South Sydney Rabbitohs 2025 season review
- Overview
- Highs
- Lows
- 2025 RLB Player of the Year – Jye Gray
- Reasons to be positive in 2026
- My 2025 prediction – 8th
- Final 2025 position – 14th (-6)
Overview
I don’t usually like to make excuses for teams on the injury front, but I have to make an exception for the Rabbitohs this year.
Their squad was decimated in 2025, with skipper Cam Murray only making his first appearance in Round 27. It’s hard to know what the Bunnies might have acheived without the injuries, but at least they avoided a potential wooden spoon with a late-season rally.
That being said, all squads have injuries to contend with and it shouldn’t deflect from Souths’ poor recruitment in recent years. No one sums this up more than Lewis Dodd, who will surely be a case study for years to come in what NOT to do when it comes to recruitment.
To be fair to him, the Englishman was never given a run of games, but for a rumoured $700k per year, someone needs to take responsibility for this monumental cock-up as the Bunnies continue to look for an Adam Reynolds replacement – some four years after his departure.
Ultimately, the Rabbitohs never looked like troubling the top eight, but their 14th-placed finish was an improvement on 2024, so there is that consolation at least.
Highs
A three-game winning streak between Rounds 23 and 25 steered Souths clear of the dreaded wooden spoon, which looked a distinct possibility at one stage.
There were wins over top eight sides, the Panthers, the Broncos and arch-rivals, the Roosters, too, while their strong start to the year included four wins from the opening five games.
Some players did their future first grade chances no harm either with their gutsy performances throughout the year. The likes of Jye Gray and Ashton Ward instantly spring to mind.
Lows
The Rabbitohs’ injury toll was ridiculous in 2025. Their players missed a combined 275 weeks of the year – 100 more than the next most affected team.
No doubt this had a huge bearing on their results, but they still conceded 50 points to the Dolphins and 60 points to the Broncos in their two heaviest defeats, and that’s all people will look at in the record books. There was a 30-4 loss to the Knights at Magic Round too – a team who averaged only 14 points per game in 2025, so injuries can’t be blamed for everything that went wrong over the year.
2025 RLB Player of the Year – Jye Gray
Gray came of age in 2025 as he made 19 appearances – mostly covering for the injured Latrell Mitchell at fullback. If and when Mitchell’s fit and firing again, he’s likely to get the number one jersey back, but Gray’s cemented his place as a first grader in 2025, and he’ll probably get plenty of chances off the bench at least in 2026.
Reasons to be positive in 2026
Surely the Bunnies’ injuries won’t be as severe in 2026? With their first choice players fit, they look like a top eight side on paper, especially with Wayne Bennett at the helm.
Some players emerged as first graders throughout 2025 as well. Gray has already been mentioned, but there was also Jamie Humphreys, who had an impressive breakout year in first grade when fit.
Expect to see some new players come through the door too, with David Fifita one of those rumoured to be on his way.
My 2025 prediction – 8th
Final 2025 position – 14th (-6)
A disappointing prediction, but no one could have predicted Souths’ injury toll and we’ll never know what might have been with a few less casualties. Ultimately though, I did tip them for the top eight and they never even looked close to it.
