🐇 Ben Hornby | Rabbitohs Coach #34
Full Name: Benjamin Luke Hornby
Born: 18/2/1980 at Wollongong, NSW
Club Playing Career: Illawarra 1999; St. George Illawarra 2000-12
Representative Playing Career: Combined First Division 2000; NSW 2004, 2006 and 2008 (three games); Country Origin 2005-06 and 2008; Australia Invitational 2006; Australia 2006 (one Test)
Club Coaching Career: South Sydney 2024
An Illawarra junior who played in the Steelers Junior Rep sides before being graded by Illawarra in 1999 and then switched to the newly merged St. George Illawarra side in 2000. Hornby also represented Junior Kangaroos and NSW Under-19s, both in 1999.
He made his first grade debut with St. George Illawarra in 2000 against Penrith, in round 23, and in his 13 seasons playing for the Dragons he registered 273 first grade games, scoring 59 tries, 12 goals and two field goals for 262 points.
He captained the Dragons in their 2010 grand final win over the Roosters, which was their only title as a merged club. The Dragons were coached by Wayne Bennett. Hornby also represented both NSW and Country Origin sides on three occasions, and made one Test appearance for Australia in the 2006 Tri-Nations Tournament.
When he retired from playing, Hornby started his coaching career with St. George Dragons SG Ball Under-18s in 2013, and then St. George Illawarra in the NYC Holden Cup Under-20s in 2014-15.
He came to the Rabbitohs in 2020 as the development coach but took over as interim coach of the first grade side midway through the 2024 season.
In his first game as head coach of the Rabbitohs, they lost 42-12 to the eventual premiers, Penrith Panthers. But they bounced back the following week to thrash Parramatta 42-26 and then went on a five-game winning streak which helped them avoid the dreaded wooden spoon.
