Albert Clift, George Treweek & Eddie Root (image courtesy of Col Whelan)
On Friday 26th June 2020 an image was posted in our newly created Facebook group ‘Rabbitohs Radio Podcast Listeners’ by legendary photographer Col Whelan.
Beneath the photo Col asked the question “Any idea who these blokes are”?
The next day we had our answer thanks to Chris Isouard. In the picture stood three Rabbitohs legends Albert Clift, George Treweek & Eddie Root.
“Albert mentioned this day in a couple of his interviews over the years” said Chris. “Treweek and Root visited him in the early 80s and presented him with some of their playing memorabilia. Like many, Albert was a hero of mine and inspired me as a kid to collect everything Souths”.
Albert Clift
Albert Clift was a former player for South Sydney, former official and director, was the Club’s first mascot back in 1968, held an amazing collection of Rabbitohs memorabilia including the famed timekeeper’s bell from the first game in 1908 & is a Life Member of the Football Club.
Albert CliftAlbert Clift & Russell Crowe ring the famous timekeepers bell in 2002Russell Crowe purchased the bell for $42000 to ensure it stayed in red & green hands
Eddie Root
Eddie Root (first grade player #139) 109 games & 34 tries was a starting forward in the Rabbitohs golden era of 7 premiership wins between 1925-32. Root had a brilliant career & is rightly regarded as one of the greatest ever Rabbitohs.
Eddie Root
The 1931 Rabbitohs
The 1931 South Sydney Rabbitohs defeated the Eastern Suburbs Roosters 12-7 in the NSWRL grand final. Eddie Root was the hooker & George Treweek played second row.
Second row: Eddie Root, Jack Morrison, Frank O’Connor, George Treweeke (vc), Frank Curran, Harry Eyers, Benny Wearing. Front row: Jack Why, Jim Tait, Carl Eggen, Paddy Maher (capt), Albert Spillane, Jim Deeley, Perce Williams. (Picture courtesy of SSR Almanac)
George Treweek
George Treweek (first grade player #153) 119 games & 40 tries was a starting forward in the Rabbitohs golden era of 7 premiership wins between 1925-32. He is a legendary attacking player who was rated as the finest second row forward the game has produced.
George Treweek was once described as “all arms & legs”George Treweek played 7 tests for the Kangaroos George & Eddie visit Albert
On this weeks show we bask in the glory of our 40-12 win over the Warriors, chat to our special guest Souths fan Jeremy Muir, preview the monster clash with the Panthers, Roy Asotasi is our Remembering A Rabbitoh & we talk about Cowboys legendary jouno Doug Kingston.
Remembering A Rabbitoh – Roy Asotasi First Grade Player No #1047
Roy Asotasi is an Auckland junior who became an interchange forward with the Bulldogs in 2003, appeared in all 28 matches for the club in the premiership-winning 2004 season. Although 23 of these games (including the grand final) were from the interchange bench, Asotasi used his mobility and size to good effect at the club. In October that year he made his Test debut in the 16-all draw with Australia before making two more Test appearances for the Kiwis in England during the Tri Nations competition. Asotasi matured as a Test class forward and played in NZ’s victory in the Tri-Nations final in 2005. The following year he became a key signing for the battling Souths club for the 2007 season. – ALAN WHITICKER
Rabbitoh Of The Week – Jasmin Mavin & Tony Kingston
Jasmin & Tony relax at home
Our co Rabbitohs Of The Week are Mavos daughter Jas & her boyfriend Tony. Jas is an instructional designer & she has been a huge help on the show giving us guidance with production & design plus she provides us with honest feedback for the show, website & socials.
Jasmin went to South Sydney High like her dad, represented Souths in several Oztag State Cups & also in netball. Jas first dream job was to be the first woman of league and she had the word Mavo printed across the back of her year 12 red & green school footy jersey. Jas now works for Harvey Norman who sponsor the NRL and founded Women In League
Doug was a journalist at the Townsville Bulletin & in 1989 there was a Panasonic Cup game between the Broncos & Eels scheduled to be played in Townsville. Locals formed long lines to buy tickets & Doug seized the opportunity to promote the idea that North Queenland should have their own footy team by writing an article in the paper, meetings were held, committees were formed, the public was consulted & the rest is history.
