Bunnies' bell set to ring in historic clash with Bulldogs
League News
Date September 30, 2014 - 8:25AM
Brad Walter
Chief Rugby League Writer
It is the 106-year-old timekeeper's bell that symbolises South Sydney's struggle to survive and all of the triumphs the game's oldest and most successful club has achieved.
It is the bell that was used to ring the start and finish of the Rabbitohs' first match in 1908 against Norths at Birchgrove Oval. It is the bell Russell Crowe paid $42,000 for at a function in 1999 to raise funds for Souths' court case against News Ltd and the NRL for readmission to the premiership.
And it is the bell that was rung when the Rabbitohs played their return match against the Roosters in 2002 after readmission to the NRL. It has been silent since.
But, at Sunday night's grand final, the bell will sound again as Souths and Canterbury players run out of the tunnel at ANZ Stadium and onto the playing field.
After buying the bell at the Save Our Souths dinner at the Convention Centre on November 20, 1999, Crowe said: "It will never be rung again unless Souths are in the competition".
He then said, after ringing the bell at the first game back with the man who had donated it, Albert Clift – a former Souths player, official and the original Rabbitohs mascot in 1968 – that it would not be rung again until the club was in a grand final.
After qualifying for their first grand final in 43 years with Friday night's 32-22 defeat of the Roosters at ANZ Stadium, Souths officials approached the NRL and the bell will again be rung on the sideline on Sunday night. "We have been approached by South Sydney about the timekeeper bell being rung and we are working with Souths to accommodate that request," NRL head of commercial Paul Kind said.
"It is a fantastic idea and we are just looking at the logistics, but it is our intent to work with Souths to make it happen for the arrival of the grand final teams."
Coincidentally, the main rivals to Crowe in bidding for the bell at the 1999 event were the Bulldogs, whose directors had bought a VIP table for $5000.
It is understood the NRL has discussed the idea with Canterbury officials and they are happy for the bell to be rung as the players take to the field.
Clift, who also donated an autographed football which had belonged to Souths great George Treweek and a premiership blazer owned by former Rabbitoh Eddie Root, died in 2005, aged 101.
He had been the club's timekeeper for 40 years and kept the bell in a Souths museum at his house before donating it to be auctioned at the dinner, which was attended by 1750 people.
The dinner raised $600,000 for the club's legal fight with News and the NRL after being expelled from the premiership on October 15, 1999.
At the time, Crowe was merely a high-profile supporter of the Rabbitohs but he later bought a 75per cent stake in the club with Peter Holmes a Court in 2007.
Crowe confirmed his intention to make good on the promise he made 12 years ago to ring the bell at the next grand final Souths were in with a series of comments on Twitter.
"The timekeepers bell ... hasn't been rung since 2002. I said at the time it would not be rung again until @SSFCRABBITOHS made the Grand Final," Crowe tweeted. "Significance of the bell: It was the very same bell that started the first game of professional Rugby League in Australia in 1908.
"I bought the bell at a Souths fund raiser in 1999. The last bidder to drop out was the Canterbury Bankstown club, our opponents this week."
He also asked: "Where and when should we 'Ring the bell'?".
It is unclear whether the bell will be rung by Crowe or another identity associated with the club.
Read more:
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...h-bulldogs-20140929-10npw3.html#ixzz3ElN5mb29
