We all need to take a deep breath about South Sydney.

Yes, they haven’t been great in the first two weeks of the season. But let’s put things in perspective: they were beaten by the Sea Eagles in Las Vegas and led that match for a long time, and look at what Manly did to the Roosters last week.

Then I thought they competed with the Broncos for large parts of their round two loss, and to my eye Brisbane are the team to beat this year.

Having said that, Souths have to find a way to win this huge game against the Roosters on Friday. It’s as simple as that. It’s so hard to start a year 0-3 and get back into the fight.

I was very surprised by the decision to drop halfback Lachlan Ilias. It doesn’t matter who you are as a young halfback, if your forwards are not doing the job, then it’s going to be hard to create opportunities.

That’s where the Rabbitohs’ big problem is: the middle of the park. Even last year, I thought they were one or two front-rowers short of being a team capable of pushing for a title. With Jai Arrow now out, the problem is even more glaring. Their pack is going to have to drag them out of this mini hole they find themselves in.

Latrell Mitchell in Brisbane last Thursday.Credit: Getty

For Ilias, the message is simple: go back to reserve grade and have fun. It’s not easy to hear because he’s a professional athlete in an intense environment, but he needs to rediscover his love of the game. That’s the first box to tick in trying to return to the NRL.

What happens if it doesn’t work out for Dean Hawkins and Cody Walker in the halves? Does Jason Demetriou roll the dice with Walker and Jack Wighton playing alongside each other? There are so many questions about the Rabbitohs at the moment.

QOSHE - It’s not panic stations yet for South Sydney – but it soon could be - Andrew Johns
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It’s not panic stations yet for South Sydney – but it soon could be

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20.03.2024

We all need to take a deep breath about South Sydney.

Yes, they haven’t been great in the first two weeks of the season. But let’s put things in perspective: they were beaten by the Sea Eagles in Las Vegas and led that match for a long time, and look at what Manly did to the Roosters last week.

Then I thought they competed with the Broncos for large parts of their round two loss, and to my eye Brisbane are the team to beat this........

© The Sydney Morning Herald


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