Russell Crowe reveals his stance on Souths coach Jason Demetriou’s future after calls for him to be sacked following devastating loss to the Roosters

South Sydney Rabbitohs owner and Hollywood superstar Russell Crowe has given his support to coach Jason Demetriou after a disastrous loss to the Roosters on Friday night.

The Sydney Roosters handed Souths the biggest loss of Demetriou’s tenure on Friday night, scoring eight tries in a 48-6 mauling that pushed their rivals to the bottom of the ladder.

The clash at Allianz Stadium followed a similar story to the Rabbitohs’ first two losses of the season, with errors both putting the side under pressure defensively and thwarting their attack.

‘It’s probably the lowest point in my career right now,’ Demetriou said of the loss.

The trio of defeats to begin 2024 came after the Rabbitohs lost seven of their final 10 games last year and crashed out of finals contention despite leading the premiership through 11 rounds.

The Sydney Roosters handed Souths the biggest loss of Demetriou’s tenure on Friday night

Crowe sent a text message to club powerbrokers after the loss, where he made clear that fortunes can improve as quickly as they can go south, reports The Daily Telegraph.

Bunnies powerbrokers are expecting the team to perform across the next three weeks.

Wayne Bennett’s former protege Demetriou insisted he was ‘extremely confident’ he could inspire the Rabbitohs out of their latest funk.

‘That’s my job, it’s on me to guide the boys this week and make sure we’re fighting hard and getting ready to play (against Canterbury) on Good Friday,’ he said.

‘I’ve been with this group for a long time. I understand the group and I’m confident that we’re on the same page and we’re working together.

‘I’ve got no doubt I’m the man who can turn it around but ultimately, what I sit here and say makes no difference to what people are going to say.

‘The noise is there. It’s there because we’re not winning and we’re not playing well.

‘The only thing that’s going to make a difference is get our training right, get our performance right next week, get some results on the board.’

Neither Demetriou’s move to promote Dean Hawkins to halfback nor the call to bench hooker Damien Cook could spark the Rabbitohs.

The Rabbitohs also lost the first two matches of the NRL season

Demetriou said he was at the ‘lowest point in my career right now’ on Friday night

‘We brought Deano in, who I thought did a pretty good job for us,’ Demetriou said.

‘He’ll get better for having the run but ‘Cookie’ came into the season underdone with a calf injury, so it was a matter of trying to get the best out of him and get him running the footy again.’

The coach was unsure whether next week’s first-grade team would feature Ilias, who was hailed as ‘outstanding’ by Demetriou in a 28-12 NSW Cup win over the Roosters

‘No idea. We’ll be looking at the tapes and we’ll make the decision next week,’ Demetriou said.