Former Australian Rugby Union boss John O'Neill. Picture: John Feder Source: The Daily Telegraph
FORMER rugby union boss John O'Neill and his The Star casino have pulled the pin on a $2 million sponsorship of the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
O'Neill is the chairman of Echo Entertainment, the company that owns the casino and has sponsored Souths for three years.
A Star spokesperson confirmed on Friday their deal would not be renewed in a decision that is understood to have reached board level.
Considering Souths are a huge premiership chance and now have more than 25,000 members, the news has shocked the Rabbitohs who rightly regard their jersey as the hottest sponsorship real estate in the competition.
Hollywood star and part-owner Russell Crowe personally did the deal with the now disgraced former boss Sid Vaikunta in 2011.
It was when Americans were running the casino and they used Crowe to support the venue at a number of big shows and functions. Crowe could not be contacted but sources suggest he is not happy at the outcome.
It's the sort of sponsorship that The Star's bitter rival James Packer may even jump at with his billion-dollar Barangaroo project.
Packer sponsors Melbourne Storm with Crown Casino plastered over the front of the premiers' jersey.
Having an official relationship with league's greatest old club would fit well with his plans for the harbourside venture.
"The contract was due to expire at the end of this year," said the casino's Camille Bentley. "Whilst we are no longer the major sponsor, we are still in discussions with the club about how we continue our great relationship in the future."
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OUR footy stars are already preparing the Harvey Norman Women in League round, which starts on Friday week.
We caught up with Sharks players Beau Ryan, Luke Lewis and Chris Heighington last week when they were trying out some gear.
The hot pink items, including scarves, mouthguards and Steeden balls, are available on the McGrath Foundation's Shop Pink site.
The pink jersey the Sharks will wear will also be available.
Sharks stars Beau Ryan, Luke Lewis and Chris Heighington. Source: The Daily Telegraph
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THEY are two of the country's finest ironwomen - but as one rides the wave of success the other feels constantly wiped out by chronic fatigue syndrome.
This is the tale of Courtney and Bonnie Hancock - and it's hard not to feel for them.
Courtney, 24, was all smiles as she powered to the Australian Surf Life Saving title at North Kirra last month.
But there was someone missing - her little sister, Bonnie.
The 23-year-old is a brilliant athlete in her own right, yet she couldn't find the strength to get out of bed, caught in the grip of an illness that strikes the fittest athletes.
By rights, Bonnie should have been in the ironwoman final right alongside Courtney.
Instead, she lay in bed at the family home at Sorrento while her younger sister, India, described the race over the phone.
"I couldn't even go down to the finals on the Sunday to watch my sister win the ironwoman race," Bonnie said. "Not only was I not able to race, but I wasn't even able to be there to watch it."
Hopefully, Bonnie will be at the beach next year to race Courtney. That would be quite a victory.
Picture: Adam Head Source: The Courier-Mail
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SAINT
SWANS chairman Richard Colless is calling it quits after two decades at the helm of the AFL champions. He is one of the finest and most respected officials I've met. Another premiership would be a deserving farewell gift.
SINNER
MANLY forward Richard Fa'aoso is not only a thug but an unremorseful one at that. His remark "these things can happen" in reference to two spear tackles on Greg Inglis was a stupid comment from a first grade footballer. He should spend his eight-week holiday in the spinal unit at Royal North Shore hospital, meeting some of the poor patients who are in there from football injuries.
SPOTTED
NOT sure if he's chasing the next Fijian flyer, but my old mate Peter O'Sullivan, the Roosters' recruitment boss, was spotted during the week at Denarau Island lapping up one of the great places on this planet.
SPOTTED II
RAY Hadley wandering into NRL headquarters on Friday afternoon for patch-up talks with the man he called a Dunce, chief executive Dave Smith.
HORSE SENSE
WHAT a shame the NRL has never used Racing NSW boss Peter V'landys to show how to properly protect the integrity of their sport. The NRL uses its media manager to investigate suspect betting activity. Sad but true. V'landys has handled the Gai-Singo fallout magnificently since all hell broke loose at Randwick last Saturday.
