South Sydney have sacked coach Jason Demetriou, finally ending the speculation that has been surrounding the Rabbitohs’ dismal start to the season.
The Souths board met twice on Tuesday to decide Demetriou’s fate and it was determined something had to give as the club continues to perform well below expectations.
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Speaking on Fox Sports’ NRL360, The Daily Telegraph’s Phil Rothfield confirmed that Demetriou had been sacked by the club.
“I’ve been told in the last few minutes Jason Demetriou has been informed he’s been sacked,” Rothfield said.
“A difficult decision for the Rabbitohs but effective immediately.”
Rothfield said his replacement for the remainder of the season had been firming to be David Furner, who only joined the club two weeks ago, but later clarified that Ben Hornby would be named the caretaker coach for the remainder of the season.
However, he said he could “100 per cent confirm Jason Demetriou has tonight been sacked by the South Sydney Rabbitohs”.
South Sydney released a statement, confirming the news of Demetriou’s firing and that Hornby would be named interim coach.
“The Board and management feel that now is the time to make a change to the leadership of our football program in terms of the head coaching role,” Souths CEO Blake Solly said.
“There is no doubting Jason’s work ethic or his drive for success, but unfortunately that success has not been forthcoming over the past 12 months.
“We wish Jason, his wife Natalie and his daughters the very best of luck in the future and we thank him for his service to our Club over the past five-and-a-half years.”
Speculation is that the move is to clear the path for Wayne Bennett to return to the club but Rothfield said: “I don’t have confirmation at this stage that a deal has been done with Wayne Bennett but rest assured he is their number one target and they will do everything they possibly can in the very near future to get him back on board at the Rabbitohs next year.”
Earlier in the show, Braith Anasta said it had “been a bit of a debacle” after the board needed two meetings as the club decided Demetriou’s fate on Tuesday.
Speaking on The Back Page, Fox League commentator Dan Ginnane said the delay from the Rabbitohs came because the club were aiming to lock in Bennett with a succession plan to Sam Burgess in the future.
Anasta also questioned whether the signing of St Helens halfback Lewis Dodd may be linked to Bennett returning to Redfern.
“I don’t think they would have made a call as big as this — I’m kind of throwing it out there — without knowing who the head coach was going to be,” Anasta said.
“I think with his ties Wayne with England Rugby League and the Super League and Dodd playing under his assistant (Kristian Wolff) at the moment…”
James Graham said that it was Wolff, who is Bennett’s assistant coach at the Dolphins and will take the reins of the club next year, who brought Dodd onto the scene.
Demetriou has been under mounting pressure with his side sitting dead last on the NRL ladder with one win from seven games — a 20-16 victory over the Bulldogs in Round 4.
The Melbourne Storm thrashed the Rabbitohs 54-20 last weekend, with a promising performance from fullback Jye Gray the only positive for Souths.
The call comes as the Rabbitohs are just 48 hours from their round 9 clash against the Penrith Panthers on Thursday night.
With a host of underperforming players, an ageing forward pack and Latrell Mitchell sidelined due to suspension — the Rabbitohs have plummeted down the ladder.
With five-eighth Cody Walker struggling for form, and Lachlan Ilias relegated to reserve grade before suffering a broken leg, the Rabbitohs are battling in the halves department.
Ilias, 23, has requested permission to negotiate with rival clubs following news the Rabbitohs signed Dodd from Super League champions St Helens.
With just over two years in charge, Demetriou finished with a 51 per cent win percentage (29 wins, 28 losses).
Demetriou, 48, took over from Wayne Bennett when the veteran mastercoach departed for the Dolphins following the 2021 Grand Final loss to Penrith.
The Rabbitohs made at least the preliminary final in a consistent five-year stretch from 2018-2022, but they weren’t able to get over the hump and win a first premiership since Sam Burgess led them to glory in 2014.
Demetriou is the first NRL coach to be sacked since Anthony Griffin was axed by George Illawarra mid-season last year.
Last year the Rabbitohs became the first team in history to miss finals after being on top of the ladder at Round 11. They have only won two games since August last year.
Burgess was serving as an assistant at the Rabbitohs but had an acrimonious fashion last year after criticising the club’s internal standards.
The Clive Churchill Medal winner is currently the coach of Super League side Warrington.