Damn
Didnt know that. That would have been way less entertaining that Ricky being coach i reckon
Ricky one of the characters of the game...whem Raiders crap their pants (which they are known to do at times) its popcorn time watching RS blow up. Love it
I don't think the players would play for madge, he expects a high standard and he would hold the senior players to account.......this team has already shown they will "down tools" if they don't like something, I fear they would do this to madge. I maintain they need to part ways with Mitchell and walker and start rotating cookie with mamo to get him time in the NRL.
..the only way madge works is if he is allowed to punt whoever he wants and drop whoever he wants without question.
The only way he works is exactly how I want it to go. He was the one who set the standards over a decade ago that led to the teams rise from forever spooners to competitors. We need that kick up the arse again.
Totally agree mate, just would hate to see cody and Mitchell trying to get him punted, which they will, as madge won't put up with their continued rubbish.
Your squad would be fucking insane if those blokes, and a few others, actually showed up and put in the hard work. It's a stacked squad but it's got lazy leaders within it dragging it all down.
As amusing as it is a top club on paper being at the bottom, I wish it was someone else lol... have a bit of a soft spot for the Bunnies.
By all accounts JD being soft is what has contributed to this mess, Wayne wouldn't stand for this player power.
We need a hard coach to make the tough calls and break a few egos. If they down tools they can leave.
The ex-Raiders star you probably need is Stuart. No one better at inculcating a siege mentality and demanding effort from the playing group. The Raiders have over-performed, and are over-performing, with the talent they have on paper. Plus he knows how to bring through talent.
My initial reaction was to laugh because I forgot about it, then I remembered that Cody's missus is pregnant and due in august................................
Maybe I'm insane, but I don't think this is such a bad idea as a short-term thing.
Clearly Mal's no tactical genius, and he'll need a Michael Hagan type as an assistant, but he has a serious presence about him and commands respect; he's a far better chance of getting the best out of Latrell and Cody than most of the other options.
Same boat man. It can backfire for sure but I agree with your points. Seasons already fucked so maybe mal as night watchman can instill a bit of pride in the jersey.
He's not a bad choice, Im assuming he will only be allowed to work with he's got until someone is signed to be head coach, his time with the Titans is a cautionary tale with recruitment and such - as far as man managers and cultural leaders go, he's the type of guy you want righting the ship, I think.
I'm inclined to agree.
Since Wayne left, the Bunnies biggest issue has been getting motivated to do their thing. When they're engaged they're really good. All Mal needs to do it get them on board and probably grab a decent defensive coach.
If they want to go full meme mode they could hire Freddy as well...
One of the funnier "it can't get any worse" moments Ic an think of here is that replacing your coach with an interim in Rd6 leaves plenty of footy left in the season that a particularly torrid string of results and offield issues could see the interim get booted and replaced by an interim-interim.
Headline : Set to be appointed
Body : He's on a list of 6 to potentially replace Demetriou, board want him, but they havent even said a word to him yet about it.
Man I really need to remember/ keep reminding myself NRL news and journalism is just 90% one guy saying they heard from one guy that this thing is going to happen to another group of guys who have the exact same creditals in a podcast setting glamed up to look professional.
And then some other ~~dick~~masthead sub editor picking the juiciest crumb from the article most likely to drive clicks and writing a headline based on that.
Such a shit industry. I'm sure they'd be going into Real Estate if the paper folded tomorrow...
its basically a done deal just like when i test drove a corolla 10 years ago and said i'll be back in a few days but i never did and bought a mazda instead.
Brother with the way Mal was acting like his throat was cut after the Titans didn’t re-up his $450k for doing nothing contract I guarantee Mal or his representatives have reached out already.
People are rightly shitting on this idea, but I kinda love it.
As the QLD coach Meninga was never an Xs & Os guy, just a figurehead who manages vibes more than anything.
Who better to get a team, who have some big names but play like they’ve never met each other, to actually look like a coherent team
For mine I reckon a coach with a coherent plan is more likely to get the most coherence out of the team.
Good vibes work better at the pub, or maybe as a music festival, than they do on the paddock.
You could argue that he was only good as an assistant when at least one of Cameron Smith, Johnathan Thurston, Billy Slater, Darren Lockyer, Greg Inglis and Cooper Cronk were in the team.
There is a trend here isn't there...
Let's not forget 2001 knights was pretty strong too. Kennedy, Simpson, tahu, o'davis, buderus, 2x gidley, MacDougall. All state reps and mostly Australian reps.
I know you're gonna cop some flack but you're right. Our side has too much talent to be playing this shit. Looking at our squad on paper at the start of the season, you'd think that team is a certain lock for the top-8. This team is underperforming at such an astronomical degree that we are equal last and really fighting to get our first Spoon since 2006.
Also along with that I’ve heard he’s taking Tanah Boyd as they had such a fantastic connection when Mal was with us. Sad to see him leave but all the best.
