The Rabbitohs side secured a hard-fought win this weekend, demonstrating depth and adaptability despite key absences amongst their spine.
The halfback role in particular was disrupted with Jamie Humphreys sidelined due to suspension until Round 3, Jonah Glover out with a broken jaw, and Jayden Sullivan recovering from an infection.
Stepping up in Humphrey’s absence, Ashton Ward made a rare appearance for Souths after needing an exemption to play, as he was not within the club’s top 30 or six supplementary players.
Ward started on the field but was ruled out at halftime due to an ankle injury and was later seen on crutches.
“He has hurt his ankle, so he will probably be out for 2-3 weeks. That’s it, the rest are fine,” Bennett answered when questioned about the injury.
The Rabbitohs ultimately benefited from the new bench rules, allowing for spine specialists and versatility.
Jayden Sullivan, initially listed as a reserve and unlikely to play, took to the field for half the game, helping to stabilise the team’s spine.
On the team’s overall availability, Bennett was pleased with the improvement in injuries from last year’s starting rounds.
“Well its nice, it’s really nice. Of our top 20-odd players there’s only 3 of them not here today, so very pleasing.”
Despite disruptions, South’s combination of experienced stars and versatile replacements proved decisive, with Latrell’s graceful adaptation to centre and Ward’s short but impactful stint showing the squad’s resilience.
Bennett also spoke on the widely reported decision to move Latrell to centre and place Jye Gray at fullback.
“He’s (Latrell) part of the team and I thought the best for the team was for him to play in the centres and Jye at fullback. He was very graceful and accepted that, and is happy with that and showed today what he can do in the centres.”
Asked if the fullback role for Latrell is finished, Bennett added,
“Not necessarily, but I don’t wanna be changing one week to the next,” he said.
“I would like to think he plays most of the season at centre.”
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