Souths boss quits

SYDNEY: South Sydney supremo Shane Richardson has quit his role at the NRL club in a bid to save the Rabbitohs money during the coronavirus pandemic.

Richardson informed Souths staff yesterday of his decision, resigning as the head of football and ending a 16year association with the club.

In turn, he became the first highprofile NRL figure to permanently leave his job as a result of the virus, which is tipped to cost both the game and its clubs millions.

Richardson, who was due to leave the Rabbitohs at the end of next year, will remain around as a consultant but will no longer be on the fulltime books.

‘‘In times like these, leaders have to step forward and lead,’’ Richardson said.

‘‘When we were reviewing things with [CEO] Blake [Solly] early in the week, it became very clear to me on Tuesday that I needed to step down . . .

‘‘Noone pushed me into this decision. It became very obvious to me that this was a decision that needed to be made for the next 18 months for the club.’’

NRL players have been asked to take a pay cut of up to 87% as the league begins to brace for the doomsday scenario of a lost season.

Such a prospect could leave several clubs in a dire financial position with questions raised over whether all 16 clubs would survive into 2021.

The players’ union was last night seeking further clarity over the NRL's allocation of funds and outgoings over the coming months.

Any deal would likely come into effect until the end of this year's season.

Players had already been paid 40% of their annual salary. — AAP