CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
The parcel of land most commonly recognised as the ‘middle’ of Sydney’s Eastern Suburb remains a combat zone, as two historic enemies continue to fight over it’s disputed boundaries.
The South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL club have been rejected by the peacekeeping body known as the NSW Government in their bid to treat Allianz Stadium as a home ground from next season. In recent years, this sacred land has been held by the rival Sydney Roosters – more commonly known as ‘Easts’.
The conflict has been escalating in recent years, with the Roosters accused of land-grabbing tactics and propaganda. Furthermore, the affluent football club and it’s supporters have a reputation for dehumanising the traditional Sydney underclass that makes up Rabbitohs supporter base with derogatory slurs and elitism.
However, the Roosters argue that the Rabbitohs are simply engaging in a proxy war on behalf of billionaire backers, and argue that they should remain locked into the contract they signed to play their home games at Accor Stadium – well outside of the South Sydney homeland.
The boundaries between Rabbitohs and Roosters territory have long been disputed in the middle East of Sydney – with Roosters officials arguing that the Rabbitohs boundary begins on the edges of Redfern in Cleveland street.
However, history shows that modern ‘Roosters Suburbs’ such as Paddington and Queens Park once claimed South Sydney Til I Die well into the post-war years
South Sydney loyalists also argue that the Roosters catchment may as well be rezoned to include the four or five presitigous rugby schools that seem to be providing the vast majority of their junior footballers – as the club’s traditional grassroots continues to be pillaged by foreign regimes such as AFL and soccer.
While voices from both sides of the conflict beg their leaders for a ceasefire, attempts at mediation from outside the historic conflict have so far been unsuccessful.
NRL chairman Peter V’Landys says he is unhappy with the Rabbitohs, but he’s not happy with the Roosters for refusing to de-escalate. either
“We basically have two foundation clubs that have been fighting so hard and so long that they don’t know what the fuck they are doing”
