- Souths have been rocked by another departure following the sacking of Jason Demetriou
- Chief Operating Officer Brock Schaefer left the club. He was close to Demetriou.
- Get more NRL news at Daily Mail Australia WhatsApp Channel
South Sydney has been rocked by another departure with chief operating officer Brock Schaefer leaving the club.
The Rabbitohs parted ways with coach Jason Demetriou, a close associate of Schaefer, on Tuesday following the club’s dismal start to the 2024 campaign. Demetriou leaves the team at the bottom of the NRL ladder.
Reports had suggested that Schaefer was “considering” leaving the club following Demetriou’s dismissal, and fox sports He has since confirmed that he has left.
In a rapidly changing situation, Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett confirmed on Wednesday that he is interested in returning to the Bunnies as CEO Blake Solly justified his decision to remove Demetriou from his position.
He said the club gave the manager “every opportunity” to turn the tide before finally wielding the axe.
Souths chief operating officer Brock Schaefer has resigned after Jason Demetriou (above) was fired by the club.
CEO Blake Solly justified Demetriou’s firing on Wednesday
Solly also responded to claims from Demetriou’s agent Chris Orr, in which he began by saying it was “extremely cruel” of the club to make his client wait all day to learn his fate while the board deliberated on what step to take.
“To be honest, it wasn’t fair to have your head coach waiting all day only to be fired,” Orr told The Daily Telegraph.
‘Coaches are human beings with families and I thought the South Sydney process was extremely cruel. I feel like they made a mistake.’
Solly replied: “I disagree…Jason spent three years here as an assistant coach and was appointed to succeed Wayne from the start.”
The Bunnies are in horrendous form and sit at the bottom of the NRL ladder.
“The club gave Jason every opportunity to succeed and for half of that period we did, but the results of the last 12 months have not been good enough for a club of our size.
“And while this is not a criticism of Jason or how hard he works, the last 20 games speak for themselves.”
‘For his agent to say he has been treated badly in the context of a year of patience and support is unfair. I’m not sure Jason shares that opinion.