NRL pre-season watch: Rabbitohs recruit Jamie Humphreys shows off rig, Wayne Bennett back at The Burrow
South Sydney’s pre-season is in full swing, with John Sutton putting the squad to work at Maroubra Beach. But one Rabbitohs star recruit stole the show. See the latest pre-season news.
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The Rabbitohs pre-season is in full swing, with the entire South Sydney squad officially back at training.
The team swapped the training paddock for the surf, as club legend and Rabbitohs development coach John Sutton took the squad to Maroubra Beach.
It was new recruit Jamie Humphreys who stole the show however, with the former Sea Eagle showing off his impressive frame.
Humphreys will be pushing his case for a spot in the top-17, and has done no harm to his chances, coming into the pre-season in fantastic shape.
BENNETT RETURNS TO THE BURROW
—Brent Read
Nearly six years to the day after he arrived at Redfern for his first stint as head coach at South Sydney, Wayne Bennett returned on Monday for his second coming to begin the task of rebuilding the Rabbitohs.
Bennett, a seven-time premiership winner, looked in good spirits as he was pictured smiling while in conversation with Latrell Mitchell and Campbell Graham at the club’s new training base at Heffron Park, Maroubra.
He shared a laugh with new recruit Euan Aitken, whom he recruited from his most recent former club, the Dolphins. He shook hands with Jamie Humphreys and wrapped an arm around winger Alex Johnston, whose future is one of the burning issues Bennett needs to resolve on his return to the club.
Johnston, coming back from a torn Achilles that prematurely ended his 2024 season, is off contract at the end of the 2025 and the club is yet to make a decision on whether they will offer him a new deal.
The club’s record tryscorer is one of five survivors from Bennett’s last stint at the Rabbitohs along with Cody Walker, Cameron Murray, Graham and Junior Tatola.
Fellow winger Tyrone Munro, who was also pictured with Bennett, is in a similar boat to Johnston although the delay in his new deal is believed to be related to a change of management rather than Souths’ desire to keep him.
The club has already tabled a three-year extension to the Rabbitohs flyer, who is still just 19, making him 55 years younger than his new coach, Bennett.
Bennett has a huge task to lift Souths back into finals contention after last season, when they finished 16th and were fortunate to avoid the wooden spoon.
EX-WALLABY BOLTS INTO TITANS’ HALVES CONTENTION
—Travis Meyn
Kieran Foran is happy to relinquish Gold Coast’s captaincy but he won’t be giving up the Titans’ No. 7 jersey without a fight.
Foran has declared he is gunning for a starting spot in the halves next year in what is shaping up as his 17th and final NRL season.
Foran, 34, was a consistent performer in what proved to be a problematic area for the Titans in Des Hasler’s first season on the Gold Coast.
He played 21 games in 2024, starting at halfback in 18 of them as Hasler found his most successful combination with Jayden Campbell at five-eighth.
Having undergone an ankle reconstruction in the off-season, Foran is slightly behind the eight-ball but has started running with a view to being at full fitness in the New Year.
Hasler has a number of halves contenders to pick from next year with Wallabies convert Carter Gordon joining AJ Brimson, Tom Weaver, Foran and Campbell.
While Foran will hand back the leadership duties to the returning Tino Fa’asuamaleaui (knee), one thing the 303-game NRL legend won’t be doing is surrendering a starting jersey.
“I’m the incumbent number seven,” Foran said.
“I’ll train as hard as I can and work my backside off. Nothing is guaranteed in this game.
“I’ll be fullbore ahead post-Christmas and back into the side working extremely hard.
“That (starting halfback) would be the plan, but we’ve got a great young group and a number of spine players that we’ve tinkered with over the last 12 months to see where everyone can fit.
“Certain guys have jumped out of the ground which has been awesome for the club.
“I’m a competitor and I’m going to compete. That’s what you do in this game and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
Hasler has a stacked forward pack for 2025 with Queensland Origin trio David Fifita, Moeaki Fotuaika and Fa’asuamaleaui joined by former Kangaroos prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard.
But he hasn’t been able to find the perfect combination in the all-important spine, contributing to last season’s disappointing third straight bottom four finish.
Rising star Keano Kini has the edge on Brimson for the No. 1 duties while Sam Verrills showed some promising signs at hooker.
However the Titans will struggle to be a finals force if they can’t find a consistent combination in the halves.
Gordon has started his first NRL pre-season with a bang and could find himself in first grade sooner rather than later.
Foran said a big few months was brewing before the 2025 NRL season kicks off.
“Time will tell, that will work itself out as we go through pre-season,” he said.
“We’ve got a number of guys that can play a number of positions in the spine.
“At the end of the day the jersey will go to the player that deserves it most and earns it.
“I’m not sure where Carter will fit. There’s a lot of options considering the spine players we’ve got here.
“Those guys are competing really hard, working on their craft and Carter’s no different.
“He’s growing every session. Where he fits will be up to Des to decide.”
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Originally published as NRL pre-season watch: Rabbitohs recruit Jamie Humphreys shows off rig, Wayne Bennett back at The Burrow
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