Who Joyce Churchill wants to win the Clive Churchill Medal
The widow of South Sydney Immortal Clive Churchill wants a special Rabbitoh to win the prestigious grand final medal named in her husband’s honour.
Dean Ritchie
September 28, 2021 - 6:19AM
Joyce Churchill will sit down on Sunday night, open a bottle of champagne, and start cheering on a player she reckons South Sydney is “silly to let go’’.
The widow of South Sydney Immortal Clive Churchill wants departing Rabbitohs halfback Adam Reynolds to win the prestigious grand final medal named in her husband’s honour in his last game for the club.
The player-of-the-match award, in its 35th season, was created to honour Churchill, who died in 1985.
Unable to attend Sunday’s game between Souths and Penrith in Brisbane, Joyce, 94, will watch from her Sydney home.
“I can’t go to Queensland, but I’ll be sitting here with a champagne and thinking about who is going to win Clive’s medal, and I would like Adam Reynolds to win it,” Joyce said. “I’ve been watching him play a lot, and I think he’s a great player.
“I love watching him, and I think Souths are silly to let him go. He is such a good kicker. He sometimes reminds me of Eric Simms.
“A lot of footballers are in the news for the wrong reasons, but Adam has a nice family life and he’s a loyal clubman. He is competitive on the field, and he’s never in trouble off the field.
“I think he’s good for the image of rugby league, and I’d like to see Adam Reynolds win Clive’s medal.”
Displaying his pride in Souths’ history, Reynolds last weekend wore special one-off boots featuring small photos of Souths legends George Piggins, John Sattler and John Sutton.
Unbelievably, Clive Churchill – nicknamed The Little Master – played a direct role in nine of Souths’ 21 titles – five as a player, four as coach.
He has always been regarded as South Sydney’s greatest player.
“Clive will be up there at the Pearly Gates watching the game and waiting for me,” Joyce said.
“I will tell him all about the footy, all the news and gossip about Souths. He is looking down, saying, ‘I should be down there with you’.
“I said to (son) Rod that your father has been gone a long time now, but every football season his name comes up everywhere.
“Even the young ones when you go shopping, they talk about ‘Mrs Churchill, Clive and Souths’. It’s unbelievable.”
Joyce nominated several reasons why she thinks Souths will claim victory over grand final favourite Penrith.
“I’m thrilled Souths are in the grand final, I love seeing them there,” she said.
“The way they have been playing over the last three or four weeks, the way they have been tackling, they’ve been great.
“I like Wayne (Bennett), too. He keeps to himself and doesn’t have much to say to the press. He is very quiet, but must be proud of his team.
“I know he’s moving back to Brisbane, but I would love to see him stay with Souths. I think he’s a great coach.
“Most of the Souths side are quite young, so that’s a good thing. Good on Souths, I hope they win, I’d love to see them win. I said to Rod, these boys are going to make the grand final.”
Rod reminded Joyce that last Saturday was the 50th anniversary of Clive coaching South Sydney to the 1971 premiership.
“I was there, of course,” Joyce said.
“We were worried at the time that Elwyn Walters was hurt in the semi-final and he couldn’t play in the grand final.
“Clive said to us that we’ll be right because George Piggins was taking his place.
“George basically won the game for Souths because he was raking the ball back legally in the play-the-ball and getting possession for Souths.
“Bob McCarthy and Ronnie Coote played the best, but George was just about match of the match.
“I also remember ‘Satts’ (John Sattler) with his broken jaw (in the 1970 grand final).”
Souths saviour George Piggins
This is the grand final which proves South Sydney could never die.
Rabbitohs godfather George Piggins – who fought a life-threatening infection in April – says his club’s surge into this season’s NRL grand final made their heroic fight for reinstatement nearly 20 years ago all “worthwhile.”
“It makes me proud to know that we saved this club for all the right reasons, and our efforts have been worthwhile,” Piggins said.
“And it was the ordinary folk – the tens of thousands who marched and raised their voices and donated their money.