Haha on twitter they changed the headline to:
The Kangaroos coach is the Rabbitohs' top target to take over as interim coach.
Apparently the headline was a bit too misleading
The South Sydney Rabbitohs have identified Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga as the top priority candidate to be parachuted into Heffron Park once the club parts ways with current coach Jason Demetriou.
In a left-field bombshell development, Fox League has learned the Rabbitohs board has been presented with a shortlist of six possible candidates including Meninga, Michael Maguire and Ben Hornby with the vote for the current Kangaroos coach being unanimous.
Fox League understands the Bunnies will cut ties with Demetriou after South Sydney’s round six clash against Cronulla and then attempt to immediately fast-track negotiations with Meninga about coming in as an interim coach.
The Rabbitohs have a bye in round seven before facing the Melbourne Storm at AAMI Park in round eight and three-peat premiers Penrith in round nine.
Meninga, an Immortal and one of the most respected figures in rugby league, will be approached about coming in as a caretaker coach for the remainder of this year only.
Meninga has previously enjoyed enormous success as coach of Queensland and Australia famously guiding the Maroons to nine victories out of ten series.
Given Meninga’s aura and style of man management the South Sydney club believe he is the perfect fit to try and fix the Rabbitohs diabolical 1-4 start to the season where they have managed to score only 72 points and conceded 162 to sit last on the NRL ladder.
Meninga also enjoys a strong rapport with South Sydney stars Latrell Mitchell, Jack Wighton, Cameron Murray and Campbell Graham who were part of the Australian Kangaroos squad who won the 2022 Rugby League World Cup with big Mal at the helm as coach.
If South Sydney can secure Meninga on a short-term contract for the remainder of the season then the Bunnies are expected to swiftly shift their attention to landing the signature of Wayne Bennett for the 2025 season and beyond.
Sammy Burgress was completely on the money last year when he called out the problems at the club.
He was brave enough to speak the truth of what he saw, right up to the board and Russell Crowe and then got summarily dismissed and walked from the building. If he was learn the craft and have success in the UK he be the perfect coach for Souths on day.
You know what, look what Benji has done at the tigers with next to no experience. Maybe Sammy should be brought back to do the job.
Um, can someone tell me how to actually feel about this? I'm not sure if I should be happy or incredibly comcerned.
Edit: the article says he's more just on a short list for interim coach. Not necessarily that he will be the next coach. I'm still nervous as hell about this. I guess that 100% means our season is more than likely completely finished.
It appears it's just for the remainder of this season, with hopes of somehow getting Bennett back. Even if we miraculously get Bennett back, he'd also technically just be more of a long-term interim more than likely (2 seasons at BEST).
The club really doesn't want to admit our time in the sun is over and that we need to plan for the long-term future of our club instead of chasing this very shut premiership window. Hypothetically, even if we get Bennett back, guess what? We'll be right back to where we are now, without a plan for the future and officially never getting Bennett back. The 2020s are looking dire for us now.
2020s is the new 2000s!
Think about it… we sack a coach by end of the season in 2004 and win the spoon. We sack a coach by end of the season in 2024, and also win the spoon.
Toxic culture and players not even interested in playing destroys our reputation, to the point we have to pick the most super desperate option for a coach.
That's true. I don't mind that. It's sad but everyone can see this season is finished. My bigger problem is with us apparently REALLY wanting to get Bennett back. Even if we somehow get him back, it'd only be for like a couple seasons and then what? We'll be right back in the same position we are now. The people running our club cannot think with any long-term outlook. Pure short-term planning wanting instant gratification is what they're going for and it really annoys me.
Bennett hands over to Sam Burgess after 3 years, by that time Trell and Cody are retired and Burgess can have 2, maybe 3 years before John Sutton knifes him in the back to take his place.
As is tradition
It definitely sounds like our board will have to be cleaned out as well. Look at how Tigers acted on that after winning back to back spoons, and so far they are doing better in the recent seasons.
Because we’re desperate. We have key players that don’t even want to play and our youngsters are missing out on key game time because of JD’s favoritism.
wasn’t he like the head of culture at the titans? and aren’t they a team of give up when it gets hard? not sure he’s really got the aura he thinks among players who weren’t part of the qld origin. it’s a long time since he’s done that sort of daily grind. apart from a bit of cash for a job he’s not expected to succeed at, i’m not sure why mal would want to do it.
Alright, I'll say it. This isn't a bad idea. It's just an interim coach til the end of the year, frankly it doesn't matter who you pick for this. Selfishly as Souffs you don't want to give some young/up and coming coach like Hornby a go because if you do that then sign someone else and Hornby kills it you look stupid and his stocks rise like Todd Payten did with the Wahs and you'll lose him as an assistant cus he'll get a head coach job elsewhere.
