NRL 2021: Souths fans seething after Adam Reynolds joins Brisbane Broncos

Adam Reynolds insists he has no ill-feeling towards Souths but Rabbitohs members don’t feel the same and are seething at the club’s decision to let the halfback walk away.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 08: Adam Reynolds of the Rabbitohs thanks the fans during the round five NRL match between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Brisbane Broncos at Stadium Australia on April 08, 2021 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Angry South Sydney fans are up in arms and threatening to throw in their club memberships over the decision not to fight harder to keep Adam Reynolds from signing with the Brisbane Broncos.

Some supporters have started to contact The Daily Telegraph expressing their frustration at the club’s decision to allow the much beloved local junior to leave Redfern, where he made his NRL debut in 2012 and helped guide the Rabbitohs to a historic title in 2014.

Reynolds agreed to a new three-year deal with the Broncos after the Rabbitohs refused not to offer the playmaker anything more than a one-year contract extension.

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New Broncos signing Adam Reynolds reveals his big move to the world.

While the Broncos are celebrating Reynolds’ decision as one of the club’s best signings in recent years, South Sydney faithful are seething at the club’s management.

Irene Newton, who claimed to be member 45026, declared: “YOU ARE A TERRIBLE BOARD WITH NO RESPECT FOR A GREAT PLAYER. I HOPE AT THE NEXT ELECTIONS THAT YOU WILL ALL BE RUN OUT BY THE MEMBERS.

“Good riddance to all of you.”

Ms Newton thanked Reynolds for “a great career with South Sydney and wish you well in your decision to do well for you and your family and no thanks to the board for the terrible decision.”

She added to the administration, “I bet you will not even reply to my email, no guts.”

Gloria Slade, who said she was “soon to be ex-member 8496” added: “I will not pay my money to you ever to run a club who would let the best player that Souths have had since Eric Simms and many other great South Sydney players, be run out of the club because you would not give a player who has been with the club from a young age a contract for 2 to 3 years to complete his playing career.

But for lifelong Rabbitohs fan and member Denis Coso, whose entire family are members, the ‘heartbreak’ of losing Reynolds is not enough for him to turn away from the club he loves so much.

“I’ll never walk away from the club, but I think they let him and members down when they didn’t show him the loyalty he deserved. The NRL needs to do more to help clubs keep local juniors, if Reynolds wanted to be a one-club man he should have that chance, Denis told News Corp.

Souths members Denis Coso and wife Dorothy, son Aidan and daughters Tiana and Amalia

Souths management have maintained they did all they could to keep Reynolds at the club and wanted him to follow fellow Rabbitohs legend John Sutton into a post-footy career of helping to develop the next generation of Souths players.

That responsibility should now fall on veteran playmaker Benji Marshall, who could help the Rabbitohs develop up and coming halves Lachlan Illias, Dean Hawkins and Blake Taaffe, according to club legend and halfback Craig Coleman.

“They’re banking on young kids, I have seen so many champion Jersey Flegg players who haven’t made the jump into NRL because of the brutality of the game. They all need at least 40 NSW Cup games before they’re ready. I think they’ll re-sign Benji and probably look to get someone else in too,” Coleman said.

Similar to Reynolds, Coleman, who coached the outgoing halfback in SG Ball, “was tapped on the shoulder” by then CEO Terry Parker in 1992 after 13 years at Redfern.

“It sad to see a local kid go, the greats of South Sydney Bob McCarthy, Ron Coote, John O’Neill have all been let go. That’s how footy goes,” Coleman said.

“I had 13 years, the best of my life. We all want to be one club players, sometimes the cards don’t fall that way. It was heartbreaking, Terry, who was really good to me, said to me I’m not going to offer you less money because it would be an embarrassment to you.”