2025 Preview: South Sydney Rabbitohs

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Lachy MacCorquodale zeroes in on what South Sydney can expect from Wayne Bennett's second stint at the club.

2023 and 2024 ended in a disaster, so what will 2025 bring for the South Sydney Rabbitohs with Wayne Bennett back at the helm?

A 16th placed finish in 2024 was not on the NRL bingo card for the Rabbitohs. The historic club were hopeless, winning just seven of their 24 games as former coach Jason Demetriou, following a second half collapse in 2023, was quickly shown the door after eight rounds, reeling in last place with one win to their name.  

From there, their season hardly improved. Despite a five-game winning streak from Round 12 to 18, the Rabbitohs couldn't keep their momentum going under interim coach Ben Hornby, losing their last eight games of the regular season.

In their defence, they were hampered by injury. Latrell Mitchell played just 11 matches, Cam Murray just 14 and their star centre Campbell Graham didn't feature at all. The myrtle and red are hoping that this won't be the case in 2025, yet with a few weeks to go before the season commences, news broke out that Murray will miss an extended period with a torn achilles, and to add salt to their wounds, Mitchell is struggling with a hamstring issue that'll see him miss the first month or two of the season.

However, with Bennett back at the club, their prospects are brighter. Jack Wighton starts his second season with the club, and Bennett faithful from the Dolphins, Euan Aitken, joins the club on a three-year deal. The team that performed so well under Bennett in his previous tenure are chomping at the bit to return to finals footy and they should be there or thereabouts.

Their previous two seasons are no reflection of the talent they possess, and injuries aside, this is a team that should be competing come September, even with the loss of their veteran hooker Damien Cook. This is a roster that Bennett should have no issue getting into finals, yet as 2024 showed, injuries seem to be the Rabbitohs biggest enemy.

Why They'll Win It

Under Wayne Bennett, South Sydney were an excellent footy team. In his three seasons at the club, the Rabbitohs won 44 of their 64 matches, culminating in two Preliminary Final exits, and a loss to the Penrith Panthers in the 2022 Grand Final. This group, particularly Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker, thrived under Bennett's tutelage and from early reports, both couldn't be happier to be playing under the NRL's most experienced coach again.

Given Bennett's traditional style of play, the Bunnies possess a forward pack that could take them deep into the season. The loss of Murray is no doubt costly, yet, they still boast the likes of Keaon Koloamatangi, Tevita Tatloa and Jai Arrow, with a spot opening up for more minutes for either Davvy Moale or Tallis Duncan. The latter two have been surrounded by hype over the past two seasons, and we're yet to see them really break out, but this newly opened opportunity could provide either with the chance to shane. Whereas, the former three are genuinely class, any side in the competition would be thrilled to roll either of them out onto the park and at their best, they can be the foundation of a team that pushes deep into the season. 

Whilst the forwards can lay the foundation for the Rabbitohs, their chances of winning the premiership lie on the shoulders of Mitchell, Walker and Wighton. Mitchell and Walker were at the forefront of Souths' success under Bennett in his previous tenure, and when they're firing, they're one of the most deadly combinations in the competition. 

Why They Won't

As with any team in the competition, injuries can seriously hinder any premiership aspirations, but for Souths, it's a feeling they know all too well. This season, before a ball has even been kicked, they've lost Murray for a lengthy period, and Mitchell for the first month or two of the campaign. This is coming off the back of a 2024 season which saw the Rabbitohs severely hampered by injuries, to the extent where a total of 213 games were missed due to injury, 73 more than any other team in the competition.

It's just not possible to win, let alone compete in that situation, and that is part of the reason why the Rabbitohs struggled so much in 2024. It wasn't the whole reason, but it definitely contributed to them finishing in 16th place, ahead of three-peat wooden spooners, the Wests Tigers. 

Another issue that plagued the Rabbitohs in 2024 was the lack of a genuine halfback. At the start of the season, Lachlan Ilias was dropped after a few bad performances, and subsequently fractured his tibia when back in reserve grade, ending his season. The Bunnies didn't have a proper kicking playmaker in the halves, and in the end, Walker had too much weight on his shoulders. 

Again, there doesn't appear to be any standout candidates to play number seven this season, although there are a few options in Jamie Humphreys and UK recruit Lewis Dodd. Humprheys' has one NRL game to his name, whilst Dodd has 84 Super League appearances under his belt, leaving the Rabbitohs with two inexperienced options to jump in at halfback this year, alongside an inexperienced number nine in Peter Mamouzelos, who has made just 25 appearances for the Rabbitohs. 

