‘Maggot’ texts and typos: Clive Churchill’s son hits South Sydney Rabbitohs CEO with bizarre spray
The son of Rabbitohs Immortal Clive Churchill called the club’s CEO a ‘maggot’ in a torrent of abusive text messages as the club’s disastrous season sees them in the running for the wooden spoon.
The son of late South Sydney legend Clive Churchill called chief executive Blake Solly a “maggot” in a torrent of abusive text messages in response to the club’s injury-plagued NRL season. It can also be revealed that Rod Churchill, who sent a similarly putrid text to chairman Nick Pappas two years ago about fullback LatrellMitchell, tried to hold a march last Saturday to oust Solly and long-time official Mark Ellison.
The only problem was nobody turned up – including Churchill.
The Rabbitohs are second last on the ladder with most judges understanding a horror run with injuries is chiefly to blame, although questions are being asked about recruitment.
Churchill has placed the blame squarely on the shoulders of both Solly and Ellison, who is the club’s recruitment officer.
A call to arms went up on social media at the end of last month, foreshadowing a march from the club’s headquarters at Heffron Park to Souths Juniors.
“The south sydney rabbitohs are in dire straights (sic) because of the complete incompetence of two useless muppets named ELLO & SOLLY,” the post read. “We are marching from Heffron to the juniors next Saturday midday.”
Churchill was so cranky he sent a screenshot of the post to Solly on June 29, along with a stream of abusive, incoherent messages, which this column has obtained.
“U are an uneducated dope,” reads one. “I thank (sic) you realise that Look in the mirror.”
He added: “Find something Else blakev (sic). Then this: “No response from you 3.6! Years you maggott (sic).” And this: “Not done pope (sic).” And finally this: “Thats the last if texts (sic). If suggest you call u me (sic).”
Apart from desperately needing a proofreader, Churchill also seems to have made a promise he couldn’t keep. Not a single soul turned up to Heffron Park last Saturday, with staff taking pictures to prove it. And yet when Souths were booted from the NRL in 2000, more than 80,000 people, from lawyers to concreters, from celebrities to legendary former players, marched from Souths Leagues Club in Redfern to Sydney Town Hall in an iconic demonstration of people power.
Text message, it seems, is Churchill’s preferred mode of communication. In 2023, he sent one to Pappas after the NRL’s Indigenous Round, branding Mitchell a “cancer” on the club.
“Where was the human headline Mitchell tonight Nicholas?” the text read. “Missing again, this was his big game apparently? Your club will not win another comp for another 40 years if this imposter remains at Souths. He is a complete myth who has the aboriginal cause paramount and south sydney second, if at all. I hope you and family are well. Nothing was done and now this cancer that is Mitchell has ruined the club.”
The text fell into the hands of the media after Churchill sent a copy of it to his friends. He apologised and sacked himself from presenting the Clive Churchill Medal, the award given to the best player in the NRL grand final struck in his late father’s honour.
The Australian contacted Churchill for comment but at the time of publication he had yet to respond.
Solly said Churchill’s “muppets and maggots” remarks were uncalled for. “Our club has always had the utmost respect for the Churchill family and Clive’s enormous contribution to the Rabbitohs,” Solly said.
“For example, our boardroom at Heffron bears his name. Rod’s comments were disappointing”.
Message and a bottle
Speaking of regrettable text messages, just how stupid – or inebriated – do you have to be to send a text message about “murdering” Carlton coach Michael Vossto an MCG anti-social helpline during a match? A Collingwood fan has been banned from attending AFL matches for the next five years after he was revealed to be the middle-aged man who sent a vile message during his side’s 55-point win against the Blues last weekend.
After days of speculation about what the message actually said, the details finally came to light late on Thursday.
“I’d like to report 23 missing persons and pre-emptively report the murder of Michael Voss,” the man texted, according to various reports.
Victoria Police said at the start of the week it did not pursue the matter because there was no intended criminality, and now the message is out of the bottle, so to speak, you can understand why.
The message is in poor taste, but the Pies fan was clearly being a smart-arse. It’s not funny but it’s not a death threat, otherwise police would have acted.
Nevertheless, it’s worrying when Brisbane coach Chris Fagan says threatening messages are “just the world AFL coaches live in”.
