South Sydney didn’t waste any time expressing their feelings as soon as the full-time siren blared registering Manly’s comprehensive win over the Roosters to set up a grand final eliminator with the Rabbitohs on Friday night.
There was nothing subtle about it either…
“Don’t say it don’t say it don’t say it don’t say it Don’t say it don’t say it don’t say it don’t say it Don’t say it don’t say it don’t say it don’t say it… WE HATE @SeaEagles”
There is no love lost between the two old feisty adversaries. It’s a rivalry built on steroids, the enmity between the clubs and their fans palpable and festering for over a half-century to this very day.
Back to the bad old days of John Sattler’s broken jaw, George Piggins’ furious head-butting, eye-gouging slug-fest with Malcolm Reilly and a real sore point for Souths aficionados – those audacious player poaching raids by Ken Arthurson.
There may not be overt signs of a feud in these days of reveal-all TV camera angles, slo-mo replays, referee on-field reports and judiciary oversight, but Rabbitoh fans of a certain vintage have lingering memories of more blood-curdling times.
Souths were the dominant team in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They had turned back the Sea Eagles in the 1968 grand final, a tight decider, a try apiece with Eric Simms kicking five goals from seven attempts proving the difference in a hard-fought 13-9 victory.
But it was two years later that the blue touch paper was lit. Souths had downed Manly in the major semi-final 22-15 but the grand final was to have an explosive sequel, forever remembered as Bunnies’ skipper Sattler playing for all but three minutes with a broken jaw.
Sattler was king-hit in the opening minutes by Manly prop John Bucknall, with a blow that fractured his jaw in three places.
Sattler recalled the incident: “I prepared to make my way back into the defensive line when Bucknall hit me with a brutal swinging forearm. It was a blow I simply never saw. My knees buckled, then Bucknall jolted my jaw again as he manhandled me, before I staggered back into the defensive line.”
Incredible as it sounds, Satts played on to lead the Rabbitohs to a 23-12 victory. Battered Bucknall didn’t last out the first half trudging off with an injured shoulder as the rest of the vaunted Souths forward pack exacted revenge.
Some 40 years later Sattler discovered that Ron Willey, Manly’s coach in 1970, had instructed Bucknall to go after him in that grand final.
“I told Bucknall to get out there and get you off the field,” Willey told Sattler. “I told John, ‘If the opportunity comes, make sure you take John Sattler out’. I’m sorry, Satts, I didn’t know the damage it would do. I have to put my hand up for that.”
That was the fifth time Manly had finished runners-up and club supremo Ken Arthurson was hellbent on ensuring that his Sea Eagles would not settle for second best, again, so he embarked on an ambitious player recruitment drive.
Arko knew where he had to shop. Souths had a winning culture, winning four of the previous five grand finals.
Among his early targets were Rabbitohs trio Bob Moses, Ray Branighan and John O’Neill. The club’s fortunes began to change, Manly won back-to-back titles in 1972-73 and again later that decade in 1976 and 1978 while Souths waned – they didn’t win another grand final until 2014.
It would become another source of angst for the Souths faithful as the Sea Eagles began to rule the roost – they won 12 of their next 13 encounters over the intervening five years. Rabbitoh fans looked on sullenly as Manly turned the tables with Branighan and O’Neill the focal points.
“I was only concerned with getting Manly to win a premiership. No one twisted their arms or forced them to come,” Arthurson reminisced with the Daily Telegraph recently.
“They made the decision. I didn’t want to be running down the bottom of the ladder. We wanted to win it and that’s what we set out to do.”
In future years, Souths stars Tom Mooney, Tony Melrose, Ian Roberts, Craig Field, Mark Carroll and Dylan Walker all headed to Manly.
In the midst of Manly’s lavish team rebuilding there was another flashpoint in the bad blood between Manly and Souths. It came in a Round 18 meeting on July 21, 1973 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
I was there and witnessed one of rugby league’s most ferocious one-on-one slugfests, one that left a stunned silence given its unrelenting intensity and brutality.
