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0 How does a team sit on top of the table after 11 rounds – and then miss the finals series?
That’s the vexing question South Sydney officials, players and fans will have to wrestle with throughout the off-season.
The Rabbitohs started the season like a rocket, scoring at will and conceding just 13.6 points per game. They were so impressive that many tipped them to go all the way and end Penrith’s hopes of a three-peat.
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Where it all went so wrong in the second half of the season is hard to pinpoint – but it’s clear the Rabbitohs were not a happy camp.
With the club still in finals contention a few weeks ago, assistant coaches Sam Burgess and John Morris both decided to move on.
Allegations emerged that marquee men Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker received preferential treatment and while they were emphatically denied, the mud stuck.
Mitchell played some great football in some games but lost his cool in others and his suspension for a cheap shot late in the season cost the club dearly.
Young halfback Lachlan Ilias also came under plenty of heat, struggling to maintain the standard of an NRL starting number seven over a long season and copping it from some fans and Souths legends.
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Best player: Cameron Murray led the club superbly and never stopped working through a tough year – he will go down in history as one of Souths’ great skippers.
Biggest disappointment: Latrell is the Bunnies’ main man and won them several games on his own – but poor discipline at key moments let down both himself and the club.
Key signing: Jack Wighton will be a great addition to one of the best backlines in the NRL. But the big question is where Souths will play him – five-eighth, centre or fullback?
2024 gains: Jack Wighton (Raiders).
2024 losses: Hame Sele (Dragons), Blake Taaffe (Bulldogs), Jed Cartwright (Knights).
