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JAMES HOOPER THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH JULY 21, 2013 12:00AM
The South Sydney Juniors production line that produced champions Bob McCarthy, Ron Coote, George Piggins and Gary Stevens is buzzing like clockwork as the Bunnies sit on top of the competition ladder.
Run your eye over the list of talent nurtured through the ranks of the Alexandria Rovers, La Perouse Panthers, Coogee Wombats and Kensington United and every player has a brilliant story attached to their rise to the top with the pride of the league.
Halfback Adam Reynolds started life a torpedo punt kick across Elizabeth St in the flats opposite Redfern Oval, five-eighth John Sutton won 10 junior competitions in a row playing for the Alexandria Rovers and the newest kid on the block, Dylan Walker, is a Mascot Jet whose mum was born on Pitcairn Island.
The last time the Rabbitohs tasted premiership glory with John Sattler as captain was 1971, when the Bunnies boasted local juniors Ray Branighan, Paul Sait, Keith Edwards, McCarthy, Coote, Piggins and Stevens, with Churchill coaching the side.
On Monday night, when Souths host St George Illawarra at ANZ Stadium, the Bunnies will boast five local juniors in their starting side in halfback Reynolds, five-eighth Sutton, centre Walker, winger Nathan Merritt and forward Nathan Peats.
Then there's Beau Champion, Jason Clark and young guns Aaron Gray, Cameron McInnes and Alex Johnston also flying the local junior flag in the Redfern Bunker.
"It's massive. You see everyone in Redfern is very passionate and proud about the Rabbitohs. Growing up a few hundred metres from the Oval, talking to those people is even more special," Reynolds said.
"We're not only doing it for us, we're doing it for them. I played for a few junior clubs. Some clubs folded and some I moved on from but I had a great time at all of them. I spent a bit of time at Leichhardt Juniors too."
The Bunnies might have only suffered two defeats in 16 starts this season but you won't catch any of them getting caught in the hype about breaking the club's 42-season premiership drought.
Rabbitohs
Rabbitohs players wearing their local junior jerseys. (Back row L to R) Alex Johnston, Dylan Walker, Nathan Peats, John Sutton, Jason Clark. (Front row L to R) Cameron McInnes, Adam Reynolds, Aaron Gray, Nathan Merritt and Beau Champion.
Or as Sutton put it: "It's been a good year so far but you don't get anything for coming first halfway through the year. We've got a tough run home and there's still eight weeks before the finals so anything can happen. We've got the Dragons this week and they're basically going to go out and put the season on the line."
Sutton started in the South Sydney Juniors in the centres before moving to five-eighth, where coach Michael Maguire now has him delivering on the potential the league community has spoken about for the past decade.
"I played two years at La Perouse and then we didn't have a team for the under 7s so I went to Kensington," Sutton said.
"We won the comp 10 years in a row from under 7s to 16s. I started out in the centres because I had a bit more speed than what I do now. It's been a long journey through the juniors through until now and there were some tough years when we were down the bottom of the ladder but the way the club is set up now, I'm very proud to be a part of it.
"When you look at some of the greats who pretty much made this club, it makes you proud. When Russell (Crowe) first took over we used to do a lot of stuff out of The Book of Feuds and we all learned a lot out of that."
Teenage sensation Walker, who signed a three-year contract last month, is another wonderful story. His mum Judy hails from Pitcairn Island.
"Yeah, the Mutiny on the Bounty, that's part of our history," Walker said.
Walker, 18, stopped playing for the Mascot Jets last season.
"We won about six comps from under 11s to 17s. When I first started I was in the centres and then I moved to five-eighth when I was in the under 12s," Walker said.
The only issue for the Bunnies right now is making do without Greg Inglis for the next month after he suffered a torn posterior cruciate in Origin III.
With Reynolds taking on more of a leadership role, the Bunnies can still continue humming along.
