During the month of May we had been counting down 64 of the most iconic moments in Rabbitohs history in a bid to find which would trump the lot! From 64 of the most epic instances, we now have 32...
Your votes have been the deciding factor in terms of which moments move on to the next round. They continue to be crucial in crowning which will be the Rabbitohs Top Moment.
For stage two, we get some insight from our esteemed panel to see which Moment stood out for them and why! We'll be looking at the first four match-ups on this instance!
Rabbitohs Top Moments Panel:
| Jeremy Monahan | Rabbitohs Media and Communications Manager |
| Damien Batty | Rabbitohs Burrow Member no #676280 |
| Michael Curin | Rabbitohs Historian |
| Lars Roy | Rabbitohs Digital Content Producer |
To kick things off we have Reyno’s brilliant trysaver on Chris Sandow, which got the nod ahead of G.I’s stop on Akuila Uate.
You can't keep Inglis out for long though with his brilliant solo try against Brisbane being the clear winner over Neil Baker’s chip and chase.
Reynolds' Trysaver (2012) vs Inglis' Solo Try (2014)
Jeremy's Pick: GI’s Solo Try
This was the greatest solo effort I have ever seen. I was lucky enough to be sitting in the media box at Suncorp Stadium for this game, where the Brisbane-based journalists are not shy in expressing their support for the local team. There was a lot of chatter during the game but the box was silent as GI beat player after player all the way to score in the left corner. The silence was broken by my cheering when he scored – a no-no in the media box most of the time!
Damien's Pick: Reynolds’ Trysaver
2012 was a huge year. Under our new coach Madge, we came painfully close to a Grand Final appearance. I remember this game well, 15th of June having just settled in my job in down town Uruzghan, Afghanistan. Watching the game in the office, we were leading the Eels and Sandow looked home-and-hosed for all money to get there. Reyno, covering serious yards appears from nowhere to clean him up inches from the line. The look on Sandow’s face says it all.
Michael's Pick: GI’s Solo Try
Who can forget the best solo try ever scored when Inglis powered the length of the field, leaving about eight Bronco defenders in his wake to score in the 14th minute and give Souths a 14-nil lead. No matter how many replays I see of this try it never ceases to amaze me what G.I. could do on the football field.
Lars' Pick: GI’s Solo Try
I have to agree with Jeremy and Michael on this one. Like Jeremy, I hold a special memory with GI’s freakish solo effort. At the time I was in the Rabbitohs Holden Cup Squad and was asked to train with first grade that week. We knew AJ was making his debut but I don’t think anybody could anticipate what Inglis was about to dish up, Broncos included. I’ve never seen an individual play tick every box like this. He showed decisiveness to attack the ball, speed, evasion and strength. His balance for a big man is just so good to watch!
Next up on the list we have:
McCarthy's Intercept Try (1967) vs Reynolds' Match-winner (2012)
Jeremy's Pick: Reynolds' Match-Winner
“You can take me now, I have seen it all!” Another moment that I was lucky enough to see in person and to have relived many times through Warren Smith’s brilliant commentary. This was the most electrifying finish to a game I have been involved with. Two tries in the last two minutes, against our greatest foe, on their home ground (in our backyard), after they had done something similar to us earlier in the year. My colleague at the time, Patrick Brady, told me I leapt to my feet as Reyno scored, slapped him on the shoulder and exclaimed: “That’s why you work in Rugby League!” A fantastic memory.
PS – when you watch this try, keep an eye on the crowd as the play moves down the field. Seeing them rise to their feet is symbolic of the feelings around this moment.
Damien's Pick: Reynolds' Match-Winner
Who could ever forget our come-from-behind victory against the Chooks in 2012? With a few minutes on the clock, Reyno scores off a brilliant team effort deep from within our half, then seals it with the conversion! I remember going off my head screaming at the television in my office at Camp Russell. My partner was yelling at me, "Calm down Damo!" to which I replied, "I can't calm down!"
Michael's Pick: Reynolds' Match-Winner
Who will ever forget this try and the comments Warren Smith made after Reynolds scored the match-winning try. I watched it at home and remember jumping up and down and yelling out loud, “Isn’t revenge sweet.” Our rivalry with the Roosters is the longest in the League, and I have fond memories from years ago when Souths struggled with results, but when we played and beat our arch-rivals it almost felt like we won another premiership title.