“Souths making the grand final is special but winning it would make surviving my recent illness even more worthwhile.”
And in an exclusive pre-grand final interview, Piggins also reveals:
- A thawing in his at-times frosty relationship with Souths co-owner, Russell Crowe.
- Wayne Bennett is the best coach in the NRL.
- A desire for Adam Reynolds to leave Redfern with a premiership despite labelling his departure to Brisbane a “shame.”
- Former Souths champion Kevin Longbottom would be “proud” of his great nephew, Rabbitohs fullback Blake Taaffe.
“As I sat and watched the win over Manly, I couldn’t help thinking about the massive fight by a whole lot of people to get Souths reinstated to the NRL,” said Piggins.
“To me, rugby league, like other team sports, is cyclic. If the criteria which was applied to Souths back then, was applied today, then it might be the Bulldogs or Tigers in the firing line.
“That aside, the reason we all fought so hard to save Souths was because this famous club is a community asset.
“It has always given young blokes from the district, as well as other aspiring footballers from country areas, a chance to make something of themselves. It makes me proud to know we saved this club for all the right reasons, and our efforts have been worthwhile.
“There are many people who made huge sacrifices and contributions to bring Souths to this point – far too many to rattle off. Souths Juniors deserve special mention for how they’ve fostered the game in our district.
“Also, my old board of directors who for so many years helped us survive on the smell of an oily rag. And there were celebrities like Alan Jones, Andrew Denton, Ray Martin, Nick Greiner and others who charged to the cause.
“But mainly it was the ordinary folk – the tens of thousands who marched and raised their voices and donated their money.”
Piggins has watched his club progress to the decider with pride and is now hoping for Souths’ 22nd premiership.
“It was fantastic to watch the Rabbitohs make the grand finals by beating one of our arch rivals Manly,” he said.
“And what made it even better was that we had so many Souths juniors in the team. Adam Reynolds deserves praise. A great Souths junior who plays with skill and courage.
“What a shame to see this bloke leave the club, but hopefully leave with a second grand final victory. And what about the bloke who I reckon is the best coach in the game. Wayne Bennett has done a fantastic job.
“I will also give credit to Russell Crowe and James Packer for bringing Souths to a point where the Red and Green is thriving and the CEO Blake Solly, a lovely bloke who is steering the ship in the right direction.
“I also want to make special mention of the young fullback Blake Taaffe whose ancestry has special meaning to me. His great uncle Kevin Longbottom was a great mate of mine. I played with him, and he was the most underrated player of his era. A great bloke and a great fullback and goal kicker. ‘Lummy’ would be very proud of young Blake. Good luck boys in the grand final.”
Solly added: “Souths wouldn’t be where they are today without the way George led the fightback.
“We’re celebrating that fightback this year throughout the club and, in some ways, what the players are doing on the field this year is a reflection of the courage and tenacity George showed during the fightback.
“It’s only fitting that the club’s highest playing honour – The George Piggins Medal – is named after one of its greatest people.”
Close friend and former Souths media director Norm Lipson, who marched with Piggins, heaped praise on his old mate.
“George Piggins is a true Souths hero,” Lipson said.
“We all know that George and Noelene Piggins mortgaged two properties for more than $3m to save the Rabbitohs and famously took on the NRL and inspired hundreds of thousands of people to back him in a fight he led, and we eventually won.
“I am reminded about the old saying about success having a thousand fathers and failure being an orphan. Yes, George had a lot of help from a lot of people but have no doubt, he was the father of Souths’ success.
“I was there and I know that without him, there would have been no fightback. Souths would have capitulated.
“It was his toughness, stubbornness, principles, courage and leadership which galvanised and rallied the public and motivated tens of thousands of people to twice march up George Street to support the fight.
“If you are ever in the trenches and you can pick only one person to be in there with you - the choice is easy - George Leslie Piggins. He is a bloody great bloke. There should be a statue of the man.”