SIMPLY OARSOME
NO wonder friend and colleague Rebecca Wilson had the world's longest lunch with her mate Marg Rayner on Thursday. They were celebrating the selection of Bec's son, Tom Sacre, in the Australian under-23 eight for the world rowing titles in Austria in July.
MEMORY LOSS
SOME players obviously don't pay too much attention when they are out on the rugby league field. In Rugby League Week's annual players' poll, six players named Tony Archer the best referee in the game - he retired last season.
PROP IDOLS
TWO old Wallaby props were reunited in lower-grade club rugby last weekend. Mark Hartill, now 48, and Tony Daly, just a year younger, helped out Gordon fourth grade, who were shy a couple of props due to injury. They battled their way through most of the match against Norths before being subbed to enjoy a well earned thirst quencher.
BABY BUNNY
MEET the very youngest of South Sydney's 25,000 members - Ava June Bickley, born last Tuesday, a member on Wednesday. Ava's uncle is TVN racing presenter and Souths tragic Brent Zerafa, who bought the jersey and membership. Brent's sister Belinda, a first time mum, is also a mad supporter.
Source: Supplied
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WAYNE Pearce is Balmain's most recognisable old legend.
He did everything as a player but win a premiership and is still a well-known figure in the game as a member of the independent commission.
You'd think most people in his home suburb of Balmain would know how to spell his name.
Apparently not.
Pearce's band played at the Unity Hall pub last week, smack bang in the middle of Tiger territory.
The poster on the wall outside the hotel had: "Wayne Pierce and the Big Hitters."
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THE US golf tour is bracing itself for its biggest scandal since Tiger Woods was exposed. One of the game's brightest young talents has come between another young superstar and his wife of just a couple of years. Newspapers in the US are chasing hard for the yarn.
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FOX Sports has almost certainly lost the television rights to the popular Big Bash cricket tournament.
Which is a crying shame because it means no more of Jess Yates, my favourite cricket commentator, working the boundary.
Channel 10 looks certain to be broadcasting the next Big Bash on free-to-air over Christmas and the new year. Interestingly, it means Ten's Lachlan Murdoch has won the rights from the company his father, Rupert Murdoch, owns.
Fox Sports will still cover the Ashes tour of England in July-August. Cricket Australia is in the final stages of signing off on its new broadcasting agreement.
Ten has bid for all domestic cricket and the summer Test matches, but we are hearing Nine will hang on to the rights for the Tests and the international one-day matches for another five years.
Ten is desperate for live sport content, but TV industry insiders suggest the station is taking a big gamble and has paid too much money.
Fox Sports made a commercial decision to pull out when it thought the price got too high.
The BBL lost more than 20 per cent of its ratings last summer and the big-name players barely played.
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STANDBY for a mad scramble for commentators when the cricket deal is eventually finalised.
All of Channel Nine's commentators came off contract at the end of last summer.
In tough times, we're expecting Nine supremo David Gyngell to be cutting back, like all media outlets.
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Source: Getty Images
LAURIE Daley is giving boom Souths halfback Adam Reynolds every chance to make the Blues State of Origin team, even if it's from the bench.
The NSW coach is making a special trip to ANZ Stadium on Friday night to watch the Rabbitohs-Cowboys, or more importantly, Reynolds and John Sutton v Johnathan Thurston.
Mal Meninga will also be at the game, in the same box as Daley, to check the form of the Cowboys.
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FFA is dealing with allegations that the infamous former FIFA mover and shaker Jack Warner stole $460,000 of charitable funds provided by Australia for a soccer facility in Trinidad.
While the revelations are another embarrassment for those who ran Australia's failed World Cup bid, the real question mark hangs over the well-known local media identity who did FFA a "favour" by introducing and vouching for Warner's middle-man in this shonky deal. Warner is now banned by FIFA, but the go-between continues to prowl international football's corridors of power.
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RON Coote was the best cover defender I've seen on a football field. To give you an idea how good he was, the tackle Scott Sattler made in Penrith's 2003 grand final victory was what Coote used to do almost every week.
The former Test captain has firm views on THAT Steve Matai tackle on George Burgess last weekend. "I would have sent him straight off," says Coote, who also served on the judiciary for a decade.
"They say it was an accident and his arm bounced off the ball. The fact is Burgess is a head taller than him and he had to jump up to get him - he's a repeat offender."
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