Elliott Ready to Step Up During Origin Window

Adam Elliott says he's focused on building trust within the South Sydney Rabbitohs squad as he returns from a 12-month injury layoff, with the Origin period providing an opportunity to cement his role in the team.

Moving On From Disappointment

The South Sydney Rabbitohs have put Friday night's loss behind them and turned their attention to the North Queensland Cowboys, with Adam Elliott revealing the group had a couple of days off to reflect before getting back to work.

Elliott admitted the time away from training can make processing a poor performance more difficult. "When you lose in that manner and we've been playing so well, when you do play poorly I think when you lose games because of your poor performance not so much because of their performance, it's quite disappointing, it's hard to watch sometimes," he said.

Coach Wayne Bennett labelled the performance disappointing and embarrassing, words Elliott said the playing group understood. The veteran lock forward said Bennett's experience means he knows when to deliver hard messages and when to move the team forward, noting one of the coach's favourite sayings is not to take your divots with you.

Origin Window Opportunity

With the State of Origin period providing opportunities for players to step up in the absence of representative stars, Elliott said his focus remains on executing his role for the team rather than viewing it as a personal showcase.

"It's my time to step up and just do what my job is for the team here. I think Wayne's brought me in because he has a certain opinion of me and I've been able to slot in and play a role the last couple of weeks," Elliott said.

The experienced forward emphasised he's still adjusting to his new club and building relationships with his teammates. "I'm still new to the team, I'm still learning where I fit in amongst it all. I want to keep building on my relationships with the boys, I want to keep building my trust within the team and my trust within the coaching staff as well," he said.

Elliott said at 31 years of age, he hopes he has enough experience to simply get out there and play football.

Family Support Structure

Elliott credits his partner Millie Boyle, who plays for the New South Wales women's team, as instrumental in his recovery journey. The couple's lives revolve around football, with their schedules constantly bouncing around each other's training and games.

He revealed Millie's mother Shelly has moved in with the family, providing crucial support as both parents navigate their football careers while raising their eight-month-old daughter. Elliott said he's certain many NRL players wouldn't be fans of their mother-in-law moving in, but for him it's been great because Shelly understands the demands of Rugby League life, having been around the NRL for years through her husband and brother's playing careers.

"She certainly knows when to give me my space and leave me alone when I've come home and I've torn my calf again," Elliott said. He praised Millie as his rock through the injury period, noting that while he never wavered in his belief he'd return to playing, she was always there to pick him up on the down days.

Elliott said he couldn't compare himself to Millie's achievement of fast-tracking her return from pregnancy to play two Origin games while their daughter is only eight months old, describing it as mental and acknowledging she's an inspiration to him and her teammates.