Les Cowie

Rockhampton's 'Chicka' Cowie, who put his age up in order to join the Army in 1942, joined Souths after playing in the Service teams during the war. In 1948, the dynamic lock represented NSW and toured with the Kangaroos (scoring 10 tries in 20 minor games) but had to wait until the following year against NZ to make his Test debut. Arguably his greatest moment came against Great Britain in 1950 when he was a member of Australia’s Third Test team that recaptured the Ashes after 30 years. Souths also won the premiership that year and Cowie went on to play an integral role in the great Rabbitohs teams of the 1950s. A demon tackler and effective blind-side attacking player, Cowie played in the 1950 final, 1951 grand final and consecutive victories over Newtown in 1954-55. Despite his team losing, 36-33, his four tries in the 1956 final against Balmain was a reflection of his positional ability. His final Test match was against NZ in 1953 and when his playing career ended in 1958, the loyal clubman continued on as a Souths selector before progressing to the Australian selection panel in 1978.