You are here: Home / Media / Souths return to Redfern Oval

Souths return to Redfern Oval

RUSSELL Crowe remembers what the old Redfern Oval used to look like. But he specifically remembers its sound reports Andrew Webster on 9 February 2009 in the Daily Telegraph.

"It was loud. Always loud," Crowe said. "I used to come here a lot, for the A-grade games and Redfern All-Blacks games. I came here a lot of days when there was only two, three hundred people. It's quite a big touchstone for me. Eric Simms: he was my hero. He and John Sattler and Bob McCarthy."

Crowe, along with heroes of the Cardinal and Myrtle past and present, returned to a ground that looked different from the broken structure that was levelled two years ago to make way for the polished, state-of-the-art complex that was showcased yesterday.

Picture gallery: See snaps from the historic occasion here

Crowe and Peter Holmes a Court have attracted a healthy dose of criticism from the traditionalists since taking control of the club in early 2006. A long-term deal to play out of ANZ Stadium had many noses firmly out of joint.

Yet it was clear, as Crowe took The Daily Telegraph on a spur-of-the-moment tour of the new facilities, that he personally wants the old to emphasise the new.

While it was a historic occasion for Souths, they weren’t quite able to get over the line in the game, with Benji Marshall leading the way as the Tigers snuck home. Get match details here.

Wall-to-ceiling photos of former players adorn the walls, including one on the door of the massage room of former patriarch George Piggins, who might remain jilted at how he was shunted out of the club but is still in the club's thoughts.

"We have been, from the moment we've come in, about emphasising the traditions of the club," Crowe said.

"Returning to Redfern is another part of it. It's a particularly lovely part of it."

Has the change at South Sydney on Crowe's watch been for the better? "The jury is still out," legendary back-rower Ron Coote said. "I hope it's for the better."

What was clear yesterday was that those who support South Sydney will always emphatically beat their chests about what their side represents.

And if the long lines of fans that snaked down Chalmers St in the hours before kick-off were any gauge, their side still represents the southern suburbs of Sydney.

The club stopped using Redfern as its official home ground in 1987.

Craig Coleman played in that game - against Manly in front of 23,000 people - and after walking off the field following a game of touch football featuring Bunnies legends John Sattler, Bob McCarthy, Mike Cleary, Simms and Coote, he couldn't help but get all misty-eyed.

"I got goosebumps when Satts walked on to the field," Coleman said.

Said Coote: "The place still has atmosphere. It was strange looking at places on the field where you lost a bit of skin."

Indeed, it was a true day of reconnection. Crowe was later seen shaking hands and chatting with NRL chief executive David Gallop, with whom he'd had a much-publicised fallout last year.

"When I was seven years old, South Sydney won the competition," Crowe said.

"I thought anything in my life could happen because of that. Kids in this area, whether they are from the Block, or Maroubra, or Green Square, should feel the same way."

Source: www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/sport/nrl/story/0,26799,25025998-5006066,00.html