The South Sydney Rabbitohs will farewell nine players from their full-time squad, including two players who will be medically retired due to serious knee injuries, with Jacob Host, Siliva Havili, Shaquai Mitchell, Ben Lovett, Fletcher Myers, Mikaele Ravalawa, Gerome Burns, Haizyn Mellars and Josh Schuster all finishing up with the Rabbitohs in 2025.
Jacob Host has played 119 NRL games since debuting in 2016, including 68 games for South Sydney. Host played for the Rabbitohs in the 2021 Grand Final against the Panthers.
Siliva Havili has played 173 NRL games in his career, having debuted in 2014. Havili played 69 games for the Rabbitohs since joining the Club in 2022.
Shaquai Mitchell has played 20 NRL games, all for South Sydney, since debuting in 2022. He captained the Indigenous All Stars this season.
Ben Lovett played three NRL games, all for South Sydney, debuting in 2023. Lovett has made the decision to medically retire from the game following medical advice, having sustained a debilitating knee injury. He has tried to rehabilitate the injury over the past two seasons but has been unable to return to play.
Fletcher Myers has played eight NRL games, all for the Rabbitohs, since debuting in 2024 as a mid-season transfer from the Newcastle Knights.
Mikaele Ravalawa has played 101 NRL games, including three matches for South Sydney in 2025. He is transferring to the Super League to play for the Castleford Tigers.
Gerome Burns will medically retire from Rugby League having sustained a knee injury that cannot be rehabilitated. Burns joined the Rabbitohs for the 2025 season but was yet to make his NRL debut.
Haizyn Mellars and Josh Schuster have both finished up with the Rabbitohs without playing at the NRL level at the Club. Mellars is joining the Warriors. Schuster had previously played 50 games of NRL football at the Sea Eagles.
“Firstly, we would like to thank all of these players for their service to the Rabbitohs over the years,” Rabbitohs CEO, Blake Solly, said.
“They have all contributed to the Club in various ways, whether it is on the field of play, helping prepare teams on the training ground, or contributing to our community through Souths Cares and other initiatives.
“Jacob played in a Grand Final for our Club in 2021 and has always given everything he has to the Rabbitohs jersey. Siliva and Shaq have also played representative football whilst at our Club and we thank them for their efforts.
“I’d like to make special mention of Ben and Gerome, both whose careers will come to a premature end due to knee injuries which cannot be rehabilitated. They are shining examples to their teammates of the Rabbitohs spirit. They never gave up on their rehab journey with their knees, they gave everything of themselves to try and return to pull on the Rabbitohs jersey, but unfortunately they have had to make the difficult decision to retire from the game they love.
“Ben will continue working with the Rabbitohs in varying roles, which is fantastic not just for him in transitioning from a football career to an off-field career, but also for the Football Club, knowing we will have this fine young man representing us and helping to prepare our teams for their work on the field.
“On behalf of everyone at South Sydney, we wish all of these men and their families the very best of luck with their next moves, and they will always be regarded as part of the South Sydney Rabbitohs family.”
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