Episode 2

What happened at the handover ceremony?

The official handover ceremony for the South Sydney District Rugby League Football Club took place at Sydney Town Hall on 7 June 2006, with Peter Holmes à Court and Russell Crowe officially taking control of Rugby League’s most famous Club.

In a symbolic moment, outgoing Football Club Chairman Nicholas Pappas handed over the Football Club’s historic first minute book to Mr Holmes à Court, who, in turn, handed over a $3 million cheque in exchange for the 75% stake. This historic transaction was approved by a staggering 75.8 per cent majority of the Club’s voting Membership at the 19 March 2006 Extraordinary General Meeting.

Mr Holmes à Court said the ceremony was not only the culmination of many months of hard work, it also indicated the beginning of the hard work ahead to rebuild the legend and return this Club to its rightful place at the top of the NRL.

“Since the history-making vote of March 19 when members voted overwhelmingly to let Russell Crowe and myself take control of this great Club, I have had the opportunity to make preparations for this day - the starting line to a new era for the NRL’s most successful club,” Mr Holmes à Court said.

“I have listened to countless Football Club Members and supporters, interviewed all members of the current management, directors and past directors, as well as having had the pleasure of meeting the administrators and directors of other leading football clubs in Australia.

“Neither Russell nor I underestimate the job ahead, which will include the most challenging elements of turning around a business with an era of underperformance, against the backdrop of the ruthless toughness of Rugby League. However we are prepared to take on this challenge, starting today. Many of our changes will at times be hidden, and at times they will be public and appropriately trumpeted. But we know our first step must be start to rebuild a winning culture.

“The South Sydney Rabbitohs are now a unique partnership: on the one hand Russell and I have management control and on the other, members have true protections and control of our key heritage elements. We humbly respect the mutual obligation created by our partnership with the Members, and we look forward to working with them to achieve our mutual goal. We believe we can create a winning football club, change our community for the better, provide proof it can be done against the odds and change the lives of thousands of Australian kids.”

Outgoing South Sydney Football Club Chairman and current South Sydney Members Rugby League Football Club Chairman Nicholas Pappas said the Club now has its best chance of not only surviving, but prospering.

“This Club has been through many battles, from near extinction, to reinstatement and now this re-birth, and this handover of control represents our greatest opportunity to achieve the heights this Club so richly deserves,” Mr Pappas.

“This new ownership structure is a partnership between Peter Holmes à Court, Russell Crowe and the 8,000 plus Members that have kept this Club functioning for many years.  Peter and Russell take on a precious legacy from today, but I know that they value the heritage and traditions of this great Football Club. The Members have given Peter and Russell an overwhelming mandate to turn the fortunes of this Club around and I am confident they have the business acumen and the passion to rebuild the legend that is the Rabbitohs. I am looking forward to working with Peter, Russell and the new Football Club Board to make this Club successful again.”

Rabbitohs CEO Shane Richardson said the new way of doing business with the Rabbitohs would ensure a return to the peak of the League.

“So many things have already changed since the EGM on March 19, but these are all small steps towards the ultimate goal,” Mr Richardson said.

“This Club is heading in the right direction, with over $500,000 of improvements to our current training base at Erskineville Oval and $19.5 million being spent by the City of Sydney Council on our return to Redfern in 2008 with state-of-the-art facilities for our players and coaches.

“We will service our sponsors better; we will provide our staff, both playing and administrative staff, with the right resources to do their jobs; we will continue to contribute to Rugby League and keep it as the number one sport on the East Coast. We will learn from other codes and implement positives that we can gain from those sports; and we will adopt best practice wherever possible. We are building our team off the field as is evidenced by the signing of our Recruitment Manager Mark Hughes and the addition of Jason Taylor to the coaching staff for 2007. We are working with the NRL to create a better environment for our players to operate in and provide them with more opportunities away from the field of play. We will have new ticketing and Membership options for the 2007 season which will provide our Members with a new and exciting way of interacting with their Club. We have a great focus on delivering the best service to our sponsors, as well as attracting the best sponsors to this Club. We have a commitment to playing our games at Telstra Stadium for the coming seasons, a move which has worked so far and a relationship that we are continuing to build to this day to provide the best game day experience for our fans.