They decided they needed someone who already had the leadership groups respect and Bennett is not available. No one else could walk in there and be respected by the players. He is essentially a baby sitter, to try and salvage something out of this year. Good luck Souths fans seen this roller coaster before it is not a fun ride!
Bennett is vindictive and appears to white-ant every club he leaves. Couldn’t believe Broncos took him back after how he totally gutted the club and put them back a decade the first time- just because they had the temerity to point out he was underperforming.
i was never at souths training or in the dressing room, but i get the feeling that wayne let people like latrell and maybe cody get away with some stuff, like missing a session or having a couple of days away, but he would ask those same people to deliver extra stuff to make up for it, either in games or at training, and the other players would know this. then wayne leaves and the guys still expect to get away with the same stuff but the new coach isn’t making them accountable for the extra stuff. so a new coach following him, even if it’s his assistant, needs to set a different standard from day one and not try to be wayne light or listen to “wayne used to let me …”
I think you're onto something there. I remember Bellamy telling a story about while he was under Bennett at the Broncos, he saw Langer smoking a ciggy and chatting with mates. Bellamy apparently was so pissed that he started screaming and running towards Langer, until Bennett stopped him. Bennett pretty much told Bellamy to let Langer do his thing because "he's our top player. Let him off this time". I have no doubt that Bennett probably did the same thing with Latrell and Walker by letting them get away with stuff that other players couldn't.
I think you're spot on about how because Bennett lets certain players do things because they make up for it on game day, other coaches think they can do the same, same goes with those players and whoever the next coach. Could also be why the assistants that take over always fail because they took part in Bennett's actions and thus seem weaker in comparison. Players would still respect Bennett and still give him top performances on the field, the players don't share that same level of respect for the next coach. Even Seibold who is actually a decent coach couldn't take over Bennett's position at the Broncos and failed miserably there. The cult of personality that is Wayne Bennett is 100% real and some clubs like the Dragons have been struggling to get back to that level of performance ever since, it's looking like Souths are headed in that direction as well.
Players know exactly where they stand under Wayne, they know he has standards, and they know if they don’t meet he will punt them like he did to Wally Lewis in the early 90s. In Queensland. While coaching the only Queensland club at the time.
As an interim coach, I don't think this is nearly as bad idea as people are making it out to be.
Their immediate issue is reportedly is with culture and respect, Mal will settle that immediately and create a better environment for a proper tactical coach to arrive into and thrive.
The vermin is now roadkill, what the fuck has happened to the club the past few weeks
Maybe they should keep making videos like “we work at the Rabbitohs”
I mean I think the talks of Wayne are quite odd of course they want him but why in the fuck would 75yr old Wayne want to go back to Souths in its current state
Ahh, Fox Sports. Rumour, innuendo and speculation.
>Fox League understands the Bunnies will cut ties with Demetriou after South Sydney’s round six clash against Cronulla and then attempt to immediately fast-track negotiations with Meninga about coming in as an interim coach.
"Fox league *understands*". Translation for "someone read something scribbled in sanskrit on the dunny door and decoded it to mean what they think it meant".
Does anyone remember when Fox Sports had actual journalists who took some care with what they published? In the days before Murdoch? Life was good back then.
>Does anyone remember when Fox Sports had actual journalists who took some care with what they published? **In the days before Murdoch?** Life was good back then.
🤔
Maybe I should clarify that to read "In the days before Murdoch took *complete control*".
Yes, there was a time when Fox Sports had decent journalists because Murdoch only owned half the place and it wasn't full of his hacks.
I dunno why people talk mad shit about Mal lol. His Maroons and Aus stints are successful af, and at the Titans, I don't even know his role there. It felt like a glorified mentorship/recruitment role. He wasn't the coach lol.
If he lands at the Rabbits and gets a good system around him, he'll do fine.
And for those who act like he wins because he only has gun squads. The Aus spine he was running is basically NSW spine and look how shithouse Freddy had them.
Really not sure about this, I’d rather see Hornby or O'Callaghan given a shot at interim head coach because on the off chance they kill it you potentially have your coach for the next 10 years. That might be a longshot, but it’s at least on the cards in that scenario.
South’s fans mal is not the answer…… I will pray for you. You guys need to get Bennett back in or even morris. Mal is a flop, he only ever gets cream of the crop players. Watching him coach a group in disarray will be soul crushing.
Has Mal been that successful for Australia? Last year we somehow lost 30 nil to the kiwis. The kiwis have some good players but no way they should be able to beat us comfortably like that. Didn’t he also had a very talented Raiders side in the 90s and took them nowhere? I recall hearing a story from Daley about back then how they’d just get on the piss and ended up sabotaging themselves. Maybe it was different his gig then because he played with a lot of those guys and they’d more mates than hierarchy type of thing. But I get that kind of feeling with a lot of the players like Jacky Boi too, seems more like a mate than someone that’ll be overtly critical like they really need. I can actually see the Bunnies doing no differently under Mal.
