RABBITOHS (17th *toughest draw)
Games played against
Top eight: 13
Top four: 8
Bottom nine: 11
Bottom four: 3
Who they play twice: Broncos, Bulldogs, Sharks, Dolphins, Storm, Panthers, Dragons, Roosters
Analysis: Welcome back to Souths, Wayne Bennett. The legendary coach has to contend with a horror draw in his first season back at the Rabbitohs. In addition to a Round 1 blockbuster at Suncorp against his former side the Dolphins, Bennett’s Bunnies face three of last season’s top four teams (Sharks, Panthers, Roosters) within the first five rounds of the 2025 season. That makes up half of a mighty tough stretch from Round 3 to 9, when Souths have to face reigning top eight teams. This means that much like 2024, the Rabbitohs could start the year on the back foot and parked near the bottom of the table. Adding to the pain, Souths are the only side to play the 2024 top four teams twice each, with 13 games of a possible 24 to come against last season’s top eight teams. Unfortunately Rabbitohs fans, your team has far-and-away the toughest draw next season.