Souths Juniors: Rovers star earns opportunity with Rabbitohs, Mascot names coaches for new year
One of the heroes of Alexandria’s drought-breaking premiership win has earned a shot with the Rabbitohs, while Mascot names a few familiar faces to spearhead their coaching ranks in 2025.
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He was a major part of helping the Alexandria Rovers end a 34-year A-grade premiership drought, and now Craig McKenzie is poised to take the next step.
The star centre has been training with the South Sydney Rabbitohs NSW Cup squad throughout the pre-season in the hopes of cracking it at the reserve grade level.
McKenzie was the leading pointscorer throughout the Souths Juniors season (142 points) on the back of 13 tries.
He played a key role in the Rovers’ grand final success earlier this year, setting up Kieren Mundine for a 95m try to open their scoring and later kicking the conversion to send the game into extra time.
Coming through the junior reps ranks with the Roosters, McKenzie played Jersey Flegg in 2019 and 2020 alongside the likes of Christian Tuipulotu, Daniel Suluka-Fifita, Luca Moretti, Egan Butcher and Freddy Lussick.
He joins Rovers teammate Toesami Toevai in the Rabbitohs squad, who had an exceptional year in the front row for Alexandria.
Toevai played two games for South Sydney last season.
Bear Williams is also in the squad, with the English front rower one of Coogee’s best throughout the season in their return to A-grade.
MASCOT ANNOUNCE 2025 COACHES
After bowing out of the finals in heartbreaking fashion this year, the Mascot Jets have secured their coaches for 2025.
Eddie Paea and Noah Sete will fill the roles as head coaches of the A-grade side.
Paea was a Mascot junior coming through the ranks and went on to play eight games of first grade with the Rabbitohs as well as seven tests for Tonga.
Sete is a fellow Jets junior who played two games with the Rabbitohs back in their return season to the NRL in 2002.
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