Locker Room: Why Russell Crowe should stay out of decision on Jason Demetriou’s Rabbitohs future
If Russell Crowe digs his heels in and demands to have the final say on Jason Demetriou’s future, it may spark a powerplay the likes of which Souths haven’t seen since he took charge nearly two decades ago, writes DAVID RICCIO.
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It’s largely considered throughout the NRL that South Sydney co-owner Russell Crowe will have an influential say on whether head coach Jason Demetriou keeps his job.
The question to that is, how would Crowe know? That’s not intended to sound disrespectful.
Instead, it’s an example of the shifting power base within the halls of South Sydney.
Crowe’s influence and power over the Rabbitohs is far removed from what it was when he first stepped into rescue the club in 2006.
When Crowe took majority control of the club 18-years ago, saving the Rabbitohs from the brink, he and fellow co-owner Peter Holmes a Court boasted 75 per cent ownership, with the club’s members owning the remaining 25 per cent.
Crowe used his celebrity status and A-list mates to help lift the club off the canvas. The Rabbitohs were a club that couldn’t attract marquee talent.
That all changed when Crowe began schmoozing recruitment targets over lunch. Remember when he hosted Sam Burgess on the set of Robin Hood in England as he tried to entice the young tearaway to Sydney.
Or how he weighed in to convince Greg Inglis to choose Souths over the Brisbane Broncos. He was a powerful carrot for some of the biggest names in the game’s history.
Times, however, have changed at South Sydney. And it appears by his sunset pictures from Budapest, posted last week at a time when Rabbitohs fans are clogging radio talkback open lines hysterical and close to tears, so has Crowe’s.
As of today, Crowe owns 25 per cent of the Rabbitohs. The club is flying, recording $42.5 million in revenue last year and boasting 30,000 members.
The Hollywood actor has as much say as equal-share owners including Tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes, James Packer and the South Sydney members.
They all have a 25 per cent stake in the club. Too busy in Budapest filming his latest movie, Crowe hasn’t been to a Souths match or attended a training session, including neither at their training camp in San Diego or round one match in Las Vegas.
He hasn’t been inside the Rabbitohs dressing room or had the chance to listen to Demetriou talk to his players.
He hasn’t seen the relationship between the embattled coach and his players, or had the chance to test the theory that the coach has allowed his senior players to run the show.
If anything, the owner with the most feel for what is happening at Souths is Cannon-Brookes.
The 44-year-old has been spotted at matches and in the corner of the dressing room, watching and listening to the people who matter on the ground.
Crowe is far, far removed.
It is impossible to have a genuine feel for the place when you are on the other side of the world. Previously Crowe’s main man was former head of football Shane Richardson.
Richardson, now at the Wests Tigers, routinely kept Crowe up to speed on the daily workings of the club.
There’s a suggestion Crowe has felt distant from Souths ever since.
His representative on the Rabbitohs board is Kevin Finch but there is nothing like having someone with their hands on the pulse on a daily basis, as Richardson once had.
Crowe has always been the man to pull the trigger at Souths. But the power balance has shifted.
That Demetriou’s fate won’t be dictated by a man who has spent recent months in Budapest filming an historical drama called Nuremberg.
If Crowe digs in his heels and demands to have the final say, it may spark a powerplay the likes of which Souths haven’t seen since he took charge nearly two decades ago.
Crowe has reached coach number seven in his time at the helm. Some have left of their own accord, others have been shown the door.
Either way, it represents a new coach every two-and-half years since 2006. Good clubs don’t churn through coaches at that rate.
Their bitter rivals the Sydney Roosters have had stability at the top for more than a decade thanks to Trent Robinson.
Meanwhile, Souths have had a revolving door at the helm.
For all the good Crowe has done for the club – and he has done plenty – he has presided over a period of instability in the coaching ranks.
Perhaps it’s time for Crowe to remain behind the curtain and realise he’s no longer the lead actor.
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Originally published as Locker Room: Why Russell Crowe should stay out of decision on Jason Demetriou’s Rabbitohs future
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