“When I began working for the Rabbitohs, we were $1 million worse off than I thought we would be. Nick Pappas and his Board have done a fantastic job to keep the Club running to this point. We now have an opportunity to take the next steps to get back to the top of the NRL ladder.

“We will be going into the player market in a better position this year than we did last year, as we have a strong recruitment and retention committee to attract the right players to the Club who want to be here and want to give their all for the Rabbitohs.

“These are all small steps, but these small steps are necessary to make this Club great once again.”

What happened in the 2006 season?

The Rabbitohs on-field results during 2006 were not the best, but the moves made off the field of play during this season would shape the future of the Club into one of longevity and professionalism.

The Rabbitohs only won three games all season, defeating the Raiders, Panthers and eventual NRL Premiers the Brisbane Broncos.

Off the field, the successful bid by Peter Holmes à Court and Russell Crowe to acquire 75% of the Club, meant the Rabbitohs now had the resources to compete with the top Clubs in the NRL. A new business approach, a new focus on putting together the best football team with the best facilities, and a drive to succeed, was the important story for the Rabbitohs in 2006.

What is the drill dragging the weights behind them?

It is a form of resistance weight training designed to increase a player’s endurance.  It is designed the train the muscles to use or resist a force irrespective of time.

A player’s muscles can be trained to increase endurance over a short length of time by carrying the weights in this fashion. This type of training works on the player’s core strength and his leg drive.

Rugby League players begin pre-season training four months before the start of the season in a bid to work on their fitness, strength and skills for the season ahead. This is a time when different weight training drills can be used to work on player’s strength and endurance.

Who are the ‘big name players’ that were recruited for 2007?

The Rabbitohs’ recruitment for season 2007 was nothing short of outstanding, with the Club snaring three current internationals, a Country Origin representative and a player who would have been selected to represent his country had he not spent a stint on the sidelines through suspension.

The Rabbitohs’ recruitment drive was headlined by the signing of Kiwis Roy Asotasi, Nigel Vagana and David Kidwell, plus halfback Jeremy Smith, in addition to sensational back-rower Dean Widders

At the time of signing Asotasi, Rabbitohs Chairman Peter Holmes à Court made this statement about the new perception of the Rabbitohs: “The combination of our four big signings in Vagana, Kidwell, Widders and now Asotasi means that in 2007 the Rabbitohs offer a totally different proposition for our Sponsors and our Members. It moves us away from the current perception of the Club, to a credible claim to be a top eight contender. This holds great historical significance for this famous Club in our 100th season. We’re putting together, with the high profile outside recruits and the development of our young players, a team that can fulfill the hopes and dreams of our many supporters.”

What is the Captain’s Club?

The Captains Club is a group of high level industry specialists and business minds who meet regularly through the year to discuss strategic directions and general business pertaining to the Rabbitohs. It also is an excellent forum to gather business networking opportunities and to have as an integral focus group to garnish business feedback and expertise in many areas.

The Captains Club is an exclusive club whose membership was started in 2003. Over the years the Captains have introduced major partnerships and business strategies that have helped the Rabbitohs remain leaders in sports business.

All of the Captains have a real passion for the Rabbitohs and this group offers an exceptional meeting of the minds and a valued resource for the Rabbitohs management team and board of directors.

What is the Brand Universe?

The Brand Universe is a constantly changing document about the Rabbitohs’ world and the many associated worlds that surround the business, its people and its various stakeholders.

Rabbitohs Corporate Relations and Events Group Manager Chris Keeble says: “Those things that are closest to our business and use our intellectual property such as our iconic Rabbit, players, colours and logos, sit within the orbit closest to us, a bit like how the Moon is to the Earth. These are the areas we touch or engage in daily and are a very big and important part of us.

“The further out we go the less we have to engage certain areas and indeed the less they are under our control. For example South Sydney Juniors, is still a part of us, but removed in a way that decisions and control are not our responsibility. They do however share some common goals and values and to that end they still live in our worlds, but not so much on a day to day basis.

“You can soon see that there are many different areas and a number of rings that make up our universe and the positioning of those items.

“It changes constantly due to the fact that new ideas come to us, new properties are developed and new organisations become involved with the club.

