TEAMS: NSWRL U17 UNE Harold Matthews Cup - 2024 Round 8
4 mins ago | LeagueUnlimited Media
We kick-off the 2005 League Unlimited Team Previews with last seasons wooden spooners The South Sydney Rabbitohs.
It has been a long, long time since South's did anything memorable. They won their last title, the Tooheys Pre-season Challenge, in 1994 against Brisbane in a spirited contest and prior to that they selfishly rose their faithful's hopes by taking out the minor premiership in 1989 before crashing out of the hunt for the Winfield Cup ingloriously without troubling a soul.
Last year proved to be another waste of time for the club, yielding only 5 wins, 2 draws and enjoying the worst differential in the League. Two wins and a bye in the first four weeks saw them climb to some lofty heights early on, but it proved to be short lived. They sacked their coach, Paul Langmack, leading into the bye of round 13 (unlucky for some) and promoted long-serving reserve grade coach Arthur Kitinas to the top job.
The story gets a little better from here, but not much. The red and greens recorded their next victory against the Storm the following week, exacting revenge for their Round 6 drubbing at the hands of the Melbourne club, and enduring a time honoured tradition that a change of coach equals a change of fortunes.
Following that they knocked off Manly then Penrith a few weeks later before a relapse of old habits set in and they continued to play musical chairs with the Warriors at the bottom of the ladder. A 34-all draw with Brisbane in round 25 was a noteworthy exception however, with players showing a fair bit of heart.
Rising from the mire were some useful prospects to secure a first grade berth though. Halfback Joe Williams proved himself to be a competent player with a handy kicking game and a good overall read. His development at the club could be hinged to the success of this season as I'm sure he hopes he did the right thing by staying with the Bunnies. Another interesting player to watch for will be young fullback Roy Bell. He has outstanding pace and a great step, but he's a small fella and you can't help but worry every time he goes into a tackle.
With their recent history, it is once again unwise to speculate any further than another cooking utensil in the trophy cabinet, but at least this year there is cause for belief of change. The squabbling administration that has perpetuated their poor results over the past decade, including two years in the wilderness, has finally been cast aside to a large extent making way for fresh ideas and perhaps even progress.
Shane Richardson, who left the Panthers mid-season in 2004, is at the helm and with him enters first grade coach Shaun McRae. Richardson is seen as the best in the business by many and McRae has an impressive UK coaching career to his name.
Unfortunately, the rebuilding exercise the club is looking for might not get under way until the anti-tampering deadline expires on June 30th, although experienced campaigners in Shannon Hegarty and Peter Cusack are joining the fold. It doesn't help that they have shed Paul Stringer and Justin Smith in the engine room either, and perhaps even Willie Manu could come back to haunt them.
But the Club has shown that they are no longer prepared to put up with the sort of rubbish that they have in years gone by. Cutting Owen Craigie is a smart decision as he was creating mixed signals in terms of commitment at the club and McRae has also handled the Lee Hookey retirement situation well, stating he is behind the eight ball and will have to work his way back through the grades.
To Bunnies fans out there everywhere, this season will most likely have a familiar sour taste to it. But it could also be somewhat encouraging. The club is finally getting the administration side of things right and I think they will spring the odd upset on an unsuspecting team. However, expect them to remain in the lower half of the ladder this season with a view to healthy recruitment mid-year and some gradual improvement in years to come.
Gains: Shannon Hegarty, Peter Cusack, Peter Taylor, Ray Moujalli (Sydney Roosters), Trent Young (Brisbane Easts), Germaine Paulson (Toowoomba), Willie Peters (Widnes), Scott Logan (Hull), Michael Greenfield (Cronulla).
Losses: Paul Stringer (Parramatta), Justin Smith (North Queensland), Owen Craigie (released), Mark Meredith (Wests Tigers), Damon Alley-Tovio (Canberra), Filimone Lolohea (Hull), Willie Manu (St George-Illawarra), Brett O'Farrell (Cronulla), Mark Leafa (released), Jason Death (retired).