In an article written in 2015 for the Cowbys 20th anniversary Doug talks about the day he arrived at the NSWRL headquarters with Kerry Boustead;
“The application (for the Cowboys to be included in the competition) was supported by a petition signed by almost 30,000 North Queenslanders, and letters of support from 20 major companies, 11 public sector organisations and 14 politicians.
It was delivered to NSWRL headquarters in Sydney by stagecoach, with Boustead riding up front with a shotgun, and me sitting on the back firing blanks from a starter’s pistol to simulate gunfire and attract attention.
The stagecoach had the desired effect because for the first time, the Cowboys were in the Sydney newspapers and on national television. We would never get away with that sort of trick today. Bowey and I would probably be arrested on suspicion of being terrorists”.
Tony is also a great young DJ & loves his music, when speaking about his dad he said “Besides rugby league my dad was also involved in the sport of basketball in North Queensland. Dad also helped to get Elton John to Townsville & when I once told him about the lack of live music in our home town he managed to help persuade the Groovin The Moo music festival to come to Townsville & that is now a regular event in the town”
Crowds in Townsville formed long queues to buy tickets to a rugby league game in 1989
The story of the first meeting to form the Cowboys has similarities to the famous meeting to form the South Sydney Rabbitohs. The Rabbitohs officially began on the 17th January 1908 at Redfern Town Hall when administrator J J Giltinan, cricketer Victor Trumper and politician Henry Hoyle gathered together in front of a large crowd of supporters.
The South Sydney Rabbitohs broke their 3 game losing streak on Saturday afternoon 13th June 2020 at Bankwest Stadium, Sydney with a 32-12 victory over the Gold Coast Titans.
This victory song has traditionally been sung by the team for decades dating back to the Bunnies glory days. We can’t give you the exact date it began to be used but perhaps there’s a Bunnies historian reading this now that could enlighten us. Mavo & Browny love singing the tune because it brings back memories of wins with their mates.
The songs lyrics are-
“Now that we’re all around the bar And the captains declared it a quorum We’re drinking our way through the night And we’re having the time of our lives Throw the empties away start again, start again For the boys of South of South Sydney are together And we’ll drink til the dawn breaks again May the sessions of South Sydney last forever Up the Rabbitohs!”
On this weeks podcast we speak to 2014 premiership winning Rabbitoh Jason Clark, our Remembering A Rabbitoh is Darrell ‘Number 9’ Bampton, we examine the big win over the Titans, look forward to the Warriors clash, name our Rabbitoh Of The Week & much more.
Remembering A Rabbitoh – Darrell Bampton (first grade player number 559)
Darrell Maxwell Bampton, captain in 1978, had a distinguished career as a player and administrator. Born on 20 June 1949, he was a junior with the Alexandria Rovers, Waterloo and Zetland clubs, was captain of the President’s Cup premiership winning team in 1969 and a member of the third grade premiership winning team the same year.
Darrell played 116 games for Souths in seasons 1969-73 and 1978-79, including 51 in first grade, scoring one try. Bampton was awarded Life Membership of SSDRLFC in 1994, and on Monday 9 June 2009, his talents were recognised by the Australian Government when he was awarded the Order Of Australia Medal (OAM) for services to Rugby League.
Latrell Mitchell stars in 32-12 win over the Titans
Latrell Mitchell put on a masterclass for the Bunnies in the big 32-12 win over the Titans at Bankwest Stadium on Saturdat 13th June.
Charlie Rabbit flies the flag at Bankwest Stadium on Saturday 13th June 2020
#ChapsFromRabbitohsRadio
We have started a new hashtag for our co-host Grant Chappell, just type in #ChapsFromRabbitohsRadio on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram & all of Chaps interviews will be there for you to watch.
The South Sydney Rabbitohs victory song has been around a long time, we wonder if anyone reading this might know more about the songs history? Where did it come from, who wrote it & what year did the team team adopt it? If not all good we just love hearing the boys singing it loud & proud ❤️💚
Mavo & Browny love singing the tune because it brings back memories of wins with their mates. We’ve included a photo with the songs lyrics but much like the national anthem the second verse is not sung by the team. We’ve also included some old pics that concern the famous Glory Glory song & its origins.
Marco Sivis from SSR Almanac writes-
Talking to former players, you quickly find out that it pre-dates the modern era and goes before the 70’s era as players from the 1950’s would sing it with the young players of the 60’s. The tune and original words pre-date World War II and also predate World War I.
