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With 21 premierships to their name, no club has been more successful than South Sydney since rugby league kicked off in Australia back in 1908, and they can probably boast more great players than any other club, from the immortals in Clive Churchill and Ron Coote, through to John Sattler, Eric Simms, Paul Sait, Jack Rayner, and Benny Wearing, and so the list goes on.
Their best years were certainly prior to the commencement of the NRL era in 1998, and their greatest-ever team has been regularly discussed, but who makes their greatest team of the NRL era?
Here’s my team, showing the number of games they played for the Rabbitohs in the NRL era, and the only selection criteria is that they must have played a minimum of 50 top grade games for the club from the 1998 season on.
1. Greg Inglis (148)
Melbourne’s salary cap rorts in 2010 saw the champion Queenslander from NSW join Souths the following year, going on to pick up his first valid premiership ring when he starred in Souths 2014 grand final victory. There’ve been few better players in the game than GI.
2. Alex Johnston (230*)
If any winger in the game knows the way to the try-line it’s AJ, who now has 195 tries to his name and has the great Ken Irvine’s all-time try-scoring record firmly in his sights.
3. Latrell Mitchell (76*)
Mitchell is the most polarising player in the game but is also one of the best centres to have played in the NRL era. It’s a shame that he’s largely wasted by Souths at fullback.
(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
4. Campbell Graham (132*)
At just 25 years of age Graham still has most of his career ahead of him. He’s proved himself to be one of the best defensive centres in the game and is no slouch in attack either, with over 60 tries to his name.
5. Nathan Merritt (218)
If the ability to score tries is the measure of a good winger, then there’s few better than this speedster who crossed for 150 tries in his career, including a five-try haul against the Eels in 2011 while filling in at fullback, and eight three-try hauls. When he was hot, he was something to see.
6. Cody Walker (213*)
Walker was a late bloomer, making his first grade debut at the age of 26, but he hasn’t put a foot wrong since, and has firmly established himself as one of the most talented and competitive playmakers in the game.
7. Adam Reynolds (234)
Reynolds was the club’s leader and had scored nearly 2000 points for the Bunnies before heading north to Brisbane, and his loss will forever be known as “Solly’s folly”.
8. Tom Burgess (252)
Tom the Tank has been a great warrior for South Sydney over the years, and there are few forwards in the game that can match his brute strength and power when he’s at is best.
9. Issac Luke (191)
Luke wasn’t just a great dummy half, but also a feared competitor who loved to dominate the opposition. He didn’t get the nickname “Bully” for nothing.
10. Roy Asotasi (135)
Asotasi was at the peak of his powers when he joined the Rabbitohs in 2007 and his leadership was instrumental in restoring pride in the club and dragging them off the bottom of the ladder.
11. Sam Burgess (184)
Arguably the best English import since the First Fleet convicts, Sam Burgess must be in this side. Skillful, tough and ruthless, he was a “follow me” style of player and one of the best forwards to play in the NRL era.
12. John Sutton (c) (339)
Sutton had cardinal and myrtle blood flowing through his veins and it’s unlikely anyone will ever overtake his record for most games played for the club. He was so versatile that he was equally effective in the back row, five-eighth or centre, and he led the club to their first grand final victory in 43 years back in 2014.
13. Cameron Murray (163*)
Murray is almost a throwback to the “old style” lock forward with excellent ball skills, relentless defence and great positional awareness, and has been Souths’ most valuable player for some time.
(Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
14. Damien Cook (208)
There’s never been a dummy half with Cook’s acceleration and the ability to consistently punish a tiring defensive line, and he backs that up with tireless defence.
15. Chris McQueen (116)
Big, mobile and skillful, McQueen went from the wing to the back row at Souths and was one of their best across the 2011 to 2015 seasons where he rarely missed a game.
16. Dave Tyrrell (159)
There’s nothing flash or fancy about big Dave Tyrrell, but if you want someone to relentlessly cart the ball forward and get through the heavy defensive work, then there were few better.
17. Luke Stuart (190)
Like Tyrell, Stuart wasn’t going to win the Dally M or score off a chip kick, but what a workhorse, and a player who gave 100 per cent every time he took the field.
Now that’s a side as good as any we’ve seen in the NRL era. Did I leave anyone out?
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