The Rabbitohs’ official website, www.rabbitohs.com.au, will be taking a look back at the past decade to see the growth of the Club over the past ten years.
Shane Richardson returned to the Rabbitohs in the role of General Manager of Football to partner incoming CEO Blake Solly (formerly general manager of the Super League) to replace outgoing CEO John Lee.
"We're not rebuilding, we're in a build-again phase.”
These were the words used by Richardson as he addressed Members early in the year. There is a clear narrative coming out of Redfern. That narrative is that the Rabbitohs have their eyes on reaching new standards of success in Australian sport.
While 2016 doesn’t stand highly in the memories of Members and fans, the hard work behind the scenes, recruitment going into 2017 and the solid end of the season are key indicators that the movement beneath the surface is building to something big.
Undoubtedly mounting injuries contributed significantly to the woes endured by the Rabbitohs throughout the season as the side struggled to form key combinations, resulting in a failure to play consistent 80 minute football on a regular basis.
On a team front, the Rabbitohs excelled defensively, making 8442 tackles (highest in the NRL) whilst only missing 625 tackles (5th best in the NRL).
This strong defensive showing was especially evident at the backend of the season, as South Sydney concluded 2016 with wins over the New Zealand Warriors, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, Newcastle Knights and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
The four consecutive wins – two of which were against finals bound sides and the eventual premiers – created significant buzz around the playing group and provided a strong foundation leading into season 2017 – something echoed by Head Coach, Michael Maguire.
“I’m really happy about where we’re going. I’m really happy about where we are heading into the pre-season.”
Maguire was also impressed by the likes of Angus Crichton, Jack Gosiewski and Zane Musgrove, who featured in the cardinal and myrtle at stages of the 2016 season.
“The younger guys that debuted showed some great form,” said Maguire.
“The development of the younger kids growing inside the many experiences we had this season and to see them come together the way they did – I’m really excited about what’s ahead.”
In addition to the emergence of the next generation of Rabbitohs, the signings of back-rower Robbie Rochow and hooker Robbie Farah, as well as young-guns Robert Jennings, Tyrell Fuimaono, Braidon Burns and Connor Tracey will also provide a boost for the Red and Greens heading into next season.
Football:
Ladder position: |
12th |
Wins: |
9 |
Draws: |
0 |
Losses: |
15 |
Points for: |
473 |
Points against: |
549 |
Head Coach: |
Michael Maguire |
Captains: |
Greg Inglis |
Wins over:
Team |
Round |
Score |
|
Roosters |
Round One |
42-10 |
|
Knights |
Round Two |
48-6 |
|
Manly |
Round Five |
16-12 |
|
Eels |
Round 10 |
22-20 |
|
Dragons |
Round 11 |
34-24 |
|
Warriors |
Round 23 |
41-22 |
|
Sharks |
Round 24 |
12-6 |
|
Knights |
Round 25 |
34-12 |
|
Bulldogs |
Round 26 |
28-10 |
|
Most games:
|
Jason Clark (23) Kyle Turner (23) Sam Burgess (23) Nathan Brown (21) Aaron Gray (21) |
Most points:
|
Adam Reynolds (95) Bryson Goodwin (56) Cody Walker (52) Alex Johnston (44) |
Most tries:
|
Alex Johnston (11) Aaron Gray (9) Bryson Goodwin (9) Cody Walker (8) |
Most goals:
|
Adam Reynolds (43) Bryson Goodwin (10) Cody Walker (10) Damien Cook (7) |
Most average tackles:
|
Cameron McInnes (38.0 per game) Sam Burgess (34.9 per game) |
Most average metres:
|
Sam Burgess (153.5 per game) Greg Inglis (144.1 per game) Thomas Burgess (113.8 per game) |
Top Try Assists:
|
Adam Reynolds (12) Cody Walker (12) Greg Inglis (7) |
Award winners: |
George Piggins Medal – Sam Burgess Jack Rayner Players’ Player Award – Sam Burgess John Sattler Rookie of the Year Award – Cody Walker Roy Asotasi Members’ Choice Award – Cody Walker Bob McCarthy Clubman of the Year Award – Jason Clark The Burrow Player of the Year Award – Kyle Turner |
News:
January: Ex-Rabbitohs CEO, Shane Richardson, re-joins the Club as General Manager of Football.
February: Rabbitohs CEO, John Lee tendered his resignation.
April: The South Sydney Rabbitohs appointed Blake Solly as Chief Executive Officer of the Club.
May: The Club signs Brett Greinke for the remainder of the 2016 season and for the 2017 season.
June: Rabbitohs agreed to terms with Cody Walker on contract extension until the end of the 2018 season. The Club signs English international winger Joe Burgess for the remainder of the 2016 season.
August: The Club makes changes to coaching staff for 2017 bringing in David Furner as Assistant Coach and Paul Devlin as Head of High Performance. Rabbitohs sign Robbie Rochow for the 2017 season and re-sign Jason Clark until the end of the 2018 season.
September: Anthony Siebold and Jarrod Wade join the High Performance team as Assistant Coach and Sports Science and Rehabilitation Coach respectively. The Club signed Robbie Farah for the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
October: A month full of signings saw the extension of Captain Greg Inglis' contract until at least the end of 2020, Adam Reynolds until 2021 and Head Coach Michael Maguire until at least the end of the 2019 season. Hymel Hunt re-signed for 2017 and 2018, Jack Gosiewski for the 2017 season and Damien Cook until the end of 2019. Luke Kelly was signed for his first season with the Rabbitohs.
November: The Club extended the contract of Zane Musgrove until at least the end of the 2020 season and signed Anthony Cherrington for the 2017 season.
