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Wayne Bennett's Rabbitohs re-build takes shape as NRL club axe several players after horror campaign

Souths have confirmed the departures of seven players.

ben talintyre
Sports Reporter
·3-min read

Wayne Bennett's Souths rebuild continues to take shape with the Rabbitohs announcing the departure of seven players. Despite Bennett still being in charge of the Dolphins, since agreeing to return to Souths next year as head coach, the super coach has continued to pull strings behind the scenes at Redfern.

After a horror 2024 campaign, Souths need some serious change and fast. Bennett has already signed off on deals to bring Dolphins duo Euan Aitken and Lachlan Hubner with him to Redfern in 2025. And he has also given the all-clear on signings Gerome Burns, Lewis Dodd (St Helens Saints), Jamie Humphreys (Sea Eagles), and Max McCarthy (Sharks) for next season.

Pictured Wayne Bennett left
Rabbitohs have confirmed the departure of seven players as Wayne Bennett's Souths rebuild takes shape. Image: AAP

However, as well as bringing in some much-needed reinforcements, the Bunnies have also cleared some of their unwanted playing stocks. Veterans Damien Cook (Dragons) and Tom Burgess (Huddersfield) were told to seek pastures new and have signed deals elsewhere. And on Sunday it was announced halfbacks Dean Hawkins and Dion Teaupa, winger Izaac Thompson and forwards Leon Te Hau and Michael Chee-Kam will also be following them out the door.

Chee Kam is reportedly set to join NRL rivals the Sea Eagles, while Hawkins is reportedly in talks with the Eels and Titans. However, Teaupa, Thompson or Te Hau are understood to not have been contacted by any other NRL clubs at this time and find themselves without a club at this stage for 2025.

But Bennett may not be done swinging the axe just yet, with multiple players on Souths' top 30 roster still unsigned for 2025. The likes of Ben Lovett, Isaiah Tass, Shaquai Mitchell and Taane Milne are all without deals for next year but are not confirmed departures. It is understood there are offers on the table for Tass and Milne but no contract as yet has been offered to Lovett or Milne.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 06: Damien Cook and Thomas Burgess of the Rabbitohs pose with family members after the round 27 NRL match between South Sydney Rabbitohs and Sydney Roosters at Accor Stadium, on September 06, 2024, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Veterans Damien Cook (Dragons) and Tom Burgess (Huddersfield) have played their last games for Souths. Image: Getty

South Sydney interim coach Ben Hornby believes the Bunnies will bounce back in a big way in 2025. Despite a disastrous season that saw them finish second last after losing seven-straight games to round out the season, Hornby believes the club has the personnel to turn things around next season.

The Rabbitohs have had a very disjointed 2024 campaign, with coach Jason Demetriou sacked just weeks into the season and the club also having to manage without several stars who were sidelined for extended periods. Campbell Graham, Jai Arrow, Junior Tatola and Latrell Mitchell have all spent many weeks out of the side, taking the wind out of their season.

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"The ladder is usually pretty fair after the 27 rounds, so we can’t really argue with that," Hornby said following Souths' 36-28 defeat to finish the season. "I think you’ve seen that we’ve put in a lot of good efforts. When we had a side that was close to doing what we were capable of, we were winning games.

"Next year, I can’t see why if we’re not somewhere near our full-strength side that we won’t be winning games. We’ve got a lot of really, really good players missing at the moment, so if we get those guys back and do the right thing, the wins will take care of themselves."