The tune gives us a guide to the age of the origins of the song. The melody was a popular melody in British pubs at the turn of 18th-century. It was based upon a tune from Anacreonicty Society, a 18th-century club of amateur musicians in London. That society was dedicated to ancient Greek poet Anacreon, who was renowned for his drinking songs and odes to love. This society would meet and combine musical appreciation with eating and drinking.
The melody came to Australia with the early settlers and convicts and sung on many occassions at the bars around Sydney. With the famous drinking melody being picked up by many it was no surprise to see the South Sydney club also pick up this melody for its song during the celebration of a win.
The melody became famous when the tune was also picked up and used by Francis Scott Key in his famous 1776 poem “Defence of Fort McHenry”. It is then ironic that a British pub melody and the words by Key became known as the “The Star-Spangled Banner” and were adopted as the national anthem of the United States in 1931.
Welcome Back!
During the show this week we played some of the song “Welcome Back The Juniors’ that was created by the Robertson Brothers. The Robertson Brothers are well known for their parody songs for Ray Hadley on 2GB & also for the Continous Call Team .
“Welcome Back” is a popular record that was the theme song of the 1970s American television sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter. Written and recorded by former Lovin’ Spoonful frontman John Sebastian, it reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for one week in May 1976 after only five weeks on the chart (the show itself had become an instant ratings success upon its premiere the previous fall).
A young John Travolta played Vinnie Barbarino in the show
NRL coaches successfully argued against an obstruction rule overhaul 18 months ago, admitting they would flood the game with block plays if the “inside shoulder” interpretation was relaxed.
On this weeks show we talk to our newest Rabbitoh, first grade player number 1157 Keaon Koloamatangi & welcome back Cody Walker & James ‘Jimmy The Jet’ Roberts. We also look forward to the debut of another rising star in our forward ranks Patrick ‘Pati’ Mago.
Mikey Siciliano nominated his mate Matthew Cheesman (Cheese) “without this guy I wouldn’t be the mad Rabbitohs fan I am to this day. I met Matt by chance as I was walking my dog down the street and he was walking his. We went to the same school together back in the day but were never really close. Anyway, as I started to chat with him it turns out we had something in common, we were both massive Rabbitohs fans. He told me that he made it to pretty much every Rabbitohs game each year with his family and invited me to join. Ever since then we’ve become best mates and haven’t missed a home game in Sydney since, even traveling to the Central Coast for home games and Mudgee for the Charity Shield. I owe Matthew my passion for NRL and the Mighty South Sydney Rabbitohs to him”. Mikey also credits Cheese for making him a Rabbitohs Radio podcast listener so thanks for that Cheese!
The Rabbitohs have certainly been through a tumultuous time of late. We lost Sam & George Burgess, GI & Sutto leaving us with a depleted roster. Richo goes but not before we gain Latrell & a couple of surprise forwards in Sele & Mago.
Then it’s one drama after the next. Latrell, Jimmy & Cody put the team in the headlines then GI drops a bombshell. If ever we needed some footy to get us back on track it’s now!
Beaten by the Broncos
It’s been a long time between drinks thanks to the dreaded Covid shutdown. When the Bunnies run on the field this Friday it will be 10 weeks to the day since their last game when they were rolled by the Broncos at Suncorp on the 20th March.
This is a loss we’d rather put behind us, it was frustrating to watch & a Stagg hat trick spoiled any chance the Bunnies had of winning the game.
The Broncos lost Croft in the 11th minute & were down to 16 men so we had them on the ropes but didn’t land enough blows to put them away.
Latrell chimed into the back line early with a class quick hands ball to Graham who just failed to score but then the Broncos took charge.
Stagg exposed some brittle defence on the left edge then the Milf carved us up in the middle making it all look too easy. The Broncos forwards were rolling, they were cruising at 10-0.
To their credit the Rabbitohs steadied the ship. A super Cody Walker cutout pass to Graham put us on the board & then a Latrell short pass to Jimmy The Jet saw Cody back up to level the score. A penalty goal handed us a surprise 12-10 halftime lead.
The 2nd half started like the 1st with Stagg finding the stripe with too much ease then Herbie goes bananas to help Stagg bag a treble.
AJ injected some spark off the bench & we somehow found ourselves with a late chance to score & produce an unlikely comeback. This of course didn’t happen & we’ve had an extra long wait to lament where we went wrong.
