South Sydney owner Russell Crowe has revealed how channelling his inner Kerry Packer hand-delivered coach Wayne Bennett to Knights owner Nathan Tinkler in late 2011.
Souths had been among the favourites to secure Bennett for the 2012 season — until Tinkler bought the Knights and zeroed in on Bennett. “Taking a leaf out of my mate, the late great Kerry Packer’s art of negotiation, I basically threw out a number that was more than double the terms we had agreed to with Mr. Bennett — thinking, hoping I’d throw Nathan off the scent by outpricing him. Nathan, though, as we know was not in the mood to be outpriced at that stage.
“Shot myself in the foot with that one,” Crowe said. “Goes to prove I’m no Kerry Packer. Also proves, though, I’m probably the best contract negotiator that Wayne never knew he had.”Failing to get Bennett led them to Michael Maguire, who in 2014 won Souths their first premiership in 43 years and eight years after Crowe and businessman Peter Holmes-a-Court bought the club.
In 2015, the Dragons were certain they had lured him back to the club for whom he won a premiership in 2010. There was speculation about a handshake agreement with chief executive Peter Doust. In the past week, Richardson has spoken in two interviews about Crowe and chairman Nick Pappas being reluctant to sign Bennett partly because of what happened in 2011.
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