NRL: South Sydney Rabbitohs to return to Cairns in 2023 season

Cairns will host its first NRL Premiership game in five years with South Sydney set to return to the tropics in 2023. DETAILS >>

CAIRNS will host its first NRL Premiership game in five years with South Sydney set to return to the tropics in 2023.

The Cairns Post can reveal the Rabbitohs will rekindle their love affair with the Far North when they bring a late-season fixture to Barlow Park.

South Sydney will take on major rivals, St George-Illawarra at Barlow Park as part of Round 24.

The game is scheduled for a 3pm kick-off on Saturday, August 12.

There were whispers the Rabbitohs would seek a return to Cairns due to the FIFA Women’s World Cup, with their home ground, Accor Stadium, among a number of venues to be unavailable for as long as two months.

Cody Walker, Latrell Mitchell and the South Sydney Rabbitohs are returning to Cairns in 2023. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Souths will play at Perth’s Optus Stadium and the Sunshine Coast during that period, with the game in Cairns to be played after the World Cup ends.

The region shares a unique and strong bond with the Rabbitohs.

The foundation club brought premiership games to Cairns for six straight seasons, from 2013 to 2018 (winning three), and took on the Cowboys in a pre-season fixture at Barlow Park in 2022.

Former Northern Pride CEO Brock Schaefer and coach Jason Demetriou are now the Rabbitohs’ chief operating officer and head coach respectively.

The duo won the Queensland Cup and inaugural NRL State Championship in 2014 before being snapped up by NRL clubs, with their paths crossing again when Demetriou joined Schaefer at the Bunnies at the end of 2018, when he was Wayne Bennett’s assistant.

Souths brought their entire squad to the Far North for a week-long pre-season camp in 2022, which included an unforgettable trip to Yarrabah, as well as a number of other community events.

South Sydney Rabbitoh's Cody Walker leads his team in a traditional dance with Yarrabah children at Yarrabah's Jilara Oval. Picture: Brendan Radke

Demetriou took Souths to the preliminary final in his first year in charge in 2022, and will hope his good fortune in the Far North will translate into an important late-season win which keeps, or puts, his side on track for another NRL finals appearance.

Schaefer and Demetriou have pushed for a return of premiership games to Cairns over the past 12 months, and in 2023 will have their wish granted.

It could be a massive year for rugby league in Cairns with the region reportedly in line to host an all-Queensland double header.

Media reports indicate the Broncos will take on the Titans on Sunday, February 12 at 5pm (AEST) before the Cowboys host the Dolphins at 8pm.

It would be the third time in four years in which the Cowboys have played in Cairns, after hosting Brisbane in 2020 and facing the Bunnies in 2022.

The NRL draw and pre-season schedule are set to be released on Thursday.

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Originally published as NRL: South Sydney Rabbitohs to return to Cairns in 2023 season