George Piggins, the pugnacious Souths hooker, did not take a backward step as he and Manly’s English kingpin Malcolm Reilly ripped into each other for what seemed like minutes as play went on upfield.
In his biography ‘Never Say Die’ Piggins gives his side of the brutal confrontation.
“We had hold of each other at that point and I said to Reilly, ‘If we carry it on, we’ll be off the paddock.’ ‘Yeah,’ he said.
“I relaxed my hold and next thing he let me have it – a big Liverpool kiss (headbutt). Then it was really on. I grabbed him and came up hard with my head in close. I had a bit of strength and I was able to fling him to the ground and lob on top of him.
“I am a street fighter. It’s win at all costs. Anyhow, it got a lot worse when he shoved a finger in my eye – I don’t know whether it was deliberate or not, it could have been accidental.
“But I saw red. ‘Oh, you want to gouge, you bastard!’ I yelled at him. I went straight for one of his eyes.”
Referee Laurie Bruyeres sent both players off and appeared before the judiciary on charges of head-butting. Both were suspended for three weeks.
Things aren’t as primeval between Souths and Manly these days, thankfully, but the tension and feeling still remain as both teams shape up in their 162nd showdown this Friday night.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
Correction:- Ken Kearney was stood down as captain-coach in 1956 not 1955. Norm Tipping was coach in 1956.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
1. Bradstreet stands up after the p-t-b and Coote punches him in the face, knocking him out. That Pearce thought some niggle was a justification for punching a Manly player in the head puts him in the Souths camp. It has happened in other grand finals, like in 1985 where a Canterbury player knocked out a St.George player from behind. Co-incidentally the referee, Kevin Roberts, was a Souths player. 2. It was the norm in Pearce refereed Souths matches. The four tackle rule was close to a scrum a minute and scrums were the worst place for getting your head punched in and there was no TV in 1955. Ken Kearney was stood down as captain-coach in 1955 because of his feud with referee Pearce. 3. No conspiracy theories needed as Alan Clarkson of the Sydney Morning Herald came out a few years ago and admitted he and his friend Col Pearce attended matches as Souths fans.
Mark McGrath
Roar Rookie
Tim, go watch again and look at Bradstreet punch Coote on the way down in the tackle. Bradstreet punches Coote and Coote punches Bradstreet. It's all there in the video. As I said, referee Pearce obviously and justifiably saw it as tit for tat, which was the norm in those days. No amount of unsubstantiated conspiracy theories from you will change these facts.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
What I saw on TV was Bill Bradstreet played the ball and stood up and the much taller Ron Coote punched him in the face knocking him unconscious before he hit the ground. It was an unprovoked attack like Billy Wilson decking Bill Cody in the 1962 GF. Wilson was sent off but Coote wasn’t because Col Pearce was a Souths fan. Everyone at St.George knew this after the 1955 finals but a few years ago Alan Clarkson admitted that he and Col Pearce went to cheer for their team regularly. Col Pearce won the premiership for Souths in 1955 and who knows what all those scrum penalties were for. Englishman Dick Huddart didn’t understand how Souths got away with all the head high tackles. Col Pearce was a great supporter of the pride of the league.
The Final Word
Roar Rookie
"What a shame this isn’t the grand final... We just all want to beat Melbourne." Pity that the NRL doesn't share those sentiments. Many of us would love to see an all Sydney GF. But of course the NRL have a vested interest in making sure that doesn't happen. Good luck to any Sydney team getting a fair rub of the green when they meet the Storm in the NRL decider. After all, if a team outside of NSW doesn't win the competition, it is hardly something the NRL can use to promote the expansion of their National competition now, is it?
