And when you listen to Russell Crowe talk about Burgess' return you understand the club has invested in the man at least as much as the footballer.

Crowe has done so many great things for the Rabbitohs; his passion and guile, along with others, saved the club. He knows the Rabbits are going through a series of mini dramas off the field that if left unattended will lead to another season filled with misery.

Enter Burgess, the Bunnies' modern-day hero.

This is what Crowe said of Burgess via a text message: "Sam is an amazing athlete, everybody knows what he can do on the field. He is a natural leader of men.

"What he brings to the club off the field is hard to quantify. He is a role model and takes the weight of that in his stride, he is a great ambassador, he is inspiring to be around, he loves the game, loves the fans, he's at ease with people and is generous with his time, he sets a tone in the dressing rooms that others respond to, there is a genuine core quality to Sam that engenders belief. He is playing the game to win and that is never in doubt. It's a tremendous day for our club that he is returning."

And those words have real context, given what the club has gone through in recent times. No one will say it on the record, but there is a feeling that the September 22 double overdose is a just a symptom of the problems at the club. And what happened to Dylan Walker and Aaron Gray could have been prevented if Burgess was still at the club. Officials will give you a quiet nod and say you are on the right track if that notion is presented.

Now that the club's dirty little secret – a prescription drug issue – has been exposed for the sporting world to see, it appears certain to cost Walker. There is no question that Walker is feeling unloved at the club. He feels used up and spat out. Walker battled a broken hand for months, and he would often confide in those close to him about the pain he was in. This column has been told he was using pain-killing injections to play, and there is now a concern his hand is arthritic.

These are all issues that Souths need to deal with. Gray and Walker nearly lost their lives after using a cocktail of substances – Tramadol, Endone and another substance that has the same effect as Xanax. I'm told there was no evidence that energy drinks were abused by the players. Half a can was found.

There will be an argument made that the players were not partying. No matter what the club wants to say or spin, the problem falls at the feet of head coach Michael Maguire. A dedicated family man and a genuine person, Maguire is not seen in that light by enough of his players. Or the public. It's something he needs to work on.

Instead we hear of players privately moaning about being run into the ground. They talk about the irony in Maguire being allowed to write and promote a book – even if it is after the season – when their individuality is quashed.

These are just some of the issues relayed to me.

Burgess had issues with his coach when he attended a promotional event during a finals series. The return of Burgess appears to be a strong nod that Maguire is learning and changing.

Moving on: Robbie Farah’s skills will make him a man in demand with other clubs. Photo: Nick Moir

Farah horizons

The notion that Robbie Farah can't find another club for next season is plain wrong. Teams are playing it close to their chest, but from what I can gather there are five who are very keen and would make him part of their squad in a heartbeat.

The issue is that Farah doesn't want to go anywhere. He is approaching 250 games with Wests Tigers and has $2 million-plus coming his way.

The Tigers' greatest hooker and Farah's mentor throughout most of his career is of the firm view that the club has made the wrong decision by deciding to let him go, but now they have, Ben Elias thinks Farah needs to leave the club.

"The Tigers are a mess ... a catastrophe," Elias said. "When I cut I bleed black-and-gold, and to see what has happened in recent times it hurts me so much ... the players they have let go, the coaches they have had to pay out ... the decsions are very hard to understand."

He is baffled by the decision to move Farah on. "When it comes to Robbie Farah, I'm not afraid of making big decisions ... you have to abide by the coach. And I'm not just talking about the decision with Robbie Farah, it's more than Robbie."

Taylor's career is on the line. Elias said what everyone is thinking: should Taylor make it through the off-season and get off to a rocky start in 2016, it's curtains for the coach.

"If Robbie doesn't play and the Tigers win the first four of five games, JT [Taylor] is a hero," Elias said. "If they lose them, then unfortunately it's his [Taylor's] career.

"When it comes to what Robbie should do, you've got to feel welcome wherever you are, in the business world or the sporting world or with your family. He can't stay there for his own sake.

"It's a disaster what they have done to Robbie. The club can't afford to be doing what they are doing now. The culture in the team is being changed. You've got to have skin in the game to make these decisions. The decision is wrong. I still think he has a lot to offer. He doesn't take short cuts. He is not a mug. He has all of the characteristics that you want from a leader at the club."

