'No hard feelings' over pokie ban rejection

The club's newly-elected board yesterday voted against the No Pokies proposal, put forward by Mr Holmes a Court and Russell Crowe last September.

The board says it plans to take the emphasis off poker machines and create a responsible gaming environment at its new Redfern venue.

Mr Holmes a Court was at a South Sydney games when the decision was made, but says he is not upset by the decision of the club's president Bill Alexiou-Hucker and the board's members.

"On the contrary, Bill and his team, including Robert Dom, are very big supporters of the football club and while they continue to make progress towards a new type of club, albeit with a limited number of machines, they have my support." he said.

He says he has no hard feelings and looks forward to seeing what the board does next.

"We won't resile from suggesting that there are other ways that can be operated, but if they chose to go a different way, which they have, and they can execute that very responsibly, I think that's a great outcome for the community.

"I think progress has been made and I commend them and I look forward to seeing what they're able to develop."

Source: www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/18/2338212.htm