The Rabbitohs’ decision to let Adam Reynolds depart has been labelled “as one of the greatest recruitment blunders in their history” with the veteran halfback set to feature in Sunday’s grand final.
South Sydney officials refused to hand Reynolds a two-year contract, instead offering the veteran halfback only a one-year deal for the 2022 season during negotiations.
The man who helped the Rabbitohs win a premiership in 2014 packed up and left for the Broncos, with Souths officials concerned with his longevity in the game.
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They believed the experienced No.7 was a year-to-year proposition, but he has since gone on to play four more seasons and reach the grand final on two occasions in Red Hill.
Veteran rugby league reporter Phil Rothfield couldn’t “re-call such a poor decision” which has left the Rabbitohs still searching for a regular starting halfback.
“I tell you what I think, if Adam Reynolds wins a comp and gets a ring on Sunday night, it will go down at Souths as one of the greatest recruitment blunders in their history,” he said on NRL360 on Thursday night.
“2021 right, he wanted to re-sign. Desperate to stay… Souths wanted to offer him one-year at reduced money. He said ‘I want two’. No, they wouldn’t do it.
“Souths then had to sit back and take himself to Brisbane and ultimately steer this side to a grand final on Sunday afternoon.
“Inbetween losing Reynolds, they have tried Lewis Dodd who was an epic failure, didn’t get much of a go there.
“I can’t re-call such a poor decision, he’s proven. Look at the amount of games Cody played this year.”
However, rugby league legend Gorden Tallis played devil’s advocate, explaining the Rabbitohs had been burnt by medical retirements in the past.
“There’s a certain age you get to when you do get injuries, look at Daly Cherry-Evans. I think it is a bit of a blunder,” Tallis said.
“But why didn’t Adam back himself a go ‘I will do the one year’.
“Didn’t they have Greg Inglis, medically retired. Sam Burgess, medically retired. They probably didn’t need another one. I get it now, but hindsight is a wonderful thing.”
Meanwhile, Fox League’s Paul Crawley wasn’t buying it and echoed Rothfield’s opinion.
He was of the belief that, despite rumours his body was struggling with the week in, week out rigours of the NRL, he deserved the faith of Souths powerbrokers.
“They did get it wrong, at the time the rumours were out there everywhere weren’t they about him training in a pink bib,” Crawley said.
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“Not being fit enough and his body wasn’t going to hold up. But I think he’d earnt the right at that stage to get two years.
“Here we are four seasons later, four seasons at the Broncos and two grand finals… maybe they read the room wrong on this bloke.”
And since their Reynolds decision, age has not been a factor when signing marquee players, Crawley believed.
“They also said at the time, they won’t give out multi-year contracts to players over 30. Since then they’ve given Cody an extended deal,” he said.
“I think Jack Wighton joined the club on a three-year deal when he’d passed 30, yet Reynolds couldn’t get two years. They should have kept him.”
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