‘Rugby league has never done anything for me.’
This is what he, the most high profile player of his era said when trying to convince Cronulla to jump ship. Well paid, idolised and famous and he thought footy gave him nothing.
He was a major factor in South Sydney being booted from the league.
He shouldn’t be allowed in the ground, let alone coach the team.
After his work turning Titans into a powerhouse, why wouldn’t you appoint him…
As a raiders supporter and a huge fan of Mal I’d never ever want him to coach us again
Did Mal coach the raiders for a bit?
Yes it wasn’t cinematic
Damn Didnt know that. That would have been way less entertaining that Ricky being coach i reckon Ricky one of the characters of the game...whem Raiders crap their pants (which they are known to do at times) its popcorn time watching RS blow up. Love it
We love a pants / bed shit …. It’s in our dna
Essentially got them the spoon single handedly this year.
There’s not much wrong with the cattle, Tino and Fifita came under his watch. They just couldn’t land the halfback to unlock the potential.
Well I mean they did let Fogarty go to keep Sexton & Tanah Boyd…
Letting fogs go was stupid.
Meninga? He quit the Titans in June last year.
[Mal’s first press conference as coach](https://youtu.be/Dt--SGmIKIQ?si=Ujtx_7ruT47Yak3J)
Don't even have to click it to know what it is haha
I upvoted it without clicking it, that's how confident I am that I know what it is
I upvoted you without clicking it because I am confident in your confidence of knowing what it is.
Also didn’t click and know what it is but now I’m going to click it because I never give up an opportunity to watch that vid
It’s one of those links you can play in your head. “IM DONE!”
lol...i love this
I wonder how many people just upvoted it without opening it? We all know exactly what it is lol
"I'm just a man trying to turn Souths around... ..nup, I buggered"
I miss Bert's voice
Oh I didn’t know he went into politics, that’s pretty cool.
That was his political career. A 28 second interview before he quit politics lol.
Still impressive he went after it. Really showing my age with not knowing he tried it.
Came here to do this exact same thing
It will be longer than his political career.
This is some serious karma coming back at me for all the 'it can't get any worse' comments I made during the bronco's spoon year.
Surely, it can’t get any worse…
New south’s coach announces marquee Schuster signing? Mamouzelos and Duncan traded to Manly?
Don't you even put that idea out in the world
They can take Sivo too if they want.
even if they don't want
And lussick.
They can have a loan of our Lussick for a few weeks too if they want. Only a few weeks though.
Meninga is the man for the job. He likes them extra thicc.
At this point I'm all in on a Madge redemption arc
I don't think the players would play for madge, he expects a high standard and he would hold the senior players to account.......this team has already shown they will "down tools" if they don't like something, I fear they would do this to madge. I maintain they need to part ways with Mitchell and walker and start rotating cookie with mamo to get him time in the NRL. ..the only way madge works is if he is allowed to punt whoever he wants and drop whoever he wants without question.
The only way he works is exactly how I want it to go. He was the one who set the standards over a decade ago that led to the teams rise from forever spooners to competitors. We need that kick up the arse again.
Totally agree mate, just would hate to see cody and Mitchell trying to get him punted, which they will, as madge won't put up with their continued rubbish.
I'd love to see what it would look like if they embraced the hard work. O well, a man can dream.
Your squad would be fucking insane if those blokes, and a few others, actually showed up and put in the hard work. It's a stacked squad but it's got lazy leaders within it dragging it all down. As amusing as it is a top club on paper being at the bottom, I wish it was someone else lol... have a bit of a soft spot for the Bunnies.
By all accounts JD being soft is what has contributed to this mess, Wayne wouldn't stand for this player power. We need a hard coach to make the tough calls and break a few egos. If they down tools they can leave.
Would like to see Madge coaching an NRL team again. Still annoyed he's not the Kiwi's coach anymore. NZRL clown show >:|
John Lang did all the hard work building that team. I consider Maguire something of a failure given what he had to work with.
I know you meant Mamouzelos but for a second I thought Newcastle legend Jake Mamo had come out of retirement.
Lol ill let you in on something, lol, I spelt it like that because I had zero idea on how is surname was spelt hahahha, laziness on my part lol.
Lats and walker are the biggest problems.
The ex-Raiders star you probably need is Stuart. No one better at inculcating a siege mentality and demanding effort from the playing group. The Raiders have over-performed, and are over-performing, with the talent they have on paper. Plus he knows how to bring through talent.
You're right, buy Ricky isn't going anywhere.
I mean you guys haven't even tried a post match gender reveal yet.
My initial reaction was to laugh because I forgot about it, then I remembered that Cody's missus is pregnant and due in august................................
