http://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/so...ubra/story-fndv36md-1226672836857#mm-breached
A CHANGE of heart from the state government is set to force the South Sydney Rabbitohs from their spiritual burrow at Redfern. With their hopes of building a Centre of Excellence next to Redfern Oval dashed a month ago, Souths officials have turned their sights to a proposed $19 million high-performance centre in Maroubra.
The Rabbitohs opened talks in June with Randwick Council, which last week passed a 14-1 resolution to push ahead with plans to construct a multi-purpose facility and a new training oval at Heffron Park.
Schoolboy league powerhouse Marcellin College currently holds a lease over the proposed site and has shown an early willingness to sub-let part of the venue for South Sydney's exclusive use.
Expected to take three years to build, the facility would accommodate the club's entire operation - including football, administration, charitable arms and merchandise.
Souths CEO Shane Richardson last night said the club had been left with no choice but to investigate options elsewhere after the state government recently slammed the door shut on any development at Redfern.
The Rabbitohs were originally encouraged to devise plans for a high- performance centre, with which state politicians planned to replace a housing commission block on Elizabeth St opposite Redfern Oval.
Officials spent around $50,000 to pursue the dream, hiring former Australian Test cricketer Graeme Watson to draw up plans that were never publicly released.
Instead, they've been passed on to Randwick Council as a blueprint for the Heffron Park development.
"After the government told us the Redfern development wouldn't go ahead, we needed to find another site because there was no more room around Redfern," Richardson said.
"Souths juniors actually pointed us toward Randwick Council, which had some plans for Heffron Park.
"The plans we'd already drawn up for Redfern fit in really well with what they were thinking and council last week passed a resolution to conduct further investigation into the project.
"Being in Maroubra, in the heart of Souths territory, it's perfect for us."
Federal government support will be sought to fund the development, which Souths won't have to pay a cent to build.
The Rabbitohs would then lease the facility from council.
The club's current lease with Redfern Oval does not expire until 2017 and Richardson vowed Souths would always maintain a presence there.
