Nah. its true but not as bad as it seems:
SOUTH Sydney has won the first off-field battle of the NRL finals series - gaining approval for the club's drum squad to perform at Saturday night's match against Manly.
Despite an attempt by Sea Eagles' officials to have the drummers banished from Brookvale, the NRL yesterday ruled they could bang their support for the Bunnies.
Manly CEO Grant Mayer demanded the squad be banned from the ground, claiming they were "exceptionally annoying".
However, the NRL met yesterday and agreed to allow the drummers into Brookie - provided they play only when Souths run on to the field at the start of the match.
The club's co-owner Russell Crowe replaced cheerleaders with the drummers at the start of this year.
Yesterday, Mayer said his fans hated the noisy squad.
"The sound of the drums is exceptionally annoying. We don't want them at Brookvale," he said. "It's our home game. We have worked all year to gain some advantage in the form of a home final so we don't want the drums there.
"At a small ground like Brookvale, the drums would drown out all other noise."
Mayer was frustrated the NRL had agreed to allow the drummers on to the field.
"We have a strict 'no drums' policy that we hoped would exclude them from our venue," he said.
"In a stadium with 65,000 empty seats, I can understand their need to manufacture an atmosphere.
"Our fans will ensure no such gimmick is required when we play them at Brookie on Saturday night.
"We have already had a number of inquiries from the local residents asking if the drummers will be here."
Angry Souths co-owner Peter Holmes a Court fired back, saying Manly's cheerleaders should also be banned.
"We don't want the Manly cheerleaders there either," he said. "If they are prepared to put away their cheerleaders, then we won't take the drummers. If their fans agree to sit on their hands then our fans will do the same."
NRL chief operating officer Graham Annesley said finals matches were "neutral" affairs and Souths had a right to bring their drummers.
"We have to be fair to both teams," Annesley said. "Manly have their cheergirls and Souths can use their drummers as the team runs out but not during the course of the game."
