While watching the Dragons being toweled up by the Knights last week it set me wondering what it would be like to have a dominant pack of forwards.
A pack so good that even Ben Hunt and Corey Norman would look like first-grade halves running around behind them, and a pack that wouldn’t allow the opposition to score soft tries.
I had a wander down memory lane over the years that I’ve been following the game to determine what was the best club pack of forwards to take the field at one time.
The following great premiership-winning forward packs came to mind: 1966 St George Dragons, 1972 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, 2006 Brisbane Broncos, 2015 North Queensland Cowboys and 2017 Melbourne Storm.
However, for sheer domination in every sense of the word, I couldn’t go past the South Sydney Rabbitohs’ pack of 1970. Every one of these forwards was an international, and just about the best player in their position in the game. I doubt if any rival pack of forwards even go close to them.
Here they are.
13. Ron Coote
He is ranked number two behind the great Johnny Raper as the second best lock forward of all time. He was very mobile, a great cover defender and an excellent ball player. He played 257 games for both Souths and Easts, 15 games for NSW and 23 games for Australia, including three games as captain, before injury forced him into early retirement in 1978. Coote won four premierships with Souths (1967, 1968, 1970 and 1971) and two with the Roosters (1974 and 1975). He was a noted try scorer with 87 first-grade tries.
12. Bob McCarthy
He played 251 first-grade games for both Souths and Canterbury, 11 games for NSW and 15 games for Australia, including one as captain. He won three premierships with the Rabbitohs (1967, 1970 and 1971). McCarthy was a big, mobile forward with a great turn of speed who pioneered the wide-running forward game, and he was almost unstoppable on his day, running in 119 first-grade tries in his career.
11. Gary Stevens
He was a tough-tackling second-rower who rarely missed his man. Stevens played 189 first-grade games for both Souths and Canterbury and five games for Australia. He won two premierships with Souths (1970 and 1971).
10. John Sattler
Hailing from the Newcastle coal fields, John Sattler was a hard, uncompromising forward and a natural leader, captaining the Rabbitohs to four premierships (1967, 1968, 1970 and 1971).
(Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)
He was famous for his courage in playing through the 1970 grand final with a broken jaw. Sattler played 197 games for Souths, and four each for NSW, Queensland and Australia, captaining Australia on three occasions.
9. Elwyn Walters
Back in the day when hookers worked for a living, there was none better than Walters, who not only dominated opponents in the scrums, but was a clever forward with the ball in his hands and an uncompromising defender. Walters played 192 games for Souths, Easts and Manly and won five premierships, three with Souths (1967, 1968 and 1970) and two with the Roosters (1974 and 1975). A very durable player, Walters played 11 games for NSW and 20 games for Australia.
8. John O’Neill
An aggressive and much feared front-rower, O’Neill dominated opposition forwards for 12 seasons, going on to play 202 games for Souths and Manly, and winning a total of six premierships, four with Souths (1967, 1968, 1970 and 1971) and two with Manly (1972 and 1973). He also played five games for NSW and ten games for Australia.
I doubt if we’ll see the like of this forward pack ever again.
Big Mig
Roar Rookie
Great article Barry, the results achieved by that (late 60's- early '70's) Rabbitohs team speak for themselves. I'd also add having met some of the players like Coote, Sattler and MCarthy they are true gentlemen, true sportsmen and proven to be great role models for subsequent generations. There is no other, unlikely to ever to be replicated. Glory glory.
Willie La'ulu
Roar Guru
2017 Storm pack! Glad they got a mention.
Cadfael
Roar Guru
Moses started off as a centre but moved to the forwards when the four tackle rule came in.
kk
Roar Pro
You are on the right bus, Glenn. Ialways had a soft spot for Laurie Bruyeres but Col Pearce did it better.
Glenn
Guest
kk I saw the 1960 St George pack play and in my view no pack since then would hold a candle up to them. Those who think the 2006 Broncos pack was up there in that company should remember that the Dragons came to Suncorp in the qualifying semi final that year and, in front of a crowd of 50K, beat the Broncos 20-4. Sadly the Dragons didn't get a second go at Brisbane in the grand final -which in my view they would have won easily on "home" turf in Sydney. The Broncos beat the Storm, I couldn't care less what the score was. I also think that Col Pearce was the greatest referee in the Rugby League in any era that I saw, and any suggestion of bias in favour of Souths is fanciful. He was scrupulously fair, modest and amazingly accurate, and that without the benefit of modern technology to assist him.