“It’s big, it’s exciting and it continues to grow as does the business.”

What’s happening with Redfern Oval?

The Rabbitohs last called Redfern Oval home during the 1987 season before moving to the newly built Sydney Football Stadium as their home ground.

Redfern Oval was still used by local and junior sides before falling into a state of disrepair.

It is currently undergoing a $25 million redevelopment at the hands of the City of Sydney. A new Oval and Park is being created not only for the use of the South Sydney Football Club but for the community in general. An 8,000 seat stadium is due to be completed mid-2008 and the Rabbitohs will move their training base from Erskineville Oval to Redfern then. Due to the limited capacity the club is unlikely to play any NRL games there but may play an exhibition or trial match. It will be used by the club’s local and junior sides as well.

What’s the set up like at Erskineville Oval now?

Erskineville Oval now has training facilities the equal of any other in the NRL.

A $600,000 overhaul of the Oval began in May 2006 and a further $250,000 was spent on upgrading training equipment and Erskineville Oval is now a one stop shop for Rabbitohs players and staff.

The upgrade included recreational rooms so players can spend their time watching TV or on the internet in between training sessions. Some players live as far away as Cronulla and Penrith and this eliminates the need for them to spend a great deal of time on the road.

A full time physiotherapist is also employed by the club for use by the players in their down time.

The new facilities at Erskineville Oval are also used by the club’s junior representative players.

Why do the players take Ice Baths?

Ice baths are considered one of the best ways to aid recovery following games and training sessions. It is a method used by sporting teams across the globe including Australia’s world champion cricketers.

To aid recovery it is important to bring oxygen to the tissues and remove the waste products of exercise including lactic acid and this process helps the muscles, tendons, bones, nerves and tissues used by the players to recover.

When players get into an ice bath the icy water causes their blood vessels to tighten and drains the blood out of the legs. After around 10 minutes the legs will feel cold and numb.

When they players leave the bath their legs fill up with the new blood that invigorates their muscles with oxygen and help the cells to function better. Players can enter a warm shower after the ice bath and can alternate between the two for further effect. According to South Sydney Rabbitohs strength and conditioning coach Grant Duthie it is a worthwhile recovery method.

“It is a way of icing down the body after it has undergone trauma and hopefully the players recover more quickly,” he said.

What happened in the trial against the Sharks?

The Rabbitohs first hit out of the 2007 season was against the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks at Bluetongue Stadium on NSW’s Central Coast.

The result didn’t go as planned with the Rabbitohs falling 22 points to four, but in a pre-season trial match results aren’t always the indicator the Head Coach is looking for.

South Sydney Rabbitohs Head Coach Jason Taylor was pleased with his team's progression in terrible conditions in front of 8,011 fans.

Taylor said in his post-match interviews that his team’s defence has improved markedly.

"We wanted to work on our defence and we came on in leaps and bounds in that area of the game," Taylor said.

"They scored three tries from kicks, but they're still worth four points each.

"We only completed 21 sets from 40 and you're not going to beat anyone with that level of ball control.

"We've worked really hard on a lot of areas and we've improved in everything so I'm happy with that."

The Rabbitohs defence in the first half was nothing short of outstanding, thwarting every raid on their line by the Sharks in the opening 40 minutes.

Souths went to the break leading four-nil after winger Paul Mellor touched down in the right-hand corner. The ball was swung right through to Dean Widders who threw a beautiful cut out pass to Mellor, who still had to beat one defender to score. The Rabbitohs defended well, especially on their own tryline. The forwards were making good metres and the team was looking dangerous in attack, particularly down the right hand side.

As the rain began to tumble the night sky lit up with lightning, the second half was a different story for the Rabbitohs. Prop Jaiman Lowe was placed on report for a high tackle in the 42nd minute and the Rabbitohs discipline was poor, giving away too many penalties. The Sharks took the lead in the 50th minute when winger Misi Taulapapa scored from a cross field kick, with Luke Covell converting. The Sharks then went on to score three more tries in the half, two from cross field bombs, with Covell, Fraser Anderson and Brett Kearney all crossing for four-pointers.

"Peter Cusack, Luke Stuart and Joe Galuvao were my stand outs," Taylor said. "Dean Widders was good too. He was dangerous early in the game."