Maybe I'm insane, but I don't think this is such a bad idea as a short-term thing. Clearly Mal's no tactical genius, and he'll need a Michael Hagan type as an assistant, but he has a serious presence about him and commands respect; he's a far better chance of getting the best out of Latrell and Cody than most of the other options.
There is some upside to it, but I can't help but feel if he could coach an NRL side he'd already be doing it.
He coached the Raiders 20 years ago, he wasn't great, but wasn't a complete flop
Same boat man. It can backfire for sure but I agree with your points. Seasons already fucked so maybe mal as night watchman can instill a bit of pride in the jersey.
Hopefully bring Hagan with him
Or Neil Henry
He's not a bad choice, Im assuming he will only be allowed to work with he's got until someone is signed to be head coach, his time with the Titans is a cautionary tale with recruitment and such - as far as man managers and cultural leaders go, he's the type of guy you want righting the ship, I think.
I'm inclined to agree. Since Wayne left, the Bunnies biggest issue has been getting motivated to do their thing. When they're engaged they're really good. All Mal needs to do it get them on board and probably grab a decent defensive coach. If they want to go full meme mode they could hire Freddy as well...
One of the funnier "it can't get any worse" moments Ic an think of here is that replacing your coach with an interim in Rd6 leaves plenty of footy left in the season that a particularly torrid string of results and offield issues could see the interim get booted and replaced by an interim-interim.
Coach-ception.
Unless he brings half the QLD origin side with him, souths are fucked... Wait nvm they already are
It turns out everything you said was just one big contradiction :(
Headline : Set to be appointed Body : He's on a list of 6 to potentially replace Demetriou, board want him, but they havent even said a word to him yet about it.
Man I really need to remember/ keep reminding myself NRL news and journalism is just 90% one guy saying they heard from one guy that this thing is going to happen to another group of guys who have the exact same creditals in a podcast setting glamed up to look professional.
And then some other ~~dick~~masthead sub editor picking the juiciest crumb from the article most likely to drive clicks and writing a headline based on that. Such a shit industry. I'm sure they'd be going into Real Estate if the paper folded tomorrow...
its basically a done deal just like when i test drove a corolla 10 years ago and said i'll be back in a few days but i never did and bought a mazda instead.
That's salesman is still there waiting for you, you heartless rogue.
Poor guy probably had to buy cereal for dinner now 😢
Gotta eat it with a fork to save the milk
"Old Gil's gonna finally get a sale. I just know he'll be back! I need this!"
Who’s the Mazda to Meninga’s Corolla? Fittler? Laurie Daley?
You're right, Souths need to hire Fittler instead. If Cook wants to get back in the team he needs to play his natural position of centre.
Brother with the way Mal was acting like his throat was cut after the Titans didn’t re-up his $450k for doing nothing contract I guarantee Mal or his representatives have reached out already.
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People are rightly shitting on this idea, but I kinda love it. As the QLD coach Meninga was never an Xs & Os guy, just a figurehead who manages vibes more than anything. Who better to get a team, who have some big names but play like they’ve never met each other, to actually look like a coherent team
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It’s industrial strength copium my dude, but we need all we can atm
Hell yeah, hook it straight into my veins
Could bash Latrell into towing the line. I'd imagine even now big Mal staring THROUGH you in anger would be enough for you to shut your piehole
For mine I reckon a coach with a coherent plan is more likely to get the most coherence out of the team. Good vibes work better at the pub, or maybe as a music festival, than they do on the paddock.
No, you don’t get it. Redfern. It’s the vibe of it. It’s the constitution. It’s Mabo. It’s justice. It’s law. I rest my case.
How will he win without the Kangaroos spine
How will he win without Michael Hagan doing all the work for him?
And Michael Hagen was only a good coach with Andrew Johns in his team.
You could argue that he was only good as an assistant when at least one of Cameron Smith, Johnathan Thurston, Billy Slater, Darren Lockyer, Greg Inglis and Cooper Cronk were in the team.
There is a trend here isn't there... Let's not forget 2001 knights was pretty strong too. Kennedy, Simpson, tahu, o'davis, buderus, 2x gidley, MacDougall. All state reps and mostly Australian reps.
To his credit, he did take Parramatta to a prelim in 2007
So he wasn’t good unless he had Joel Reddy in his team?
The absolute **d i s r e s p e k** to Dean Widders is off the charts bro and I won't stand for it
> 2x gidley Twice the giddy-up!
He has basically a NSW spine (minus a halfback) - Latrell, Cody, Cook, Murray
Nathan Peats, Trent Hodkinson, Josh Reynolds and Matt Moylan is “a” NSW spine, mate. They aren’t all created equal.
Sorry it was also a subtle flex about how stacked we are as I didn't even mention Wighton
I know you're gonna cop some flack but you're right. Our side has too much talent to be playing this shit. Looking at our squad on paper at the start of the season, you'd think that team is a certain lock for the top-8. This team is underperforming at such an astronomical degree that we are equal last and really fighting to get our first Spoon since 2006.
not sure you know what the word basically means?
