2007 - 7th/16 in the eight 2008 - 14th/16 2009 - 10th/16 2010 - 9th/16 2011 - 11th/16

You know your team has a drawer full of spoons when you say "higher than x,y,z" when you don't make the eight lmao. I guess it's better than "lower than everyone else". I don't think Sutton lacks brilliance, he lacks consistency. I've seen him have some great games. What he isn't is an organiser and I don't think Sandow was great at that either, the bunnies have lacked direction for a long time. I really don't think they know how to win either, that loss against the roosters just shouldn't have happened.

I'm not sayiing this to be mean or inciting. But are Souths the worst team in Australian professional sport for the 2000's? In the AFL Freo have made a few Semi's, even a prelim against the Swans as I recall, even Richmond have got into the semi's over the years. The Tahs, Reds and Brumbies have all at a minimum made the Final of the Super 15 and I think most of the A-League teams have played finals and grand final football. NBL seems to have had its swings and roundabouts in terms of teams making the GF so maybe the Western Force in rugby is the other cotender, but they haven't been around a full decade. Are Souths the worst performing professional sports team in Australia since the turn of the century?

Souths have a losing culture that's becoming more ingrained with every year that passes. If I remember correctly in 89 Souths won the minor premiership but lost both semis to not make the GF so it's sometime before then that they won their most recent semi. I don't think they made the semis in 88... How are Souths going with the salary cap ? There's talk of them going after DCE but he must surely be in the $450k + price bracket, more if you compare him with Sandow's $550k. Souths are paying a decent amount of coin for a number of their players - Asotasi, Inglis, Taylor, Sutton, Burgess. As we saw with Melbourne it only takes four players on big money to blow the cap. I'm not suggesting that souths are pulling a shifty but I can't see how they have a spare $450k+ lying about under their cap.

If they all put in like Burgess, they would be unbeatable. They need to step up as a team. Apart from that they seem ok. Someone has to lose. I think another point you have to llok at, i myself enjoy watching them, so they have entertainment value. Same as the warriors. And it took the Warriors awhile to learn how to win those tight games. Souths will get their, once you get their, i think their is no turning back.

I believe that there was a lot of politics in that decision that revolved around a certain hotel on the North Coast....

Souths haven't had a winning season (won more games than they've lost) since 1989. That's not good enough. I'm a Souths fan, but I'm sick of losing. Armani suits don't win premierships, the best players in key positions do. It's time Souths stopped spending their cap on massive forwards and outside backs and invested in players that win games and win comps.

and what's worst is that this decade, and the one preceding it, appears to have truly ingrained it's self into the culture. That lost to the Roosters was amazingly insane, but raises no surprises to anyone in the league community, "well, that's South's" is the typical statement. and no one, Hollywood superstar to best player in the world (well used to be GI) seems to be able to turn it around.

Apologies for the similar tone, but my difference to Matt is that he remains optimistic about the Rabbits, whereas I'm saying that's part of the problem - two losses to start the season is no reason for optimism. It's kick the cat time.

I agree. if Souths were to go to Reynolds they needed to buy a better six in the off season to ensure their big guns were at full bore. Available: Hohaia, Mortimer, Roberts, Lui and Carney. Two troubled stars but surely Carney was worth the risk (Julian O'Neill style). Now it seems they're letting Maloney through their fingers. The rumours say Wallace, maybe Stig could become disillusioned if Mullen, Gidley and Boyd keep him out of the starting 13. But that's a good problem for the Knights to have.

I would try that as well. (as discussed yesterday)

it is reminisent of the Bulldogs going all out to keep Anasta over Thurston. (not syaing Sandow is as good as Thurston or even Sutton as good as Anasta), but the Dogs clearly made a massive blunder letting Thurston go and even though people think the Eels have over paid for Sandow, the Rabbits aren't (it would seem) paying much less for Sutton..

I reckon moving GI to 5/8th is at least worth a chance. I suspect he's a bit lazy for it but the bloke just oozes talent - as well as power, speed, and a fend that could demolish buildings - so why not try it before the season slips away (yeah I know we've only had 2 rounds, but this is a competitive comp).

bjt, I've been saying exactly what you've been saying for the last couple of years. Sutton is a good player, but he's possibly the worst five eighth in the comp. Darryl Brohman made me laugh last year. It was on the Footy Show and they were showing the "Pepsi Challenge" adverts where John Sutton fires passes that hit various targets. The clip ends and Darryl looks John Sutton square in the eye.... "Any chance you could do that on the field some time John?"

"The only people whoever think Souths are going to have any success are the Souths fans" +1 this. - 2005 finished higher than Newcastle - 2007 top 8 - 2008 higher than the Bulldogs - 2009 higher than Penrith, Cronulla and Roosters, - 2010 higher than Parramatta, Cronulla, Bulldogs and Newcastle - 2011 higher than Roosters, Penrith, Cronulla and Parramatta Is that not a concern? I'd say that pretty much bares B.A's argument out.

OK, BAS might have made a spelling mistake but I think the basic point is solid. Actually, Souths haven't just been the worst performed Sydney team since they were re-instated, it's easy to make a case that they have been the worst performed team in the whole comp. In 10 seasons since they were reinstated they have: * Made the finals once (Sharing second worst on 3 times is Panthers, Tigers and Sharks) * Got the wooden spoon 4 times, salary-cap scandals not withstanding (next worst is once shared by 6 teams) * Finished no higher than 7th making them the only team not to have finished in the Top 4 at least once. * Managed the lowest amount of wins in a season (3) in both 03 and 06 (next worst is 5 for a few teams including Souths again). Souths add a lot to the colour of the comp, they have great supporters and huge history - but they are indisputably the worst performing team of the last decade.

It is concerning to think that bunnies had a better team last year and couldn't make the 8 (although Burgess was injured), so it's probably not going to be a bright one this year. The biggest mistake was keeping (or signing first) Sutton over Sandow. The faith they've placed in Sutton is really quite amazing, and I hope for their sake it does pay off, but I'm not holding my breath. The sooner they move him to the second row, and get a new five eight or give his jersey to GI, the sooner the games will start going in their favour.

Dude calm down. i don't know what "physco - analysing" is, and i am a poor typist. Take it easy. I didn't say every year you have finished lower than every other team, I said the club who has performed poorest over the last 10-12 years since they were re-instated has been Souths. So to use the teams you mentioned above; Newcastle, Bulldogs, Roosters, Penrith have all won premierships Parramatta has been to two grand finals and the finals numerous times. Cronulla have won a minor premiership and made 4 prelim finals. Souths have made it to the play offs once and they got knocked straight out (if my memory is correct). So they haven't won a finals match since 1989 (or something) So all of those teams mentioned have probablywon at least 10 finals matches more than Souths have. The only thing Souths have won more than any of those clubs you mentioned is, sadly, the spoon.