It started with a bang but ended with a whimper.
After the rollicking good time that was the 2014 premiership, the Rabbitohs could perhaps have been forgiven for a lacklustre 2015. Yet three weeks into the season seemed like Souths were going to defend their title ferociously.
The Bunnies stomped the Broncos in Brisbane in the season opener, then backed that performance up by rolling over the Roosters in Week 2 and easing past the Tigers in Week 3.
However from that point on the Rabbitohs never seemed to get out third gear. While there were no truly awful losing streaks and the team remained firmly in the top eight throughout, there was also a sense that this was no longer a team to fear.
With grand final hero Sam Burgess chasing his Rugby World Cup dream, the forward pack lacked penetration and the team struggled badly to post points, scoring a staggering 39 fewer tries in 2015 than the previous year, and dropping from third to eighth in terms of total points scored.
In many ways it was only a scheduling quirk, which saw them play all of the good teams at either end of the season, that saved them from the ignominy of missing the finals altogether. After playing five future top-eight teams in the first seven rounds, Souths then played only three games against future finals teams in the next 13 games. Obviously teams move up and down during the year, but whichever way you slice it the Rabbits had an easy middle portion of the season.
This, along with the strong start, allowed the team to bank enough points to overcome the feeble end to their season, as the team crashed out on the back of three embarrassing regular-season losses, all of which saw the team conceding over 20 points in the first half alone.
In the end it was the surging Sharks who finally put the Rabbitohs out of their misery, with a comprehensive 28-12 win that wasn’t even remotely as close as the score line would suggest.
Season highlight: Win in Townsville in Round 23
Despite a three-game winning streak between Rounds 19 and 21 an insipid performance at Brookvale Oval in Round 22 put the team under enormous pressure heading to perhaps the hardest away venue in the competition. In Townsville their credibility – if not their season – was on the line.
What followed was remarkable, as the team rode an angry performance from the Burgess twins to victory in the far north.
For a brief moment, it seemed like the power game was back and the team was alive.
Which made what followed all the more unpleasant.
Season lowlight
With the huge win in Townsville in the bag, the Rabbitohs returned to Sydney to play three marquee matches against fellow top-four contenders the Bulldogs, Broncos and Roosters.
Sadly the resurgence was short-lived, as the team turned in three woeful performances in which they were effectively beaten by halftime.
All three games were marked by awful performances from the forward pack, with Sam Burgess’ absence never more keenly felt.
Best player: Greg Inglis
By far the hardest player of the season award to date in this review series, due to the abundance of mediocrity on display.
Luke Keary was good at times but as inconsistent as one would expect from a third-year half, while Adam Reynolds missed nearly a third of the season. Meanwhile, the forwards were largely disappointing all year after being an unstoppable force throughout the team’s premiership season.
So in the end Inglis wins by default, despite appearing somewhat disengaged at times. The thing is though that even when he is noticeably less interested, Greg Inglis is still really good at rugby league.
In 2015 he amassed eight tries and 12 line breaks to go with creating plenty of opportunities for his teammates, with 14 line break assists and 12 try assists to lead the team in that category. He also ran with typical gusto, breaking 90 tackles on his way to an average of 130 metres per game (though down from 150-plus metres in 2014).
Roster management
It has long been assumed that as soon as the Rugby World Cup is over Sam Burgess will be on the first flight back to Sydney to resume his place on the Rabbitohs squad. If he isn’t, the Rabbitohs could be in deep, deep trouble.
As of this writing the team has signed no new players for 2016, while they will be losing the enigmatic Issac Luke and the disappointing Glenn Stewart. Rumours also abound that the club is trying to ease Tim Grant out the door as well (hopefully, from a Rabbitohs fan’s perspective, to make room for the return of Burgess).
The team has at least made a number of important re-signings, with Reynolds and Alex Johnston signing on until the end of 2017. However both of the Burgess twins are off contract at the end of next year, as are Keary and Dylan Walker.
A crunch is coming.
Prognosis
They’ve got the halves and they’ve got the fullback but they’ve lost a top-three hooker and their forward pack hasn’t got any stronger. In fact if Sam Burgess doesn’t return and his brothers can’t re-discover their 2013-14 form, the Rabbitohs forward pack looks, on paper at least, to be one of the weakest in the competition. Players like Jason Clark and Dave Tyrell are solid contributors but neither worries an opposition the way the Burgi can.
In the backs Walker was good in 2015 but not great, and while Johnston remains an excellent finisher on the wing, he was awful when drafted into fullback in Inglis’ absence.
Other than those two and promising rookie Aaron Gray there isn’t a lot to get excited about. Bryson Goodwin is yet to re-sign and Joel Reddy should only play first grade in dire times.
Alarmingly, the team seems short on talent in the lower grades as well, with the NYC team finishing last and NSW Cup affiliate Norths scrapping into eighth (of 12).
The 2014 premiership was well deserved and capped an amazing three year period (2012-2014) since the arrival of coach Michael Maguire. It was a period in which the team won 49 of a possible 72 regular-season games, the best record in the competition over that period.
However if Sam Burgess doesn’t return and the team can’t find a way to improve their backline depth, the club might find itself in steep decline in the very near future.
Predicted finish – outside the eight and maybe worse.
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