Act of Squad: Rabbitohs predicted Round 1 team and 2024 overview

A slow and painful fall from joint competition leaders in Round 12 to missing out on the top eight altogether made for a disappointing 2023 for the Rabbitohs, but there's plenty of reason to think they can bounce back this season. 

They lost three NRL regulars in Jed Cartwright, Hame Sele and Blake Taaffe over the off-season, but the addition of Jack Wighton and Sean Keppie means on balance Jason Demetriou's squad is stronger this time around. 

Wighton, who will miss the first two rounds through suspension, is almost certain to move from the halves to the centres, where he spent much of the start of his career and played most of his representative football, while Keppie adds some experience to a middle group which outside of Tevita Tatola and Tom Burgess is fairly inexperienced. 

Among the factors which contributed to their huge slide last season were lingering injury concerns for superstar fullback Latrell Mitchell and Tatola, but with both of them set to be back firing on all cylinders there aren't too many points of contention in the starting side. 

The dynamic play Tallis Duncan showed across the first seven games of his career last year should be enough to get him the nod as the edge player on the bench ahead of more experienced options like Jacob Host and Michael Chee-Kam, while Davvy Moale was preferred over Daniel Suluka-Fifita through the second half of last year and should beat him to a place in the 17. 

Last season marked the first time in six seasons that South Sydney missed out on the finals and with the quality of this roster on paper, anything less than a return to the top eight in 2024 will be viewed as an underachievement. 

Predicted Round 1 team

1. Latrell Mitchell
2. Alex Johnston
3. Isaiah Tass
4. Taane Milne
5. Tyrone Munro
6. Cody Walker
7. Lachlan Ilias
8. Tevita Tatola
9. Damien Cook
10. Sean Keppie
11. Keaon Kolomatangi
12. Jai Arrow
13. Cameron Murray
14. Siliva Havili
15. Tom Burgess
16. Davvy Moale
17. Tallis Duncan

• Full Rabbitohs squad and signings here

Key Changes

Ins: Jack Wighton (Raiders), Sean Keppie (Sea Eagles).
Outs: Hame Sele (Dragons), Blake Taaffe (Bulldogs), Jed Cartwright (Knights).

Health Check

No current injury concerns. 

Positional Battle to Watch

While record-breaking veteran Alex Johnston has a mortgage on the left wing spot at the Rabbitohs, the race for the right side is wide open. 

The versatile Taane Milne is the closest thing they have to an incumbent in that position – having lined up on the left flank in most of his 14 NRL appearances last year – while Richard Kennar, Izaac Tu’itupou Thompson and rookie Tyrone Munro also spent time there. Provided he is kept out of the centres by Wighton, Isaiah Tass could become a wing contender too. 

The club has huge hopes for Munro, who while still a teenager last year scored three tries in as many games, and the aerial threat he possesses at 186cm tall could be the deciding factor in him getting first run in the No.5 jersey.