5 reasons to be excited about the Rabbitohs in NRL season 2018
SOUTH Sydney lost Greg Inglis 40 minutes into the 2017 season and that was a sign of things to come. The Rabbitohs never really got off the ground. Here’s five reasons South Sydney fans should be getting excited for 2018.
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NEW DIRECTION: Anthony Seibold set for Souths
SOUTH Sydney lost Greg Inglis 40 minutes into the 2017 season and that was a sign of things to come.
The Rabbitohs never really got off the ground in 2017 and after 21 rounds they were third last on the ladder with just six wins to show for their troubles.
Winning three of their last five helped propel the pride of the league into 12th place, but it wasn’t enough to save Michael Maguire and they’ll boast a series of new faces in 2018.
Here’s five reasons South Sydney fans should be getting excited for 2018.
Greg Inglis is back
We don’t know what form the return of Greg Inglis will take but having is better than not having him and for all but 40 minutes of the 2017 season the Rabbitohs were without the big man. Inglis isn’t a young man anymore in rugby league terms — he’ll be 31 when the 2018 season kicks off and there’s a lot of miles in his legs given he’s only played less than 20 games in a season twice since 2007. It remains to be seen if he’ll lay fullback or centre, or just what role he can take for the red and greens.
However, there’s also a chance this could reinvigorate Inglis’s career. Nine months of rest could be just what the doctor ordered, and Inglis should be able to enjoy something close to a full pre-season for the first time in a couple of years. It remains to be seen what exactly Inglis can provide when he does return but Souths fans should be excited regardless.
Dane Gagai is here
Which Dane Gagai will the Rabbitohs be getting? Will it be Origin Dane Gagai? I hope it is, because Origin Dane Gagai is incredible. He’s got a sensational work rate, he always breaks the first tackle, he won player of the series hanging out on the wing. State of Origin Dane Gagai is a stone cold killer and worth whatever he needs to be paid.
But NRL Dane Gagai? Man, it’s been a rough couple of years for that guy. Over the last two seasons, NRL Gagai has scored five tries to Origin Gagai’s six, despite playing 45 games to six. That’s not a good enough strike rate, regardless of the Knights struggles. He did have a couple of shining moments last season, most notably in the early season loss to Canterbury, but NRL Gagai was shifted from centre to fullback throughout the year and never really got the clean ball he needed. Most telling, NRL Gagai is seven seasons into his career and has never scored more than seven tries in a season.
A change of scenery could be just what Gagai needs, and it will be interesting to see if new coach Anthony Seibold uses him at centre or on the wing. Gagai is a quality player and he’s been in a very tough situation up in Newcastle for the last couple of seasons — if the Rabbitohs can find something closer to Origin Gagai they’ll be laughing all the way to the bank.
Damien Cook will start
With a bit of luck, Damien Cook will be the Rabbitohs hooker from Round 1 in 2018. In both of the last two seasons Cook has started the season on the bench only to usurp the starter (Cam McInnes in 2016 and Robbie Farah in 2017) and provided plenty of speed and attacking spark from dummy half.
Cook provides good service and is well suited to South Sydney’s power-based style. He’s shown flashes of excellence in his strange two-season stint with the Rabbitohs and only needs to play more minutes to become one of the better hookers in the game. With a full pre-season at hooker under his belt there’s no telling how sharp Cook can be.
The roster has been cleaned out
South Sydney were badly in need of a clean out and they’ve finally gotten one.
Two listless seasons since the 2014 title gave the squad a stale look, and there’s been enough movement this time around for optimism.
Dave Tyrell, Aaron Gray, Bryson Goodwin are all out the door and the Rabbitohs have shown a willingness to back their own junior systems over the last few seasons — from the looks of Cameron Murray and Angus Crichton that’s a shrewd move indeed.
There’s a chance they still make a move or two before the season starts, but given the jaded quality that has permeate the Rabbitohs in recent seasons any excuse to shake up the current squad is a good one.
Anthony Seibold
On that note, new coach Anthony Seibold could be at the helm of a reinvigorated Rabbitohs outfit.
Michael Maguire is a hell of a coach and along with Des Hasler he’s the best coach currently without an NRL team. His role in the 2014 premiership cannot be understated and he’ll be a part of the club’s history forever.
But Maguire works you hard. Incredibly hard. So hard that there’s a chance, after six seasons, that the fire and the bellowing the tendency to answer hard work with even harder work that the playing group was burnt out by his intensity and stopped responding to his methods.
That’s not a knock of Maguire or the players, it’s just a thing that happens sometimes. Jack Gibson used to say a coach shouldn’t stick around for more than three years and most coaches don’t. Only the special ones, the true greats, can stick with one club for a decade or more. A change of approach and fresh ideas from Seibold, one of the more highly touted assistant coaches out there, could be just what they needed.
Originally published as 5 reasons to be excited about the Rabbitohs in NRL season 2018
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