2025 fixture list

Key Players

As has been the case with South Sydney over the past few seasons, their success in 2025 is largely going to come down to the performances of Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker. Mitchell, who is out for the first month or two of the season, will continue his trend of failing to play 20 games a season for the Bunnies, having only played 75 in his five seasons at the club.

However, when Mitchell dons the jersey, he is absolutely exhilarating. Despite only playing 11 games last season, the fullback scored eight tries and assisted a further 14, in what was a frustrating season for the New South Wales representative. His performances correlated to positive outings for the Rabbitohs, winning five of the 11 matches he featured in, and winning just two of the 13 games he wasn't available for. 

On the other hand, Walker, who despite being 35 years of age, prides himself on his availability, having played at least 21 games in each season since his rookie year in 2016. With injuries curtailing Souths' season last year, Walker was still able to produce 26 try contributions in 21 matches in 2024, yet it wasn't enough to propel his side to victories. It's too much of a task for him to carry this team alone, and he is dependent on having a fit Mitchell line up alongside him to make this Rabbitohs attack a potent one. 

Others to watch out for include the centre pairing of Campbell Graham (missed all of 2024 and is expected to return in Round 4) and Jack Wighton, who is expected to start his second season in the centres, the position he was signed to play after spending half of 2024 in the halves, and Keaon Koloamatangi who was outstanding in the middle last year but looks set to return to the edge where he is a damaging ball runner. 

Breakthrough Players

There's a few young and inexperienced players to keep an eye out for in the myrtle and red in 2025, and perhaps the one most are interested in are 23-year-old Lewis Dodd, who joins the club from St. Helens. The halfback was an instrumental part of the St. Helens set up in the Super League over the past few years, including starting at halfback in their 2021 premiership winning side at the age 19. Dodd comes to the club with some expectations after many Australians watched him kick the winning field goal against the Penrith Panthers in the 2023 World Club Challenge. We'll have to wait and see whether he beats Jamie Humphreys to the number seven jersey, who himself is another to keep an eye on this year.

The 23-year-old joins the club after three seasons with Manly-Warringah's reserve grade side which saw him make 20 appearances in both the halves and at hooker in 2024. Humphreys scored seven tries and assisted another seven in the same year that saw him make his NRL debut for Manly in a 44-6 victory over the Newcastle Knights that also featured a try for the debutant. Humphreys may also be a candidate to play number nine or to feature on the bench due to his versatility along the spine.

Finally, 20-year-old Tyrone Munro is someone we've had a short glimpse at over the past two seasons. The winger made seven appearances for the Rabbitohs in 2023 and 2024, scoring six tries, including a double against Penrith in Round 26 last year. There's been a lot of hype around this young kid, and 2025 could be the year we get to see him make an extended run of it for the Rabbitohs.

Player Movements

IN: Lewis Dodd (St Helens), Jamie Humphreys (Manly), Euan Aitken, Lachlan Hubner (Dolphins), Jayden Sullivan (Wests Tigers), Josh Schuster (unattached, previously Manly)

TOP 30: Alex Johnston, Ben Lovett, Cameron Murray, Campbell Graham, Cody Walker, Davvy Moale, Euan Aitken, Haizyn Mellars, Isaiah Tass, Jack Wighton, Jacob Host, Jai Arrow, Jamie Humphreys, Jayden Sullivan, Josh Schuster, Jye Gray, Keaon Koloamatangi, Lachlan Hubner, Latrell Mitchell, Lewis Dodd, Peter Mamouzelos, Sean Keppie, Shaquai Mitchell, Siliva Havili, Tallis Duncan, Tevita Tatola, Thomas Fletcher, Tyrone Munro

OUT: Taane Milne, Thomas Burgess (Huddersfield), Damien Cook, Lachlan Ilias (St Geo Illa), Dean Hawkins (Parramatta), Michael Chee Kam (Manly), Leon Te Hau (Brisbane Tigers), Izaac Tu'itupou Thompson (Canberra)

DEVELOPMENT: Gerome Burns, Liam Le Blanc, Max McCarthy

Best 17

1. Latrell Mitchell
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. Euan Aitken
12. Keaon Koloamatangi
13. Tallis Duncan

14. Jamie Humphreys
15. Sean Keppie
16. Davvy Moale
17. Lachlan Hubner