Why owner and Hollywood star Russell Crowe keeps a distance from his NRL team South Sydney Rabbitohs

Hollywood actor Russell Crowe, cousin of former New Zealand cricket captain Martin Crowe, owns 25 percent stake in NRL side South Sydney Rabbitohs.

Russell Crowe has revealed that he had put a ‘self-imposed ban’ on cheering or showing disappointment over his team South Sydney Rabbitohs' performances in National Rugby League matches. (Reuters)

While actors like Shahrukh Khan and Preity Zinta are seen cheering their Indian Premier League teams Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings, Hollywood actor Russell Crowe has revealed that he had put a ‘self-imposed ban’ on cheering or showing disappointment over his team’s performances or restricted appearances at his team South Sydney Rabbitohs in National Rugby League matches. The 60-year-old ‘Gladiator’ star has been the team’s co-owner since 2006 and shared about his self imposed ban this week.

“It is what it is. I can’t affect that outcome so you sort of just have to accept what’s going on. A long time ago when I’d be going to Rabbitohs games when my kids were little and stuff, and I realised that by showing my passion in the grandstands was potentially giving the media outlets a way of mentally affecting the team,” Crowe told Nova 96.9’s Fitzy and Wippa with Kate Ritchie show earlier this week.

The NRL club , which was formed in 1908, had won a total of 20 Major Rugby League Premiership titles till 1971, saw struggles as a team post 1971 and also saw financial problems in 1990’s when the National Hockey League was formed including an exclusion from the NHL season in 1999. Crowe had bought a stake in the team along with Peter Holmes in 2014. While Holmes sold his stake in the team in 2014 to James Packer, son of Kerry Packet, Crowe and Packer ran the club together till 2021. In 2021, Crowe and packer reduced their stake in the club to 25 percent each with Tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes buying a 25 percent stake in the team. The team has struggled in recent years too, having slid from the second spot in NHL to miss the finals series in 2023 season and finished 16th in the 2024 season of NHL.

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Crowe further explained his take on the team’s performances. “There were all these photos of me strangling the imaginary referee. So, I thought, ‘I’m gonna stop doing that’. I’d go to a game and see what happens then I’d go backstage and you can swear. But when I’m watching the game, I try and keep my cool because, you know, I think about it from the players’ perspective. They don’t want to see the boss looking like he’s pissed off in the Monday newspaper. So you’ve got to be cool about it.” Crowe shared while speaking on the show.

According to Fox Sports, Crowe’s power at the club too has been reduced. Fox Sports reported that Crowe backed coach Jason Demetriou was sacked despite having Crowe’s backing. “A messy ownership squabble appeared to show the diminished power the “Romper Stomper” star wields at the club. Crowe, who owns a recently-diluted 25 per cent stake of the NRL club, was reported to have sent a text to Demetriou in the hours leading up to a second extraordinary board meeting, typing: “I’ve got your back”. Hours later the senior coach was unemployed. According to widespread reports at the time, the decision to drop the guillotine on Demetriou was symbolic of the power shift at the club,” Fox Sports reported this week.