South Sydney Rabbitohs: 2014 NRL Premiers

Sam Burgess – battered, bruised and victorious – being carried by his teammates and brothers is the iconic image of the 2014 NRL grand final.

Grand finals are often remembered for producing iconic moments that pull at the heartstrings.

Like the stories of the Sattlers, father John revered for his courage, son Scott admired for his determination and desire to win at all costs when he produced ‘that’ tackle.

But the 2014 grand final was the greatest in history for the stories it produced.

There is the tale of four boys from Yorkshire, who came to Australia to find their fortune, mother Julie coming along for the ride. The band of brothers came to South Sydney to ply their trade and hopefully return to England with a premiership. Three boys were instrumental in the victory, with Tom providing strong impact from the bench, yet it was his two older brothers who shone.

The Clive Churchill medal could have gone to either George or Sam, but in the end it was awarded to the older brother, the man who defied a broken cheekbone in the first tackle of the game to soldier on and produce match-winning moments such as his pickup of a grubber on South Sydney’s line.

The Burgess story ends with brother George, who produced the moment of the grand final when he bashed off Tony Williams to score the try that opened the flood gates and left the fans asking who was the real T-Rex?

Yet with happiness comes heartbreak and boy do Souths know heartbreak. This team was thrown of out of the competition in the early 2000s, brought back by people marching on Town Hall.

Souths’ victory was more than just the football, it was justification for the supporters who had fought for the team they loved, a football club that was resurrected directly by the people.

Then came the Hollywood element, with Russell Crowe buying his share in the club, spreading the story far and wide, and seeing a struggling football club become one of the most professional teams in the NRL.

There was the brilliance of Greg Inglis, who surely is one of the game’s greats. Lote Tuqiri hadn’t played in a grand final for 14 years, while his counterpart Alex Johnston who scored his 21st try of the season to get Souths out of the blocks.

Then there was the heroism of the Clive Churchill medalist Sam Burgess and that broken cheekbone, ensuring he will forever be immortalised as he leaves for rugby union.

Not to forget the performance of the Bulldogs, who were right in the game for 60 minutes, and the efforts of James Graham.

It is these stories that showcase why this was the greatest rugby league grand final of all time.

South Sydney Marches On

South Sydney's celebrations at making a grand final for the first time since 1971 were tempered on Friday night after star hooker Issac Luke was placed on report for a dangerous throw that threatens his availability for the historic clash.

Luke, who is a key member of the Rabbitohs side, faces an anxious wait to learn if he must defend a charge from the NRL match-review committee after the 38th-minute tackle on his close friend Sonny Bill Williams, whose second NRL stint ended along with the record 302-game career of his Sydney Roosters captain Anthony Minichiello after the premiers conceded 32 unanswered points to surrender an early 12-0 lead.

Souths second-rower Ben Te'o, who made his return from a four-match suspension for a chicken wing, was also involved in the tackle but is likely to be free to make his farewell appearance in the grand final before joining Williams and Rabbitohs lock Sam Burgess in rugby union.

However, any charge would rule Luke out of the clash as a grade-one dangerous throw is worth 125 demerit points and he has 50 carry-over points from a dangerous-contact charge earlier in the season that also adds 20 per cent loading to the base penalty.

The Kiwi international successfully challenged a dangerous-contact charge after lashing out at Canterbury hooker Michael Ennis in their round-25 clash and may need to do so again to play in the Rabbitohs biggest match for 43 years.

He was a member of the teams that lost the last two preliminary finals to the Bulldogs in Manly and played a significant role in Friday night's win at ANZ Stadium with 11 darting runs out of dummy half in which he made 98 metres and drew a penalty for Frank-Paul Nuuausala being offside near the Rabbitohs' try line.

If Luke is suspended, Souths coach Michael Maguire may have to alter the make up of his interchange bench to accommodate two hookers as he did earlier in the year when Apisai Koroisau and Cameron McInness deputised after injuries.

