The South Sydney Rabbitohs are pleased to announce their 20-man NRL squad for their round 11 fixture in the NRL’s Indigenous Round against the Wests Tigers at ANZ Stadium this Saturday 25 May at 7:35pm.
Head Coach Wayne Bennett has named the same 17 players that defeated the Canberra Raiders away from home last Saturday night.
The Rabbitohs will wear a specially-designed jersey for this weekend’s Indigenous Round, celebrating the Indigenous culture that is ingrained within the Club, as well as the proud Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players and ambassadors that represent the Club each week.
The jersey was designed by Indigenous artist and uncle of Cody Walker, Joe Walker. Joe is a proud Wahlabul man of the Bundjalung Nation on the far north coast of New South Wales.
The jersey maintains the traditional red and green hoops of the South Sydney jersey which spans back to Rugby League’s foundation season of 1908, however the hoops are made from a sprawling dot painting that covers the entire jersey. The circles and lines that feature in the design represent the Club’s connection with the ocean in the east through to the land in the west.
Six players and ambassadors of Indigenous heritage represent the Rabbitohs in 2019, those being Indigenous All Stars captain Cody Walker, Indigenous ambassador Greg Inglis, Dane Gagai, Kyle Turner, Alex Johnston and Braidon Burns. The six players’ and ambassadors handprints are featured on the jersey, and within those handprints are depictions of their totems. Those totems are the goanna (Walker and Turner), the praying mantis (Inglis), the shovel-nosed shark (Gagai), the crocodile (Johnston) and the emu (Burns).
To learn more about the Rabbitohs players’ and ambassador’s backgrounds, as well as the design of the jersey, please watch the Rabbitohs’ 2019 Indigenous Jersey launch video by clicking here.
The curtain raiser on Saturday night at ANZ Stadium will be a NSW Physical Disability Rugby League match between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Wests Tigers, with this match set to kick off at 6:10pm.
The night will open with a Welcome to Country from Uncle Allen Madden, with pre-game entertainment including a didgeridoo performance by world-renowned Indigenous artists Matthew and Glen Doyle, an Aboriginal dance performance by the Redfern Dance Company, and a performance from Indigenous singer Millie Mills. A cultural gift exchange between the two teams will also take place before kick off.
Fans First initiatives will also be in action for this game with pre-purchased family passes just $40, adult tickets just $20, concession tickets just $15 and junior tickets just $10. Integrated rail travel is included in all Rabbitohs Ticketed Memberships and pre-purchased tickets, and a food and beverage offer will be available at ANZ Stadium on the night.
The South Sydney Rabbitohs’ 21-man NRL squad for Saturday’s Indigenous Round match against the Tigers is:
