SEE
Forty Years of Hate Based On a Lie - post by
@Nuttybott
I have just finished reading a book called
Glory Days; The Story of South Sydney's Golden Era by Alan Whiticker, which features a number of interviews with Rabbitohs' stars of the club's last great era between 1967-71.
One of the most interesting of these interviews is with Ray Branighan, who played in several of those Souths Premiership-winning teams before heading to Manly and further glory in 1972. Of particular interest to Manly fans is Branighan's revelation that the past 40 years of hate, scorn and vitriol directed towards our club from all sections of the Rugby League community was, in fact, founded on a false assumption.
It turns out that Manly's "poaching" of Branighan, along with fellow Rabbitohs John O'Neill and Bob Moses, was nothing of the kind. Ray reveals that Moses requested a transfer because he couldn't hold down a regular place in Souths' first-grade team, whereas it was Branighan who made the first move to Ken Arthurson about moving to Manly.
During the 1970 World Cup in England, Arko had been very impressed with Branighan's form and attitude, and had kindly told Branighan that if he had any problems or ever needed help with anything, he only had to phone. The following year, after Souths' 1971 Premiership success, Branighan remembered Arko's offer, and phoned him in a state of desperation, as Souths were being extremely difficult and uncooperative regarding the renewal of Ray's contract. The club expected Branighan to accept
any contract they chose to offer, even for less money. In Branighan's own words: "in those days, if you played for Souths they thought they owned you". Ray explains that he and his young family were struggling to make ends meet on what Souths were paying, whereas Arko was prepared to make a definite and more substantial offer, IF Branighan wished to move. Which he did for the 1972 season.
As Ray further explains in the book, it turned out that John O'Neill was experiencing similar difficulties over his contract with Souths, so Branighan advised him to ring Arko and have a talk about the possibility of moving to Manly.
And that is how the three Souths stars ended up coming over to the Northern Beaches. In each case, it was done on their own initiative, and in the cases of O'Neill and Branighan was caused entirely by Souths' own intransigence and their arrogant, proprietorial attitude towards their playing staff. And yet THIS is the seed of the "evil, wicked Silvertails poaching the battlers clubs' stars" myth; a myth which has endured for over 40 years now, and has led to an unrelenting, unwarranted torrent of abuse, hostility and hatred directed towards our club which, as it turns out, did nothing wrong...
😡
This man crush you have going on is getting creeeeepy......
