Inside Russell Crowe’s Souths ‘power struggle’ with Aussie tech billionaire as Hollywood star’s club battles its biggest drama in 20 years
Russell Crowe is reportedly 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 two decades.
The Hollywood star is widely credited with playing a leading role in making the Rabbitohs a footballing power when he and businessman Peter Holmes a Court bought 75 percent of the team in 2006.
He has since been joined by Cannon-Brookes and James Packer, with the trio now each holding a 25 percent stake in the club, with the remaining quarter owned by Souths members.
Once hailed as the man who made Souths the ‘pride of the league’ again after taking control of the club in 2006, there are now strong signs that the Hollywood star’s influence at the club is slipping.
Tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes (pictured third from right with Souths players and current CEO Blake Solly, third from left) is increasing his influence at the Bunnies after spending millions to buy a stake in the club in 2021 to buy.
Recent events surrounding the sacking of Jason Demetriou after presiding over a shocking period 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 sacked on Tuesday, telling him: ‘I have your back.’
But despite Crowe’s desire to give the coach a chance to turn things around, the board voted unanimously to let him go.
The 60-year-old also reportedly tried to persuade former Bunnies CEO Shane Richardson to return to the club, which would amount to a huge vote of no confidence in current CEO Blake Solly.
And he has hardly any contact with club chairman Nick Pappas, according to A Fox sportswith the publication also claiming that Crowe has had several phone conversations with ‘super coach’ Wayne Bennett in an attempt to convince him to return to his team.
Crowe backed Jason Demetriou (pictured) to the hilt just hours before he was sacked as coach on Tuesday, but the board had very different ideas about the direction the club should take
Pappas threw his support behind Cannon-Brookes when he bought his stake in the Bunnies in November 2021, saying his addition at the top gave the club a foothold at the ‘top end of town’.
“Mike is known worldwide for his business acumen and his philanthropy, both of which will provide great opportunities for the Rabbitohs,” Pappas said.
If Cannon-Brookes and his representative on the board, financial guru Kelly Morton, were on board with Crowe when it came to the vote on Demetriou’s future, chances are he would still be with the Bunnies thanks to their combined voting power.
Cannon-Brookes and Morton are believed to be receiving increasing support from South’s power brokers, and both have featured in the dressing rooms recently as the club won just one of their first seven games and fell last on the ladder.
Following Demetriou’s dismissal, Solly denied there were any divisions at the top level of the team.
Crowe is said to have little contact with Rabbitohs chairman Nick Pappas (pictured right), who was full of praise for 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 necessary discussion and consideration it deserves is not doing its job… that is the sign of a great board, not a board that is dysfunctional.”
Last year, Crowe clashed with club great Sam Burgess when he accused Demetriou of giving stars Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker special treatment and not being strong enough for the team as a whole.
As the pair patched things up, it was an early sign of Crowe’s desire to defend Demetriou, despite strong signs – such as the club failing to finish first on the ladder after round 11 last year and missing out on the final – that the team was slipping from the bottom . his stewardship.
And while Crowe stood his ground on that front earlier this week, the rest of the powers that be – including Cannon-Brookes – were unequivocal in their call to move forward.