The 2026 SPA Luncheon celebrates our Cult Heroes!

Every club has its superstars, but every club also has its Cult Heroes. The ones whose names still echo around the Rabbitohs decades later, usually followed by a story that starts with "Remember when…"

This year, the Souths Players Association is putting them centre stage.

Join us as we raise a glass to the characters and the fan favourites who wore the Red and Green with heart, grit and personality. There will be yarns you've never heard, faces you haven't seen in years, and the kind of afternoon that reminds you why Souths is more than just a football club.

Date: Saturday 13 June

Time: 12pm-4pm

Location: Wintle Theatre, the Juniors Kingsford

Included in your ticket, you will enjoy a delicious 2-course meal, unlimited beer, wine and soft drinks, all while getting up close and personal with some of the club's most iconic current stars and all-time legends.

Secure your seats now! Tickets are selling fast, with limited tables of 10 available for purchase, as well as individual tickets.

Starting from $190.00 per ticket, or $1700.00 for a table of 10.

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As voted by all of our Rabbitohs Members, the top 6 voted Cult Heroes are below!

Nathan Merritt

Nathan Merritt is one of the most electrifying and most-loved Rabbitohs of all time. Every time he found the ball in his hands, the crowd in the stands found their way to their feet.   A home-grown legend of South Sydney, he played 218 first grade games in red and green having made his first grade debut in the Club’s reinstatement season of 2002. ‘Merro’ scored 146 tries in first grade for South Sydney throughout his career and was at one stage the Club’s greatest try scorer.   Merritt, a proud Wiradjuri man, represented New South Wales, the Australian Prime Minister’s XIII, City Origin and the Indigenous All Stars.

He was part of the Rabbitohs squad that won the 2014 NRL premiership, as well as winning multiple top try scorer awards, the George Piggins Medal, the Jack Rayner Players’ Players award twice, the Roy Asotasi Members’ Choice award and The Burrow player of the year award.

Nathan was named in the Indigenous Team of the Decade (2010s), won the Peter Frilingos Headline Moment of the Year award, and was awarded Life Membership of the South Sydney Football Club in 2015.

He is one of the most decorated and much-loved players to have worn the red and green.

Issac Luke

Issac Luke was not a fan-favourite amongst the 2014 premiership-winning squad... He was THE fan-favourite!

Renowned for his scoots from dummy half, his punishing defence and his love for the Rabbitohs emblem on his chest, Issac was loved by every Member and supporter for his efforts across 188 first grade games between 2007 and 2015.

Even when he left the Rabbitohs to head to his homeland of New Zealand to play for the Warriors, the Rabbitohs faithful always cheered him on with a standing ovation.

The love for the Rabbitohs ran deep in the Luke family, with Issac's son Adequix seen wearing his Rabbitohs socks when doing ball boy duties for the Warriors!

Crowds would scream his name when his name appeared on the stadium big screens, but not as loudly as opposition players would scream when he buried his shoulder into their ribs with his trademark heavy defence. He also made an artform out of the dummy half run, making plenty of metres and scoring plenty of tries with his quick scoops and scoots.

Issac had the honour of ringing the 1908 Timekeeper's Bell to open the 2021 NRL Grand Final, produced some of the most prolific pukanas when performing the Haka playing for New Zealand, and was awarded Life Membership of the South Sydney Football Club in 2022.

Issac will always love the Rabbitohs, and the Rabbitohs will always love Issac!

Craig Coleman

The man known as 'Tugger' was a crowd favourite in the 1980s and 1990s, playing 208 first grade games in the red and green, and is regarded as one of the best sledgers the game has ever seen!

The cheeky halfback was as tough as they came in an era of wonderful halfbacks across the League. He played 11 seasons of first grade at the Rabbitohs whilst also having stints with the Gold Coast, Western Suburbs and four clubs in England.

Craig would not only wind up the opposition of the day on the field, he would also wind up his own forward pack, often saying: "Les (Davidson) and I had an agreement - I would do his thinking and he would do my fighting!"

When former players are asked about the best sledgers of all time, their number one nomination is often our Tugger.

Coleman was awarded Life Membership of the South Sydney Football Club in 1995 in recognition of his efforts on the field, and he would be go on to be a leading figure in the Club's fight for reinstatement alongside the inimitable George Piggins and the legal eagle Nick Pappas.

Tugger would captain the Rabbitohs, coach the first grade team, support the fightback, and has always been regarded a favourite son of the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

Ziggy Niszczot

Zbignew 'Ziggy' Niszczot is the personification of cult-hero!

There was no better sight in the 1980s than to see big Ziggy streaking up field, taking out defenders with his aggressive runs and knocking over attackers with his cutting defence.

Despite only playing five seasons with the Rabbitohs, he played 115 games of first grade, and never pulled on a lower grade jersey with the Club.

He captained the team from the wing, played State of Origin for New South Wales, and has become a trivia question at every sports trivia night when people are asked to spell his surname.

He even became immortalised when he had a song written about him, with Aussie band Soap Star Joe performing the song 'Ziggy Niszczot (Never Played Guitar)'!

Ziggy was awarded Life Membership of the South Sydney Football Club in 2003.

He is a true cult hero of the mighty Rabbitohs.

Phil Blake

Has there ever been a more exciting and unpredictable player to have played for the South Sydney Rabbitohs than Phil Blake?

He used to make Rabbitohs supporters' dreams come true and give opposition defensive lines nightmares with his performances on the football field.

Whether it was a chip 'n' chase, a dummy, a grubber kick, or a cut-out pass, defences could never work out what 'Blakey' was going to do next, and, to be fair, he had no idea which magic trick he was going to produce either!

A prolific try scorer wherever he went, he played four seasons at South Sydney amongst stints at eight different clubs in Australia and England. He also represented New South Wales in State of Origin in the wonderful 1989 season, and is regarded as one of the best players to have not played for Australia.

There was no need for seats at the shiny new Sydney Football Stadium back when Phil was playing because the crowd were always on their feet!

Blake went on to take up the coaching director role at South Sydney in the early 2000s and was even Head Coach - for one day! He featured in beer ads and he took the crown from 'The King' Wally Lewis in a Channel 10 promotional video. He had everything!

Phil Blake was always a crowd favourite at the Rabbitohs and has earned the status of cult hero.

Terry Fahey

Redfern Oval saw its share of superstars in the red and green jersey, but not many players took on the famous ground's name, except for Terry Fahey - 'The Redfern Express'.

A big winger for South Sydney in the late 1970s and early 1980s, it was a sight for sore South Sydney eyes to see The Redfern Express take to the rails, steamrolling defenders on his way to the try line.

A part of the fairytale Western Division sides of the mid-1970s, Terry played 87 games for South Sydney before going to the dark side in Bondi, then heading to the Nation's capital to a fledgling Canberra Raiders outfit.

He also represented New South Wales in State of Origin as well as the green and gold of Australia, bringing joy to his state and country as he did his club supporters.

Wherever he went he got crowds to their feet and he brought much pleasure to the fans on the hill at the old Redfern Oval, mowing down anyone that stood in between him and the goal line.

The Redfern Express - a true cult hero!

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