We go head-to-head for round two of Top Moments with arguably South Sydney's Greatest signing, up against a rivalry to remember in front of a record crowd!
Rabbitohs vs Roosters sets new crowd record with 59,708 (Round 26, 2013)
It’s a rivalry that’s as old as the game itself and has set records in just about every Rugby League Category.
It was Round 26, 2013 - The last regular game of the season and who else would South Sydney come up against but the old foes, the Sydney Roosters.
The stakes are always high in these game but both the Rabbitohs and Roosters were equal first on competition points; meaning the winner of this game would claim the illustrious minor-premiership. It was a fete the Rabbitohs hadn’t achieved since that brilliant 1989 season.
While the Roosters are commonly known for not having the most committed fans, a sea of red-and-green filled ANZ Stadium for a total of 59,708 crowd attendance. It was the biggest ever stand-alone regular season attendance, surpassing the 58,593 set in 1993 between the Broncos and Dragons.
The roar of the stadium shook the seats as Greg Inglis crossed for first points, while Adam Reynolds ensured the perfect start by slotting the conversion attempt.
Souths led 12-10 at the break, but an inspired 14-point second-half would claim victory for the Roosters and confirm the top of the table leading into week one of the 2013 Finals.
Roy Asotasi Signing (2006)
Since re-instatement in 2002, South Sydney were a fringe first grade team who lacked the star-power required to be a genuine competition heavy-weight.
When Russell Crowe and Peter Holmes e Court Privatised the Club in 2006, their main aim was to instil a winning mentality; to regain the title of ‘The Pride of the League’.
Roy Asotasi, Rabbitoh number 1047 was first on their list of recruitment.
At the time, Asotasi was the most revered front-rower in the game - At the age of 24, he had already won a competition, with two seasons of test football under his belt; he had the perfect mix of experience and potential.
Why this signing was so crucial for turning the Club around was that it made South Sydney an attractive place to go to again.
Those who quickly followed Asotasi included Nigel Vagana, Dean Widders and Michael Crocker to name a few.
Captain courageous and a forward-leader, Asotasi helped birth a period of success for South Sydney with 2007 being the first time in 18 years the Rabbitohs made the finals.
The Premiership in 2014 didn’t just happened, it was a process that took years to get the right balance of roster and team values in place - largely off the back of that signing eight years prior.
