NRL 2023: South Sydney Rabbitohs’ post-mortem on how to recover from a season of failure

Shifting Latrell, improving a key area of their game and getting their coaching set up right are just three things the Rabbitohs must address after crashing out of the finals race, David Riccio writes.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 01: Latrell Mitchell of the Rabbitohs looks on after the round 27 NRL match between South Sydney Rabbitohs and Sydney Roosters at Accor Stadium on September 01, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

The Rabbitohs have missed the finals for the first time since 2017, an impossible scenario for fans to comprehend after South Sydney led the NRL competition after 11 rounds. In the wake of their season over, David Riccio breaks down the six burning issues that face the Pride of the League ahead of 2024.

1. MOVING LATRELL

Alex McKinnon, a smart judge of talent as the former recruitment boss of the Knights, who helped build Newcastle’s current roster, reckons South Sydney must move Latrell Mitchell from fullback next year.

McKinnon wrote a column this week for Fox Sports that if the Bunnies want to be title contenders again, Mitchell must follow the path of Storm star Cameron Munster and shift from the back of the field to the halves. Cody Walker can play halfback and Raiders recruit Jack Wighton plays fullback. It has genuine merit.

Head coach Jason Demetriou is a huge believer in halfback Lachlan Ilias. But the catch is, if Wighton plays in the centres, that’s $700,000 in your salary cap, for a position that involves, on average, just 13 touches per game.

Have we seen the last of Latrell at fullback? Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

2. STATE OF ORDEAL

The Bunnies failed to handle the State of Origin period. Through May, June and July, it was a combination of either managing an injury (Cameron Murray, groin), getting injured (Mitchell, calf) being dropped (Damien Cook, Origin I) or overlooked altogether (Cody Walker, game two), that chipped away at the resolve of South Sydney’s best players.

So much so, the Rabbits have already made one change in that space. Head of high performance Andrew Croll has stepped down from his position with the Maroons, in order to be entirely focused on the management of South Sydney’s squad throughout the Origin series.

History shows you need at least four Origin players to win a premiership. The Bunnies had five in 2023. Penrith have shown it can be done.

Murray’s ongoing absences were disruptive to the Bunnies’ finals chances. Picture: NRL Photos

3. COACHING DRAMA

The swift exit of assistant coach Sam Burgess two weeks before the finals was nothing you would expect from an elite sporting organisation.

Premierships are won on cohesiveness and belief in the system. The moment that news of Burgess being on a different page to the head coach broke, it was always going to be an impossible task for Souths to manage more than a week of intense spotlight. And in the case of Rod Churchill, disgusting pot shots.

With the exit of Burgess and fellow assistant John Morris to the Wests Tigers, Demetriou will begin 2024 with a new-look support team that will bring fresh energy, ideas and playing style to the team.

4. THE STATS

The Bunnies must fix their discipline. They finished the season ranked 16th for worst completion rate in the competition (76.1 per cent) and most errors (11.2). Their lack of respect for the footy led to the concession of 20.8 points per game this season.

Had they made the finals, it would’ve been the most points conceded to make the finals since 1944.

The back half of the season was when the damage was done. They were conceding just 13.6 points per-game through 11 rounds, second only to Penrith.

The Rabbitohs leaky defence gave up 505 points in 2023. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

5. THE BIGGEST LOSSES

The Rabbitohs’ 36-30 defeat to the Dragons in front of a packed house at Kogarah in round 15 and a 36-32 loss to the Bulldogs in round 19 were both brutal dents to South Sydney’s finals hopes. Painfully, they probably only needed one of those wins to play finals footy.

Against Saints, Mitchell, Walker, Arrow and Murray were missing. While against the Dogs, Walker, Murray, Cook and Keaon Koloamatangi were out. It speaks to the Rabbitohs’ ability to better handle the Origin period.

Souths fans were happy to see consistent Cook locked in for another two seasons. Picture: Emily Barker/Getty Images

6. IN AND OUT

The departure of fullback Blake Taaffe to the Bulldogs will hurt South Sydney’s depth, so too will the losses of Hame Sele (Dragons), Jed Cartwright (Knights) and Liam Knight (Bulldogs). However, the Rabbitohs have unearthed two genuine NRL players in rookie forward Tallis Duncan and exciting winger Tyrone Munro.

The arrival of Wighton will obviously bolster Demetriou’s options in his backline. Key figures Cook (2025), Walker (2025), Mitchell (2027), Tevita Tatola (2028) and Campbell Graham (2027) are all locked in

Originally published as NRL 2023: South Sydney Rabbitohs’ post-mortem on how to recover from a season of failure