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Russell Crowe's 'quirky' rules for the private pub on his farm could have helped blow up one of the most notorious bonding sessions in rugby league history.
NRL star Adam Reynolds has given a detailed account of the night Crowe had a heated confrontation with Souths five-eighth Luke Keary during a pre-Christmas getaway at the actor's rural retreat.
Club co-owner Crowe has previously taken full responsibility for the spectacular showdown on his property at Nana Glen, outside Coffs Harbour on the NSW mid-north coast.
The fiery face-off came while Souths were struggling after their drought-breaking 2014 premiership and played a part in Keary leaving the club to sign with arch-rivals the Sydney Roosters.
It started when Crowe reportedly provided several young Souths players with unsolicited appraisals of their recent performances and Keary spoke up to defend them.
Crowe responded by telling Keary he had not earned his salary the previous season, which led to dual international Sam Burgess 'baiting' Keary.
A rule Russell Crowe enforced banning anyone under 25 from drinking at a private pub on his farm could have helped blow up one of the most notorious bonding sessions in rugby league
According to Reynolds, who was Souths' halfback at the time, Keary charged at Burgess which caused one of the big Englishman's brothers - George or Tom - 'to sit Luke on his a***'.
The stoush ended with Keary storming off in the early hours of the morning and making his way back to Sydney.
Reynolds has provided his version of what happened that night at Nana Glen in his autobiography On My Own Terms, which was published on Tuesday.
Crowe and businessman Peter Homes à Court had taken a 75 per cent stake in Souths in 2006 when the club was in dire trouble on and off the field.
The Oscar-winner had followed the Rabbitohs since he was five and his financial backing allowed Souths to wipe $3million in debts owed to creditors.
Shortly before Christmas 2015, Crowe invited the team up to his Nana Glen farm, with the players expecting a torturous army-style training camp ahead of the 2016 NRL season.
'What happened or did not happen at that bonding session still gets asked about today - and some of the tales being spun were worthy of their own Oscar nomination,' Reynolds wrote.
Reynolds said the Souths squad arrived at Crowe's property by bus and soon realised they were not going to follow a traditional training camp routine.
NRL star Adam Reynolds has described the night Crowe (above with Sam Burgess) had a heated confrontation with Souths five-eighth Luke Keary at the actor's rural retreat
Souths co-owner Crowe has previously taken responsibility for the spectacular showdown on his property at Nana Glen, outside Coffs Harbour on the NSW mid-north coast (above)
'Only a few of the players had been to Rusty's property, which spanned around 400 hectares, and featured everything you could imagine, and then some,' he wrote.
'Somebody once described Rusty's place as what you'd expect if the owner was an eighteen-year-old and money was not an issue.'
As the team drove through the gates, they saw the estate featured a full-sized tennis court and a 'giant swimming pool that would not have looked out of place at any five-star resort'.
There was a cricket oval with a clubhouse, batting nets, bowling machines and scoreboard, a music studio and the chapel Crowe built for his 2003 wedding to Danielle Spencer.
The first activity Crowe had scheduled was a game of Twenty20 cricket between the backs and the forwards. He provided all the playing equipment and clothing.
'To set the mood before the start of play, Rusty made us line up in the middle of the field, then had a singer who'd just featured on The Voice, or was a finalist on Australian Idol... sing Advance Australia Fair before leaving again,' Reynolds wrote.
Despite what Reynolds described as 'stifling heat', Crowe insisted his visitors did not drink while they played.
When the game was over, the Souths boys showered and headed to the top of the property where Crowe had established an Italian-themed restaurant.
The eatery was 'filled with chefs and waiters, topped off with the sound and sight of a lovely water fountain'.
'I spotted comedian Carl Barron, but he was there for about half an hour and never seen again,' Reynolds wrote.
Adam Reynolds (left) and Luke Keary (right) played in the halves when Souths won the NRL premiership in 2014
Still, there was no alcohol, and the players were growing impatient to get on the drink.
The food arrived - 'it was lovely' according to Reynolds - and eventually the Souths coaches told the players they were free to knock back a few beers.
Some of the team headed to Crowe's video arcade - 'which was better than most Timezones' - while others opted for the air-conditioned cinema.
The theatre featured an extensive catalogue of Crowe's films on DVD.
A group of older players retired to Crowe's pub, The Blind Rabbit, which had Guinness on tap and its own cool room - but was only open to guests at least 25 years old.
