Rabbitohs forward Bailey Sironen is playing for his future at Redfern beyond season 2020
The South Sydney Rabbitohs have made no secret of their salary cap position for season 2021. But the little wriggle room in the cap could mean another player on the rise is squeezed out of Redfern.
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Off contract forward Bayley Sironen will look to channel the toughness of his father and Balmain great, Paul, in the coming weeks in a bid to secure his future at South Sydney.
Sironen is contracted at Redfern until the end of the season and wants to use the remaining seven weeks of the competition to earn a new deal at Redfern.
“Look, I’d love to stay at Souths but I’ll leave that up to my management and not get too caught up in that sort of talk. But I want to keep playing good footy and that will sort itself out,” Sironen said.
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With only 14 NRL games to his name Sironen won’t demand big money, but the Rabbitohs have been open about the fact there is very little wriggle room in their salary cap for season 2021.
It means Sironen will have to make every minute of every game he plays for the rest of the year count.
And the forward revealed his father, Paul, who was widely regarded as one of the toughest forwards of his era and played 246 games for the Tigers including two grand finals, always has his highlights reel at the ready for inspiration.
“I live with him so, he’s always in my ear about little things but [he] also lets me make my own way through but if I need him, he is there for me to lean on. I was a bit young [to remember him playing] but I have seen a couple of old tapes … he tries to put some replays on … the ones where he played all right,” Sironen said with a laugh.
While Paul might provide the inspiration, it’s Sironen’s older brother and Sea Eagles edge backrower, Curtis, who has been the biggest influence in the career of the Holy Cross Rhinos junior.
“Curtis has played a massive role, being my brother I can pick his brain a bit. I watch most of his game and things like that … for things that I can pick up from his game. I always speak to him after every game so he has been a massive influence on me. I speak to him pretty much every day. After every game, he’ll pull me up on things I’m doing wrong but if I’m doing things okay, he’ll let me know that too,” Sironen said.
While Sironen remains hopeful of one day lining up alongside Curtis, the backrower conceded it is unlikely he will be able to continue to the long tradition of NRL brothers playing for the same side - like the Brett and Josh Morris and the Trbojevic brothers at Manly.
“Look, it would be awesome if it were to happen down the track. I can’t see it happening soon unfortunately but in a couple of week we play Manly so it will be a good opportunity to try and get one up on him,” he said.
The salary cap squeeze could also cost the Bunnies local junior Alex Johnston. In June, Johnston revealed he was told there no room for him beyond this year at Redfern but the outside back has earned somewhat of a reprieve after the club agreed to keep a place open for him in their roster. It’s understood the Rabbitohs will have to make some adjustments in the roster to keep Johnston.
OFF CONTRACT 2020
Tom Amone, Cory Denniss, Kurt Dillon, Alex Johnston, Steven Marsters, Ky Rodwell, Bayley Sironen
OFF CONTRACT 2021
Corey Allan, Braidon Burns, Joshua Cook, Troy Dargan, Dane Gagai, Dean Hawkins, Keaon Koloamatangi, Ethan Lowe, Latrell Mitchell, Mark Nicholls, Adam Reynolds, James Roberts, Jaydn Su‘a, Tevita Tatola