AUSTRALIAN rugby league supporters have been saying it for months and now, finally, one of South Sydney's powerhouse forwards is prepared to admit it publicly.

HE COULD have been walking the glamorous red carpet at the Oscars. But Russell Crowe preferred a hot and sweaty Redfern Oval to the bright lights of Hollywood. 

RABBITOHS v Roosters. Broncos v North Queensland. Parramatta v St George Illawarra. These are some of the not-to-be-missed blockbusters from the opening six rounds.

GORDEN Tallis once stood toe to toe with Ben Ross. Now the ex-Bronco and Souths forwards coach is in Ross's corner as he nears a remarkable NRL comeback.

GOLDEN try, restart play from the 30-metre line if the ball is kicked dead, allow a set of six to be completed after fulltime. They are some of the changes fans want.

JARRYD Hayne wasn't listening when the suits started their speeches. He wasn't even in the room. He was performing tricks with the footy with Michael Jennings.

RUSSELL Crowe has fame and an Academy Award. Now South Sydney skipper Roy Asotasi wants to give him a prize he truly desires - an NRL premiership.

ST GEORGE Illawarra flyer Brett Morris shattered the hearts of Rabbitohs fans by powering over for a last-minute try to leave the Charity Shield in a stalemate.

IF THE pressure of returning from a potentially career-ending injury wasn't enough, Rabbitoh Rhys Wesser is nervously looking over his shoulder to keep his spot.

SOUTH Sydney fullback Rhys Wesser is desperate to repay the faith shown by the NRL club when he takes part in his first game in almost a year on Saturday.

HE ONCE played in one of the modern era's greatest packs with forwards remembered for toughness, courage and character. Now Roy Asotasi wants a repeat.

SOUTH Sydney training has been pretty funky at times with co-owner Russell Crowe taking a hands-on approach with the NRL club - and this year is no different.

WHEN the Rabbitohs gathered for their first pre-season slugouts, the plush Redfern burrow was more like a hospital recovery ward than a training facility.

IT is a line that will echo among South Sydney fans all season: "Give Burgess a run!" Sam Burgess has made his debut for the club and he lived up to the hype.

ENGLISH import Sam Burgess got his Australian league career off to a flying start by scoring a try in his debut for South Sydney against Manly in their NRL trial.

SOUTH Sydney icon John Sattler has labelled the new-look Rabbitohs forward pack as the most imposing line up to represent the club since the late 1980s.

YOU tell Johnny Lang that he's the third oldest coach in the business and the line that comes back is drier than a Mormon's liquor cabinet.

BEN Ross will have to wait another month until his future is decided, with scans revealing a small crack in his broken neck that is yet to calcify.

PROUD Aboriginal Nathan Merritt wants to see an indigenous team flying the Koori flag in the rugby league World Cup. But other Aboriginals don't agree.

SOUTH Sydney are preparing to unveil a 230kg pair of second-rowers in the form of gun signings Sam Burgess and David Taylor that could take the NRL by storm.

WILLIE Mason is on the bench. Lote Tuqiri will start for the Tigers. And a whole batch of rookies are set to debut. Check out the full teams for round one. 

CLOVER Moore helped rebuild Redfern Oval brick by brick. Now she is clawing back the $20m bill - ticket by ticket - by fining Rabbitohs players for parking there.

SOUTHS prized recruit Dave Taylor sat out a simulated training match, but has assured fans he is fit and raring to go for next weekend's clash with the Roosters.

THE golden hands that have soothed Paris Hilton, Kate Hudson, Lara Bingle and Sophie Monk are helping to resurrect South Sydney prop Ben Ross's NRL career.

SOUTHS recruit Ben Ross has all but convinced doctors he's ready for a round one return with scans revealing the crack in his neck has fully healed.

JASON Taylor will today re-launch his shattered coaching career when he is named coach of the NSW Residents side. Taylor was sacked by Souths late last year.

DAVID Peachey, Nathan Blacklock and Milton Thaiday may no longer play NRL but they are as keen as ever for a game of footy - even if it's with the rival code.

THEY boast a mammoth forward pack worth $3 million but it will be a diminutive halfback who will lead South Sydney Rabbitohs to the NRL finals this season.

AS PHIL Blake embarks on the painstaking road to recovery after triple bypass heart surgery, league's former attacking ace reckons he is one very fortunate bloke.

THE Daily Telegraph today launches its 2010 NRL Fans Survey. We're giving you the chance to have some real input into the game before season starts. Fans Survey

MICHAEL Crocker faces a late start to the NRL season following several operations and is set to return through Souths' feeder club, North Sydney Bears.

DESPITE the physical test results for NRL players being closely guarded by their clubs, we can reveal which footy player is the strongest in the league.

FORMER Cronulla and Souths fullback David Peachey is making a rugby league comeback - much to the amazement of Rabbitohs co-owner Russell Crowe.

SOUTH Sydney's English import Sam Burgess was brought to tears  when Hollywood actor Russell Crowe handed him a membership for his deceased father.

SOUTHS forwards Eddy Pettybourne and Jason Clark have signed new two-year contracts with the club.They signed the deals ahead of today's trial match with Manly.

THE inaugural All Stars clash has become farcical in the space of 48 hours, with Rabbitohs colossus Dave Taylor joining the long list of stars pulling out.

SAM Burgess is the prized English import valued at $400,000 per season and about to play his first match for South Sydney - and his first on Australian soil.

SOUTHS' giant forwards Dave Taylor and Sam Burgess will finally be unleashed on Sunday when the Rabbitohs meet the Sea Eagles in the first trial of 2010.

DAVE Taylor has heard the whispers. That he's crazy for walking out on the Broncos. That he won't survie at Souths. That Sydney will chew up and spit him out.

COACHES concerned about injuries will be watching the inaugural All Stars match with great anxiety after Dave Taylor and Benji Marshall promised to play "flat out".