Soem

The Red & Green Miracle

In the midst of a tough struggle for premiership credibility in 2008, the South Sydney Rabbitohs can draw strength from the traditions and achievement of the past. Perhaps the most amazing of all in a century of rugby league punctuated by great South Sydney eras, was the winning of the premiership in 1955 – at the end of an astonishing run of 11 successive `sudden death’ victories. The game’s official history, just released  (A Centenary of Rugby League, 1908-2008),throws new light on the fabulous achievement of ‘55, through the memories of a young fan who was there on the day that Souths famously won the grand final.  The following is an edited excerpt from the outstanding history compiled for the game’s Centenary year by David Middleton and Ian Heads:

The young man standing behind the goalposts at the Randwick end of the Sydney Cricket Ground never did see the final moment of the South Sydney `miracle’ of season 1955. John Ireland, a devoted Souths fans, closed his eyes at the moment Gordon Clifford’s 79th minute kick to win the grand final for Newtown soared high and straight towards the posts. Flanked by his father Jack and brother Barry, Ireland heard only the wild cheering. “We were standing with both Newtown and Souths people,” he said. “I thought for sure the kick had gone over……to this day I still don’t know how it missed.” Clifford’s arrow-straight kick into the breeze in fact fell an inch or two under the bar – and so Souths had won 12-11 to take their fifth premiership in six years.

In toto, Souths’s achievement of ’55 is rugby league’s grandest fairytale – with its Hollywood-style centerpiece being the day Clive Churchill ignored the pain of a broken arm and kicked his bravest and best goal. The story winds back way before that though, to the first match of the second round of the premiership when Souths languished in second last spot on the ladder, with only three wins from 10 games. To retain their place as league’s champions the Rabbitohs faced a task that in retrospect seemed impossible – to win 11 sudden death matches in a row. That they did it is amazing enough. But the way they did it stretches belief even further. In five of those 11 matches Souths had to come from behind in the last few minutes to win. The scores in those nerve stretching games were: 9-7, 27-17, 14-12, 18-14 and 12-ll. This was knife-edge football of the rarest quality…a loss in any one of the games would have meant no premiership…

Ultimately…. the  grand final…and with Newtown ahead 11-7 six minutes from the end, Rayner kicks through a ball from the ruck – and half Col Donhoe scorches after it and dives over for the try.  11-10. Amidst eerie quiet as the SCG’s  42,000 sit transfixed, Purcell coolly kicks the goal  (“I knew what he was going through…he always reckoned the close ones were the toughest,” said his wife Monica)– and Souths are, surely, almost there. But as in an Alfred Hitchcock film there is one final shock – and this time it’s in the shape of Souths prop Norm Nilson punching an opponent, and Col Pearce shrilling the penalty…

The rest is history as a young man shuts his eyes under the goalposts, simply unable to watch – and Gordon `Punchy’ Clifford’s brilliant goalkick fails by a whisker.  Oh yes, season 1955 was a time of miracles…and they were painted red and green.

Excerpt from: A Centenary of Rugby League, 1908-2008 – The Definitive Story of the Game in Australia, by Ian Heads and David Middleton. Published by Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Ltd. Now on sale. RRP $75