Super coach Wayne Bennett has reportedly agreed to return to Souths and rescue the cellar-dwelling club in a big win for co-owner Russell Crowe.
The 74-year-old will return to the team next season after ending his previous three-year spell in charge of the Bunnies at the end of their 2021 campaign, in which they reached the grand final.
Bennett agreed to terms on a three-year contract that will pay him a staggering $1 million per season, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Bennett (pictured during his previous spell as Souths coach) will earn a whopping $1 million per season to rescue the cellar-dwelling Bunnies.
His appointment is a major victory for co-owner Russell Crowe (pictured at a Souths game) after the Hollywood star lobbied Bennett to return to Redfern.
He has not signed the contract, but Rabbitohs representatives are in Queensland to finalize the deal with the current Dolphins coach, the publication reported.
Southerners have declined to comment on the appointment.
The Bunnies fired coach Jason Demetriou last month after he led the club to a shocking run of results stretching back to the middle of last season.
After round 11 of that campaign the Rabbitohs were top of the table, but they crashed out of the finals after that and only won one game after 10 rounds this year.
Crowe is a big admirer of Bennett after his last spell at the club and the Hollywood star reportedly had several phone conversations with him after Demetriou was shown the door.
Bennett’s assistant when he was at Souths, Jason Demetriou (pictured together) was sacked by the club last month after leading the Bunnies to the bottom of the table.
The team is currently being coached by Demetriou’s former assistant, Dragons great Ben Hornby.
Bennett has remained tight-lipped about his chances of returning to the Bunnies, snapping back when asked about the matter during a recent press conference.
He had been tipped by ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys as a possible coach of an expansion team, and the NRL is investigating expansion to a possible 20-team competition, with PNG, Perth and a second team from New Zeeland as candidates.