The Rabbitohs escaped the game without injury.

Cronulla Sharks 22 (Misi Taulapapa, Luke Covell, Fraser Anderson, Brett Kearney tries; Luke Covell 3 goals) defeated South Sydney Rabbitohs 4 (Paul Mellor try)

What is Bluetongue Stadium?

Bluetongue Stadium is situated at Gosford on the NSW Central Coast. It is one of Australia's most picturesque venues.

The construction of Bluetongue Stadium was completed in February 2000, with a total capacity of 20,059.

Events held at Bluetongue Stadium include Rabbitohs home games on a limited basis, International Rugby Union, National Rugby League and National A-League Football matches, as well as boxing, motorcross, open-air rock concerts and local sporting and community events.

Bluetongue Stadium was the former home of the Northern Eagles NRL franchise.

Visit Bluetongue Stadium’s website at www.centralcoaststadium.com.au.

Who are The Singers’ End?

The Singers’ End are a supporters’ group of the South Sydney Rabbitohs who attend Rabbitohs’ games and sing chants throughout the match.

The Singers’ End attend both home and away games and are one of a number of supporters’ groups that follow the Rabbitohs around the country.

What happened at the ‘Love’ session?

The ‘Love’ session depicted in the second episode of South Side Story took place as part of the fabled ‘Book of Feuds’ which is yet to be unleashed on the viewing public.

Keep an eye on www.southsidestory.com.au for more details.

What happened in the 2007 Charity Shield?

The Rabbitohs suffered a narrow defeat at the hands of the St George Illawarra Dragons in the 2007 Charity Shield, with Rabbitohs Head Coach Jason Taylor saying he was pleased with the effort his side put in leading up to the Club's opening round clash with the Roosters on Monday 19 March.

The Dragons came away with the win 16 points to 14, with Dragons' skipper Ben Hornby scoring an intercept try five minutes from full time to steal the game.

The Rabbitohs opened the scoring in the second minute when second rower Luke Stuart scored a try. Halfback Joe Williams ran to the line and gave a perfect short ball to Stuart to score the first try of the match. Williams converted to give the Rabbitohs a 6-nil lead. The Dragons took the lead through tries to Wes Naiqama and Josh Morris, with Naiqama converting the Morris four-pointer. In the final minute of the first half, Rabbitohs' centre Shannon Hegarty scored on the left hand side, when the Rabbitohs scored a good team try. The ball went through David Peachey's hands twice as well as John Sutton and captain David Kidwell before Hegarty pounced on the loose ball to score. The video referee awarded the try with benefit of the doubt to level the scores at 10-all going into the half time break. The Rabbitohs were getting positive go forward through the likes of Roy Asotasi, Kidwell and captain Peter Cusack. The Rabbitohs defence was outstanding, getting at least three men into every tackle and stopping numerous Dragons' attacking raids. Nigel Vagana looked dangerous out wide. The Rabbitohs kick-chase game was also good in the opening stanza.

It was a tight tussle in the second half, with both sides trading attack and defence with no holes showing. The Rabbitohs decided if they couldn't through the Dragons they would go over them. In the 61st minute, Williams put up a towering bomb to the right wing, with fullback David Peachey flying high to tap the ball backwards into open field. With no defenders around, Nigel Vagana scooped up the ball and placed it over the line centimetres from the corner post to score his first try in red and green colours. The video referee awarded the try again based on benefit of the doubt, giving the Rabbitohs a 14-10 lead. With only seven minutes left on the clock and the Rabbitohs dominating in defence and pressing into Dragons territory with good attack, the Rabbitohs swung the ball to the right. Unfortunately for the Rabbitohs, the ball bounced into the hands of Dragons' captain Ben Hornby who scooted 70 metres to score under the posts. Naiqama converted, giving the Dragons the win.

Rabbitohs Head Coach Jason Taylor said at the post-match media conference: "I'm very happy with how we played. We need to work on our ball control, but the boys played with passion and were there for one another and they worked hard for each other. Defensively it's looking good. We played well in defence. We'll be working on our structure with the ball. We learned a lot from last week's game (against the Sharks at Gosford) and we'll learn a lot from this game too."

