No mental scars on us
Murray backing Rabbitohs to hit new heights
THE Rabbitohs have reached five straight preliminary finals and haven’t signed anyone new but skipper Cam Murray is confident his side has done enough in the off-season to go all the way after a frustrating end to last year.
While most teams have strengthened their rosters, the Bunnies have stuck solid with the players who have taken them to the final four in each of the past five seasons.
It’s an incredible run that compares to the Storm side that made seven straight preliminary finals from 2015-2021.
The big difference is that Melbourne won two titles and reached another two grand finals during that stretch.
This Souths side reached the 2021 decider but you get the feeling this group is ready to take the next step, especially with Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker and Damien Cook all re-signing in the off-season.
Halfback Lachlan Ilias will also be a year wiser after adapting to the NRL following the departure of club legend Adam Reynolds, who was joined by Dane Gagai and Wayne Bennett in the exit lounge at the end of 2021.
“It’s a massive advantage for us and it’s brought a lot of confidence for us this year, especially after a pretty important part of our spine signed on for the next couple of years,” Murray said when asked about his club’s stability.
“I think we will be much better for it this year after a few ups and downs last year with the changing of a coach and having ‘Reyno’ and ‘Gags’ moving on.”
Having a settled squad is an advantage but the naysayers will point to the current crop of players being unable to do it in the past and that there could be mental scars.
Murray acknowledged that but said the team had made a few tweaks in the pre-season.
“It’s something we have talked about for the past few months,” he said. “We pinpointed some crucial moments in big games last year and how we handled those situations.
“I think it’s about looking at improvements from a holistic point of view and not just thinking about how we can improve from a physical side.
“It’s about how we handle relationships in certain points of games from a mental aspect and how we can best connect with our teammates to get the best out of each other.
“There has been a big emphasis on relationship building and how best to play to the strengths of our teammates as well as working on the mental side to make sure we react to moments the best way possible.”