Campbell Graham: Came into the side Round 9 and never looked back, what this kid did in his breakout year in 2018 was super outstanding. A great running game coming out of yardage (averaging 113 metres per game), pretty good defensively with his decision making and a decent finisher, there were a lot of highlights for Graham this year. Will never forget his try in Round 13 against the Sharks, that was just wow!! Anyway, a great season from Cammy and I can’t wait to see how he progresses.
Mawene Hiroti: It was amazing to see this guy from my hometown make his debut this year and he did a good job in the fifteen minutes he played, was very solid. Look forward to hopefully seeing more in 2019.
Hymel Hunt: Our Mr fix it this year alongside Doueihi, Hunt proved to be a valuable member of the team as he was able to fill in anywhere. This saw him play eighteen games and he was decent in most of those with a high work rate and good running game. He even managed to bag seven tries which is pretty good for a bloke that has limited game time. I think his defence dropped off a bit towards the end of the year, but I hope he sticks around for depth in 2019.
Greg Inglis: The return of GI, the return of our captain, the return of our hero has been one of the biggest and best stories of 2018. What an amazing season he produced after a whole year off due to that ACL injury and this didn’t hamper him at all in 2018. He came back refreshed mentally and physically which showed throughout the season as he looked so happy and free all year while he dominated the opposition centre many times over. An absolute freak of nature, it was so good to see my favourite player return to his damaging best, this time in the centres, and I think 2018 has been his best year since 2014 for sure. Leading from the front in every game, he averaged 130 metres and his experience added unimaginable value to the young side. What’s more, GI is a big reason why that left edge was so dangerous. Round 7, that try (the best of ten very good ones in 2018), what a moment that was!! A fantastic year from our champion, a truly inspirational story.
Robert Jennings: A real breakout year from Jenko as he established himself as one of the form wingers in the comp. He’s a fantastic finisher as shown by his nineteen tries this year, some of which were spectacular down that slick left edge but it’s his work coming out of yardage that really impressed me this year. Every game he’d get through a lot of work and would start our sets so strongly. Loved Rob’s work in 2018!
Alex Johnston: In his first full year at the back, I think AJ did okay. He proved lethal in attack many times due to his ability to read the game and he knows when to pop up at the right place, right time. What’s more, I think he has also developed a decent passing game (which all good fullback’s need) and his positional play is improving. However, he still seems a bit scared of contact which he really needs to sort out and it was a big let-down for his season. For me, AJ gets the pass mark, but Allan will be hot on his heals for the fullback spot in 2019.
Richard Kennar: A pretty good year for Richie. In the side early in the year and he did an amazing job with a very strong and powerful running game (averaging 103 metres) and very impressive defence in those early rounds. Unfortunately for him, he got injured in Round 8 and wasn’t seen much after that, but I hope he does indeed delay his Mormon mission one more year and stays with us.
Cameron Murray: The dramatic rise of Cameron Murray continues, what a year from Cam! So consistent all year round and he gives his absolute all in every game because he loves the club so friggin much. I honestly don’t think he had a bad game in 2018, every single one was a high work rate in both attack and defence (95 metres, 30 tackles) and the way he went about his business was amazing. Murray really stepped it up in the finals where he just went to another level too, it really has been an incredible season from his and give it two or three years, he’ll be one of the best forwards in the game.
Mark Nicholls: Nicholls has been a reliable player for us all year and has played some vital roles off the bench this year and he’s similar to Clark because he’s a hardworking, no frills player and he always, always did his job. A good season for Marky, better than I expected.
Adam Reynolds: Another big reason for Souths 2018 surge up the ladder was the return to form of our little general. After some tough years, Reyno was finally back to his best and he had the ball on a string all year. His kicking game has been outstanding this year, probably the best it’s ever been, and I don’t think anyone does torpedo bombs better than him!! Seemed to improve his running game this year and defence too however, his goal kicking (while still good) has not up to his usual standards in 2018. It’s been an amazing season from Reyno which is really good to see because he is so vital to our side.
John Sutton: Easily the veteran’s best season to date, Sutto has been enormous this year! Struck up a great combination with Cody and GI and his form throughout the season was pretty incredible to be honest. It was all due to his running game with that late footwork he has which always puts the defence in two minds. Not only that, but a very high work rate in most games too. I’ll admit he did drop off a bit at the back end of the year though. The first Souths player to play 300 games is HUGE and I’m so glad to see him have a great year. Let’s hope his final season is just as good!
Junior Tatola: A very nice debut year for Tatola off the bench. He played in almost all the games this year and provided great impact off the bench with his hard, aggressive running. Tats has great leg drive which is seen in the amount of post contact metres he makes. His late dip in form is concerning but overall, he had a great year.
Kyle Turner: Only played the one game in Round 6 against the Roosters and I remember he wasn’t bad.
Cody Walker: Cody’s best season to date for sure! Seibs allowed him the freedom to play off the cuff and Cody thrived off this because we all know he is an instinctive player. Some of the stuff he did this year was just amazing and I don’t know how many times he created something from nothing. He is a big reason why that left edge was so dangerous because a shift to that side was almost always started by him. Round 9 and that emotional try will always stick out for me. What a season from Cody.
