🐇 Craig Coleman | Rabbitohs Coach #24

Full Name: Craig James Coleman
Nickname: Tugger
Born: 31/1/1963 at Surry Hills (Sydney), NSW
Club Playing Career: South Sydney 1982-92; Widnes 1986-87; Hull 1988-89; Leeds 1989-90; Salford 1992-93; Gold Coast 1994-95; Wests Sydney 1996
Representative Playing Career: City Firsts 1987 and 1989
Club Coaching Career: South Sydney 1998-99 and 2002-03
Awards and Accolades: Rabbitohs Life Membership 1996; South Sydney Juniors Team of the Century (as a Reserve) 2008

Souths junior was graded by the Rabbitohs in 1981, and in the same year he represented City Under-18s, NSW Under-18s and Australia Under-18s, captaining all three rep sides. He was also captain of Souths’ 1981 premiership-winning Under-23s side which defeated Parramatta 18-5 in the grand final. His lifelong friend and team mate, Mario Fenech, was also in the same team, which was coached by a very young Brian Smith, who was only 28 at the time.

When Craig was a small boy, he used to jump the fence at Redfern Oval to watch Souths play. He had a habit of tugging on men’s coats to get their attention, and they told him to stop tugging their coat, hence the nickname ‘Tugger’.

His playing future seemed assured when he made his top grade debut for the Rabbitohs in 1982, coming on as a replacement against Canterbury-Bankstown, in round 14. The cheeky half-back has played 297 grade games in total with South Sydney, with 208 of them in first grade, scoring 25 tries and eight field goals for 108 points. Coleman was a classy playmaker and one of the most passionate players to ever pull on a Souths jersey. A tyro behind the scrumbase who loved to engage in banter with his opponents. He was one of the best sledgers in the game because he had the likes of Mario Fenech, Les Davidson, David Boyle, Dean Rampling and Ian Roberts looking after him in the forwards.

After spending more than a decade with the Rabbitohs, he left the club at the end of 1992 to play with Salford in England. The following year, Coleman returned to Australia after the 1 February deadline and threatened to take the ARL to court when denied a clearance to play with the Gold Coast club. He played in the Souths A-Grade competition for the remainder of the year.

Coleman brought his experience to the fore with the struggling Seagulls club in 1994-95 and despite his veteran status, saw out his career with Wests in 1996.

He returned to the Rabbitohs as a lower grade coach before taking over first grade from Steve Martin midway through 1998. ‘Tugger’ was at the helm of the Rabbitohs when they were excluded from the 2000 NRL competition and fought for two years for the right to be included in the premiership competition.

It was only fitting then, when Souths returned in 2002, Coleman was back as first grade coach, but the move was not a success. The Rabbitohs struggled to be competitive in 2002 and in pre-season trials in 2003, and the Club decided to make a change with its head coach.

His younger brother Mark Coleman played lower grades for the Rabbitohs in 1988-89, and his son Liam Coleman, also played lower grades for the club in 2013-15, and later with Penrith.

Craig was inducted as a Life Member of the South Sydney Football Club at the 89th Annual General Meeting held at the South Sydney Leagues Club in Redfern on 8 December 1996.

He was also selected in the South Sydney Juniors Team of the Century as a reserve which was announced at the 2008 Centenary Ball at Royal Randwick.