Sydney Roosters and South Sydney Rabbitohs rivalry

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The rivalry between the Sydney Roosters and the South Sydney Rabbitohs rugby league teams is the longest surviving in the current National Rugby League competition. The two teams are the only remaining "foundation clubs" in the league, that is, they were both participants in the inaugural season of the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership. Between them, the two clubs have managed to secure 32 premierships and 33 minor premierships, almost all of which were won between 1908 and 1975.

The two clubs neighbour each other in the inner suburbs Sydney and over the years have often been in bitter dispute over numerous issues. Despite being the two teams to have dominated the early seasons of the premiership and in fact being the two clubs to contest the first Grand Final, the last time the two clubs met in a finals match was in the 1938 season.

[edit] Incidents

The Roosters and their fans have built up rivalries with other clubs, particularly the South Sydney Rabbitohs, the other remaining foundation club. The Roosters and the Rabbitohs share inner-Sydney territory, causing a strong rivalry since 1908. The rivalry increased after 1950 due to conflict between junior territories, and escalated once more in the 1990s with the increased financial success of the Roosters eclipsing the decreasing funds of the Rabbitohs. In 2005, the Rabbitohs broke a ten-year, thirteen-game losing streak to the Roosters in a close 17–16 match.^[1]

Although the Rabbitohs drew key Roosters players to the Redfern-based club in previous years, the Roosters signed Rabbitohs captain Ashley Harrison and former South Sydney junior Braith Anasta from the Bulldogs; whom the Rabbitohs also heavily pursued — in 2005.^[2]

Late in 2007 former Rabbitohs turned Rooster Craig Wing signed on to return to South Sydney for the 2008 season. The signing was highighted by an event in which Craig Wing turned up to a Rabbitohs press conference infront of teams sponsorship logos while still under contract by the Roosters. Roosters chairman Nick Politis publically criticised the press conference for the use of a player still contracted to the Roosters. In the last game of the regular season in 2007, both teams met in a fiery encounter in which the Roosters went on to win. The victory however was overshadowed by incidents in the game in which South Sydney forward David Fa'alago was sent off for punching Braith Anasta while not facing Fa'alago. Anasta who was later sin-binned in the match stated after the game that Fa'alago was a "weak human being".

In 2008 the rivalry hit boiling point in the lead up to their opening clash, which also was used to open the 2008 Centenary NRL season. Coming off a much improved 2007 season, the South Sydney Rabbitohs appeared to have one of their most competitive teams for the better half of two decades in which the Roosters have dominated most clashes against the Rabbitohs. Leading up to the match, the South Sydney Rabbitohs released their 'Book of Feuds', in which the author claimed the Roosters club "had no soul". Both Roosters coach Brad Fittler and player Willie Mason added their own views, stating they "hate Souths".

Management of South Sydney expressed their feelings for the Roosters by allocating poor seating to the Roosters officials and players families for the round 1 clash. NRL protocol dictates that the hosts of the game are to provide seating for the visting teams officials and players families, there have been no other reported incidents of teams providing poor seating allocation for visiting teams.

The game itself proved just as controversial, in the 7th minute Rabbitohs recruit and former Rooster Craig Wing was injured after being charged on by Riley Brown. While the incident did not receive any punishment and referral by the NRL Judiciary, the incident did not escape public scrutiny and mixed opinions are shared about the legality and integrity of the tackle. The Roosters went on to win the match 34-20.