Wayne Bennett and the Rabbitohs are in the firing line for what has been a horror year for the entire club as tough questions over recruitment swirl.
In what is Bennett’s first year back in charge of the Bunnies, Souths sit second last on the NRL ladder.
The issues trickle down though, with South Sydney’s NSW Cup and Jersey Flegg teams last and second last respectively.
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The Daily Telegraph’s Phil Rothfield says Bennett has a “massive job” in front of him to turn things around with major questions being asked of Bennett himself as well as the club’s lack of junior talent.
“I had a few people reach out to me saying is Wayne Bennett still up with the modern game? People are asking me these things,” Rothfield said on NRL360.
“The bottom line is that they’re going like absolute busteds this year, they’ve had a shocking run with injuries which I credit them and Wayne has a massive job on his hands to drag them out of this.
“This is why I’m surprised he even put in for the Kangaroos job and Ashes tour in October and November because Souths need a massive review to see where they’re heading.
“You look at other clubs like Parramatta, you can see future there. You look at other clubs low on the ladder, at least they have kids coming through. I can’t see those kids at Souths.
“This is South Sydney, not the Gold Coast Titans. The position they’re in across all grades is just unacceptable. CEO Blake Solly and Wayne need to sit down as soon as Round 27 is done and find a way out of this hole.”
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As Rothfield touched on, the Bunnies’ injury toll in 2025 is unmatched. No team has had the same bad luck they’ve had.
For this reason, Code Sports’ Brent Read believes any criticism levelled at Bennett is a touch unfair.
Read also pointed out the poor recruitment from the club even before Bennett signed on as coach.
“I think your harsh on Wayne, Buzz because of their injury record this year. The issue hasn’t just been the injuries it’s the injury record on top of the recruitment in the last couple of years when Wayne wasn’t necessarily there,” Read said.
“You can’t seperate the two. If you’ve recruited poorly then you get injuries, it compounds the poor recruitment. I think it works together
“If you recruit smartly, you can cover for injuries sometimes.”
Rothfield then brought up halfback Lewis Dodd, who joined Souths in the off-season on a deal worth around $2 million.
Despite the former Super League star being fit and earmarked as the halfback of the future, Dodd has barely seen the field in first grade.
“Who are you going to blame Lewis Dodd on?” Rothfield asked.
“Wayne surely would have riubberstamped it. He wouldn’t come to a new club and spend elite money on a player.
“That’s one they’ve got wrong. It hasn’t worked out,” Read conceded.
