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17 June 1999 Souths look to stars for survival Author: ROY MASTERS Date: 17/06/1999 Words: 553 Publication: Sydney Morning Herald Section: Sport Page: 46 South Sydney's board will consider a recommendation tonight to surrender control of the club to a group of high-profile politicians and businessmen determined to maintain the Rabbitohs in the National Rugby League's post-millennium league. Former NSW premier Nick Greiner and federal ALP shadow spokesman Laurie Brereton met South Sydney club president George Piggins and his deputy Bernie O'Neill yesterday, ahead of the recommendation to the board that six of the group take positions on a 10-person board. The Group of 14 is a collection of South Sydney supporters which includes Greiner, Brereton, the member for Heffron and Brereton's sister, Deidre Grusovin, cricketer Michael Whitney, media star Andrew Denton, businessmen Gerry and Martin Lissing and local politicians such as the Mayor of South Sydney, Vic Smith, and the Mayor of Botany, Ron Hoenig. The group has been lobbying for greater involvement in decision making at Redfern. South Sydney Juniors, the Kingsford-based club which has helped bankroll the Rabbitohs over the past few seasons, has signalled to the Group of 14 that it will continue financial assistance post 2000 if it can guarantee financial jurisprudence. Souths Juniors fund the Rabbitohs for $1.5 million a year and have given a grant of $240,000 to Group 14 to seed their marketing plan. The Juniors also funded the retention of brilliant utility back Craig Wing recently. Group 14 has prepared both a plan and a selected a sub group, the Millennium Team, to guide the Rabbitohs into the new century. Souths Juniors president Henry Morris said: "The new Millennium Team have made a submission to us on how the money should be spent and have offered us guidelines on this, and we insist they abide by the guidelines." Morris insisted the grant was not dependent on a political revolution at Redfern. "Our grant is not conditional on the Millennium group taking over the Seniors," he said. However, the Juniors have made no undertakings on funding past 2000 and the underlying condition of further benevolence is that a change in the board at Redfern has to take place, principally for the protection of members. Piggins said he had consulted a barrister who had informed him of his legal obligations if he should surrender control to the Greiner-Brereton group. "The law is the law," Piggins said. "We must abide by our obligations to our members. If a new board is formed, we must go back to the members and let them decide." Piggins, a millionaire businessman, made it clear he could not neglect his fiduciary responsibilities, but the footballer in him was overwhelmingly of the view that Souths' survival was paramount. "They can have my job if it means Souths stays alive," he said. "I'll be the first to put my hand up to go if it means we survive." However, it is understood the Millennium group wants Piggins as president. "He is our Winston Churchill and we want him at the top," one member said. The group believes the combination of the business plan they have prepared, together with the backing of the Juniors, will guarantee their admission to the 2000 league. http://www. |
