South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL 2018 Season Preview

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• Author: Alex Christodoulou
  Mar 08, 2018 03:36 AM
• AAP

Set for a hop into the eight

Key Ins: Dane Gagai (Knights)

Key Outs: Bryson Goodwin (Leigh Centurions), Aaron Gray (Sharks), Luke Kelly (released), David Tyrell (released)

Overview

The most successful club in Rugby League history, the South Sydney Rabbitohs have been on a downward spiral since breaking their 43 year drought in 2014 to win their 21st premiership. A 7th placed finish in 2015 before slumping to 12th in back-to-back seasons inevitably led to the sacking of coach Michael McGuire last year and a minor squad overhaul.

In a sign of Souths' intent to return to finals footy this year, the club has recruited Queensland and Australian representative flyer Dane Gagai, which is sure to add punch to the Rabbitoh's backline. Another major positive is the return of talisman and game great Greg Inglis after recovering from major knee surgery in the 2017 season opener. This dreaded injury spelled the end of the Bunnies' finals aspirations before they had even begun last year. 

The Rabbitohs ranked 14th in running metres last year, averaging a mere 1498.67 metres going forward per game. This was a surprising stat given the quality in the Bunnies' forward pack, but ultimately reflective of their lack of grunt last season. This carried over into their attack, with the team from Redfern only managing an average of 3.25 tries per game, in one of the league's worst try returns. 

Expect an improvement with new coach Anthony Seibold at the helm. Despite being in his first head-coaching gig in the NRL, Seibold learnt his trade under mastercoach Craig Bellamy at the Melbourne Storm, and shapes as a similar leader to Brad Arthur (also a Bellamy alumnus) who has worked wonders at Parramatta.

Player to watch: Big prop Zane Musgrove had a solid 2017 in his first real crack in the NRL. Averaging over 100 meters per game, and only making 5 errors all season, which is uncharacteristic for a young prop, expect him to be a damaging wrecking-ball for the Bunnies.

Key Player: Adam Reynolds has been a consistent performer for Souths since his stellar debut season in 2012. With arguably the best kicking game in the league, the Bunnies' fortunes will once again rest on his right boot. If he can add a dangerous running-game to his arsenal and avoid injuries, which have arrived for him at undesirable times in the past, he will push for a return to Origin. 

Forward pack rating 6/10

If Tom and George Burgess can start replicating the performances of their big brother Sam, the Bunnies will bash up every pack in the middle of the park. The Souths' faithful will be looking to Angus Crichton to redeem himself with another standout season, after signing a deal with arch-rivals the Roosters commencing in 2019. Club stalwart John Sutton and young gun Musgrove round out a damaging pack. 

Outside backs rating 8/10

Opposition teams will shudder at the thought of how many tries Dane Gagai and Greg Inglis will score in the centres this season, as both are capable of taking out the top try-scorer award this year. The strength of this centre pairing will aid the bluntness of the side's wing pairing of Richard Kennar and Robert Jennings ,who will fill the void left by Bryson Goodwin and Aaron Gray. 

Spine rating 6/10

Alongside Reynolds, Cody Walker was very impressive at five-eighth last season. He ranked 3rd for tries (6), and 1st for try assists (18) for Souths last year. With the speedy Alex Johnston at fullback, and good competition at hooker between Damien Cook and Robbie Farah, the Rabbits' spine is looking solid. An injury to Reynolds however, would spell disaster in capital letters.