City Exodus: Rabbitohs Head West And The Waratahs May Be Next

Sydney Morning Herald

Thursday March 17, 2005

Greg Prichard

Immediately before the announcement yesterday that South Sydney would play all their home games at Telstra Stadium from next season, the venue's boss, Ken Edwards, was meeting its potential next tenant - the NSW Waratahs.

NSW Rugby Union chief executive Fraser Neill confirmed last night he had met his Telstra Stadium counterpart Edwards yesterday morning.

The NSWRU's deal to play at Aussie Stadium runs out at the end of next year and Neill said the union was continuing to "look at all the options".

"We're looking at the possibility of playing some or all of our games at Telstra Stadium after 2006," he said. "Aussie Stadium also remains an option for a new deal. Telstra Stadium seems competitive, even though we haven't seen anything on paper yet. We would like to make a decision sooner rather than later."

The deal Souths negotiated to play at Telstra Stadium is worth about $1.3 million annually, based on a guarantee understood to be worth about $80,000 for each of their 12 home games.

South Sydney chief executive Shane Richardson said the offer from Aussie Stadium to keep Souths - they are contracted to play there until the end of this season - wasn't competitive enough. Richardson said Souths had made the decision because they believed the financial security gave them their best chance of being successful on the field.

"We can use this money on infrastructure and players to make the club stronger," Richardson said. "There's no point sitting around while the club keeps running last. We have to try to make something happen.

"There are some of our fans who don't agree with it, but plenty more who do. This will open up a bright new chapter for the Rabbitohs."

The deal is for three years, with a three-year option Souths can then take up year by year if they wish. Richardson said Souths would have $2 million freed up to spend on players for next year.

He refused to say which players they would target, but it's no secret that if Bulldogs star and Souths junior Braith Anasta is available after the anti-tampering deadline passes on June 30, the Rabbitohs would chase him.

Souths chairman Nick Pappas said it was a case of Souths moving or risking the club folding. "We could have kept battling away, trying to plug holes and looking over our shoulders," Pappas said. "But the risk under those circumstances is that you might not last."

Souths Leagues Club chairman and club patriarch, George Piggins, said Souths fans should accept the club had done the right thing in taking the deal and urged them to support the move.

"The club had to do it," Piggins said. "Anyone with half a brain can see Souths had to secure itself financially by taking this deal. You only have to look at the club's balance sheets for the last three years to know they had to do it. If they didn't, somewhere along the line Souths were going to be in big trouble."

Piggins said he believed that if Souths used their improved financial status to buy the right players and became genuinely competitive they could attract crowds of at least 30,000 at Telstra Stadium.

He said that even if his dream to get Redfern Oval rebuilt as a stadium of about 13,000 capacity for community use in four years was realised, Souths should keep playing most of their home games at Telstra Stadium.

Leading ex-Souths players Bob McCarthy and Mario Fenech joined Piggins in supporting the move, but John Sattler and Sean Garlick were against it.

"I know the almighty dollar is important, but the fans are even more important and they're not going to like this," Sattler said.

Garlick added: "I'm shattered. I really didn't think this was going to happen." McCarthy said that from a business point of view Souths had taken the right option.

"If they're getting $1 million a year out of this they had to go," McCarthy said. "'Richo' is a smart operator. He's got the chance now to use this money to buy the right players and get Souths going again."

Fenech welcomed the move because he was sick of seeing Souths win the wooden spoon.

"My dream is for Souths to finish on top and this could help a lot, so I'm all for it," he said.

The Sydney Cricket Ground and Sports Ground Trust was naturally disappointed by Souths' decision, but trust chief executive Jamie Barclay refused to criticise the club yesterday.

There have been concerns at the NRL about the possibility of Souths moving, but the league did not try to stand in the club's way.

"The club is entitled to look to maximise its income opportunities, but they will now have to try to encourage their traditional supporters to travel," NRL chief executive David Gallop said.

The NRL's chief operating officer Graham Annesley said Souths moving to Telstra Stadium, on top of the Bulldogs and Wests Tigers playing selected games there, would make scheduling more difficult.

"We couldn't guarantee clubs would get their preferred scheduling options," he said.

Sponsor deal shelved - Page 37

© 2005 Sydney Morning Herald

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