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2022 Rabbitohs Rumours, Signings and News

callmack1

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11,609
The Story of South Sydney: https://www.rabbitohs.com.au/news/2018/12/15/the-story-of-south-sydney/

Pride Of The League - The history of South Sydney: https://www.rabbitohs.com.au/news/2021/09/03/pride-of-the-league---the-history-of-south-sydney/

The day it all began: https://www.rabbitohs.com.au/news/2020/01/17/the-day-it-all-began/

114 years strong today for the oldest, proudest, loudest club. The Pride of the League, our mighty Rabbitohs. Words cannot describe how proud I am to support this club and be a member of this club. It is something truly special and something that defines me as a person.

Happy Birthday Souths!!
 

callmack1

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Staff member
Messages
11,609
'Player safety comes first' - Covid already hitting State of Origin as Blues cancel Pre-Season camp: https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...d/news-story/97d93e3b8e14df43490b820e277bc83d

From Zero Tackle,

All Stars game set for rocky road as clubs make concerns clear

The annual curtain-raiser to the NRL season, the All Stars match, is no sure thing to happen in 2022.

While the NRL have scheduled the match as competitive rugby league's return to Sydney following the relocation of the competition to south east Queensland at the back end of 2021 to complete the season amid a COVID wave in New South Wales and Victoria, seeing Sydney-based football fans not seeing any action for the final months of the season.

However, it's understood COVID is a big part of the reason NRL bosses are concerned about sending their players into the All Stars camp.

Most teams have already lost a chunk of their pre-season thanks to COVID, with players forced into isolation for a week at a time after contracting the virus.

The Newcastle Knights and Canberra Raiders were forced to shut down their football operations a week early ahead of Christmas, while the Canterbury Bulldogs also reshuffled training sessions and lost a chunk of time.

It's understood every club in the competition had their return to training date impacted for at least some players, with some clubs first week's back barely having half of their respective squads available to train.

COVID management is likely to play a big part in the 2022 season, and so it is little surprise clubs are concerned about the All Stars camp.

The Sydney Morning Herald are reporting clubs will make those concerns clear to the NRL when all 16 clubs had a phone hook up with the Australian Rugby League Commission on Friday this week.

Club officials have reportedly told the publication players are already behind on their preparations and fitness thanks to the disruptions, and there are concerns another week away from camp at crunch time in the pre-season will only make things tougher, not to mention the risk of catching COVID.

“We appreciate the game and what it represents, but it’s not ideal under the circumstances because of everything that is going on everywhere,” one club boss reportedly told the publication.

“There has been so much disruption already, and I’m talking about every club, not just ours.

“You have to wonder if the players will have had enough training under the belt because of all the disruptions. Nine times out of 10 you’d say they haven’t. Then you have to put up with having them away from your footy club another week.”

It's understood the NRL want to push ahead with the game, which is a key part of the pre-season.

While the Indigenous All Stars have always been part of the concept, they formerly played against either an NRL or World All Stars team, before the Maori All Stars team were introduced to the concept for the 2019 concept, with crowds since being 18,802, 23,599 and 20,206 at AAMI Park in Melbourne, CBus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast and Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville since.

A women's All Stars match is also played on the same day.

This year's match is scheduled to be played at CommBank Stadium in Parramatta on Saturday, February 12, before all 16 clubs play two trials each over the following fortnight, with a week off then scheduled in between the end of trials and the opening match of the season, which will see the Brisbane Broncos play the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Thursday, March 10.
 

Rabbits20

Immortal
Messages
41,606
'Player safety comes first' - Covid already hitting State of Origin as Blues cancel Pre-Season camp: https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nr...d/news-story/97d93e3b8e14df43490b820e277bc83d

From Zero Tackle,

All Stars game set for rocky road as clubs make concerns clear

The annual curtain-raiser to the NRL season, the All Stars match, is no sure thing to happen in 2022.

While the NRL have scheduled the match as competitive rugby league's return to Sydney following the relocation of the competition to south east Queensland at the back end of 2021 to complete the season amid a COVID wave in New South Wales and Victoria, seeing Sydney-based football fans not seeing any action for the final months of the season.

However, it's understood COVID is a big part of the reason NRL bosses are concerned about sending their players into the All Stars camp.

Most teams have already lost a chunk of their pre-season thanks to COVID, with players forced into isolation for a week at a time after contracting the virus.

The Newcastle Knights and Canberra Raiders were forced to shut down their football operations a week early ahead of Christmas, while the Canterbury Bulldogs also reshuffled training sessions and lost a chunk of time.

It's understood every club in the competition had their return to training date impacted for at least some players, with some clubs first week's back barely having half of their respective squads available to train.

COVID management is likely to play a big part in the 2022 season, and so it is little surprise clubs are concerned about the All Stars camp.

The Sydney Morning Herald are reporting clubs will make those concerns clear to the NRL when all 16 clubs had a phone hook up with the Australian Rugby League Commission on Friday this week.

Club officials have reportedly told the publication players are already behind on their preparations and fitness thanks to the disruptions, and there are concerns another week away from camp at crunch time in the pre-season will only make things tougher, not to mention the risk of catching COVID.

“We appreciate the game and what it represents, but it’s not ideal under the circumstances because of everything that is going on everywhere,” one club boss reportedly told the publication.

“There has been so much disruption already, and I’m talking about every club, not just ours.

