Coach Michael Maguire during South Sydney rugby league training at Redfern Oval, Sydney. Pic Brett Costello Source: Brett Costello / News Limited
THEY are successful Sydney sporting clubs with virtually nothing in common.
One has won 20 premierships over 103 years and is run by a glamorous Hollywood actor.
The other is not two years old from battling western Sydney.
Now though, the famous South Sydney Rabbitohs and A-League's Western Sydney Wanderers have united at the highest level.
Rabbitohs coach Michael Maguire and Wanderers coach Tony Popovic have struck up an unlikely friendship. They share ideas and ideals.
Maguire was at Parramatta Stadium on Saturday night watching the Wanderrs beat Melbourne Victory 1-0. He ended up in the victorious dressing room.
The Bunnies coach spent a portion of last week with Popovic inside the Wanderers organisation.
Popovic now has plans to visit South Sydney's Redfern headquarters when Maguire returns from a trip to Arizona.
The cross-code relationship just may help the Wanderers to A-League glory and Souths to an elusive NRL premiership.
Coach Michael Maguire and the South Sydney Rabbitohs at Sydney Domestic Airport after returning from Townsville Source: News Limited
"He (Popovic) is a great fella," Maguire said from America.
"I can see why they are having success.
"He is a very smart coach."
Asked did they share ideas, Maguire said: "He is very similar to me, always learning."
Maguire was so keen to watch the action on Saturday night he was spotted sitting in the rain.
"The match against Victory was a good opportunity to bring Michael in to see how we do things at the Wanderers," Popovic said.
"I look forward to taking some time to visit Redfern oval in the coming months."
Andy Paschalidis, Sky Sports Radio football commentator and Wanderers ground announcer, watched Maguire and Popvic mingle on Saturday evening.
"I was pleasantly surprised to see Michael at the game. I first noticed him talking to some of the Wanderers backroom staff at the dressing room entrance before the game," Paschalidis said.
Tony Popovic during the Western Sydney Wanderers v Melbourne Victory A League game at Pirtek Stadium, Parramatta. pic mark evans Source: News Limited
"Then I bumped into him in the Premier's Lounge where he would have been the guest of (Wanderers executive chairman) Lyall Gorman. It was an engaging conversation with 'Madge' stating that both he and Tony Popovic are very similar in many ways and that he was very keen to forge a long-term friendship.
"Michael was enthralled by the match day spectacle on the back of spending time with 'Poppa' and the team in midweek.
"Like many who make it to 'Wanderland' for the first time he couldn't believe how such a franchise could have developed so quickly, reached such great heights on the pitch and drawn a strong supporter base.
"Despite the rain he decided to head outside and take in the atmosphere during the second half; no doubt impressed that the majority of the Wanderers fans didn't move from their seats for the entire match."
Maguire's Rabbioths fell one game short of the 2013 grand final, Popovic's Wanderers were beaten in the A-League grand final earlier this year.
Popovic visited Wayne Bennett several years ago when he coached the St George Illawarra Dragons.
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