It shouldn’t be.
In rugby league, referee Matt Cecchin received so many death threats after making a controversial but correct decision in the 2017 World Cup semi-final between England and Tonga in Auckland that they were picked up by New Zealand police and the Australian Federal Police.
Voss was asked questions about the message for nine minutes at a media conference earlier this week.
Imagine if the Blues had given as much time to discuss the dramatic departure of Carlton president Luke Sayers following the dick pic saga earlier this year.
Origin masterclass
At a team meeting the night before the State of Origin decider, NSW coach Laurie Daleyaddressed the death of Queensland captain Cameron Munster’s father, Steven.
According to those in the room, he said it put a game of football firmly into perspective. It was classic Daley, the nicest guy in the game.
Whether he’s the right guy for NSW is the question many are asking after his players had their backsides handed to them by the Maroons at Accor Stadium on Wednesday night.
The Queenslanders were inspired by Munster’s courage in playing just days after his father died.
But make no mistake: they turned the series on its head because Billy Slater ultimately outcoached Daley.
Slater had the gonads to make changes to a winning side in Perth, including the recall of cult hero Josh Papali’i at prop and resisting the selection of Reece Walsh at fullback, instead shifting Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow from centre. He had faith in rookie centres Robert Toia and Gehamat Shibasaki.
Daley stayed loyal to a losing side and paid the price. The Blues pack was bashed into submission.
NSW halfback Nathan Cleary may have won four premierships with Penrith but he’s about to start attracting Mitchell Pearce comparisons if he doesn’t lead his state to a series win soon.
The over-the-top criticism of Cleary isn’t surprising, but it’s kinda unfair. Little has been made of winger Zac Lomax’s horrible read in defence that handed Queensland their first try.
Backrower Angus Crichton – last year’s player of the series – missed six tackles.
While Cleary and Daley are wearing the brunt of the criticism, kudos to them for how they handled the loss.
It’s refreshing to see a losing Blues halfback front every media interview asked of him after such a gut-wrenching result.
I’ve seen other players in that situation stay firmly behind closed doors.
It’s refreshing to see a losing Blues coach blame himself instead of placing it on external factors, like the media. Daley won’t be going anywhere soon: he has another year to run on his contract.
After a slow, dull start, the series transformed into one of the most fascinating in years, and the record ratings for Nine proves it.
The network’s game-three coverage was on point in comparison to the perpetual plugs for the Winter Olympics we were subjected to throughout game two.
Clash of two titans
A war of words has erupted between Wallabies greats David Campese and Matt Giteau right on the eve of the British & Irish Lions series.
Rah! Or whatever it is they say in rugby union to express excitement and joy.
Campese has been doing typical Campese things in recent weeks, dropping truth bombs from a great height. He squared up Lions coach Andy Farrell for picking his son, Owen, who hasn’t played a Test in two years.
“This is a weak pick by Daddy,” he wrote in a column for Planet Rugby.
Giteau wasn’t happy and let his feelings known – not to Campese but on social media.
“I respect Campo as a player and a person but he needs to stop coming out making these silly comments,” he posted on X.
“Doing nothing for his reputation and respect in our game. The more he talks about the game the way he does, the less ppl will remember him for the genuis (sic) he was.”
Like most sane people, I check out whenever I hear Campese’s voice. He lost me years ago when he said women shouldn’t be covering the sport.
However, he has every right to voice his opinion, even if you don’t like what he has to say nor how he says it.
The private-school insularity of the game in Australia is exposed when anyone who isn’t a cheerleader is instantly condemned.
What a tale to tell
Speculation is rife in Olympic circles that former IOC vice-president and AOC boss John Coates is about to write a book.
Coates confirmed to this column that he had been approached by an author but declined the offer. For now.
You suspect he’s thinking along the same lines as two-time Melbourne-Cup winning jockey Jim Cassidy.
“I need a few people to die first,” Cassidy told me in the Flemington mounting yard before the Cup in 2013 about the prospect of an autobiography.
In other words, the dead can’t sue. “Pumper” ended up writing his best-selling book three years later.
What a tale it would be if Coates, now 75, decided to tell his life story.
His explosive interview in The Australian in April still has tongues wagging – and a few eyes rolling – at the AOC.
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