Lars' Pick: Reynolds' Match-Winner
It's looking like a clean sweep for Reyno! I've seen the great Bob McCarthy's intercept many times and each time it gets better! There's probably no bigger play in a Grand Final, but I just can't go past Adam Reynolds' try in the very last play against the Roosters. I remember working in a pub in Cairns at the time - The Rattle N Hum - And I got told off by the manager for not "circulating" as I was fixated on the TV screen behind the bar! From memory I couldn't contain a little fist pump there as well - Get that in ya!
Sutton: First Rabbitoh to 300 games (2018) vs Merritt: Most Rabbitohs Tries (2014)
Jeremy's Pick: Sutton - The First Rabbitoh to 300
This is a very special moment for me as I was lucky enough to play a role in the celebrations in the lead up to the game. Organising media around this milestone to the dawn photo shoots at Maroubra Beach; from the unveiling of Sutto’s mural at Kensington Oval to seeing the pride in his mum and dad’s eyes throughout the whole week; this achievement by Sutto will never be forgotten by me and I’m sure all Rabbitohs Members.
Michael's Pick: Sutton - The First Rabbitoh to 300
Unbelievable effort by our local junior and captain of the 2014 premiers. Sutto has been with us during our highest of highs and lowest of lows, and his club record will last a long time, especially when you consider his nearest rival Nathan Merritt is 118 games behind him.
Damien's Pick: Merritt - Most Tries for the Rabbitohs with 146
"Give it to Nathan!" How many times have we seen him avoiding the chalk; stepping, weaving, jinking or flying away to score?! Simply one of the best Wingers ever to don the Cardinal and Myrtle. His record will stand for a long time.
Lars' Pick: Sutton - The First Rabbitoh to 300
John Sutton. What can I say? An absolute legend both on and off the field. These two moments in my opinion are probably the hardest to split. I mean, both are Rabbitohs legends, both are Rabbitohs record holders and both were there during the highs and lows as Michael said. So I have nothing but respect for them. I think Sutto gets my vote though, just because for anybody to make it to the 300 Club (and play your whole career at the one Club), you would have to be as mentally tough as nails and have an unwavering level of consistency.
Sam Burgess' Signing (2009) vs Jersey Flegg Premiers (2019)
Jeremy's Pick: Sam Burgess' Signing
I remember the day when Sam arrived in Sydney. It was his 21st birthday and he was whisked from Sydney Airport to Redfern Oval for a media conference. Now I’d seen guys like Dave Taylor and Scott Geddes and thought they were big men, but when I met Sam, his physical size but also his charisma led me to believe he was going to be something special for our Club. The press conference we organised was a real celebration, including the 21st birthday cake I had to source in the shape of a Rabbitohs jersey. They weren’t easy to find back then!
Michael's Pick: Sam Burgess' Signing
The fear and intimidation that Sam brought to opposition players as an enforcer in the modern game made him one of the most passionate players in the NRL, and even with his odd suspension, I’m certain that he was still the type of player every club would love to have on their side. He quickly showed his dominance in the toughest competition in the world and three of his brothers followed him soon after to our grand old club.
Damien's Pick: Sam Burgess' Signing
It was something special the day the 'Sparkly-eyed man' signed. We all knew it, we all had high hopes and Sam did not disappoint. Who would have known then that he would Captain our Club, and be instrumental in attaining our 21st Premiership? It was only fitting that Sam would eventually be awarded Life Membership by the Club.
Lars' Pick: Jersey Flegg Premiers
I'm going to go for a bit of a smoky with the 2019 Jersey Flegg Premiers. There's probably a bit of bias with this as I documented their second half of the season right through to Grand Final day at Bankwest Stadium. If anything I think I saw firsthand just how inspiring that campaign was.
There's a few reasons why, in my eyes this moment was so special. We already know it was 41 years since the Rabbitohs last won the Jersey Flegg. But what not everyone knows is that Ben Rogers was hired initially as Head of Recruitment and stepped in last minute to Coach. They had a far shorter preseason and operated under a substantially lesser budget than most of the clubs in the competition.
And if you see their run to the finals, they won in extra time against Minor Premiers Cronulla and punched well above their size the following week against Penrith. Essentially they had to win every game; the unthinkable. And yet, they were there on the big stage and got the job done, again by a hair. These boys are the definition of 'Clutch'.
Four head-to-heads down and 12 more to go!
Those were our picks for the first part of round two and we'll be discussing the remaining 12 moments in a similar structure over the coming weeks! But it's not our voice that matters, it's yours! Vote for the moments you want to see move forward!
