Jack Rayner

One of the outstanding captains in the history of the code, Jack Rayner-led Souths teams won five premierships during the 1950s. Originally from Lismore, Rayner came to the club in 1946 on the recommendation of Eric Lewis, a staunch Souths clubman and 1937-38 Kangaroo, who spotted him playing for the Army while serving in New Guinea during the war. Rayner represented NSW in 1947 and earned the club captaincy with his tough brand of leadership from the front row. He made his Test debut in the First Test against NZ in 1948 but was a reserve in the Second Test in Brisbane. Rayner played in the first two Tests against Great Britain on the Kangaroo tour at the end of the year but his only other Test appearances were on the Australian Tour of NZ in 1949. However, it is his record as captain-coach of Souths for which he remains so highly regarded. A tough, no-nonsense detective, Rayner was able to harness the great talents in the club - Churchill, Moir, Hawick, Cowie, Purcell and Hammerton - to form the most successful era in the club’s history. After losing to St George in the 1949 grand final, Souths won premierships in 1950-51 before losing controversially to Wests in 1952. The Rabbitohs bounced back to win a hat trick of premierships in 1953-55, culminating in the amazing comeback win in 1955 after the club had been completely written off. Rayner retired at the end of 1957, feeling the affects of a knee injury, with a record five premiership titles in his 10 years as Souths captain (the last eight as captain-coach). Rayner returned to the game to coach P’matta between 1957and 1960 but remains a South Sydney and Australian rugby league legend.