🐇 John Lang | Rabbitohs Coach #29

Full Name: John Lang
Born: 7/11/1950 at Brisbane, QLD
Club Playing Career: Easts Brisbane 1969-79 (premiers in 1972 and 1977-78); Easts Sydney 1980
Representative Playing Career: Queensland 1971-76 and 1978-80 (23 games, six tries); Brisbane 1972; 1974-75 and 1979; South Queensland 1973 and 1975-76; Australia 1973-75, 1978 and 1980 (nine Tests/World Cup games, 15 other games, nine tries); City (QRL) 1974; City Seconds (NSWRL) 1980; NSW 1980 (one game)
Club Coaching Career: Cronulla; Penrith; South Sydney
Representative Coaching Career: Australia Super League 1997

An Easts Brisbane junior who played almost all his footy in the Sunshine State. The hard-working hooker played for Easts Tigers from 1969 until 1979, winning three premiership titles with the Tigers in 1972, 1977 and 1978. In 1980, he was enticed by his former Kangaroo teammate, Bob Fulton, to move to Sydney and play for the Eastern Suburbs Roosters, who were having problems winning a fair share of the ball previously. The Roosters made the grand final that year and were beaten by Canterbury 18-4. John was only one of two Queenslanders selected on the 1973 Kangaroo Tour, making his debut Test appearance in the First Test against France. He went on to play nine Tests or World Cup games for his country and 23 games for the Queensland Maroons, and one game for the NSW Blues, where he was the star player. After his playing career ended in Sydney he returned to Brisbane to coach his old club Easts Brisbane Tigers and won Premierships with them in 1983 and 1991.

Lang returned home to Brisbane after his short stint with the Roosters to coach Easts Brisbane in 1981-84 and 1990-93. Under his coaching they won the very first State League title in 1982 and premiership titles in 1983 and 1991, followed by two consecutive losses in the grand finals of 1992 and 1993, against Wests Brisbane.

He then accepted a new challenge by taking over as coach from Arthur Beetson at Cronulla in 1994. He had a great opening season, moulding the young Sharks into a formidable force on their home ground, before signing with Super League in 1995. In 1997 he was the inaugural coach of Super League Australia, coaching them in all five Tests, and taking the Sharks to the Super League grand final loss against Brisbane.

Lang left the Sharks after eight seasons to coach Penrith in 2002, who were wooden spooners the year before. The Panthers won a memorable premiership in only his second season at the club, after they started the season as wooden spoon favourites. The Panthers didn’t renew Lang’s contract after they failed to make the finals in 2005 and 2006. His son, Martin Lang, started his first grade career at the Sharks in 1993 and followed his father to Penrith, where he finished playing in 2004, also playing in eight Origin games for Queensland.

John joined the Rabbitohs in a football consultancy role before accepting a two-year offer to coach the Rabbitohs in 2010-11, who were rebuilding a formidable outfit with new recruits in Sam Burgess and Dave Taylor.

John knew his tenure as head coach at the Rabbitohs would be limited to two seasons before a new coach would be brought in to take the team in its new direction which was largely led by John himself. John's influence at the Rabbitohs continued under his successor, Michael Maguire, who joined the Club following the completion of John's tenure as head coach.