Bubble bath - The only bubble V’landys wants in 2021:
https://www.nrl.com/news/2021/03/05/bubble-bath-the-only-bubble-vlandys-wants-in-2021/
Oscar Hunt becomes Official Tailor and Suit Partner:
https://www.rabbitohs.com.au/news/2021/03/05/oscar-hunt-becomes-official-tailor-and-suit-partner/
From Zero Tackle,
Redfern Royalty - Reynolds extension a must for South Sydney
Adam Reynolds was just ten years old when he sat at Redfern Oval with his father, watching the exiled Rabbitohs demolish the Tomahawks 82-0. The little fella dreamed his side would feature in the NRL again one day, maybe even to pull on the jersey, but he couldn’t fathom the role he’d play in their history.
Now, nearly 21 years after that game, Reynolds may be forced to walk away from the club he holds so dearly, unless South Sydney realise the mistake they are making.
The incumbent captain for the NRL’s oldest club, Reynolds has done much more than just pull on that cardinal and myrtle jersey. Whilst sitting sixth all-time for most appearances for the Bunnies, 14 matches in 2021 will see the halfback overtake the likes of Eric Simms, Craig Coleman, Bob McCarthy and
Nathan Merritt to take second spot.
Once just a boy in the streets of Redfern, kicking a footy at light poles and garbage bins at dusk to hone his skills, Reynolds is now the South Sydney Rabbitohs’ only premiership winning halfback of the last half century.
A far cry from the boy who tore his ACL in the 2011 pre-season, Reynolds is 206 points away from becoming the Rabbitohs all-time leading point scorer, edging closer and closer to Simms’ record.
And now, coming off a close-to career best season, the plucky halfback has been offered a one-year contract from the club. A slap in the face for a man who’s shed his blood, sweat and tears to represent this side.
If the club’s management threw this offer to him a few years ago, Reynolds may well have signed it, but in the twilight of his career and a father of four, he may be forced to take a page from
Andrew McCullough’s book and choose job security over his heart.
Jason Demetriou has taken over the retention and recruitment for the first-grade side as he readies himself for his inaugural season of NRL coaching, taking the reins from
Wayne Bennett at season’s end, though Bennett’s input is still believed to be highly valued by Demetriou.
There are internal fears from the club that they may be left high and dry if injuries strike down Reynolds, after
Sam Burgess signed a multimillion-dollar, four-year deal tying him to the club until 2023. A shoulder injury would see the Englishman walk away just 12 months later, leaving the Bunnies well out of pocket.
But while fans are quick to throw the ‘injury prone’ tag on the 85kg halfback, the truth is Reynolds has missed just eight matches in the past four seasons. After playing the first 79 consecutive games of his career, 2015 and 2016 would be the only years the future captain would feature in less than 21 games in a single season, playing in every game last season.
The club has high hopes for 21 year-old rookie Blake Taafe, as well as five-eighth Lachlan Illias, who have both come through the team’s Jersey Flegg side, but you can only imagine the influence Reynolds would have on the duo’s development if retained.
While Reynolds has said himself he’s not eyeing a four-year deal like Burgess’, a three-year contract would hand the playmaker a shot at becoming South Sydney’s second-ever 300 NRL game player, as well as becoming the first Rabbit to reach the illusive 2000 point milestone.
The financial side of the deal is no issue, he knows a pay-cut is on the cards. But after seeing the backlash from the initial decision to not re-sign speedster
Alex Johnston last year, the club must know what they’re in for from the fans. There’s little doubt their email inbox would be bursting at the seams with messages from fans, pleading to re-sign the fan favourite, and so they should.
The man has ice in his veins, having slotted countless match-winning drop goals, or clutch sideline conversions over the past nine seasons. The man who kicked three field goals against St. George Illawarra in a semi-final, the man who scored THAT last gasp try against archrivals, the
Sydney Roosters in 2012. A man etched in this club’s long history.
There’s very few images in recent years that screams ‘South Sydney’ more than that of Adam Reynolds kissing the Rabbit emblem on his chest as he scores a Grand Final try, taking them to the promise land fans had only dreamt of when they sat alongside him, watching that Tomahawks trial.
The man isn’t just another Rabbitoh, he is the Rabbitohs. He embodies the hardship, the determination, the pride and passion this team carries on its shoulders as a foundation club, and he certainly deserves a contract that reflects it.
Somewhere amongst all this a middle ground, that he, his manager and the club must find. Potentially a two-year deal, with a club option for a third?
Regardless, that’s for them to sort out, but it would be criminal to see the club captain pull on any colours outside that famous cardinal and myrtle, or belt out a victory tune that wasn’t ‘Glory Glory to South Sydney’.
They say loyalty is dead in rugby league, it’s time to show the fans it isn’t.