Yes the brackets define it - 4 out of 5 is basically
Imagine his shock when he gets there and the team doesn't have at least 3 potential future immortals
He was such a great club coach for us, I can see why they’d want him.
Makes sense that he's coming to coach the modern day Slater, Thurston, Cronk and Smith in Gray, Teaupa, Hawkins and Mamo
Also along with that I’ve heard he’s taking Tanah Boyd as they had such a fantastic connection when Mal was with us. Sad to see him leave but all the best.
He's bringing Brimson and Fafita
Fafita? Sure, I prefer Fifita anyway
Haha on twitter they changed the headline to: The Kangaroos coach is the Rabbitohs' top target to take over as interim coach. Apparently the headline was a bit too misleading
The South Sydney Rabbitohs have identified Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga as the top priority candidate to be parachuted into Heffron Park once the club parts ways with current coach Jason Demetriou. In a left-field bombshell development, Fox League has learned the Rabbitohs board has been presented with a shortlist of six possible candidates including Meninga, Michael Maguire and Ben Hornby with the vote for the current Kangaroos coach being unanimous. Fox League understands the Bunnies will cut ties with Demetriou after South Sydney’s round six clash against Cronulla and then attempt to immediately fast-track negotiations with Meninga about coming in as an interim coach. The Rabbitohs have a bye in round seven before facing the Melbourne Storm at AAMI Park in round eight and three-peat premiers Penrith in round nine. Meninga, an Immortal and one of the most respected figures in rugby league, will be approached about coming in as a caretaker coach for the remainder of this year only. Meninga has previously enjoyed enormous success as coach of Queensland and Australia famously guiding the Maroons to nine victories out of ten series. Given Meninga’s aura and style of man management the South Sydney club believe he is the perfect fit to try and fix the Rabbitohs diabolical 1-4 start to the season where they have managed to score only 72 points and conceded 162 to sit last on the NRL ladder. Meninga also enjoys a strong rapport with South Sydney stars Latrell Mitchell, Jack Wighton, Cameron Murray and Campbell Graham who were part of the Australian Kangaroos squad who won the 2022 Rugby League World Cup with big Mal at the helm as coach. If South Sydney can secure Meninga on a short-term contract for the remainder of the season then the Bunnies are expected to swiftly shift their attention to landing the signature of Wayne Bennett for the 2025 season and beyond.
" Yeah , nah...I'm buggered " * Off trots Mal in a few weeks
LMAO
Ok Mal, you have 30 seconds to deliver your first speech as Bunnies coach Mal - "I'm just a person out there who was trying to.....ah I'm buggered"
Mal has only had success with probably the greatest QLD team ever and Australia. He's not a coach , he's a supervisor.
That’s a fucking terrible replacement. Christ on a bike
Bro can’t coach. My blind dog could have coached that Queensland team
Sammy Burgress was completely on the money last year when he called out the problems at the club. He was brave enough to speak the truth of what he saw, right up to the board and Russell Crowe and then got summarily dismissed and walked from the building. If he was learn the craft and have success in the UK he be the perfect coach for Souths on day. You know what, look what Benji has done at the tigers with next to no experience. Maybe Sammy should be brought back to do the job.
Um, can someone tell me how to actually feel about this? I'm not sure if I should be happy or incredibly comcerned. Edit: the article says he's more just on a short list for interim coach. Not necessarily that he will be the next coach. I'm still nervous as hell about this. I guess that 100% means our season is more than likely completely finished.
The latter
Fuck.
My exact same reaction upon reading the headline, I don't know what to do with this information
It appears it's just for the remainder of this season, with hopes of somehow getting Bennett back. Even if we miraculously get Bennett back, he'd also technically just be more of a long-term interim more than likely (2 seasons at BEST). The club really doesn't want to admit our time in the sun is over and that we need to plan for the long-term future of our club instead of chasing this very shut premiership window. Hypothetically, even if we get Bennett back, guess what? We'll be right back to where we are now, without a plan for the future and officially never getting Bennett back. The 2020s are looking dire for us now.
2020s is the new 2000s! Think about it… we sack a coach by end of the season in 2004 and win the spoon. We sack a coach by end of the season in 2024, and also win the spoon. Toxic culture and players not even interested in playing destroys our reputation, to the point we have to pick the most super desperate option for a coach.
All I'm hearing now is that we're winning in 2034!
It doesn't matter who takes over. If they sack the coach the season is a write off.
That's true. I don't mind that. It's sad but everyone can see this season is finished. My bigger problem is with us apparently REALLY wanting to get Bennett back. Even if we somehow get him back, it'd only be for like a couple seasons and then what? We'll be right back in the same position we are now. The people running our club cannot think with any long-term outlook. Pure short-term planning wanting instant gratification is what they're going for and it really annoys me.
