Reverse somersaults were for the circus.

Yet two of rugby league's biggest names were involved in contract backflips and secret payments.

Original Immortal Clive Churchill signed a contract to play in the rich Illawarra league, then reneged to remain with Souths. Dally Messenger – the game's first superstar – accepted an under-the-table payment, denied despite heavy media speculation, yet the Team of the Century player admitted it more than 30 years later.

Churchill was joined in his move to Illawarra by teammate Len "Chicka" Cowie – who later became a national selector.

The two South Sydney players walking out on a premiership club has eerie similarities to Manly duo Daly Cherry-Evans and Kieran Foran signing with the Titans and Eels respectively.

Early in 1953, South Sydney announced that Jack Rayner has beaten current players Churchill and Cowie for the captain-coach position. Rayner had coached Souths to premierships in 1950 and 1951 and was beaten in the 1952 grand final by Wests.

He was earning £500 a season, far more than Churchill.

When the Kangaroos returned to Sydney shortly afterwards, Churchill told the media he was unhappy to be beaten for the captain-coach job at Souths, declaring: "I am undecided about my future. If I do not play with Souths I will have to stand down for the season."

Mid-year, Churchill signed a five-year, £2500 deal with Illawarra Leagues Club. He was to be found a home and a job at £15 per week. He was assigned to play with the Christian Brothers club (now Collegians) for season 1954.

In August, Cowie signed a three-year, £1200 pound deal with Illawarra and was allocated to Dapto for season 1954.

Shortly after Souths won the 1953 premiership, Dudley Locke, the secretary of Illawarra Leagues Club, dismissed media speculation that Churchill wanted out of his contract, just as the Titans and Eels declared their faith in Cherry-Evans and Foran honouring their deals.

Yet on September 19, 1953, intense political manoeuvring at Redfern had achieved a deal. Churchill agreed to a five-year, £2500 contract which meant that when Rayner retired at the end of 1954 season, he would be captain-coach, not dissimilar to the likely promises to Cherry-Evans and Foran that Manly coach Geoff Toovey won't be in charge at Brookvale in 2016.

Churchill would receive a bonus of £500 each season thereafter, an effective lifetime deal similar to Cherry-Evans' eight-year $10 million contract at Manly.

Amid growing controversy, Churchill said: "I signed with Illawarra in haste and I now regret it. My wife does not want to go to Wollongong."

The "family reasons" card has echoes of Cherry-Evans being unfairly lampooned for justifying both his decisions – to go to the Gold Coast and stay at Manly.

Churchill subsequently asked Illawarra if he could appear in person to explain his reasons before the committee. But Locke then arranged for 1000 club members and the press to be present to hear Churchill speak.

It was a devious manoeuvre to keep the administration onside with their fans, unlike Parramatta's press releases, which have not placated the club's rallying #ReclaimOurEels brigade.

Churchill, sensing the coming ambush, sent his lawyer with a letter to be read at the meeting. It was met with howls of protest.

Locke told the meeting: "This joker has captained Australia in 40 matches - an all-time record - and when a chap like that wallows in the dirt something should be done."

Churchill's enemies seized on it to savage him, with former Easts international Ray Stehr saying: "To me, it is one of the dirtiest things I've ever seen or heard of in my life."

In November 1953, Cowie also reneged on his Illawarra contract and signed with Souths. In the same way the Sea Eagles board finally decided it wanted to retain Cherry-Evans, a journalist noted in 1953, "The South Sydney club suddenly made up its mind it wanted to retain Churchill and the rugby league, with a grandiose sweep of the hand, threw the Wollongong contract out and registered the Souths' contract."

Then, like now, head office was blamed.

"Is the NSWRL going to stand by and allow one of its registered players to sign a contract - with smiles and handshakes in public - and then a couple of months later to repudiate it and sign another contract without explanation of the matter being required? The rugby league doesn't care two hoots. If it suits, it blesses. If it does not, it curses."

When rugby league began in Sydney, players were to receive only expenses, or money when injured and off work. But rumours circulated that the League had secretly paid Dally Messenger to transfer from union. The Referee newspaper put this allegation to NSWRL secretary James Giltinan on August 21, 1907 and he replied:

"Not one player is to receive a penny for the matches against New Zealand, as far as I am concerned and I ought to know, as I alone am responsible for the handling of money at present.

The journalist responded: "But it has been stated that Messenger informed a rugby union official that he was to receive £50 for the three matches?"

Giltinan replied: "I have a letter from Messenger to the effect that he has not arranged to receive anything from the matches. And I state emphatically that he has no arrangement with me different from the others."

But when Messenger was interviewed in May 1940 by The Truth newspaper, he said:

"I was underneath scrubbing the bottom of a boat when in walked three men I didn't know from a bar of soap. They were [Labor politician Henry] Hoyle, Giltinan and someone else. They asked would I play against Baskerville's team ... they said they would give me £50 per match … They offered me spot cash.

"I said I didn't want the money. "Give it to Mother", was my instruction. They did."

The secret benefactor was James Joynton Smith, the very wealthy proprietor of the Victoria Park Racecourse, the game's first third party.

And technically, neither Giltinan nor Messenger had lied, since the money was given to Dally's mum.