No coach or player in the NRL has had a longer or closer association with the Packer family than league immortal Bob Fulton — and he says Russell Crowe's recruitment of James Packer will make Souths superpowers of the game.
Fulton should know — he was recruited to the Roosters in the 1970s by Kerry Packer. They were Packer's team at the time and Fulton then worked closely with him when he went to the Manly Sea Eagles.
The Packer way of business is famous. James learnt a lot from his dad and negotiations with the Bunnies will become the stuff of folklore.
Alongside Nick Politis and Phil Gould, Fulton and James Packer fought the good fight against the might of Super League. If not for Politis and his behind-the-scenes support of Souths, the Bunnies would have been ejected from the competition sooner than they were.
Now James is pitted against Politis — a man who mentored James. The pair remain on good terms but Packer's entrance at Souths will make things interesting.
Politis has the passion of Crowe and the business clout of Packer. He will enjoy taking on both men off and on the field.
Fulton remembers a young James Packer as a Roosters man — like his dad, but says he knew Kerry's heart was always with Souths.
"Kerry had that soft spot for Souths — always," Fulton said. "He got me to Easts because Souths were not doing that well and had fallen off the pace. I remember James would come down to training and he was a Roosters fan then. He lived in the area — but Kerry couldn't hide his love for Souths and he'd be proud of what James has done.
"James will be so good for the game and for Souths. Deep down they were always Souths.
"I know that we have a salary cap and we have third-party deals, but, yeah, they will be unstoppable. They won't have Sam Burgess but they will have the confidence they've got from winning a premiership.
"James knows what he is doing at Souths — Kerry really understood rugby league, he was heavily involved and had a passion for the game and James is the same. James is a real sports lover like his dad.
"I really like what Russell Crowe has done for Souths and I think Souths will go to another level with James there. I don't know if he will be signing players — but I remember his dad was pretty good at that. Kerry got me to the Roosters.
"Negotiations were ongoing. They started out in Honolulu. I was on an end-of-season trip and I got a phone message. Kerry was in an adjoining hotel and he wanted to see me. At the time he was working on a big contract with Mark McCormack. The offer he made me was too good to refuse. I was captain of a Manly side that won a premiership. The offer he made me set my family up."
When Fulton went to Manly, Kerry wanted Wally Lewis and Gene Miles at Manly. "I walked into Kerry's office with Gene and I still remember the size of his hand and the handshake he gave me," Lewis said.
"He put his feet up on the desk and had a ciggy in his mouth and just said, 'How much do you want, son?' I told him that's not how I was used to negotiating and he just said, 'You are in my office now and that's how I do business'.
"He said he wanted to negotiate with me and Gene separately and we both ended up doing deals — signed off to play with Manly — but then Doug Daley said he couldn't tell the other players we were getting as much as we were. Plus we had a agreement with Ron McAuliffe that if he could match the deals we would stay in Brisbane. They matched half of what we really agreed to and we had to stay. But I'll never forget that."
Hayne the Brave
Jarryd Hayne's mission to make it in the NFL is braver than anyone can give him credit for. What is not known is that he made the decision to head to the US after a trip that didn't include a meeting with Reggie Bush. It's been reported that Bush has gone into bat for Hayne – but on his initial trip over to suss out the NFL landscape, he couldn't get a meeting or a chat with the running back. Hayne's family held a farewell for him last Saturday night and, left, is an exclusive picture from the party.
"We had a nice feed and it really hit home that he was going," Hayne's mum, Jodie, said. "To be honest, I was more emotional saying goodbye to him there than at the airport."
It's all good
Anyone who thinks Sam Burgess, or any of the Burgess boys, hold a grudge against James Graham over his hitinthe grand final needs to think again. At the International Player of the Year awards Sam and James were in deep conversation – laughing and joking inside and outside the venue. And so were Tom and George. Burgess has admitted to getting emotional about leaving Australia but he knew when he was in England at the end of last year that he needed to return home. His courage and legendary status in the game only went up a notch when he revealed that the doctors who operated on him told him he would miss 10 weeks of football.
Crowe's praise
There has been plenty said about the relationship between Russell Crowe and Peter Holmes a Court and speculation that the disintegration of that led to James Packer being recruited by Crowe. Having been in the company of both men Ihave never once heard one say abad thing about the other. Crowe's attitude has always been that Souths is far bigger than any one person. The line that he did not communicate with Holmes a Court is complete rubbish.
They were in regular contact about board and club matters and they discussed the Packer offer. Crowe has done some wonderful things for Souths – the best yet may be the recruitment of Packer – but he would never fail to acknowledge the hugely significant part that Holmes a Court played. When Iasked him for a comment about Holmes a Court and his time at the club he was quick with a reply. "Peter stepped into a game he knew very little about and his efforts, among many, set in motion a chain of events that culminated in the club claiming its 21st premiership title," said Crowe. "He is no doubt justifiably proud and happy." He is all of those things and he played a role that was way beyond being a bank for the club.
He got down and dirty and fought hard to make sure that he and Crowe won the members over. His methods were not always conventional but neither is he. From my dealings with him he was a decent and loyal person who always wanted the best for the club. I can now say that he told me on grand final night it would his last game as owner but he did not want to deflect attention away from the players and he hoped that the next move the club made would ensure its survival for "the next 100 years". Crowe has ensured that by bringing Packer in, but Holmes a Court should never be overlooked when it comes to the rise and rise of the Rabbitohs.
Pressure on Gal
Paul Gallen has copped miles of criticism for his tweet about the NRL but it is important to look past the crude way he expressed himself and listen to what he had to say. To this day the Sharks players feel let down by the league. Here was a group of players at a club without achief executive in a modern era, left to make decisions that have hadmassive impact on their lives. They followed the orders of people they trusted who assured them time and again that they were not doing anything that would land them in bother. The emotional strain on these players, Gallen inparticular, has been immense. Ihave been told the full story of what they went through and I'm amazed that Gallen and co are still functioning. For him to slip up like he did is not unexpected. That it hasnot happened before is the only thing that really surprises me.
Eagle injured
Boxer Lauryn Eagle has suffered a horrible leg injury. She was doing cartwheels by the pool of a Cronulla hotel and landed on a tray of glasses being carried by a friend. It is my understanding that the cut was so deep that she damaged muscle and ligaments and suffered significant blood loss. She required treatment from paramedics. I contacted Eagle to discuss the injury but have not heard back from her.
Non, says Inglis
Some time back I reported that French Rugby was again looking at Greg Inglis but that has been averted for now. The superstar fullback won't close the door on any new challenges that may come his way. "As an athlete you are always looking for new challenge," he said. AFL almost got him when he was disillusioned with the NRL but we are tipping he won't go to the NFL. "I don't really even follow it," he said. "I'm not like the other boys who have an interest in the game."
Noisy Farah
Robbie Farah has already apologised to Matt Moylan, his Four Nations roommate. "My sinuses need an operation and I've been told that my snoring is pretty intense," he said. Farah normally rooms with Jarryd Hayne and was slotted in to do so until the Hayne Plane flew out."He was supposed to come with me to Bali but pulled out because he wanted to go to Seattle," he said. "His decision did shock me but Iknow how determined Jarryd is – he will succeed."
Great Waugh
Sachin Tendulkar and Steve Waugh will share a helicopter to Bowral on Wednesday where they will be inducted into the Bradman Museum. Even more interesting, Tendulkar will speak to the media in Australia, something he hasn't done for years. That is sure to attract cricket scribes from around the nation.
