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Bunnies to receive $7m gift
RUSSELL Crowe and James Packer are set to give the Rabbitohs a $7 million gift as the club embarks on its premiership defence.
When Souths - who were close to broke at the time - were bought out by Crowe and Peter Holmes a Court, the duo loaned the club around $7 million to get back on its feet.
My spies at Souths have now whispered to me that Crowe and new partner James Packer will wipe the debt clean - a great gesture to the Bunnies in these tough financial times.
After at one stage considering selling his share of Souths, Crowe is now more committed than ever to his beloved club.
And getting billionaire mate Packer on board alongside him ensures Souths will be one of the game’s most powerful clubs for years to come.
The battle for Trent Merrin may well be on the beaches. (Photo by Renee McKay/Getty Images)
Fight for Merrin
Trent Merrin is fast becoming one of the most sought-after forwards in the NRL for 2016.
The Panthers have joined the Roosters and Warriors in the hunt for the burly Dragons forward as his price continues to rise.
But I’m hearing a club closer to home shape as the sneaky favourites - Cronulla.
The Sharks can offer something money can’t buy and the Panthers and Warriors can’t promise - waves for his girlfriend, surfing champ Sally Fitzgibbons.
The Roosters, however, can compete, with the likes of Bronte, Bondi and Tamarama on their doorsteps.
The truth to what happened in Arizona is still in the dark. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Souths US trip details to be revealed
If you believe the Souths captaincy controversy is over now the truth has finally come out, think again.
This is only the beginning.
Media heavyweights are at this moment digging deeper and deeper into the scandal that saw John Sutton and Luke Burgess placed in police custody in Arizona late last year.
The drama resulted in the former being stripped of the captaincy and the latter leaving the club.
But what interests the media just as much is the cover-up - why it took two months to come up - and the lies and the cover-up behind it all.
Stand by for some explosive revelations.
Sex and football on the menu in Auckland
I hear football wasn't the only thing on the minds of many of our leading NRL stars during the 9s.
A number of them gave dating app Tinder a fair work out while in Auckland - and were rather spoilt for choice.
And yes, you are 100 per cent right - Lurker is extremely jealous.