However, he has Jason Clark on the interchange and the Rabbitohs junior, who marched with his dad to protest the club's expulsion from the NRL in 2000, is able to play hooker.

Roosters props Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Sam Moa also face judiciary charges after being placed on report for separate incidents in a disappointing end to their bid to become the first team to win back to back premierships in a united competition since Brisbane beat St George in the 1992 and 1993 grand finals.

After the Roosters scored two tries in the opening eight minutes, the Rabbitohs appeared destined to again fall short of a grand final appearance and a shot at the elusive 21st premiership but the game turned midway through the first half and it was their arch rivals who were left frustrated and disappointed.

"It hasn't happened for 20 years and it is disappointing," Roosters halfback Mitchell Pearce said. "When we look back we will probably have a lot of regret but we just weren't good enough."
Waerea-Hargreaves was placed on report  for a shoulder charge on Te'o after a penalty had been awarded against the Roosters in the 23rd minute and he was again accused of leading with his head in a tackle on Souths centre Kirisome Auva'a in the dying moments.

Moa was also placed on report for a swinging arm in the same tackle that may rule him out of the Kiwis for the opening Four Nations match against Australia at Suncorp Stadium next month. Waerea Hargreaves has been charged twice this year.

South Sydney marches on...

South Sydney Rabbitohs centre Beau Champion plans comeback match in Perth
MICHAEL WASHBOURNE PERTHNOW JUNE 11, 2013 4:41PM

RABBITOHS centre Beau Champion is hopeful of returning for South Sydney's clash against the New Zealand Warriors in Perth on July 7.

Champion damaged ligaments in his right ankle after a collision with Newcastle’s Alex McKinnon earlier this month.

It was initially feared Champion may have broken his leg or ruptured his Achilles tendon, but scans found he had only suffered serious ligament damage.

Champion, who was in Perth today to promote the upcoming clash, has set his sights on returning against the Warriors at South Sydney’s “second home”.

“This is the game I’ll be looking to come back. It was a 4-6 week injury and this sort of brings me about the five-week mark,” Champion said.

“The structure of the ankle is pretty good, just a couple of torn ligaments.

“I’ll be working really hard to try and get myself fit, especially for this game because we’re all really looking forward to the chance to come over here and play some football.

“As players, we love coming to Perth. It is a home game for us and we get a lot of support over here.”

South Sydney sit on top on the NRL ladder and there is plenty of buzz on the eastern seaboard about the foundation club’s chances of ending a premiership drought dating back to 1971.

Champion said the Rabbitohs were doing their best to keep a lid on all the hype surrounding their resurgence.

“If we just keep taking it week by week, and I know it’s a cliché, it will be us in good stead towards the end of the season,” he said.

“We’re travelling along pretty well at the moment and we’ve had a really good start to the season. And it’s been pretty consistent as well.”

Perth was fortunate to witness a blockbuster NRL clash between New Zealand and Manly last year, with the Sea Eagles scoring a come-from-behind win at the death in front of more than 20,000 people.

NRL IN PERTH

It was another positive step for rugby league in Western Australia, which is hopeful of entering a team -- the West Coast Pirates -- in the national league in the coming years.

WA Rugby League chief executive John Sackson said Perth was busy preparing a bid he hoped would be “irresistible” to the game’s governing body.

“The NRL have put expansion on the backburner, I guess is the best way to put it, but we know it’s certainly a big part of the future,” he said.

“From our point of view, we are going to continue developing the game at grassroots level and continue to earn more respect for the code. The NRL games that come into Perth are going to feed that appetite that is growing here for rugby league.

“The bid is still being developed and the intention is there that when we are officially invited to put forward our credentials, we want to be in a position where it will be an irresistible bid.

“We do know that Perth is considered strongly a favourite for a franchise when the NRL do choose to expand and we’re certainly encouraged by that and determined to make the most of that opportunity.”