Tony
Roar Guru
Tim, I was at the first game that Ryan played for Canterbury against St George in 1967 and he really showed the Dragons why they shouldn't have let him go. Had he stayed at the Dragons in 1967, I have no doubt that they would have notched up their 12th consecutive premiership.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
Kevin Ryan was as smart as he was tough. He got a law degree and went into politics and became the member for Hurstville. St.George made a bad decision when they chose Ian Walsh over Ryan for the coach to take over from Norm Provan. Ryan took Canterbury, who had been in the bottom three for decades, to the grand final in 1967 where they looked like winners until Bob McCarthy's intercept try.
Stevo
Guest
Yes Tim, the Tigers supporters were quietly confidant. And apologies for the typo, that team of course included 'Barry' not Garry McTaggart.
Tony
Roar Guru
Yes Terry, amazing how the size of players were then compared to now. Even guys like Kevin Ryan, John O'Neill and Bobby McCarthy wouldn't be as big as most of the backs going around today, but I guess the difference is, they played the whole 80 minutes.
Tony
Roar Guru
That he was, Terry, and had a good turn of speed to go with it.
Phil
Roar Rookie
Greg Johns, John "Pogo' Morgan was a second rower for Manly. You are thinking of Jim Morgan, the front rower who went to Souths from Maitland. He was once picked from reserves to play test footy against the Poms in 1970 where he tried to show Cliff Watson how to do a Liverpool kiss. Cliff said to him that's not how it's done, this is and opened up Jim's face. That was in the Battle of Brisbane.
terrykidd
Roar Pro
Ahhh Dick Huddart .... a hard as nails Englishman
terrykidd
Roar Pro
Ahhh Barry I see that "there is an article in there somewhere" popped into existence .... and it is a nice one too. Yeah that Bunnies pack was real tough, very very hard to get on top of. A few years ago I had a chat and a beer with John Sattler at his Runcorn Tavern in Brisbane. He was quietly spoken, modest but with intelligent comment. I was surprised how small he was .... at the time I was 180cm and 100kg and I had a good 12cm in height and 10kg in weight on John. I didn't know he owned the tavern when I walked in for a beer (and to watch the Dragons on the telly) but he greeted me when I walked to the bar and I stuck my hand out and said "John Sattler, nice to meet you" ..... he just got a big smile on his face.
Tony
Roar Guru
I don't think anyone really wanted to start Kevin Ryan up.
Tony
Roar Guru
I do remember those days unfortunately. The scrums then were an even bigger lottery than the bunker today.
kk
Roar Pro
Hi jimmmy, Artie and Brad would be in my squad and Gavin just misses. Raper was the equal of having two men. St George's secret .They played with 14. There was one player we all overlook. Roarer Muzz identified Phil Clarke when he played with Easts as the most intelligent player he had seen. The poor bugger broke his neck in four places and never played again. I witnessed Phil's skills live in one game only. Muzz was on the money. Phil is now a Super League lead commentator .
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
Souths 36 and Balmain 34 were the two standout teams in the rounds well clear of Manly and St.George. Balmain beat Souths 16-7 in round 1 and Souths won 22-4 in round 12. Souths won the major semi-final 14-13 but I was convinced Balmain could win it. It was not an upset at all let alone the biggest upset of all time as some Souths fans call it. Balmain did not concede a try in a great win without Arthur Beetson.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
Despite being ripped off in 1967, Canterbury would've won if they had decided to kick a field goal instead of throwing an intercept. A few years ago Alan Clarkson, Sydney Morning Herald RL writer, confessed that he and Col Pearce, the referee involved in the Souths 1955 fairy tale run, were Souths fans who watched the games together. Col Pearce got them home in 1967 and 1968 on the back of dubious scrum penalties. John Sattler admitted he didn't start punch ups when Kevin Ryan was an opponent.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
They did have the entire Kangaroo pack in 1970 but they reached that status because they were good at winning scrums and scrum penalties from referee Col Pearce a Souths fan. Do you remember all the scrum rules and the scrum going down every 4 tackles that didn't end in a field goal? Field goals were reduced to one point in 1971 with tackles increased to six because the game had become a scrum contest.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
A few years ago Alan Clarkson, Sydney Morning Herald RL writer, confessed that he and Col Pearce, the referee involved in the Souths 1955 fairy tale run, were Souths fans who watched the games together. Col Pearce got them home in 1967 and 1968 on the back of dubious scrum penalties. Englishman Dick Huddart said he didn't know how Souths got away with all the head high tackling but now we know. The 1967 game saw the introduction of the 4 tackle rule resulting in a scrum every 4 tackles. Scrum penalties rose and the field goal became a primary point scoring skill. Billy Wilson got sent off in 1962 for punching Jim Cody but in 1968 Ron Coote knocked Bill Bradstreet out and only got a caution from the old Souths fan.