Alf Blair

Alf 'Smacker' Blair is rightly regarded as one of the greatest captains in Souths' history. After leading the club's President's Cup side to the 1915 premiership, Blair progressed to the club captaincy just as it was beginning to dominate the game in the 1920s. A fine tactical player at five-eighth, he was a late selection for Australia for the First Test against England but despite a rushed trip by ship, car and train, floods on the north coast saw him arrive too late to play the match. Blair played his only Test for his country in the First Test loss to the Lions in Sydney in 1924, but it is his deeds as Souths’ captain that he is best remembered. The Rabbitohs reigned supreme in 1925-29, with Blair involved in each premiership success, bar 1928. In 1927, Blair was captain-coach of the champion club and two years later, led Souths on the first tour of NZ by a Sydney club side. He left the club the following year to coach in the country before returning to Sydney to coach Wests in1943. Blair died prematurely the following year - at age 48 – at the end of the season he coached Souths to the semi-finals.