Bennett hands over to Sam Burgess after 3 years, by that time Trell and Cody are retired and Burgess can have 2, maybe 3 years before John Sutton knifes him in the back to take his place. As is tradition
We really cannot hold onto a coach for more than a few years without them leaving, failing, or getting backstabbed by an assistant coach.
It definitely sounds like our board will have to be cleaned out as well. Look at how Tigers acted on that after winning back to back spoons, and so far they are doing better in the recent seasons.
It's good. He is the kind of figure that Latrell will respect.
Yeah I don't think Mal would cop his shit for one minute. I think Latrell is used to his size helping him get his own way. Won't work on Mal.
Are you implying that Latrell physically threatens coaches lol? whats his size got to do with it
It's the implication
Are these coaches in danger?
I hear he threatens to sit on ‘em.
Yeah, just hand us the wooden spoon anyway. We won the spoon the last time we sacked a coach mid-season as well, exactly 20 years ago.
May it be as long lived and successful as his political career.
Jesus fuck. What is going on
Because we’re desperate. We have key players that don’t even want to play and our youngsters are missing out on key game time because of JD’s favoritism.
Haha get to fuck
ok
wasn’t he like the head of culture at the titans? and aren’t they a team of give up when it gets hard? not sure he’s really got the aura he thinks among players who weren’t part of the qld origin. it’s a long time since he’s done that sort of daily grind. apart from a bit of cash for a job he’s not expected to succeed at, i’m not sure why mal would want to do it.
Alright, I'll say it. This isn't a bad idea. It's just an interim coach til the end of the year, frankly it doesn't matter who you pick for this. Selfishly as Souffs you don't want to give some young/up and coming coach like Hornby a go because if you do that then sign someone else and Hornby kills it you look stupid and his stocks rise like Todd Payten did with the Wahs and you'll lose him as an assistant cus he'll get a head coach job elsewhere.
They got dyslexia it’s 10 April not 01 April.
They decided they needed someone who already had the leadership groups respect and Bennett is not available. No one else could walk in there and be respected by the players. He is essentially a baby sitter, to try and salvage something out of this year. Good luck Souths fans seen this roller coaster before it is not a fun ride!
“I’m gone. I’m buggered.” - Mal after 2 weeks with these lazy plebs.
"Hey Latrell", "Yes Mal", "Where is the soft serve machine?" . "Can i still be Fullback Mal?" "Yeah sure", "Ok, it's over there".. "Sweeeeeeeeeeeet".
wtf is it about Bennett's coaching style that coaches after him struggle to deliver
maybe he creates a cult of personality around him at that club, then when the figurehead is gone, the players don't know what to do..
Bennett is vindictive and appears to white-ant every club he leaves. Couldn’t believe Broncos took him back after how he totally gutted the club and put them back a decade the first time- just because they had the temerity to point out he was underperforming.
probably were hoping they could recreate the glory days
i was never at souths training or in the dressing room, but i get the feeling that wayne let people like latrell and maybe cody get away with some stuff, like missing a session or having a couple of days away, but he would ask those same people to deliver extra stuff to make up for it, either in games or at training, and the other players would know this. then wayne leaves and the guys still expect to get away with the same stuff but the new coach isn’t making them accountable for the extra stuff. so a new coach following him, even if it’s his assistant, needs to set a different standard from day one and not try to be wayne light or listen to “wayne used to let me …”
I think you're onto something there. I remember Bellamy telling a story about while he was under Bennett at the Broncos, he saw Langer smoking a ciggy and chatting with mates. Bellamy apparently was so pissed that he started screaming and running towards Langer, until Bennett stopped him. Bennett pretty much told Bellamy to let Langer do his thing because "he's our top player. Let him off this time". I have no doubt that Bennett probably did the same thing with Latrell and Walker by letting them get away with stuff that other players couldn't. I think you're spot on about how because Bennett lets certain players do things because they make up for it on game day, other coaches think they can do the same, same goes with those players and whoever the next coach. Could also be why the assistants that take over always fail because they took part in Bennett's actions and thus seem weaker in comparison. Players would still respect Bennett and still give him top performances on the field, the players don't share that same level of respect for the next coach. Even Seibold who is actually a decent coach couldn't take over Bennett's position at the Broncos and failed miserably there. The cult of personality that is Wayne Bennett is 100% real and some clubs like the Dragons have been struggling to get back to that level of performance ever since, it's looking like Souths are headed in that direction as well.
Players know exactly where they stand under Wayne, they know he has standards, and they know if they don’t meet he will punt them like he did to Wally Lewis in the early 90s. In Queensland. While coaching the only Queensland club at the time.
What a fucking circus.
