Home Ground: Accor Stadium (Olympic Stadium Homebush)

Coach: Wayne Bennett

Position: 14th

The SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS experienced the season from hell under the leadership of returning mastercoach, Wayne Bennett with a nightmare injury toll - at one stage 13 down out of a 30-man squad. Despite initial projections of a successful year, the franchise experienced a series of critical player injuries, the likes of which we've never seen before, ultimately impacting their season's performance. They lost Captain and brilliant leadership in Cameron Murray very early on, which was only the beginning. An extensive injury list for Souths included; Euan Aitken, Gerome Burns, Campbell Graham, Ryan Gray, Ben Lovett, Max McCarthy, Davvy Moale, Cameron Murray, Cody Walker, Tyrone Munro, Jack Wighton, Jayden Sullivan, Keaon Koloamatangi and Junior Tevita Tatola as well as star fullback Latrell Mitchell for long stretches.

A recent report on NRL injuries showed the South Sydney Rabbitohs had collectively lost 180 playing weeks to injury this season, 60 weeks more than the next hardest hit team, the Sydney Roosters and more than double the average of all NRL teams. Some fans have suggested that the move to the Heffron Park training centre was the cause of this injury crisis. But Souths sought an independent professional assessment of the Heffron Park training surface and it was given the all clear. Other possibilities are the recruitment of players (recruiting players that other clubs let go because of injury concerns) or the management of training and injuries at Souths. Bad luck, probably, but a full review may show up other reasons through high performance physical stresses in training and sports science.

This season, the Rabbitohs were compelled to assess the full extent of their squad's capabilities, even to the point of exhaustion, and on one occasion, they were unable to field an 18th player due to two late withdrawals and a lack of available replacements. At one point, the team appeared to be struggling towards the wooden spoon, but they persevered and concluded the season with a few commendable efforts, bringing a sense of relief to their fans. Victories over the Dragons, Eels, Tigers and Titans helped to save face, but there were some massive floggings amongst those few highlights and a long run without any wins.

Bennett will need to field a fit and healthy squad to kick off season 2026, and the tiny fullback dynamo Jye Grey should be first cab off the rank. Standing in for Mitchell he was sublime at times, with a massive work rate, slick speed and the heart of a lion. Grey was easily the brightest light in a disappointing year. The Coach will need to convince Mitchell he is better off at centre to accommodate the mercurial kid at the back. The other highlight was winger Alex Johnstone closing in on Ken Irvine's record of 212 tries. Even though he was unable to achieve this feat in the final few games of the season, he sits on 210 tries and it will be a formality come the first few rounds.

The foundation club now needs to reset and find a winning formula, led by a host of star players. Balancing the workload should be made easier by the talent that were forced to play numerous games of first grade with limited experience. Guys like Jamie Humphries, Lachlan Hubner, Liam Le Blanc and Tallis Duncan all stood out, while nine will be released as Wayne Bennett goes shopping for fresh faces. Expect a determined effort early on in 2026 as the club aim to resurrect their fortunes and revive the red and green pride.