Friday night v the Chooks @ Bankwest
I only have fond memories of clashes with the Chooks when I was playing for the Rabbitohs in the late 80s. In 7 games we won 5 & I scored 5 tries. I couldn’t tell you one thing about the losses but the wins & tries remain embedded in my brain in my happy place as a pleasant highlights package. My favourite is round 2, 1988 when I scored a try on full time to seal the Rabbitohs first win at the the new Sydney Football Stadium. Scoring a try for Souths is great, scoring against the Chooks is unreal, scoring a try to win the game against the Chooks is the ultimate (just ask Adam Reynolds).
Roosters supporters are a different breed, they have this inferiority complex & feelings of envy that will never go away when it comes to the mighty Rabbitohs. It must be tough to be forever in the shadow of the pride of the league & the banter I enjoy with my numerous Rooster mates will never get old.
The most fantastic news from the early 2020 NRL season is that the back to back premiers suffered back to back defeats & that leaves them with an 0-2 start.
The loss of Cooper Cronk & Latrell Mitchell had an immediate effect as did the absence of Boyd Cordner. No Cronk has pointed the spotlight on the Roosters new halves pairing & whether their kicking game is up to scratch. Alarm bells are ringing at Bondi & if the Bunnies can extend their losing streak to 0-3 panic may set in.
My predicted scenario for this game is Latrell Mitchell to play well & we win. The bear has been poked so I’d love to see him go out & ravage the opposition. This would rub salt into the wound. Even better would be a try from Latrell in a win or if I dare to dream a Latrell match winning try (think Adam Reynolds/Steve Mavin).
We’re going to miss Cody Walker but there’s big wraps on Troy Dargan so here’s hoping he has a blinder on debut, we definitely need it against a Chooks team frothing to bounce back & get a win on the board. The Morris twins reunite & the return of Cordner strengthens an already ridiculously talented Roosters team.
The key to victory for the Rabbits lies in a tightened defence & our forwards laying the platform for our backs to shine. We saw some good signs in the first 2 rounds from Burgess, Knight, Tatola & Sua. We know what Cook & Murray can do so they just need to go out there & produce. Magos return is a further boost, his early form before he tore his pec was encouraging.
The new 6 again ruck rule might allow Cook to explode into action with more regularity. There’s no better sight than seeing our Kangaroos hooker darting into the clear. I think we can win but we’ll need to be at our best & get all the little things right. Complete sets, control the ball & play disciplined footy. Get to our kicks & don’t give away penalties. It’s a simple formula but if they can manage to achieve that then we have the squad to compete with anyone.
Bankswest Stadium
I went with the missus to Souths first game at the new Parra Stadium aka Bankwest in round 12 last year when we lost to the Eels 26-14. I was curious to check out the arena & now that it’s the Rabbitohs new home ground for a while, here’s a summary for when the crowds can return.
We decided to stay overnight at the Mantra which is only about a mile away from the ground. There’s limited parking at Bankwest Stadium but there’s quite a few parking stations in the area & we parked at the hotel car park.
We went to Parra Leagues before the game, went upstairs & found a great table overlooking the stadium at Pablos Cantina Y Cerveza. The food was alright but the highlight was the beer brewed on site by Jacks Brewery. I do love a good craft beer, there’s something special about a pint or 3 of freshly brewed pale ale before kickoff.
We decided to check out the rest of the club & this turned out to be a mistake. On this busy evening the sports bar was packed, the auditorium is now filled with pokies so it was standing room only. We left & went to the ground.
The amenities at Bankwest are quite good, we bought higher category seats & the view of the action was great. You can also walk down & watch the game around the 20 metre line behind the disabled seats. It’s standing room only but it’s an awesome view there. The variety of food is nice but even though there’s plenty of bars we still had to line up too long for my liking & it wasn’t a sell out crowd (21645). My other gripe is that they only sell mid strength beer which I’m not a fan of. This trend across stadiums in this country is ordinary as far as I’m concerned. If they want people to come to games then let them drink quality beer not the watered down stuff. Anyway I found a loophole, the cider & red wine is full strength so that’s what I tucked into.
After the game we drowned our sorrows in Church Street which was surprisingly vibrant on a Friday night. There’s some decent pubs & eateries along this strip & its just a shame that we weren’t celebrating a win.
Conclusion
The betting is Roosters $1.35 Rabbitohs $3.20 so yet again the evil empire is favoured to win. I say bring on the Chooks, Souths by 4.
