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Roosters v Rabbitohs: We trace the origins of one of rugby leagues great rivalries
Former Sydney Roosters and South Sydney great Ron Coote. Action shots. Picture: Library Nwn Source: The Sunday Telegraph
THINK gypsies, dead rabbits and the Gladiator's famous thumbs down signal. Admittedly, it's a strange combination.
Oddly enough, it goes a long way towards explaining the origins of why South Sydney and the Sydney Roosters will celebrate their hate for each other for the next four days in the lead-up to the opening game of the new NRL season.
On Thursday night at Allianz Stadium, the 104-year-old arch-rivals will contest the Ron Coote Trophy with the same intensity of a bare-knuckle boxing fight on the old Sydney wharves.
To trace why these two teams, with their heartland either side of Anzac Parade, loathe each other so, you have to return to Coote's defection to the Roosters at the end of 1971 and the hate mail the iconic lock received.
"The fans were livid. I remember one woman, she sent me a letter explaining how she was a gypsy and she'd put a gypsy curse on me for joining the Roosters," Coote said.
"Worse still, another family told me they had a pet rabbit called Ronnie Coote. They reckoned when I made the switch, they ate the rabbit."
Rod Churchill, the son of The Little Master and South Sydney Immortal Clive, reckons the fierce hatred vented from Botany to Bondi is more of a recent phenomenon.
South Sydney co-owner Russell Crowe's Book of Feuds is a fair starting point, where the Bunnies proudly claim: "There's no escaping the cold hard facts that South Sydney were formed before Eastern Suburbs, have won far more premierships than Easts, Sydney City and Sydney Roosters combined, and have a much greater junior and fan base."
Ouch. Roosters great Luke Ricketson remembers Crowe riling the Allianz Stadium crowd into a lather when South Sydney were re-admitted to the NRL in 2003.
"When Rusty rang the bell, he was glaring over at our line while he was out on the field. He had a look in his eye like he was about to play," Ricketson said.
"Then the Gladiator thumbs down years later was a bit of a sweet pay back for all the lean years Souths had been through."
The fact these two foundation clubs played rugby league's inaugural grand final in 1908, won 14-12 by the Rabbitohs, only adds to the romance.
Ask Bob McCarthy about Eastern Suburbs back in his day and the ex-Kangaroo forward just laughs.
"The Roosters were never much chop until Jack Gibson came along," he said.
Then, unprompted, the Bunnies legend suddenly changed tone. "It all probably started back in 1971 when the Roosters pinched Ron Coote, Elwyn Waters and Jim Morgan.
"That was the beginning of the end of our great side in terms of winning competitions. Souths haven't won a competition since and Easts have won three. That broke us apart a bit.
"Then not so long ago they started pinching our juniors too, they took Craig Wing and Braith Anasta."
And there it is. The reason the Rabbitohs and the Roosters now wage an annual campaign billed as love to hate.
Former Sydney Roosters and South Sydney great Ron Coote. Action shots. Picture: Library Nwn Source: The Sunday Telegraph
THINK gypsies, dead rabbits and the Gladiator's famous thumbs down signal. Admittedly, it's a strange combination.
Oddly enough, it goes a long way towards explaining the origins of why South Sydney and the Sydney Roosters will celebrate their hate for each other for the next four days in the lead-up to the opening game of the new NRL season.
On Thursday night at Allianz Stadium, the 104-year-old arch-rivals will contest the Ron Coote Trophy with the same intensity of a bare-knuckle boxing fight on the old Sydney wharves.
To trace why these two teams, with their heartland either side of Anzac Parade, loathe each other so, you have to return to Coote's defection to the Roosters at the end of 1971 and the hate mail the iconic lock received.
"The fans were livid. I remember one woman, she sent me a letter explaining how she was a gypsy and she'd put a gypsy curse on me for joining the Roosters," Coote said.
"Worse still, another family told me they had a pet rabbit called Ronnie Coote. They reckoned when I made the switch, they ate the rabbit."
Rod Churchill, the son of The Little Master and South Sydney Immortal Clive, reckons the fierce hatred vented from Botany to Bondi is more of a recent phenomenon.
South Sydney co-owner Russell Crowe's Book of Feuds is a fair starting point, where the Bunnies proudly claim: "There's no escaping the cold hard facts that South Sydney were formed before Eastern Suburbs, have won far more premierships than Easts, Sydney City and Sydney Roosters combined, and have a much greater junior and fan base."
Ouch. Roosters great Luke Ricketson remembers Crowe riling the Allianz Stadium crowd into a lather when South Sydney were re-admitted to the NRL in 2003.
"When Rusty rang the bell, he was glaring over at our line while he was out on the field. He had a look in his eye like he was about to play," Ricketson said.
"Then the Gladiator thumbs down years later was a bit of a sweet pay back for all the lean years Souths had been through."
The fact these two foundation clubs played rugby league's inaugural grand final in 1908, won 14-12 by the Rabbitohs, only adds to the romance.
Ask Bob McCarthy about Eastern Suburbs back in his day and the ex-Kangaroo forward just laughs.
"The Roosters were never much chop until Jack Gibson came along," he said.
Then, unprompted, the Bunnies legend suddenly changed tone. "It all probably started back in 1971 when the Roosters pinched Ron Coote, Elwyn Waters and Jim Morgan.
"That was the beginning of the end of our great side in terms of winning competitions. Souths haven't won a competition since and Easts have won three. That broke us apart a bit.
"Then not so long ago they started pinching our juniors too, they took Craig Wing and Braith Anasta."
And there it is. The reason the Rabbitohs and the Roosters now wage an annual campaign billed as love to hate.
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