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As part of a series profiling the expected Round 1 sides for all 17 NRL clubs in 2025, it’s time to see if the South Sydney Rabbitohs can successfully go back to the future with Wayne Bennett returning as coach.
Wayne Bennett is back at Redfern to have another crack at taking South Sydney all the way to glory, glory.
The veteran coach has not won a premiership since 2010 but went perilously close in 2015 with the Broncos and again with the Rabbitohs in his first stint in 2021.
The Rabbitohs have undergone a massive shake-up following Jason Demetriou’s mid-season sacking.
They have overhauled their roster with the likes of Damien Cook, Thomas Burgess, Dean Hawkins, Taane Milne and Michael Chee Kam heading out the door along with Lachlan Ilias.
In their place, Euan Aitken has followed Bennett from the Dolphins, Josh Schuster is attempting to revive his career after being turfed out of Manly and Jayden Sullivan is keen to do likewise after his short-lived Wests Tigers stint.
But the main query for the Bunnies surrounds Lewis Dodd and whether the young St Helens playmaker can make the No.7 jersey his own.
Dodd comes to the NRL with big raps and his mission will be to immediately form a potent halves partnership with veteran Cody Walker.
Since Adam Reynolds left at the end of 2021, the Bunnies have tried Ilias, Hawkins and even Walker at halfback with limited success. Humphreys and Sullivan are also options if the Dodd experiment fails.
Schuster could be an interesting pick-up if he can overcome the fitness battles which led to his abrupt premature exit from the Sea Eagles.
Bennett will play him in the back row and he is likely to be used as a bench option in the early rounds.
Wayne Bennett. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
Aitken is a proven performer and Bennett will have no problems throwing him straight into the run-on side in the back row or at centre.
Campbell Graham is not a new signing but he missed the entire 2024 season so his return from a serious sternum problem will feel like a new player for Souths.
Burgess is finishing his career at Huddersfield, Cook has returned to St George Illawarra after a lengthy and successful stint with Souths while Hawkins was surplus to requirements so he has opted to become Mitchell Moses’ back-up half at the Eels.
Ilias also saw the writing on the wall after Dodd’s signing and has linked with the Dragons.
Chee Kam, Milne and Izaac Thompson were probably not going to see much first grade at Souths this year and have also been moved on.
It starts and ends at halfback for Souths. If Dodd is a success then the Bunnies are a chance of being playoff contenders and potentially being in the mix for the top four.
If he fails to fire, then they are back to square one and Bennett may have to move Jack Wighton into the halves alongside Walker or roll the dice on Sullivan, who was a rising star at the Dragons but came back to earth with a thud at Wests.
Latrell Mitchell is again entering the season with question marks over his commitment and fitness.
Latrell Mitchell is tackled. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Bennett is confident he can work his magic on the star fullback to produce his magic in attack and also get through his workload in defence.
Mitchell is set to miss Round 1 due to the “white powder” incident late last season with Jye Gray likely to deputise.
Alex Johnston is racing the clock after his Achilles surgery last year to be right for round one with the veteran winger just 17 tries away from Ken Irvine’s all-time record of 212 while captain Cameron Murray (wrist) is no sure thing to be right for the season opener after wrist surgery which cut short his Pacific Championships campaign.
While Peter Mamouzelos is likely to get first crack at hooker now that Cook has moved on.
1 Jye Gray
2 Alex Johnston
3 Jack Wighton
4 Campbell Graham
5 Tyrone Munro
6 Cody Walker
7 Lewis Dodd
8 Tevita Tatola
9 Peter Mamouzelos
10 Jai Arrow
11 Keaton Koloamatangi
12 Euan Aitken
13 Cameron Murray
Interchange
14 Siliva Havili
15 Davvy Moale
16 Tallis Duncan
17 Sean Keppie
Other squad members: Latrell Mitchell (suspended), Ben Lovett, Haizyn Mellars, Isaiah Tass, Shaq Mitchell, Jamie Humphreys, Jye Gray, Lachlan Hubner, Josh Schuster, Jacob Host, Thomas Fletcher
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