Souths declare 2025 will be much better

South Sydney interim coach Ben Hornby is confident his side can bounce back in a big way in 2025 following a disastrous year on and off the field that saw them finish second last after they lost seven-straight games to round out the season. It’s a mighty collapse by a club that was on top of the ladder after 11 rounds last year but ended up missing out on the finals, with that poor form continuing to start the 2024 campaign which cost coach Jason Demetriou his job. They’ve had to deal with serious injuries to key men with Campbell Graham, Jai Arrow and Junior Tatola headlining their casualty ward, while the Latrell Mitchell saga dragged on for more than a month and must have been a distraction at times. Wayne Bennett will return to the club next year and will hopefully get Mitchell back on track, and while the injured brigade will return, the master coach will have to do it all without club legends Damien Cook and Tom Burgess who played their final game for Souths in Friday’s loss to the Roosters. “The ladder is usually pretty fair after the 27 rounds, so we can’t really argue with that,” Hornby said following the 36-28 defeat. “I think you’ve seen that we’ve put in a lot of good efforts. When we had a side that was close to doing what we were capable of, we were winning games. “Next year, I can’t see why if we’re not somewhere near our full-strength side that we won’t be winning games. “We’ve got a lot of really, really good players missing at the moment, so if we get those guys back and do the right thing, the wins will take care of themselves.” While Bennett’s arrival is going to be massive, Cook – the ultimate clubman – made sure the public appreciated just how big a job Hornby has done under difficult circumstances this year. The Rabbitohs’ season was threatening to spiral out of control before he took over, but they were quickly back in finals contention after winning five on the trot. Those hopes were extinguished once Mitchell went down before the State of Origin decider, but they haven’t given up with the Bunnies staying in the fight in most games. “Clubs should be chasing him, that’s for sure,” Cook said.

Souths need club icon to help reignite premiership charge, says Terry Hill

Former Test star Terry Hill believes South Sydney needs to send out an 'SOS' to club legend Craig Coleman to help the Rabbitohs out of their current slump.Souths are in the wars, having lost three of their past four games and conceding 30 or more points on each occasion.And Hill believes Souths coach Jason Demetriou and the players need Coleman's vast experience to get their premiership challenge back on track."There is no one more South Sydney than Craig Coleman," said Hill, a Bunnies junior who began his top grade career at the club in 1990 before playing for Easts, Wests, Manly, New South Wales and Australia."He played for Souths, he captained them and coached them."He knows what makes the club tick, is respected by the players and has a great football mind."He bleeds red and green and has the smartest football brain that I've ever known."'Tugger' has unbelievable football knowledge - I was coached by Warren Ryan, Phil Gould and Bob Fulton and he is up there with them."Hill believes getting Coleman as an advisor for coach Jason Demetriou would be a massive mid-season boost for the Rabbitohs."They are in a hole and can't find their way out at the moment," he said."Craig is a great mentor and he is going to waste not involved in the game any more."He played a huge role in starting my career and I think he could really help the current players find their confidence again."