“You have to wonder if the players will have had enough training under the belt because of all the disruptions. Nine times out of 10 you’d say they haven’t. Then you have to put up with having them away from your footy club another week.”

It's understood the NRL want to push ahead with the game, which is a key part of the pre-season.

While the Indigenous All Stars have always been part of the concept, they formerly played against either an NRL or World All Stars team, before the Maori All Stars team were introduced to the concept for the 2019 concept, with crowds since being 18,802, 23,599 and 20,206 at AAMI Park in Melbourne, CBus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast and Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville since.

A women's All Stars match is also played on the same day.

This year's match is scheduled to be played at CommBank Stadium in Parramatta on Saturday, February 12, before all 16 clubs play two trials each over the following fortnight, with a week off then scheduled in between the end of trials and the opening match of the season, which will see the Brisbane Broncos play the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Thursday, March 10.
I hope not mate I have tickets for this
 

callmack1

Moderator
Staff member
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11,609
From Zero Tackle,

Number of unvaccinated NRL players continues to fall as Season draws closer

The NRL is reportedly down to less than ten players who remain as hold outs against the COVID-19 vaccination.

While John Asiata is the only player to have left the NRL so far over the need to be vaccinated against COVID-19, there are still a handful of players who are holding out.

Nelson Asofa-Solomona, who is yet to begin pre-season training with the Melbourne Storm in an official capacity due to his stance on the vaccination, has been the highest profile case.

Despite his hold out, Melbourne CEO Justin Rodski told SEN yesterday that the club were hopeful the star prop would be able to play this season.

It's understood Jason Taumalolo is still unvaccinated as well, while other names on the list have become unclear as weeks have passed, with New South Wales allowing unvaccinated members of society to have the same freedoms as vaccinated from mid-December, meaning players could return to training.

The Rugby League Players Association drafted framework last year wich would allow clubs to give players a notice to be vaccinated, with docked pay to follow before the club would eventually have the option to terminate contracts. That was created given restrictions on unvaccinated persons in Victoria and Queensland, as well as the likely inability to travel between states, meaning players could miss training and games.

That framework followed the NRL's decision not to mandate vaccines for players and staff as the AFL had done.

RLPA president Clint Newton told SEN Radio that the game is down to single figures of players who aren't vaccinated, while also helping no other players would follow Asiata out of the competition.

"The positive thing for the whole game is we're in single figures (of unvaccinated players)," Newton told SEN 1170 on Thursday.

"I think one of the key things here is that without a mandate, 99 per cent of players have got vaccinated.

"Those players that remain unvaccinated, there's a framework for clubs to work through and players are aware of that and their agents.

"It's going to largely depend on state government regulations and also stadia restrictions that are in place. We're hopeful that players will work through that.

"We're still optimistic about ensuring that we don't see any other players exit the NRL.

"We certainly think that will be a real shame for everyone given the fact that I think we can get through it."

COVID has disrupted pre-season training for most teams in one way or another, with some having to postpone or cancel training sessions due to outbreaks and a lack of numbers.
 

callmack1

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Staff member
Messages
11,609
Nicholls set to soldier on with Bromwich in Dolphins' Dad's army pack: https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/ni...-pack-alongside-bromwich-20220121-p59q83.html

Obviously a bit gutted by this and it has come as a bit of a shock. Never saw this coming at all. Nicho has become a great player, an important member of our pack and something of a cult hero among fans. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say I absolutely love the bloke. So this news is upsetting, there's no doubt.

However, the thing is, as good a player as the Goat is, he is the kind of player that can be replaced. Someone else younger will come along and take his place and we will hopefully not feel his loss too much in 2023. I see Moale coming through and being a better player in time I hope.

That's not to discredit Nicho at all though, as I said, we all love him and he's a great player. However, that's just the way I see it and I'm sure many feel the same.

What makes me a bit angry and disappointed is that he only re-signed a few months ago. He's now done a Bayley Sironen on us and jumped ship a couple months later with a huge change of hearts. I don't know about you guys but that doesn't sit well with me.

The other thing is, the whole story about Wayne not even being able to talk to our players for the first six months, and having that in his contract, is clearly not true which is also not great news.
 
Last edited:

Runrabbit14

Juniors
Messages
148
Nicholls set to soldier on with Bromwich in Dolphins' Dad's army pack: https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/ni...-pack-alongside-bromwich-20220121-p59q83.html

Obviously a bit gutted by this and it has come as a bit of a shock. Never saw this coming at all. Nicho has become a great player, an important member of our pack and something of a cult hero among fans. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say I absolutely love the bloke. So this news is upsetting, there's no doubt.

However, the thing is, as good a player as the Goat is, he is the kind of player that can be replaced. Someone else younger will come along and take his place and we will hopefully not feel his loss too much in 2023. I see Moale coming through and being a better player in time I hope.

That's not to discredit Nicho at all though, as I said, we all love him and he's a great player. However, that's just the way I see it and I'm sure many feel the same.

What makes me a bit angry and disappointed is that he only re-signed a few months ago. He's now done a Bayley Sironen on us and jumped ship a couple months later with a huge change of hearts. I don't know about you guys but that doesn't sit well with me.

The other thing is, the whole story about Wayne not even being able to talk to our players for the first six months, and having that in his contract, is clearly not true which is also not great news.
Agree Callmack1 as I did not see this one coming and I am a little shocked.
He only signed an extension a few months ago and openly talked about his love for the club and his fellow players.
The club also set up him with on off field role to get experience for life after football.
 
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