Locker Room: The incredible story behind Jason Demetriou’s unwavering desire to save South Sydney

Jason Demetriou admits Souths Sydney’s start to the 2024 season “the lowest point in my career”. But the Rabbitohs coach has been here before - and it’s why he’s ready for the fight of his life.

Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers

Ask Jason Demetriou for a story about how he’s punched his way out of a corner before and he takes you all the way to the north of England.

Back to the town of Wakefield and to what anyone who knows anything about rugby league in the cathedral city remembers fondly as, The Great Escape.

The Rabbitohs coach with a spotlight on his every decision following a poor start to the season was once a centre or winger for Wakefield Trinity, in the English Super League. He played a total of 275-games in the Super League and scored 84-tries.

With six games to go in the 2006 season, the local bookmakers posted Wakefield at unbackable $1.80 favourites to be relegated to second division.

It was as sure a thing as Winx winning at Randwick.

Wakefield had won only six games from their past 22 matches.

And in order to survive the cull, they needed to win four of their last six games with a new coach in John Kear, who’d just arrived after their previous coach, Tony Smith, was sacked.

“I’ve learned a lot about resilience and fighting your way through it, through the promotion and relegation system that operates in the Super League,” Demetriou explains.

“All through the season we had that expectation of being a top three side.”

Suddenly, the livelihood of the Wakefield players were at stake.

Rabbitohs coach Jason Demetriou. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers

“I remember we played our last game to survive, and when I say survive, 70 per cent of the team were going to be without a job if we lost in that 80 minutes,” Demetriou explained.

“It’s not about making finals. It’s about your livelihood.

“It’s about putting food on the table for your family.

“It’s not just you. It’s your partners, your kids, who’s going to pay the mortgage, all that comes into play.

“The easy thing is to look externally (as a player) and try to get a contract somewhere else.

“But that’s not going to help your teammates.

“Instead, you see the opportunity to say no, as a person I’m going to put my best foot forward and the only way out of it is, 17 blokes fighting every week.”

At the time, similar to the current Rabbitohs, Wakefield had a side that had enough class and experience to be winning more than they had.

The list included the likes of NRL players Monty Betham, Ned Catic, David Solomona, Sid Domic, Duncan MacGillivray and Ben Jeffries.

“We had guys that had been there and done that in the NRL,” Demetriou said.

“We had to win those last four games and I remember just thinking, boys it’s on us now. We can’t use excuses. It’s not on my watch that we’re going to get relegated.” We had a playing group that bought into that.”

The Rabbitohs have begun the season like few, if any, predicted.

The Bunnies are 1-3 after clawing their way to a relieving 20-16 victory over Canterbury on Good Friday.

Had the Rabbitohs lost, it would be their first 0-4 start to a season since 2008 when they finished 14th under Jason Taylor. Publicly, Demetriou has handled himself with aplomb in front of the press.

Plenty in the same position before have walked into a press conference with angst and agitation - usually directed at the media - dripping from their brow.

Demetriou has gone the other way, smiling his way through it all.

In San Diego last February for South Sydney’s training camp before the 2024 season began in Las Vegas, I asked Demetriou why it is that he seems to enjoy coaching with his back against the wall?

He answered with the story about Wakefield.

Jason Demetriou playing for Wakefield in the Super League. Picture: Hamish Blair/Getty Images

It’s a story that is strangely prophetic to exactly the same position Demetriou faces with South Sydney.

“We ended up winning four from six games to survive relegation,” Demetriou said.

“It was an example when a group of men are committed to one cause, they can achieve something.

“There’s only one way to get to where we want to go and that’s by looking forward and stepping into the contest.

“My career is littered with doubt and expectation and people thinking you can or can’t achieve something.

“For me, I know what works. I know how to get the team focused on performances and not worried about outside noise.

“I remember Monty Betham saying after the game he’s played in Test matches and grand finals, and he’s never felt nerves or pressure like it.

“For me, that brought the best out of me. I don’t why, it just does.

“That’s what gives me confidence.

“There is a challenge, there’s no doubt about that, but I’m looking forward to it.”

Originally published as Locker Room: The incredible story behind Jason Demetriou’s unwavering desire to save South Sydney