Russell Crowe is reported to be locked in a power struggle with tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes as Souths’ co-owners deal with the fallout from the biggest dramas to hit the club in 20 years.
The Hollywood star is widely credited with playing a leading role in turning the Rabbitohs into a football force when he and businessman Peter Holmes a Court bought 75 per cent of the team in 2006.
He has since been joined by Cannon-Brookes and James Packer, and the trio now each have a 25 per cent stake in the club, with the remaining quarter owned by members of the Souths.
Once hailed as the man who brought Souths back to the “pride of the league” after taking control of the club in 2006, there are now strong signs that the Hollywood star’s influence on the club is fading.
Tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes (pictured third from right with Souths players and current chief executive Blake Solly, third from left) is increasing his influence with the Bunnies after spending millions to buy a stake at the club in 2021.
Recent events surrounding the sacking of Jason Demetriou after he presided over a shocking run of poor form have shown that Crowe’s influence at the club is waning.
It has been revealed that the Gladiator star backed Demetriou to the hilt just hours before he was fired on Tuesday, telling him: “I’ve got your back.”
But despite Crowe’s eagerness for the coach to be given a chance to turn things around, the board voted unanimously to let him go.
The 60-year-old also reportedly tried to get former Bunnies chief executive Shane Richardson to return to the club in what would amount to a major no-confidence vote against current chief executive Blake Solly.
And he barely communicates with the club’s president, Nick Pappas, according to a fox sportsand the publication also claims that Crowe has had several phone conversations with ‘super coach’ Wayne Bennett in an attempt to convince him to return to the team.
Crowe backed Jason Demetriou (pictured) to the hilt just hours before he was sacked as manager on Tuesday, but the board had very different ideas about the direction the club should take.
Pappas supported Cannon-Brookes when he bought out his stake in the Bunnies in November 2021, saying his addition to the top brass gave the club a foothold at the “top end of town”.
“Mike is world-renowned for his business acumen and philanthropy, both of which will provide a great opportunity for the Rabbitohs,” Pappas said.
If Cannon-Brookes and his board representative, financial guru Kelly Morton, agreed with Crowe when it came to voting on Demetriou’s future, there’s a good chance he’d still be with the Bunnies thanks to his voting power. combined.
Cannon-Brookes and Morton are believed to be receiving increasing support from the Southern powerbrokers, and both have been spotted in the changing rooms recently as the club won just one of their first seven games to drop to last place in the standings.
Following Demetriou’s sacking, Solly denied there was any gap at the team’s senior level.
Crowe reportedly barely speaks to Rabbitohs president Nick Pappas (pictured right), who praised Cannon-Brookes when he joined the club.
Crowe’s stake in the club has been diluted with the addition of heavyweights Cannon-Brookes and James Packer to the ownership structure.
“The fact that the decision was unanimous shows that they agree on the decision,” he said, referring to the board.
“Any board that doesn’t give something like this the due discussion and deliberation it deserves isn’t doing its job…that’s the sign of a great board, not a dysfunctional board.”
Last year, Crowe clashed with big club Sam Burgess when he accused Demetriou of giving stars Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker special treatment and not being tough enough on the team as a whole.
While the pair patched things up, it was an early sign of Crowe’s desire to defend Demetriou despite strong signs, such as the club going from first in the standings after round 11 last year to missing out on the final. , that the team was falling. his stewardship.
And while Crowe was still holding firm on that front earlier this week, the rest of the powers that be – including Cannon-Brookes – were unequivocal in their call to move forward.