And the club is placing a one-time favourite son at the Sea Eagles in a difficult position as the man to replace Farah.

"If you had to ask me, [Martin] Taupau for [Matt] Ballin, goodness gracious me, you can't do that. I can't understand the tactic there. Ballin is apparently a really lovely bloke and he can play, but I would have stuck with Robbie."

What will be interesting, if the Balmain side of the joint venture can't pay its bills in the near future, the Wests side of the board may want to bring in a different coach. Right now they have a very juicy option in Ivan Cleary.

Blessing counted

Trent Barrett was shown the door by the Panthers without the knowledge of general manager Phil Gould, but Barrett has admitted that it was the best thing that could have happened to him before his move to the Sea Eagles.

"With hindsight, it really did help," he said. "It was a blessing in disguise. It allowed me to get a head start on things and get my head around what was coming up."

The owners of the Sea Eagles, the Penn family, are very successful in business for a good reason. Once the club decided to move Geoff Toovey on it was Bob "Bozo" Fulton who hand-picked Barrett and got him to present to Scott, Rick and Heather Penn. To the Penns' credit they went with Fulton's recommendation after being highly impressed with Barrett's presentation.

And after watching Barrett among staff, players and the media at Manly's sponsorship announcement, it's had to argue that he doesn't have presence.

Meet the press: Sea Eagles coach Trent Barrett. Photo: Dallas Kilponen

Cashed down

The massive changes at Manly have come at a cost. A substandard season on the field – where the Eagles missed the finals for the first time in a decade – a decline in crowds, payouts to senior staff and coaching staff, on top of poor management under a fragmented ownership before last year's buyout by the Penns, have resulted in a heavy financial loss for the 2015 season. With the Manly Warringah District Rugby League Football Club a shareholder in name only, the Penns have had to wear the loss.

But they must be buoyed by what has happened since Bozo's broom started sweeping!

Sponsorship is up significantly (the 2016 jersey deal is a record for the club) and last week they unveiled a new major sponsor (Coco Joy) and sleeve sponsor (ZTE telecommunications). Membership is past the 6000 mark already and the club is on target for a record of 15,000 in 2016.

Hardly the gloom and doom predicted by many.

The Penns have moved veteran media man Peter "Zorba" Peters out of the boardroom and back into the Sea Eagles fold to assist his great mate Fulton and consult in media and sales. Suggestions Peters was moved on are way off the mark. It was his decision and he has been working closely with the club's media and sales teams for several months. His experience in both areas are rightly recognised as invaluable by the owners.

True to the Blues

English Premier League giants Chelsea added a lot of local hearts to their massive global supporter base when they played Sydney FC before a packed house in June. But surely their biggest fan is young Yianni Alkiavado. Yianni desperately wanted to go to the game. Instead he was confined to an isolation ward at the Sydney Children's Hospital oncology unit. A call was made. Soon after, Chelsea's decorated captain, John Terry, was sitting bedside, and with him a special gift – the EPL trophy. No fuss, no fanfare. Just Yianni, Terry and the trophy.

Channel Nine's Cameron Williams was told of the visit when his children's story, The Christmas Peg, was launched by Leila McKinnon at the hospital last week. After the speeches, Williams toured the children's wards, handing out some of the 200 books he donated to the hospital.

"His mum, Maria, came up to say hello and her eyes lit up as she talked about Tommy's love for Chelsea," Williams said. "I got a bit misty myself. Yianni is still receiving treatment, and that simple gesture from John Terry meant a heck of a lot."

Cam feels a deep connection to the hospital. He credits staff there with perhaps saving the life of his daughter Arkie after she developed a sudden respiratory problem last summer. It's Williams' first dabble with children's picture books, but maybe not his last. His publisher, Penguin, reports sales are going very well.

Plane still flying

Jarryd Hayne may have been scaled back at the San Francisco 49ers, but don't write him off.

"Two things have changed," Hayne's agent, Wayne Beavis, said. "His wage and his determination. His wage has gone down and he is more determined than ever to make a success of this. I know his mental strength. This won't get to him."

Danny Weidler is a Nine reporter.