The Final Word
Roar Rookie
Just ask Dylan how much he wants to bet on that not happening. :laughing:
Tom G
Roar Rookie
Maybe his time with the good influences at Manly will mean this one won’t end up in the harbour like his last
Mark McGrath
Roar Rookie
You've left out a couple of crucial bits here TB3. If you watch the replay, Bradstreet comes in with a high, stiff arm to fell Coote. Coot in response, raises his non-ball carrying arm to protect himself and in the process, makes contact with his forearm with Bradstreet's head, much like JWH has done nearly every week for the past 8 years. After Coote is felled and lying on the ground, Bradstreet then jumps on him with an elbow to the head. It was this that made Coote angry, get up of the deck and floor Bradstreet. This all happened right in front of referee Pearce, who obviously saw it as tit for tat and let it go. He could have just as easily marched Bradstreet for his dirty work as he could have for Coote's punch.
The Final Word
Roar Rookie
I'm expecting the Storm to blow the Panthers off the park in a blitzkrieg in the first 20 mins. That will be Souths plan as well, but whether it comes off or not we will have to wait and see. Bennett said that was the greatest advantage of having a week of... the first 20 mins. But I think the last 20-30 mins will also be to the advantage of the side that had the week off.
The Final Word
Roar Rookie
No, that’s OK mate. You can keep him. Along with Dylan Walker. Dylan can show your boys his 2014 premiership ring after the game on Friday, so they get a chance to see what one looks like ahead of Souths progressing to their 22nd premiership. :laughing: :thumbup:
steveng
Roar Rookie
Yep HY may the best team win, should be a great game, looking forward to it!
Hard Yards
Roar Rookie
Should be a great game. Whoever wins.
Hard Yards
Roar Rookie
They never tasted a chip. Seagulls got them first. This will be the game of the round for sure.
steveng
Roar Rookie
The players that manly pooched from us we didn't want anyway, with Dylan Walker we had far too many problems with, I'd have Graham or Gagai any day instead of him, bring it on as all of you are talking about different Manly sides and as matter of a fact this one should be much better, as manly have 2 gun players of ‘so called but not anywhere near’ Bozo Fulton class and/or Cliffy Lyons class but and if anything we've got a Cliffy also in Cody so let’s not get too excited. Should be a great contest but the Bunnies have been a much better side from anything that this Sea “Chooks” (pardon the punt :laughing: ) as they have been a bit like them just recently against the Storm, all in all the Bunnies have been a much better balanced side (even without Trell) as taking Turbo out of Manly would just be no contest as Manly just fall apart and collapse, as its been proven especially this year! All I can say is Go You Beautiful Concurring Bunnies as you will do us proud :thumbup:
Tom G
Roar Rookie
You want Jack back? I’ll drop him off
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
It's good to look back at the great rivalries. In the the 1968 grand final Bill Bradstreet played the ball and looked up at Ron Coote who punched him in the face knocking him out. Coote wasn't sent off because the referee was Col Pearce a Souths fan according to Alan Clarkson his mate who watched Souths games with him. Souths premierships in 1955 and 1967 were both refereed by Col Pearce. The ref was part of the rivalry.
Derek Murray
Roar Rookie
I was at the SCG the day of the Piggins/Reilly dust up. It followed many clashes between them and, you're right, took place miles away from the ball. Unusually for any sort of stoush on a rugby pitch, nobody joined in or tried to pull them apart - initially due to distance but then I'd guess nobody fancied getting in the middle of the fiercest battle I've ever witnessed
The Final Word
Roar Rookie
Oh yeah. Phil Blake was a Manly boy. He played at so many clubs I forgot. Wayne Chisolm was also a good pickup but I can't remember Phil's brother so he couldn't have been much good. Do you want me to go through LONG list of Rabbitohs poached by Manly Tom? You have 2 right now with Dylan Walker and Jack G. :laughing:
Stin
Roar Rookie
???????? was worth a shot bruv!
Pickett
Roar Rookie
I remember after a Easts v Souths game on TV, Fatty saw Beaver Menzies mingling in the Souths dressing room and he exclaimed 'What's he doing there? That's enemy territory'! While Easts v Souths is the biggest in the Book of Feuds, the Souths v Balmain and Manly were also big grudge matches. Balmain is no longer, so I guess that leaves Manly. Anyway, go Manly!