Season Of Horror 50 Years Ago
1975. A season that promised so much and started so well, became a season of horror.
Preceding Seasons
In the seasons prior to 1975, Souths had appeared to slip. The glory days began to disappear. South Sydney won the premiership in 1971. However, they just made the semis in 1972 and not at all in 1973. Added to this, the leagues club shut its doors in 1973.
1974 Recovery
Most experts said Souths had basically no chance of making the semis in 1974. But they confounded the critics and although the Bunnies did not progress very far at least they were part of the final group again.
1975 Return Of The Prodigal Son
The whole South Sydney community was full of excitement again before the 1975 season. The prodigal son John ‘Lurch’ O’Neill had returned.
The Great Team
It appeared South Sydney had put together an undeniably great team for the coming season. Hopes were certainly high. Talk of a premiership win was therefore in the air!
A Rough Start
And so, the season began. It was a rough start with a tight game against Norths but a wins a win.
Top Of The Table
A couple of weeks later the Rabbits were the top of the table. They played Balmain and gave them an absolute belting 39-2. Greg Purcell scored a double that day and Eric Simms kicked nine goals from nine attempts. On a personal level, it was the very first game I had seen live. I was hooked.
Confidence was high.
South Sydney were up at the top of the tree. Just like the old days.
Horror Game v Easts
Souths slipped a little in the next couple of weeks. Next up was a clash with last years premiers Easts. During the game the Rabbitohs were very competitive and with only a few minutes to go they were gearing up for one of the best wins for years.
Ron Coote
Ron Coote. One of Souths most favourite sons. But in this game, he broke our hearts. Ron scored in the last couple of minutes to snatch a victory for Easts.
The Horror Run
The loss seemed to sap all the energy from the players and the club. This began what can only be described as one of the most horrific runs in South Sydney history. Wins were few and far between. The Bunnies lost thirteen of their last sixteen games.
Churchill Sacked
As the season began to plod to an inglorious end, the first casualty was Clive Churchill. Clive had been a brilliant player but an almost better coach. Four premierships, one runner up, and in the semis two other seasons.
But the position on the table in 1975 was not good enough. Sadly, his time had come. Bobby McCarthy then took over as coach.
The Last Stab In The Heart
Worse was to come. The last round gave us the biggest stab in the heart. I cannot even type the score despite knowing it. Last was our finishing position.
Goodbye
It was time to say goodbye and good riddance to an undeniably horrible season. The only good thing was to celebrate the effort of the player of the year. A player who has just sadly recently passed away. Gary Stevens. RIP.
Hopefully this year will be more like 1925. Souths went undefeated that year.
E.E. Christensen
As a sidelight, in 1975 E.E. Christensen, one of the greatest league writers, was asked to list South Sydney’s best ever team. He also listed Souths players for the 1975 season. His chosen best ever team would certainly cause a lot of discussion today.
Season Of Horror 50 Years Ago by Mark Emery for Bunnies TV.
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