Russell Crowe discusses his stance on Souths coach Jason Demetriou’s future after calls for his dismissal following the catastrophic loss to the Roosters.
Russell Crowe backs Jason Demetriou to enhance Souths’ fortunes.
After the game, a Hollywood superstar messaged Souths’ powerbrokers. The team’s current form is threatening to wreck their 2024 season.
Russell Crowe, the owner of the South Sydney Rabbitohs and a Hollywood legend, has backed coach Jason Demetriou following Friday night’s devastating loss to the Sydney Roosters.
The Sydney Roosters gave Souths their worst loss of Demetriou’s reign on Friday night, scoring eight tries in a 48-6 thrashing that dropped their opponents to the bottom of the ladder.
‘It’s probably the lowest point in my career right now,’ Demetriou said of the loss.
The trio of defeats to begin 2024 came after the Rabbitohs lost seven of their final 10 games last year and crashed out of finals contention despite leading the premiership through 11 rounds.
Crowe issued a text message to club officials following the setback, emphasizing that fortunes can change as rapidly as they can deteriorate, according to The Daily Telegraph.
Bunnies powerbrokers want the team to perform well over the next three weeks.
Demetriou, Wayne Bennett’s former protege, maintained he was ‘very certain’ he could get the Rabbitohs out of their current malaise.
‘That’s my job; it’s up to me to lead the boys this week and ensure we’re fighting hard and getting ready to play (against Canterbury) on Good Friday,’ he said.
‘I’ve been in this group for a long time. I understand the group and am confident that we are all on the same page and working together.
‘I have no doubt that I am the one who can turn things around, but what I say here will make no difference to what others say.
‘The noise is present. It’s there because we’re not winning or performing well.
‘The only thing that will make a difference is if we get our training right, perform well next week, and put some results on the board.
Demetriou’s promotion of Dean Hawkins to halfback, as well as his call to bench hooker Damien Cook, failed to excite the Rabbitohs.
We brought Deano in, and I think he did a wonderful job for us,” Demetriou said.
‘He’ll benefit from the run, but ‘Cookie’ came into the season underperforming due to a calf injury, so it was a case of getting the most out of him and getting him back on the field.’
The coach was unsure whether next week’s first-grade selection will include Ilias, who was described as ‘excellent’ by Demetriou in a 28-12 NSW Cup victory against the Roosters.
I’ve no idea. We’ll look at the videos and make a decision next week,’ Demetriou stated.