Captain Peter Cusack said: "I feel more confident in our defence this year. We can get back into a dominant position in defence where as last year if we got dominated in one play it would affect us for the whole set. I get a lot of confidence out of that."

Captain David Kidwell said: "I was really happy with our defence and that is something we have worked really hard on. It's an area we are showing great improvement in compared to other Souths teams over the past few years. We'll continue to improve too. We're all working hard and all talking out on the field which is very pleasing."

St George Illawarra Dragons 16 (Wes Naiqama, Josh Morris, Ben Hornby tries; Wes Naiqama 2 goals) defeated South Sydney Rabbitohs 14 (Luke Stuart, Shannon Hegarty, Nigel Vagana tries; Joe Williams goal)

What is Telstra Stadium?

Telstra Stadium is arguably Australia’s premier sporting venue and has been the home ground of the South Sydney Rabbitohs since 2006. Telstra Stadium was opened in 1999 more than a year ahead of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

Initially the Stadium had a seating capacity of more than 110,000, which made it the largest Olympic stadium in history and at that time the largest stadium in Australia, but that capacity has been reduced to 83,500 spectators, allowing Telstra Stadium to be reconfigured from rectangular mode to oval mode in 12 hours. Thus, the Stadium is unique in the world in regularly hosting four brands of football.
 
Telstra Stadium holds a number of attendance records including:
• Olympic record crowd for a single session – 112,524 for track & field in 2000
• World record crowd in rugby union - 109,874 Bledisloe Cup 2000
• World record crowd in rugby league 107,558  NRL Grand Final 1999
• Australian record crowd for football – 104,012 Olympic men’s football final
• Australian record for State of Origin - 88,336 in 1999
In 2007, the Rabbitohs established a new record for a single NRL game attendance at Telstra Stadium when 34,315 fans attended the home match against the Bulldogs.
Visit Telstra Stadium online at www.telstrastadium.com.au.

What is the history of the Charity Shield?

The Charity Shield has been in contention on 24 occasions with the Dragons winning 14 times, the Rabbitohs seven times and the match being drawn three times.

The results since 1982 stand as thus:

1982 – Dragons 9-7
1983 – Dragons 28-10
1984 – Rabbitohs 24-6
1985 – Dragons 10-8
1986 – Dragons 12-0
1987 – Dragons 28-14
1988 – Rabbitohs 30-6
1989 – Rabbitohs 20-16
1990 – Drawn 10-10 (Rabbitohs retain)
1991 – Drawn 16-16 (Rabbitohs retain)
1992 – Rabbitohs 21-20
1993 – Dragons 10-8
1994 – Dragons 14-11
1995 – Dragons 18-10
1996 – Dragons 30-6
1997 – Dragons 26-18
1998 – Dragons 14-4
1999 – Rabbitohs 16-14
2002 – Drawn 20-20 (Rabbitohs retain)
2003 – Dragons 28-10
2004 – Dragons 34-8
2005 – Rabbitohs 30-6
2006 – Rabbitohs 14-12
2007 – Dragons 16-14

Do you like the new Rabbitohs merchandise?

The Rabbitohs developed a completely new line of merchandise for the 2007 season, including training, playing and supporters gear.

Everything from caps, jerseys, t-shirts, singlets, shoes, flags, hoodies, tracksuits, jumpers, jackets, business ties and socks, coffee mugs and body boards have been redesigned and sold by the South Sydney Football Club.

Russell Crowe and Peter Holmes à Court played an active role in helping to design the new merchandise that is available for sale from the Rabbitohs stores.

Versus (US) Schedule (ET/PT)

10/10/07 10:30pm – 11pm
10/11/07 1:30am – 2am
10/14/07 5:30pm – 6pm
10/14/07 10:30pm – 11pm
10/15/07 1:30am – 2am
10/16/07 10:30pm – 11pm
10/17/07 1:30am – 2am
10/17/07 10pm – 10:30pm
10/18/07 1am – 1:30am
10/21/07 4pm – 4:30pm
11/11/07 8:30pm - 9pm
11/11/07 11:30pm - 12am

Star-TV (Canada) Schedule (ET)

30/10/07 9pm - 9:30pm
31/10/07 3am - 3:30am

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