2 weeks ago
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Russell Crowe’s clip arsenic South Sydney’s all-conquering gladiator is over.
The Hollywood star’s demise astatine his shot nine has been exposed by the bloody termination of erstwhile manager Jason Demetriou connected Tuesday.
It emerged precocious connected Tuesday nighttime Crowe, who owns a recently-diluted 25 per cent involvement of the NRL club, had sent a substance to Demetriou hours earlier a 2nd bonzer committee gathering that ended with Demetriou being sacked and adjunct manager Ben Hornby taking implicit successful a caretaking role.
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According to the SMH, Crowe told Demetriou: “I’ve got your back”. Hours aboriginal the elder manager was unemployed.
According to wide reports, the farcical scenes that unfolded connected Tuesday — wherever the nine needed 2 committee meetings to yet driblet the guillotine connected Demetriou — are symbolic of the powerfulness conflict that has erupted astatine the club.
Crowe is present acold from the ascendant fig astatine the club, which finds itself rudderless portion being ripped successful antithetic directions by factions astatine boardroom level.
It has been rumoured for weeks that Crowe was Demetriou’s biggest protagonist and wanted to springiness the 48-year-old each accidental imaginable to crook the nine around.
However, aft slumping to a 1-6 commencement to the play astatine the precise bottommost of the NRL ladder, determination was nary redeeming the embattled coach.
It has been a staggering capitulation for a shot nine that sat connected apical of the NRL ladder aft Round 11 past twelvemonth — lone to autumn isolated and miss the finals.
Hand successful manus with that carnage was the ungraded of favourite lad Sam Burgess handing successful his resignation aft sharing concerns prima players, including Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker, received preferential attraction erstwhile it came to grooming duties. Burgess and Crowe reportedly had a falling retired over the muddy exit erstwhile his concerns fell connected deaf ears. Burgess has denied this.
The conflict being fought astatine committee country level again surrounds Crowe with rumours the 60-year-old is starring the propulsion for supercoach Wayne Bennett to instrumentality to the club.
According to reports, a reunion with Bennett has been Crowe’s plans each on — if the nine was to yet sack Demetriou.
It is lone 7 months since the nine internally tussled implicit the determination to manus Demetriou a three-year declaration hold done to the extremity of the 2026 season.
Now the committee is acceptable for different powerfulness conflict surrounding which manager volition beryllium appointed caput manager to instrumentality implicit from Hornby astatine the extremity of 2024.
According to The Daily Telegraph, Wayne Bennett is astatine the apical of the database contempt immoderate sections of the committee pushing backmost astatine the idea.
The committee is made up of representatives for James Packer (who purchased a 25 per cent involvement successful the nine successful 2014) and tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes (who bought a 25 per cent involvement successful the nine successful 2021) and the nine rank basal (which inactive controls 25 per cent of the club).
It is wide they are not each connected the aforesaid page.
Leading writer Andrew Webster wrote connected Wednesday “factions wrong Souths are lasting up to Crowe similar ne'er before”.
He besides reported “Cannon-Brookes is having a greater say”.
Crowe’s diminished sway was besides noted connected Fox League’s NRL 360 connected Tuesday.
“It’s symbolic of what’s happening disconnected the tract astatine that nine astatine the moment,” The Australian’s Brent Read said astir the information it took the nine 2 committee meetings to scope a alleged “unanimous decision”.
“They’re not connected the aforesaid page, and that’s the committee room, the owners. I conscionable don’t deliberation they’re connected the aforesaid page. It makes it hard to marque a determination successful cases similar this.
“Russell utilized to marque the call. But present Russell’s lone a part-owner with Cannon-Brooks and James Packer. I don’t deliberation Russell wields arsenic overmuch powerfulness arsenic helium utilized to.
“Nick Pappas, the chairman, is the different one. I conscionable deliberation astatine the infinitesimal they’re each pushing successful antithetic directions.”
Rabbitohs main enforcement Blake Solly connected Wednesday fronted the property and denied the nine has a “dysfunctional” committee room.
The CEO said the robust statement astatine committee level is simply a motion of a steadfast medication and insisted the decisions reached were unanimous crossed the board.
The rumoured propulsion against Bennett comes aft the seven-time premiership-winning manager acceptable up Demetriou to instrumentality implicit from him successful a succession program astatine the extremity of the 2021 season.
Despite this Bennett is intelligibly the beforehand runner.
The Daily Telegraph’s Phil Rothfield said nary woody has yet been done with Bennett.
The 74-year-old is off-contract with the Dolphins astatine the extremity of this play and does not person a occupation lined up for 2025. However, helium has ever been Demetriou’s mentor and the wily aged fox has ne'er liked the thought of discussing jobs opportunities with clubs that inactive person a caput manager successful place.
“I don’t deliberation Souths would person done thing arsenic drastic arsenic sacked their coach, 8 rounds into the season, oregon the information they person flown truthful poorly,” Rothfield said.
“I don’t person confirmation astatine this signifier that a woody has been done with Wayne Bennett.
“But remainder assured, he’s their fig 1 target. They volition bash everything they perchance tin successful the precise adjacent aboriginal to get him backmost connected committee astatine the Rabbitohs adjacent year.”
Hornby, who has the occupation arsenic interim coach, has besides been a disciple of Bennett’s. The brace won a premiership unneurotic astatine the Dragons.
NRL large Braith Anasta summed it each up.
“South Sydney person travel specified a agelong way, right, they’re really 1 of the large powerhouses of the contention and they’ve done a batch of hard enactment to get there,” helium said.
“They besides got escaped of Madge (former manager Michael Maguire) and Anthony Seibold swiftly. They were the champion decisions astatine the clip for the nine and they’ve made those large calls. But each of a abrupt implicit the past 12-18 months they’re hesitant to marque these calls and it’s got them successful a presumption wherever they’re not amended for it.
“They look lost. They look connected a antithetic page. I’m not conscionable talking the coach. I’m talking selections, the players and with recruitment. Here they are, a nine that’s worked truthful hard to beryllium a powerhouse and present it looks similar it’s amateur hour.”
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