October 15: Rabbitohs & Bears axed; Hayne Plane takes off for USA

On this day, the Rabbitohs and Bears were axed, the Kiwis break a 46-year drought, and Jarryd Hayne slips away to the USA.

1999

South Sydney and North Sydney are officially axed from the NRL competition. Rabbitoh supporters break into tears when the news is relayed by president George Piggins. He then signals that legal action to fight the club’s exclusion will begin almost immediately.

2002

Wests Tigers announce they will centralise their training headquarters at Concord’s Waratah Stadium in 2003.

2005

New Zealand win their first Test match in Sydney since 1959, when they surprise Australia 38-28 at Telstra Stadium. The Kiwis race to an 18-0 lead which underpinned the win despite a Kangaroos second-half fightback.

2012

Sydney Roosters chairman Nick Politis welcomes back Brian Canavan as the club’s new chief operating officer of football after sacking current CEO Steve Noyce. Canavan himself was a former Roosters CEO leaving the club in 2008.

2014

Parramatta superstar Jarryd Hayne drops an off-season bombshell, when he announces he intends to pursue his dream of playing in the NFL. Hayne says he has been contemplating the decision for two years and announced he would be walking out on the final year of his contract with the Eels to head to the United States as a free agent.

2016

Australia prove too slick for New Zealand in a 26-6 victory at Perth’s nib Stadium. The first Test in the Western Australian capital attracts a crowd of 20,283.

2019      

Incoming Newcastle Knights coach Adam O’Brien insists that Kalyn Ponga will play fullback in 2020 and will not be experimenting with him at five-eighth.

This article contains information from the official records of NRL historian David Middleton.