The South Sydney Rabbitohs are exceptionally difficult to get a read on at the end of 2025.
It’s weird to say a club most had in the top eight at the start of the year actually overperformed by missing it, but that was the nature of their season.
Never before have we seen such a horrific injury tally. Wayne Bennett was forced to coach his way out of a duct-taped cardboard box more often than he wasn’t throughout the campaign.
Their form in the final weeks of the season though was exceptionally strong as they started to get some players back on deck, and fans of the Maroubra-based outfit should be somewhat excited by what is to come.
That excitement only grows when you realise much of the squad is already locked away for the coming years, while they welcome a handful of new faces for 2026.
The Lewis Dodd fiasco is also over, with the halfback being released back to the Super League after a disastrous single season in the NRL.
Things appear to be heading in the right direction for South Sydney – that much is clear – but there are still plenty of questions that will need answering on the park as they attempt to string together some seasons of fitness where they don’t miss a collective 200-plus weeks of action.
Current South Sydney Rabbitohs 2027 squad
Euan Aitken, Jai Arrow, Tallis Duncan, Bronson Garlick, Jonah Glover, Campbell Graham, Lachlan Hubner, Matthew Humphries, Alex Johnston, Elijah Keung, Edward Kosi, Peter Mamouzelos, Latrell Mitchell, Tyrone Munro, Cameron Murray, Talanoa Penitani, Latrell Siegwalt, Brandon Smith, Isaiah Tass, Tevita Tatola, Jack Wighton
Current best 17 for 2027
Moala Graham-Taufa, Jye Gray, Jamie Humphreys, Sean Keppie, Keaon Koloamatangi, Liam Le Blanc, Max McCarthy, Cody Walker
Current best 17 for 2027
1. Latrell Mitchell
2. Alex Johnston
3. Campbell Graham
4. Isaiah Tass
5. Tyrone Munro
6. Jack Wighton
7. Jonah Glover
8. Jai Arrow
9. Peter Mamouzelos
10. Tevita Tatola
11. Euan Aitken
12. Tallis Duncan
13. Cameron Murray
Interchange
14. Brandon Smith
15. Lachlan Hubner
16. Elijah Keung
17. Talanoa Penitani
Not in 17: Bronson Garlick, Matthew Humphries, Edward Kosi, Latrell Siegwalt,
As it stands, the Rabbitohs have 21 players locked away for 2027. That number was 22 prior to the cutting of Lewis Dodd recently.
That move doesn’t change a whole lot in terms of what they need to bring in, although even that is a tricky situation before we get to the point of knowing who they will re-sign.
It’s a safe bet to assume they want to re-sign Jamie Humphreys and Keaon Koloamatangi, as well as Jye Gray.
Whether they will land any of the trio with the Perth Bears about to enter the mix and other teams desperate for re-enforcements remains to be seen.
Either way, it’s the middle third where the Rabbitohs currently look short on outstanding talent and depth, with the bench in particular in the best 17 looking skinny.
They are okay at fullback and hooker, while Jack Wighton’s role shifting to five-eighth could ensure they need another outside back – of five-eighth if Wighton makes the unlikely play and remains in the centres.
Money is going to be tight for the Rabbitohs, so with that in mind, here are the five budget conscious options they could look at from November 1.
Option 1: Jesse Colquhoun (Cronulla Sharks)
While the Rabbitohs have a solid starting middle third rotation, they could certainly do with re-enforcements around the squad.
Jesse Colquhoun (pronounced Colhoon) at the Sharks has been impressing with each game, and his improvement will have rival clubs sitting up and taking notice as November 1 approaches.
While the Sharks would ideally like to re-sign the young forward – who could be the long-term replacement in the Shire for Cameron McInnes – he is going to come under the microscope on the free agency market, and given the Sharks’ precarious salary cap, they are no guarantee to keep him under lock and key.
The Rabbitohs could well use Colquhoun at either lock or prop as their mainstay off the bench moving into 2027 and beyond, before looking to promote him into the starting side.
Wayne Bennett coaching at the Maroubra-based club is certainly going to be a selling point for players like Colquhoun as well given what the Rabbitohs may be able to offer contract wise could be less than elsewhere.
Option 2: Samuel Hughes (Canterbury Bulldogs)
Sam Hughes has been in and out of the Bulldogs’ side throughout 2025 after a breakout 2024 season.
What has become clear is that he is not currently a major part of Cameron Ciraldo’s plans at Belmore.
That could be enough to send the prop to the free agency market, where he would be an enticing prospect for a number of clubs.
A player with the potential to play well above the value he would be signed for always will be.
That is the exact sort of player South Sydney are looking for in this recruitment window, and Hughes’ improvement could be limitless under Bennett.
A win-win for both club and player?
Option 3: Ryan Matterson (Parramatta Eels)
Ryan Matterson needs a change.
That much is absolutely, 100 per cent, clear. He is not going to work long-term at the Eels.
So far did things erode in 2025 that Matterson found himself finishing the season on loan in the English Super League.
The forward is back in blue and gold for 2026, but it’s abundantly clear he will be looking for a new home from November 1.
His fall down the pecking order, and indeed in terms of his own form, has been dramatic given he was once on the fringes of the Origin side.
That potential still exists though. He hits hard, runs hard, has foot work and ball-playing.
If there is a coach he is going to rediscover it under, it could be Wayne Bennett in 2027, and the benefit for South Sydney?
He would come extremely cheap given what has taken place in recent times.
Option 4: Jeral Skelton (Wests Tigers)
An outside back who hits as hard as most forwards, Skelton, a former rugby union product, has had some nice moments during his stints at the Bulldogs and Tigers so far.
He didn’t quite live up to the potential in 2025, although was hampered by injuries at times.
Another product who won’t break the bank, what the Tigers are going to do with the outside back at the end of 2026 remains to be seen.
That could ultimately mean they move too slow in looking to secure his future though, and other clubs will come to the table.
One of them should be the Rabbitohs. Skelton would walk into this South Sydney side at either centre or wing, and his versatility to play either fits in nicely given the number of players the Maroubra-based club already have on the books.
Option 5: Trent Toelau (Penrith Panthers)
Toelau is one of the better young players in the competition.
A five-eighth in the Penrith system, it’s clear he will be looking for a new home after the emergence of Blaize Talagi in the number six jersey at the foot of the mountains throughout 2025.
The star is a future representative player, and while he may not walk straight into the Rabbitohs’ side, he would have an opportunity to push for a jersey.
This is a club who may not have the money to re-sign Jye Gray, and even if they do, he could be a long-term fullback rather than five-eighth, with Latrell Mitchell taking up residence in the centres.
Cody Walker will almost certainly retire at the end of 2026, so a five-eighth who won’t break the bank is a must for South Sydney.
Toelau ticks all the boxes.
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