Jason Demetriou made the brutal call to axe halfback Lachlan Ilias, but making the young gun the “scapegoat” for Souths’ misery has unearthed a deeper issue.
That is according to NRL360 co-host Paul Kent who believes duties traditionally reserved for a team’s No.7 were stripped off Ilias against the Broncos.
The 23-year-old only kicked the ball once in the first half against the Broncos, with five-eighth Cody Walker and fullback Latrell Mitchell asserting their dominance.
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With NSW Cup Player of the Year Dean Hawkins in line to take his place, Kent questioned how a new No.7 could make a different for the Rabbitohs.
“The problem with South Sydney, he had one kick in the first half against Brisbane, as a halfback you should be the predominant kicker,” Kent said.
“That was taken out of his hands on the field, decisions were made. Dean Hawkins who is coming in, by all counts he’s very talented.
“My point is if Hawkins comes in and the same players who took control off Lachlan Ilias, take control off him, nothing changes.
“That’s the issue, lets peel back this halfback situation at the moment and try to get to this deeper problem as to what’s wrong with Souths.
“Which nobody at Souths seems willing to do, Sam Burgess was willing to speak up about it last year and he got rissoled, he’s now over at Warrington.
“There’s got to be some accountability over there and it seems like everyone’s avoiding problems within the running of the team.”
The Rabbitohs now sit without a win after two games, having suffered an ugly slump which saw them dumped out of the finals after leading the competition at the end of Round 11 in 2023.
Both Kent and The Australian’s Brent Read believed problems has lingered on from their last campaign which ended in an explosive manner.
“It’s a bandage solution, the problems are greater at the club. We all know that,” Kent said.
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“I think this guy has been made a scapegoat… there’s the problem of the honesty and accountability in the team which was a problem last year.
“They all told us it got addressed over the summer, some said there was no problem in the first place. It’s become apparantent after two weeks, it’s still there, it’s still a problem.”
“It feels like a scapegoat decision, there’s other guys who aren’t playing well. This is a kid who only last year the coach said will be one of the great halfbacks in South Sydney history,” Read said.
“Gave him all the support he needed at that point, now two games into the season and he’s gone.”
Assistant coach Sam Burgess departed the club in August, reportedly having fallen out with Demetriou over a difference of opinion.
Burgess reportedly held concerns regarding the coach’s treatment of superstars Mitchell and Walker, claiming Demetriou wasn’t tough enough on the pair.
When asked if the issues Burgess raised were still present, Read said: ““Sam suggested there were issues and it looks like those issues haven’t gone away”.
Meanwhile, he also made a bold claim and Kent also explained a strong figure within the club’s ranks needs to have a tough conversation to enact change.
“It feels like the whole thing is on the verge of imploding and we are all watching it before the season started, they won four of their last 13 to drop out of the eight,” Read said.
“It just feels like this club is on the brink at the moment.”
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“How does a rookie half come in with three dominant players and take the reins and run the team,” Kent said.
“Everyone is saying he should be running the team… there is no young half in the competition I believe could go into that team with the strong personalities they have and run it,” NRL 360 host Braith Anasta said.
“Is it the coach who has to pull these blokes into line? It has to be doesn’t it,” Read said.
“The coach has to and someone else has to support the coach, because if it’s just the coach it will become a problem with coach and players,” Kent said.
“So someone at the club with pull, and there’s quite a few big personalities at the club, has got to get involved and say for the sake of the team we need to fix this.
“The big problem will be, that the playmakers who have taken control, the five-eighth and the fullback, honestly don’t believe there’s a problem.
“They might actually believe that, but clearly there’s a problem for others there. So at some point there needs to be some talk about breaking down the barriers for those running the team.
“And what needs to happen within the team where they can find some common ground and understand each other’s problems.”
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