A bright note before I go is that the leadership structure at the Rabbitohs looks solid now going forward. With Blake Solly at the helm, Wayne Bennett in charge & Jason Demetriou waiting in the wings we are in good hands. The club is also as closely aligned with the Juniors as it’s ever been & once this Covid fog clears that partnership will continue to flourish.
On Rabbitohs Radio podcast this week we speak to Souths CEO Blake Solly, if you haven’t listened yet please give us a go.
On the podcast this week we speak to Souths CEO Blake Solly, check out our debutant Troy Dargan & look at the moster clash with the Roosters at Bankwest Stadium.
Blake Solly
Newly appointed Rabbitohs CEO Blake Solly is a fine administrator & in our dealings with him he has only ever been welcoming & friendly. We spoke to The Juniors Chairman Keith McCraw about Blake. Keith has put a lot of work into building a close relationship between the junior & senior clubs. Keith said “Blake is an absolute champion & a good operator, we are in good hands”.
Troy Dargan is a 22 year old former Australian Schoolboy and NSW U20s representative as well as representing Cook Islands at Test level. Dargan played for the Guildford Owls, Wentworthville Magpies, Parramatta Eels, Brisbane Broncos & Norths Devils before arriving at Souths. A highly-regarded junior coming through the ranks at the Eels, Dargan played in the 2014 Australian Schoolboys team alongside the likes of Latrell Mitchell, Brock Lamb and Jayden Brailey and in 2016 was the Eels’ NYC Players’ Player and halfback in the NYC Team of the Year.
In 2018 it was reported that Dargan was considered for the starting half role in Round 1 for the Broncos but his NRL dream wasn’t realised. Dargan said at the time “My dad played footy and I just grew up with a football in my hand. Mum and Dad always say one of the first steps I took as a child was walking to try and kick a footy”.
“Mum and Dad said I used to sleep with a ball under my arm every night so I just grew up with a footy and then when you turn 6 and 7 that’s when you start playing and never looked back.
Take a look at his highlight package in the 2019 QLD Cup (below) & you can’t help but be impressed. Dargan is quick, runs the ball, has magic ball skills & a great left foot kicking game. If he can bring that form to the Rabbitohs he’s going be a star in the NRL. On the podcast last year in Season 1 Episode 12 Grand Final Heroes, Scott Sattler praised Dargan, saying he is a speedy halfback & Wayne Bennett is a big fan.
Mick & Blake at Bourke Street Bakery KirraweeRabbitohs fans Chloe & Blake
We spoke to Michael ‘Gibbo’ Gibson about his life as a Rabbitohs supporter. Gibbo is a regular at Bourke Street Bakery & says “If you like mochas and hot chocs you will love the Bourke Street Bakery ones because they use real chocolate buds in there instead of chocolate powder, hardly any joints do that”.
“I’m an inner city boy fell & in love with Rabbitohs in late 80’s while living at Woolloomooloo. I grew up in The Rocks/Millers Point (Ex Rabbitoh Chris Caruana is from same area).”
“My mother and family are Carrions & grew up in Douglas and Mount Streets in Redfern. My uncles Ray and Roy Carrion were Souths fans.”
“My favourite Souths players over the years are Phil Blake for his individual brilliance and Tugger for his craftiness in the late 80’s. I also loved watching Tricky Trindall in the 90’s, he was probably my favourite player to watch of all of them, he was a standout when we were doing it tough. I liked watching John Sutton come through mid 2000’s especially at 5’8, I loved his skill set and left hand offload & more recently watching Cam Murray in attack and defence has been amazing.”
“I haven’t got a favourite moment but just having a quality team to follow each year is my highlight and one that my kids are excited to follow especially after those dark years we had, that’s what I’m happy about. I predict another grand final win before Wayne retires.”
“My kids Chloe and Blake are now mad Rabbitohs fans even though we moved out of the Souths area 2 years ago. My son Blake loves Cody Walker and wants to be him all the time, even my daughter pretends to be John Sutton when they are running around tackling each other.”
“I walked out to my first amateur fight with Reggie Rabbit leading me out to the sounds of Glory Glory. This was a highlight of my sporting life by far.” Michael Gibson
Watch Charlie rabbit lead Mick into battle
Blake & Chloe take a break from footy
Fletch, Gibbo, Fordy, Gezza, Macca, Browny & Mavo in 2014
Gibbo sparring Luke Burgess
Gibbo making his big entrance with Charlie Rabbit
The Juniors is opening its doors on Monday 1st of June 2020
