South Sydney’s Alex Johnston wants to know where he fits in at the Rabbitohs

Alex Johnston still has two years to run on his contract at South Sydney and with a new coach incoming, the 23-year-old will sit down with Wayne Bennett to discuss his desire to be Rabbitohs fullback.

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Alex Johnston wants clarity about his role at South Sydney and will request a one-on-one meeting with Wayne Bennett should the super coach take over in the coming weeks.

The 23-year-old still has two years to run on his current deal, which is said to be worth around $350,000 a season.

While Johnston is equally at home playing wing and fullback, the No.1 jumper is a far more valuable commodity in the NRL, with the top ones earning more than double Johnston’s current value.

There is no question he showed massive improvement this season playing fullback on a permanent basis and it’s understandable he’d want to stay in the same position next year.

It’s fair that Johnston wants to know his position at Souths. (Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

The dilemma is that Greg Inglis’s giant shadow is a constant presence and the Rabbitohs have also signed junior Kangaroo fullback Corey Allan on a three-year deal from Brisbane.

It remains to be seen how quickly young Allan will develop into an NRL player but the raps on the lightning fast 20-year-old are huge.

Inglis also made it known last pre-season that he still had a desire to play fullback before he ultimately settled back in the centre after his return from injury.

Now 12 months down the track it remains to be seen if Inglis wants to stay playing in the centres or return to the custodian role.

Johnston has already impressed at fullback. (Darren Leigh Roberts)

There is no question a fit and healthy Inglis would revel at fullback but there is a less physical demand on him playing in the centres and ultimately that could prolong the 31-year-old’s career.

While Johnston is not quite among the top shelf fullbacks in the NRL at this stage, he’s only relatively new to the role, playing 45 of his 107 top grade games in the No.1 jumper.

He has outstanding pace and is a brilliant finisher, although he only averaged 85m per game this season, which is the lowest of any of the NRL’s full-time fullbacks.

For instance, James Tedesco averaged 181m this year while Inglis racked up 154m per game in his premiership-winning 2014 season in the No.1 jumper.

There has been talk of a couple of clubs making discreet inquiries about Johnston’s situation but until there is clarity on who will be coaching at Souths in 2019 he just has to bide his time.

But this again highlights why the bosses at both clubs need to make a decision on if there is going to be a coaching swap between Bennett and Anthony Seibold before the full squads return to training because it is just going to add to the unrest at both clubs.

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