The rivalry that will never die
http://www.smh.com.au/news/news/the-rivalry-that-will-never-die/2008/03/08/1204780126220.html
Phil Gould
March 9, 2008
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The "Book of Feuds", commissioned by Souths co-owner Russell Crowe, will raise more than a few eyebrows among supporter groups. I love rivalry. Good stuff!
However, many will see this book as yet another attempt by the South Sydney club to rewrite history in its own words. I played one season for Souths and loved my time there. Along with many others, I fought hard for the club when it was threatened with removal from the NRL during the Super League war and, when wrongly removed, we again fought hard to have the Bunnies rightly reinstated. Not that we received any thanks for it.
Anyway, in response to the declaration of war by South Sydney on all opponents, I have devoted this week's column to an email I received from a well-known Roosters fan. It will give you some understanding of the depth of feeling between the neighbouring supporter groups.
Titled "Why I hate Souths", an extract reads as follows …
"There are as many reasons why Sydney Roosters supporters have such antipathy toward Souths. The main reason is the manner in which Souths have tried to manipulate public opinion and take a mortgage on rugby league history and tradition, calling themselves 'the pride of the league' and constantly attempting to portray themselves as a far more successful club than results show.
"These claims naturally rile Roosters supporters whose club has just as proud a history as their neighbours. We are the only club to have played in all 100 seasons of the NSWRL/ARL/NRL, won more matches (1009) than any other club and produced more internationals (73) than any other club. Together with 12 premierships, 14 runners-up positions, 12 NSWRL club championships and the only club to win 19 successive matches, it is a club not prepared to stand by and let Souths continually claim the high moral ground.
"The term 'league is strong when Souths is strong' has no basis. But this has never prevented Souths supporters and naive scribes repeating it. Any serious analysis reveals the game has been at its strongest over the past 20 years, a period in which Souths have regularly been cellar dwellers - they've played in no grand finals and just two final series.
"Prior to their brief finals appearance last season, the previous 15 years saw Souths never finish higher than ninth and in 12 of those years, they were lower than 12th, yet the game has not suffered as a result of Souths' continual failures. Their propaganda machine tells of their large supporter base, but even a casual glance at their home crowds over the past 20 years indicates that if these supporters exist, they do not attend Souths games. The rare home matches featuring a crowd over 15,000 during this period were invariably played with a co-tenant of the venue.
"The big issue is that Souths fans believe they're somehow different and superior to all other league fans. They claim they stick through thick and thin when no one else would (they don't), and they've put up with so much more than everyone else (they haven't).
"Many Roosters supporters resent the way their own junior teams, who participate in joint competitions with Souths, are treated by the administrators of those competitions. Others were sickened by the way Souths turned on the Roosters, who could have killed off Souths forever had they turned their backs on clubs like them and joined Super League. Despite the Roosters' support for Souths throughout the Super League war, after Souths were dropped from the NRL they tried to push players negotiating to join the Roosters to instead join Super League clubs like the Bulldogs, who were instrumental in their demise in the first place.
"Local Sydney league boundaries were based on local government boundaries when clubs were formed back in the early 20th century. Souths' boundaries were based on the municipalities of Redfern, Botany, Alexandria, Mascot and Waterloo, while the Roosters' boundaries were those of the eastern municipalities of Paddington, Woollahra, Vaucluse, Randwick and Waverley.
"Many of these councils have since amalgamated, as demographic changes affected the inner and eastern suburbs of Sydney. Randwick Council has a western boundary of Anzac Parade and incorporates all those eastern suburbs east of Anzac Parade, and these suburbs like Randwick, Coogee and Maroubra were all part of the Roosters' territory from 1908 to 1929. Does anyone living in those suburbs then or now not claim to live in the eastern suburbs?
"But in 1929 a number of clubs led by Souths and Balmain helped change the NSWRL constitution so that instead of needing 75 per cent [of the vote] to remove a team from the competition, only 50 per cent was needed. Once the constitution was changed, Balmain, with Souths' help, moved to kick foundation club Glebe from the competition. Roosters fans can't miss the irony in this, given the events 70 years later.
"Soon after, these same clubs changed the constitution back, to protect themselves from future expulsion, so 75 per cent of the vote was again required to remove a club from the then NSWRL. As part of the deal to remove Glebe, Balmain took over Glebe's territory and Souths annexed that part of the Roosters territory east of Anzac Parade and south of Alison Road. The Roosters were as a result left without much of their natural territory, and a large future source of young talent. This was very relevant because for many years you needed to reside within your team's boundaries to play for that club.
"Souths won seven of their 20 premierships with a significant part of the Roosters' territory, while the residential rule was in place. The two players in recent years that Souths have so resented playing for the Roosters, Craig Wing and Braith Anasta, due to their alleged status as Souths juniors, did in fact play their junior football for clubs in the eastern suburbs, which was original Roosters territory, and should still be.
"Again in 1983 after Newtown were excluded from the competition, Souths were again all over the carcass of another foundation club, moving swiftly to grab Newtown's territory and denying the Roosters' attempts to reclaim its former territory as part of a much needed realignment of boundaries.
"Does anybody remember Souths expressing any opposition to the NSWRL's unsuccessful move to exclude Wests from the competition in the early '80s or to Newtown's exclusion in 1983?
"The fact is that Souths, like many clubs with such a long history, have plenty of skeletons in the closet, and when given the power and opportunity, have acted ruthlessly in their own self-interest without any regard to the wellbeing of other traditional clubs or the game itself.
"As a result, their continual whingeing and rewriting of history has grated on many league supporters, but, in particular, those of the one club that feels it has just as much right to celebrate its history as any other."
Wow! Some feuds have a long history!
