South Sydney part-owner and actor Russell Crowe will honour retiring hooker Issac Luke by handing the former Rabbitoh the duties of ringing the iconic foundation bell before Sunday’s grand final.
Luke, who from 2007-2015 played 188 NRL games for South Sydney, will officially retire from rugby league having racked up 286 games for the Rabbitohs, Dragons, Warriors and Broncos.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Crowe personally asked Luke to take on the honour of ringing the bell.
Crowe famously purchased the bell for $42,000 back in 1999.
The bell is iconic to the club’s history due to it being rung at the first game of rugby league between the Rabbitohs and Roosters at Birchgrove Oval in 1908.
It’s understood the club has taken out an insurance policy to ensure the bell arrives safely from Crowe’s property on NSW’s mid-north coast to Queensland’s Suncorp Stadium.
The last time the bell was rung was before South Sydney’s 2014 grand final by Rabbitohs legend Bob McCarthy. The club famously defeated the Bulldogs on that day.
The 2014 NRL grand final unfortunately for Luke brings back bad memories after the hooker was sidelined for that match due to suspension for a tackle on Sonny Bill Williams in the preliminary final. Panthers hooker Apisai Koroisau took Luke’s place in the No.9 jersey on that day.
“It is just a rule with that bell. The bell gets no use, it doesn’t even get seen by anybody, unless it’s a situation where South Sydney is in a grand final,” Crowe said on NITV last night.
“Issac will represent all of the past players, the John Suttons and everyone else who can’t make it to Queensland.
“There wouldn’t be a single South Sydney player, whether they played with him or not, who wouldn’t understand and appreciate and support the selection of Issac Luke as the man to ring the foundation bell.”
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