'A lot of the Souths boys were underage, and Rusty refused to budge on his quirky door policy,' Reynolds wrote.
As the night wore on, Reynolds made his way with forwards Nathan Brown and Paul Carter to the bottom of the property where a marquee had been set up as accommodation near the cricket pitch.
The trio was preparing to settle into stretcher beds when a number of all-terrain vehicles driven by teammates roared down the hill and tore through the tent.
Russell Crowe revs up South Sydney players before the round one clash with the Sydney Roosters at ANZ Stadium in March 2010
'The lads retreated, but soon enough we heard shouting coming from the top of the property,' Reynolds wrote.
'Luke Keary had taken offence to being baited by Sam Burgess, so charged at him, only for one of Sam's brothers, George, or maybe it was George's twin, Tom, to sit Luke on his a***.'
Reynolds said the melee started with Crowe berating several younger players for Souths falling in the first week of the finals in the 2015 season.
It has been widely reported over the past decade that Crowe particularly directed his criticism at 21-year-old hooker Cameron McInnes and that Keary - then 23 - stepped in to defend him.
'There was talk Luke was already s***ty about being barred from The Blind Rabbit earlier in the night because of his age,' Reynolds wrote.
'It was later reported Rusty had become agitated with Luke sticking up for his teammates, and told the playmaker, "You didn't earn your money last season."
'Sam [Burgess] being Sam, he watched Luke get worked up, then thought he'd egg him on some more.
'After a few beers at the end of a long, hot day, the tamest joke from Sam suddenly became one of the most outrageous and offensive things he could have said to Luke.'
Crowe channels Joaquin Phoenix's character Commodus in Gladiator with a thumbs-down gesture as Souths put the Roosters to the sword in round one of the 2013 NRL premiership
Sam Burgess (centre) is pictured with his twin brothers George and Tom during the singing of the national anthem at ANZ Stadium before the 2014 NRL Grand Final
Crowe (above, with partner Britney Theriot in Toronto earlier this year) took responsibility for the Souths' bonding session getting out of hand
'Luke Keary situation entirely my fault,' Crowe tweeted. 'A bit of banter that went too far. I've apologised. He is a natural leader and great for the club'
After Keary 'cracked the s***s', he made the long walk to the front gates of the farm - Reynolds estimated it would have taken at least 20 minutes.
It has previously been reported that Keary caught a cab at about 2.30am - but Reynolds said there were no taxis or Ubers available and Keary must have flagged down a passing motorist.
However he got off the property, Keary went to Coffs Harbour Airport and caught a 6am flight back to Sydney.
The story of the bust-up broke in the media a month later and Crowe immediately took responsibility for it.
'Luke Keary situation entirely my fault,' he tweeted. 'A bit of banter that went too far. I've apologised. He is a natural leader and great for the club.'
Keary told The Daily Telegraph he would not reveal exactly what was said to trigger him to snap at Crowe 'out of respect to Russell and the other boys who were there'.
'We were having a really good time, playing cricket and a bit of tennis,' he said.
'The whole team was there and there were some really good vibes. We started on the beers after dinner and, when you mix alcohol, that's when things can happen.
On My Own Terms by Adam Reynolds is published by Simon & Schuster
'A couple of things were said. I thought they were inappropriate, so I thought it was best I didn't stay.'
Keary repeated Crowe's line that what happened at the farm started off as 'a bit of banter' which 'went too far', adding: 'Russell never meant anything by it.'
'There were some throwaway comments. He never stood up in front of the group and started spraying us or anything like that,' he said.
'In the end, I'd just had enough of what was being said to some of the other boys. That's when he said some things to me and it kicked off.
'I don't regret what happened because I know I didn't do anything wrong.'
Keary left Souths at the end of 2016 to join the Roosters, saying he wanted a fresh start but conceding the dust-up with Crowe contributed to his decision.
He won premierships with the club in 2018 and 2019, parted ways with the Roosters at the end of 2024 and played for the Catalans Dragons in the Super League this year.
Reynolds left Souths at the end of the 2021 season after the club offered him only a one-year extension when he was seeking a longer deal.
He signed a three-year contract with the Brisbane Broncos starting in 2022 and won a premiership with the club this year.
On My Own Terms by Adam Reynolds is published by Simon & Schuster.
