League: Revolution on a budget for Souths

The South Sydney Rabbitohs will bring around 22 players to Auckland ahead of the game against the Warriors as part of a new effort to build their depth.

It wasn't something the struggling club could afford in previous seasons but the injection of A$3million cash from actor Russell Crowe and big businessman Peter Holmes a Court gives the club new leeway.

They will be spending heavily to expand their coaching staff and their team facilities so as to improve the quality of the whole set-up.

They are right on the salary cap and so can't spend more on the field when the anti-tampering rule expires on June 30 but they would be in the market for some players, said Souths chief executive Shane Richardson.

"But we won't be panicking like we have in the past. There will be no pay cheques to help people retire. We've paid overs in the market before but the word panic is not part of the vocabulary now."

Richardson believes the backing of an astute investor in Homes a Court will bring stability and that alone will improve things for Souths.

The businessman and Crowe, who two weeks ago bought a 75 per cent stake in the club after garnering a 75 per cent vote of around 4000 Souths Leagues Club members, were passionate and committed to returning Souths to former glories.

Stability and success would attract players of top calibre and fewer juniors would want to leave.

But the big moves will be in the background.

"We've always had to get by on a bare minimum compared to other clubs, Richardson said. "The way forward for us is to make sure we have the right sort of set-up, we've never had that before.

"The whole time I've been here it's been thinking about the next day. Now we have some time to plan and we're doing that."

Richardson spoke from Holmes a Court's 350ha cattle farm at Bowral south of Sydney where the Souths management was ensconced for two days of talks that will move the club on once the new ownership takes effect in early May.

Holmes a Court is expected to attend the Auckland game at Ericsson Stadium tomorrow, as he has other games, and so is Crowe's cousin and future Souths board member Martin Crowe.

But the owners were not telling him nor the coaching staff what to do, Richardson said.

"They are totally supportive of [coach] Shaun McRae. They have empowered me to do what is needed in management.

"We're making calculated decisions."

There would be more emphasis on keeping their juniors in future, Richardson said.

But they only wanted back those juniors who wanted to come back, not to get in auctions for them as was the case with Braith Anasta, who eventually went tothe Roosters.

"There's lots of good young talent here."

First move has been to hire former Bulldogs recruitment and development officer Mark Hughes, who has handled Sonny Bill Williams and Roy Asotasi, among others.

The strength of the management and coaching staff was illustrated when boom centre Yileen Gordon was dropped to premier league two weeks ago for failing to turn up to a training, despite his good form and lots of injury woes at the time.

It sent a message to others. Discipline has to be good.

Souths have no wins on the board and are two points ahead of the Warriors thanks to a bye, a gap that closes on the weekend of May 5, when the Warriors get two freebies.

But morale remained good, Richardson said.

The injury and suspension list had hurt them. However, the feeling was they were on track, improving and would win soon.

He spoke up the prospects of former Mt Albert second rower David Fa'alogo.

"He's got to be on the verge of Kiwis selection. He's playing for one of the bottom-placed teams in the league and he's carving other sides up."

Former Kiwi Joe Galuvao had a late start to his season after injury but was rapidly improving.

Souths were the fifth club in the NRL to take on some share of private ownership.

News Ltd, which owns the NRL 50/50 with the Australian Rugby League, has major interest in the North Queensland Cowboys, Brisbane Broncos and Melbourne Storm.

The Warriors were sold into private ownership under Tainui in 1999. And most recently Wollongong television station WIN bought half the Illawarra Steelers' 50 per cent stake in the merged St George-Illawarra Dragons as the Steelers moved to cut crippling debt and interest charges.

It's a trend many in league see continuing, including Richardson.

Most regard it as a positive, ensuring clear financial backing and removing the doubt for staff and management plus taking the burden of running professional sport from the backs of amateur committees and junior development clubs.

Souths were cut from the premiership following the merging of the ARL and Super League in 1998 then admitted back into the competition by court order in 1999.

But they have struggled to keep their own players let alone attract others to bolster their ranks, the running of the club always in a state of flux.

"Stability is what we've needed, absolutely," Richardson said.

Now they have it, a return to former glories can be expected in coming seasons. They will no longer be the easy-beats.

Will "The Gladiator" be there on Saturday night?

"Russell's movements are often very mysterious," a club spokesman said.