Rabbitohs NRL squad for round 27 Ron Coote Cup match against Roosters
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are pleased to announce their squad for their round 27 Ron Coote Cup home match against the Sydney Roosters to be played this Friday 4 September at 8pm at Allianz Stadium.
Rabbitohs Head Coach Wayne Bennett has named Jai Arrow in his starting lineup to ‘play’ his 100th NRL game with the South Sydney Rabbitohs, with five-eighth Cody Walker to replace him at kick off. Arrow, Rabbitohs player #1166, made his Rabbitohs debut in round one, 2021, against the Melbourne Storm, and will become the 67th player in South Sydney’s 118-year history to register 100 first grade games for the Club. Coach Bennett has also named Jye Gray to start at fullback, Latrell Mitchell to start at centre and Adam Elliott to start in the second row.
To donate directly to the Stand With Jai fundraiser via the Family of League, please click here.
Forwards Keaon Koloamatangi and David Fifita are both in line to play the 150th NRL games of their careers this Friday night. Koloamatangi, Rabbitohs player #1157, made his first grade debut for South Sydney against the Storm in round four, 2020, and has played all 149 NRL games of his career in the red and green. Fifita, Rabbitohs player #1213, made his NRL debut for the Broncos against the Raiders in round 16, 2018, going to play 44 games for Brisbane, 90 games for the Titans, and 15 games so far for South Sydney.
This game will be the second leg of the Ron Coote Cup for the 2026 season, a trophy named in honour of Rugby League’s 14th Immortal and South Sydney and Eastern Suburbs legend, Ron Coote AM.
Mr Coote won six premierships and played in nine Grand Finals during his 15 seasons playing first grade with both South Sydney (four premierships) and Eastern Suburbs (two premierships). The Ron Coote Cup is played across both home and away fixtures in any given season, with the winner determined by the aggregate score from those two regular season matches. The Rabbitohs need to win by nine or more points this Friday to win the Ron Coote Cup in 2026.
Mr Coote, Rabbitohs player #528, will ring the Rabbitohs’ Legacy Bell as the teams take the field, with the Rabbitohs to be led out by co-captain, Jai Arrow.
This game is also the Rabbitohs Old Boys Day with the Souths Players Association (SPA) taking part in a lap of honour before forming a guard of honour for the teams before kick off. The SPA Old Boys will lead a ‘March to our Heartland’ on Friday night, up Driver Avenue in Moore Park to Allianz Stadium, and all Members and fans are invited to take part. Everyone is asked to meet outside Gate B at the Sydney Cricket Ground at 6:45pm with the March to our Heartland commencing at 7pm.
At half-time, MG Motor will be giving away a brand new MG HS Hybrid+ in the grand finale of the ‘Key to MG’ competition. Ten lucky winners will try their luck and if their key unlocks the car, it is all theirs!
Gates at Allianz Stadium open at 6pm, with kick off scheduled for 8pm.
The South Sydney Rabbitohs’ squad for Friday’s clash with the Roosters is:
1- Jye Gray
2- Alex Johnston
3- Latrell Mitchell
4- Jack Wighton
5- Campbell Graham
23- Jai Arrow (c)
7- Jayden Sullivan
8- Junior Tatola
9- Brandon Smith
10- Keaon Koloamatangi
11- David Fifita
12- Adam Elliott
13- Cameron Murray (c)
Interchange:
6- Cody Walker
14- Matt Dufty
15- Lachlan Hubner
16- Sean Keppie
17- Jamie Humphreys
18- Euan Aitken
19- Latrell Siegwalt
20- Liam Le Blanc
21- Talanoa Penitani
22- Peter Mamouzelos
Head Coach – Wayne Bennett
