2023 Rabbitohs Pre-Season

[callmack1]

What an exciting day for all Souths fans today as we officially leave 2022 behind and begin prepping for the 2023 Season. That's right, 2023 Pre-Season starts today!!!

The boys will be back at training today as we build for another massive year.

I believe players returning today are mostly young fellas. SG Ball, Jersey Flegg, NSW Cup and a few of the more inexperienced first graders like Taaffe, Shaq Mitchell and Izaac Thompson.

The rest of the squad and the regulars will filter back to training in the coming weeks with I think most regulars returning late November, while the World Cup players will be back sometime in December.

I get the feeling this is going to be a massive Pre-Season which will hopefully set us up nicely for an even better year!

Rip in and enjoy lads!!

 

[callmack1]

The boys are back!! How bloody exciting is this to see?!

 

[Steenson123]

Thompson needs to cement himself as a starter. He has promise but he needs to be committed. The sqaud desperately needs a RELIABLE option opposite Johnston.

 

[callmack1]

Thompson needs to cement himself as a starter. He has promise but he needs to be committed. The sqaud desperately needs a RELIABLE option opposite Johnston.

You're right and I'm hoping we'll find one in either Thompson, Karapani, or Kalo Kalo next year.

 

[callmack1]

 

[Runrabbit14]

You're right and I'm hoping we'll find one in either Thompson, Karapani, or Kalo Kalo next year.

Someone on the wing who can leap for a try and defuse a bomb in defence.

We need to thwart Cleary’s kicking game !!

 

[callmack1]

So, with the draw being released today, I've been thinking, and I thought I'd ask the question. Does the draw change the coaching and high-performance staff's approach to Pre-Season at all?

In the past under Wayne, and last year in JD's first year, I get the feeling they didn't go as hard in the Pre-Season as the had the 'build into the Season' sort of approach. That is fine and it has actually worked for us. However, especially this year, it saw us looking a bit underprepared and unfit to start the year and we did pay the price a bit.

I'm just wondering, with our tough opening ten Rounds revealed today, does that change the mindset? This is the make-or-break stretch of our Season for mine, so we need to be ready from the get-go. No 'building into the Season,' we have to start ready and raring to go, and then maintain it for the whole year. So, does this see us change a little and go all out at Pre-Season training to get rock-hard fit and prepared for high intensity right from the start?

With the way the draw has played out and the teams we face to start the year, we're under the pump from the get-go so I'd like to see this approach rather than building into the Season.

 

[callmack1]

Wow, he's back!! Huge ups to Cody for this!! He probably isn't due to return to Pre-Season for another few weeks at least but he came back today!

It's awesome stuff, especially while it's all young guys training at the moment. Really shows you where Cody's head and attitude are at heading into 2023 and that spells danger for the rest of the competition.

 

[Rabbits20]

 

[Rabbits20]

 

[callmack1]

Another star, senior player returning early. How good?!!

 

[Rabbits20]

 

[callmack1]

Tassy back this week!

And how good is it to see Slammin' Sam back working with us again?!! Seeing that fills me with pride man, he is our buy of the year.

 

[Rabbits20]

 

[callmack1]

Yeaaaa! Damn that's so good to see Hosty back and into full training!

 

[Rabbits20]

LACHLAN ILIAS (Rabbitohs)

In his first full season of first grade Lachlan Ilias was solid without being spectacular as the Rabbitohs failed to advance to the grand final for the fourth time in five seasons after making the preliminary final.

Souths have a premiership winning squad, but halfback is their big question mark after letting Adam Reynolds go to invest in Ilias on a three-year deal.

The 22-year-old has scored six tries in 27 NRL games and will need a big season to avoid the dreaded second-year syndrome, as teams ramp up the pressure on the young gun in 2023.

Ilias has all the tools to make a very good NRL halfback, but he might be just too early in his development to lead Souths to the title they so desperately want.

 

[callmack1]

 

[callmack1]

Tip sheet - 10 talking points for the Rabbitohs in 2023: https://www.nrl.com/news/2022/11/22/tip-sheet-10-talking-points-for-the-rabbitohs-in-2023/

 

[callmack1]

Pre-Season Training Gallery: https://www.rabbitohs.com.au/news/2022/11/23/pre-season-training-gallery/

 

[Rabbits20]

https://mobile.twitter.com/nospam09/status/1595500282779095040