New recruits ... Sam Burgess and Dave Taylor are two of the new recruits for the Rabbitohs pack in 2010. Photograph: Anthony Reginato Source: The Sunday Telegraph
SOUTH Sydney icon John Sattler has labelled the new-look Rabbitohs forward pack as their most imposing since the late 1980s.
The Rabbitohs return to Redfern Oval in the opening trial of the NRL season against Manly, where Sattler will be honoured for his 1970 grand final heroics.
It might be 40 years since he famously soldiered on with a broken jaw against the Sea Eagles, but his passion for South Sydney remains just as strong.
Ask how a Rabbitohs pack bristling with internationals will aim up this season, and the famous prop proudly states: "I can't remember the last time I was this excited about a South Sydney forward pack. It looks fabulous on paper.
"They've definitely bought well in the young English forward (Sam) Burgess, he's a fair lump of a fellow.
"Then you add David Taylor from Queensland, and the real workhorse who I like a lot is Luke Stuart. They're big, but they also look mobile.
"I think they're in with a real show if they all aim up. It's one of our best forward packs for a long time."
Not since the class of 1989, which included Les Davidson, Mario Fenech, Ian Roberts, Michael Andrews, David Boyle and Tony Rampling, have the Rabbitohs looked so intimidating.
While big-name signing Burgess will be the only superstar on show against the Sea Eagles, it will be a different story once Roy Asotasi, Ben Ross, Michael Crocker, Eddy Pettybourne, Taylor and Stuart are factored in.
Rabbitohs junior and last year's Toyota Cup captain Jason Clark will skipper the red and green outfit in the return to Redfern, with chief executive Shane Richardson labelling the ball-playing lock a future leader of the club.
"He's an outstanding human being who is a prime example of a player whose talent is a credit to the amount of hard work he puts in around the place," Richardson said.
Sattler was also beaming about the return of premiership-winning coach John Lang, who the former Rabbitohs skipper likened to the man who took the helm at Souths in 1964, Bernie Purcell.
Today will mark the first match since Lang replaced Jason Taylor last October, with all reports out of Redfern suggesting the affable coach has been one of the hits of the summer.
"John Lang is just one of the real good people in our game. He reminds me a lot of Bernie Purcell," Sattler said. "When Bernie took over we were a young side and we'd been through a tough period, but he came in and made everything easy."
Purcell took control of the Rabbitohs and guided a rookie side into the 1965 grand final against St George, which they lost.