By PETER JESSUP
Major upheavals at board level are in the wind for South Sydney.
The coup plotters at next week's board elections are led by Nick Pappas, the lawyer who headed the court case to have the club re-admitted to the NRL.
He said it was time for a "generational
change" at Souths, a time to replace people who were battle-weary.
Chairman George Piggins revealed he had gone to the board a week ago and offered to resign because he felt the constant bickering at management level was turning fans off the club.
The board convinced him to stay.
Piggins also said that he and his wife Noelene had been the subjects of alarmingly abusive e-mails and letters, which had weighed on him when he was considering quitting. The resolve of his fellow-directors changed his mind.
Pappas said he had offered Piggins a role in any new administration but, having been unable to negotiate a changeover deal, he and a team of seven would run for the board.
Confirmed as starters with Pappas are former New South Wales Premier Nick Greiner, television frontman Ray Martin, of 60 Minutes , comedian Andrew Denton and former cricketer Mike Whitney.
The rest will be confirmed today.
Piggins has been in charge at Souths since 1990, after retiring from the field as long-term hooker for the club. Initially, he turned their finances around. But by 1998/99 the NRL ruled that the club did not meet its criteria for financial stability and pushed it out of the competition.
Souths were reinstated in the NRL in 2002 after a court ruling, but have since won only five games, the last at Leichhardt Oval over Wests in July.
They have won two of four encounters between the teams at Ericsson and pushed hard last year, falling in the dying stages to a 25-18 loss. But at the back end of the season they were thumped 46-10 at home by a more confident Warriors side.
But with all that off-field action on their minds it's unlikely the players will turn up in the frame of mind to threaten a Warriors team who have looked like winners, grinding out two late victories, and scoring lots of tries.
Coach Daniel Anderson was pleased with training this week as opposed to some disrupted efforts ahead of the ugly game against Manly.
The lights at Ericsson had been faulty during their lead-up and they had had limited opportunity to train in game conditions.
Brookvale Oval was puggy and slippery, not conducive to entertaining football, and Anderson expected other night matches there to be similarly unattractive.
He felt his players would be happier with the 2pm kick-off tomorrow than the later starts they have had so far.
The squad will be strengthened in coming weeks as Richard Villasanti (shoulder surgery rehab) and Brent Webb (broken thumb) come back into selection contention.
Awen Guttenbeil (knee) is progressing well and is expected to be available in three weeks.
Ali Lauiti'iti had a post-surgery examination yesterday after having a cyst removed from his arm and the club was digesting the doctor's reports before confirming his return, but that is about three months off.
Warriors: Motu Tony, Henry Fa'afili, John Carlaw, Clinton Toopi, Francis Meli, Lance Hohaia, Stacey Jones, Jerry Seuseu, P. J. Marsh, Mark Tookey, Logan Swann, Wairangi Koopu, Monty Betham (capt); interchange Justin Murphy, Evarn Tuimavave, Sione Faumuina, Vinnie Anderson, Iafeta Palea'aesina.
Souths: Brad Watts, Nathan Merritt, Lee Hookey, Owen Craigie, Ahmad Bajouri, Brett Kearney, Willie Peters, Frank Puletua, Shane Walker (capt), Paul Stringer, Luke Stuart, Justin Smith, Ashley Harrison; interchange Jamie Fitzgerald, Wade McKinnon, Mark Minichiello, Fili Lolohea, Stacey Katu (one to be omitted).
Referee: Steve Clark. Kickoff: 2pm, Ericcson Stadium. Live on Sky One.
NRL points table and fixtures
By PETER JESSUP
Major upheavals at board level are in the wind for South Sydney.
The coup plotters at next week's board elections are led by Nick Pappas, the lawyer who headed the court case to have the club re-admitted to the NRL.
He said it was time for a "generational
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