"We don't buy into the hype too much. Just as fast as you can get to the top you can be back down the bottom," Reynolds said.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...gki8-1226682471564?from=public_js#mm-breached
The South Sydney Juniors production line that produced champions Bob McCarthy, Ron Coote, George Piggins and Gary Stevens is buzzing like clockwork as the Bunnies sit on top of the competition ladder.
Run your eye over the list of talent nurtured through the ranks of the Alexandria Rovers, La Perouse Panthers, Coogee Wombats and Kensington United and every player has a brilliant story attached to their rise to the top with the pride of the league.
Halfback Adam Reynolds started life a torpedo punt kick across Elizabeth St in the flats opposite Redfern Oval, five-eighth John Sutton won 10 junior competitions in a row playing for the Alexandria Rovers and the newest kid on the block, Dylan Walker, is a Mascot Jet whose mum was born on Pitcairn Island.
The last time the Rabbitohs tasted premiership glory with John Sattler as captain was 1971, when the Bunnies boasted local juniors Ray Branighan, Paul Sait, Keith Edwards, McCarthy, Coote, Piggins and Stevens, with Churchill coaching the side.
On Monday night, when Souths host St George Illawarra at ANZ Stadium, the Bunnies will boast five local juniors in their starting side in halfback Reynolds, five-eighth Sutton, centre Walker, winger Nathan Merritt and forward Nathan Peats.
Then there's Beau Champion, Jason Clark and young guns Aaron Gray, Cameron McInnes and Alex Johnston also flying the local junior flag in the Redfern Bunker.
"It's massive. You see everyone in Redfern is very passionate and proud about the Rabbitohs. Growing up a few hundred metres from the Oval, talking to those people is even more special," Reynolds said.
"We're not only doing it for us, we're doing it for them. I played for a few junior clubs. Some clubs folded and some I moved on from but I had a great time at all of them. I spent a bit of time at Leichhardt Juniors too."
The Bunnies might have only suffered two defeats in 16 starts this season but you won't catch any of them getting caught in the hype about breaking the club's 42-season premiership drought.
Rabbitohs
Rabbitohs players wearing their local junior jerseys. (Back row L to R) Alex Johnston, Dylan Walker, Nathan Peats, John Sutton, Jason Clark. (Front row L to R) Cameron McInnes, Adam Reynolds, Aaron Gray, Nathan Merritt and Beau Champion.
Or as Sutton put it: "It's been a good year so far but you don't get anything for coming first halfway through the year. We've got a tough run home and there's still eight weeks before the finals so anything can happen. We've got the Dragons this week and they're basically going to go out and put the season on the line."
Sutton started in the South Sydney Juniors in the centres before moving to five-eighth, where coach Michael Maguire now has him delivering on the potential the league community has spoken about for the past decade.
"I played two years at La Perouse and then we didn't have a team for the under 7s so I went to Kensington," Sutton said.
"We won the comp 10 years in a row from under 7s to 16s. I started out in the centres because I had a bit more speed than what I do now. It's been a long journey through the juniors through until now and there were some tough years when we were down the bottom of the ladder but the way the club is set up now, I'm very proud to be a part of it.
"When you look at some of the greats who pretty much made this club, it makes you proud. When Russell (Crowe) first took over we used to do a lot of stuff out of The Book of Feuds and we all learned a lot out of that."
Teenage sensation Walker, who signed a three-year contract last month, is another wonderful story. His mum Judy hails from Pitcairn Island.
"Yeah, the Mutiny on the Bounty, that's part of our history," Walker said.
Walker, 18, stopped playing for the Mascot Jets last season.
"We won about six comps from under 11s to 17s. When I first started I was in the centres and then I moved to five-eighth when I was in the under 12s," Walker said.
The only issue for the Bunnies right now is making do without Greg Inglis for the next month after he suffered a torn posterior cruciate in Origin III.
With Reynolds taking on more of a leadership role, the Bunnies can still continue humming along.
"We don't buy into the hype too much. Just as fast as you can get to the top you can be back down the bottom," Reynolds said.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...gki8-1226682471564?from=public_js#mm-breached
