Russell Crowe reveals his stance on Souths coach Jason Demetriou’s future after calls for him to be sacked following devastating loss to the Roosters

South Sydney Rabbitohs owner and Hollywood superstar Russell Crowe has thrown his support behind coach Jason Demetriou after a disastrous loss to the Roosters on Friday night.

The Sydney Roosters handed Souths the biggest loss of Demetriou’s tenure on Friday evening, scoring eight tries in a 48-6 mauling that pushed their rivals to the bottom of the ladder.

The match at Allianz Stadium followed a similar story to the Rabbitohs’ first two defeats of the season, with mistakes both putting the side under defensive pressure and thwarting their attack.

“It’s probably the lowest point in my career right now,” Demetriou said of the loss.

The trio of defeats at the start of 2024 came after the Rabbitohs lost seven of their last 10 matches last year and crashed out of finals contention despite leading the premiership through 11 rounds.

The Sydney Roosters handed Souths the biggest loss of Demetriou’s tenure on Friday evening

Crowe sent a text message to the club’s powerbrokers after the loss, making it clear that fortunes can improve just as quickly as they can go south, reports The Daily Telegraph.

Bunnies powerbrokers expect the team to perform over the next three weeks.

Wayne Bennett’s former protégé Demetriou insisted he was ‘extremely confident’ he could inspire the Rabbitohs with their latest funk.

“That’s my job, it’s up to me to guide the boys this week and make sure we fight hard and get ready to play (against Canterbury) on Good Friday,” he said.

‘I have been with this group for a long time. I understand the group and I am confident that we are on the same page and working together.

‘I have no doubt that I am the man who can turn the tide, but at the end of the day what I sit here and say makes no difference to what people are going to say.

‘The sound is there. It’s there because we don’t win and we don’t play well.

‘The only thing that will make a difference is that we train well, that we perform well next week and that we get some results on the board.’

Neither Demetriou’s attempt to promote Dean Hawkins to halfback nor the call-up for bench hooker Damien Cook could spark the Rabbitohs.

The Rabbitohs also lost the first two games of the NRL season

Demetriou said Friday evening that he was at the “lowest point in my career right now.”

“We brought in Deano, who I thought did a pretty good job for us,” Demetriou said.

“He’ll get better with the run, but ‘Cookie’ came into the season with a calf injury, so it was a matter of trying to get the best out of him and get him back on his feet.”

The coach was unsure whether next week’s first team would include Ilias, who was praised as ‘outstanding’ by Demetriou in a 28-12 NSW Cup win over the Roosters

‘No idea. We will look at the tires and make a decision next week,” Demetriou said.