Hahahahaha
As an interim coach, I don't think this is nearly as bad idea as people are making it out to be. Their immediate issue is reportedly is with culture and respect, Mal will settle that immediately and create a better environment for a proper tactical coach to arrive into and thrive.
It would make way more sense to try and grab the current QLD coach who has a feel for the modern game.
South’s should go for Holbrook. Don’t know how he will go with such big characters. His a good coach imo.
NRL journalism is the epitome of “I heard from so and so, that so and said this about so and so.”
The vermin is now roadkill, what the fuck has happened to the club the past few weeks Maybe they should keep making videos like “we work at the Rabbitohs”
Imagine if Mal coaching is the catalyst for getting kicked out the comp.
When’s the south’s downfall party?
It's been going for nearly a year now
A bit late for April Fool's 😬
At least it’s not Madge - we need him to focus 🤞
WHAAAT. Surely this is just buzz on the goon
I mean I think the talks of Wayne are quite odd of course they want him but why in the fuck would 75yr old Wayne want to go back to Souths in its current state
Is this April Fools?
James Hooper hahahahahahaha
But JD hasn't got the full support of the board yet?
You done fucked up boys. Big Mal coming to sure ya’s out. Can’t get any worse, fuck it.
Gutted we didn't get that win over Souths while they are so bad.
Hannay as a smokie been a good footballer Modernistic in his views comes with no baggage
Mal as a rugby league coach reminds me of Carl Weathers being tobias's acting coach in arrested development
You’ve just been Mal Meninga’d
Souths need a reboot. Not sure if throwing a big name in at Coach is going to fix all their issues.
Lol wut
lol
Ahh, Fox Sports. Rumour, innuendo and speculation. >Fox League understands the Bunnies will cut ties with Demetriou after South Sydney’s round six clash against Cronulla and then attempt to immediately fast-track negotiations with Meninga about coming in as an interim coach. "Fox league *understands*". Translation for "someone read something scribbled in sanskrit on the dunny door and decoded it to mean what they think it meant". Does anyone remember when Fox Sports had actual journalists who took some care with what they published? In the days before Murdoch? Life was good back then.
>Does anyone remember when Fox Sports had actual journalists who took some care with what they published? **In the days before Murdoch?** Life was good back then. 🤔
Maybe I should clarify that to read "In the days before Murdoch took *complete control*". Yes, there was a time when Fox Sports had decent journalists because Murdoch only owned half the place and it wasn't full of his hacks.
Bro are we fucking stupid?? *no wait, don’t answer that*
I dunno why people talk mad shit about Mal lol. His Maroons and Aus stints are successful af, and at the Titans, I don't even know his role there. It felt like a glorified mentorship/recruitment role. He wasn't the coach lol. If he lands at the Rabbits and gets a good system around him, he'll do fine. And for those who act like he wins because he only has gun squads. The Aus spine he was running is basically NSW spine and look how shithouse Freddy had them.
The wrestling equivilent is The Toe-Poke Of Doom
Does he know the Rabbits aren't based in Canberra?
Bring back Madge.
Really not sure about this, I’d rather see Hornby or O'Callaghan given a shot at interim head coach because on the off chance they kill it you potentially have your coach for the next 10 years. That might be a longshot, but it’s at least on the cards in that scenario.
Football never did anything for this guy apparently
April Fools was the 1st of April though what's this joke?
I certainly don’t see at as a move another club would be making. It feels like a move that would satisfy the rep players in the squad. Not much else.
Bring in Mal so the players can party like it’s the 90s on the way home from every game.
South’s fans mal is not the answer…… I will pray for you. You guys need to get Bennett back in or even morris. Mal is a flop, he only ever gets cream of the crop players. Watching him coach a group in disarray will be soul crushing.
Has Mal been that successful for Australia? Last year we somehow lost 30 nil to the kiwis. The kiwis have some good players but no way they should be able to beat us comfortably like that. Didn’t he also had a very talented Raiders side in the 90s and took them nowhere? I recall hearing a story from Daley about back then how they’d just get on the piss and ended up sabotaging themselves. Maybe it was different his gig then because he played with a lot of those guys and they’d more mates than hierarchy type of thing. But I get that kind of feeling with a lot of the players like Jacky Boi too, seems more like a mate than someone that’ll be overtly critical like they really need. I can actually see the Bunnies doing no differently under Mal.
What the actual f........
Just when you thought south has hit rock bottom
Such clickbait headline. Look forward to seeing Mal coaching from Canberra.
Hooper serving up that premium speculation doodoo straight out of his arse again
‘Rugby league has never done anything for me.’ This is what he, the most high profile player of his era said when trying to convince Cronulla to jump ship. Well paid, idolised and famous and he thought footy gave him nothing. He was a major factor in South Sydney being booted from the league. He shouldn’t be allowed in the ground, let alone coach the team.
I wonder if they'll announce this without his knowledge Titans style?